Acting coroner seeking election to post
Jonn Hollenbach, 16-year veteran of the office, was appointed in July
Jonn Hollenbach knows everything about the Berks County coroner’s office.
After spending more than 16 years working in the office, Hollenbach has risen through the ranks from his humble beginning as a deputy coroner to his most recent promotion leading the department following the retirement of Dennis Hess last summer.
Now he is ready to officially take over the office.
But first the Exeter Township resident will need the voters of Berks County to decide what his future will hold. And it begins this spring with a campaign for the Democratic nomination for the post.
“My years of experience and working up through the ranks helps me because I know what my employees are dealing with because I was there,” the 49-year-old said. “I have been in those roles, and I know what the job entails.”
The coroner investigates deaths independent of the police. The office also rules on the cause and manner of sudden, unexplained or unnatural deaths as well as natural deaths that occur outside the presence of medical officials.
Hollenbach touted his extensive training in the field. He is certified through the Pennsylvania Coroners’ Education Board and is a nationally registered diplomat of the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators.
“The level of service this office provides to the families we deal with is something that I take great pride in and that I want to continue for years to come,” he said. “We are compassionate and professional. And we take our jobs very seriously.”
Hollenbach pointed out that it can be very difficult to deal with death day after day and often meeting people at the absolute worst time in their lives. Not wanting to add to that despair, he said he has worked to make sure his office is as efficient and easy to use as possible.
To ensure they are living up to that goal, Hollenbach said he has made moves since taking over the department to speed up the paperwork process. He did this by shifting all death certificates to a digital process and switching over to an electronic approval process for cremations services.
Hollenbach said he will continue to look for ways to make the office more efficient should he be elected to the office.
Another focus of his will be working closely with organizations that aim to reduce premature deaths. He plans to do that by remaining involved in countywide task forces that tackle the issues of suicide and opioid abuse.
“Part of this job is to find ways to reduce those kinds of deaths,” he said.
Hollenbach is the first candidate to formally announce he’s running for the Democratic nomination. James Wilson announced last week that he’s campaigning for the Republican nomination.
Wilson said he believes Hollenbach is not the right man for the post, questioning his character by bringing up Hollenbach’s November 2019 arrest for driving under the influence. According to court documents, Hollenbach had a bloodalcohol level twice the legal limit when his pickup truck struck a parked SUV in Muhlenberg Township.
Hollenbach expressed regret over the incident but said it shouldn’t disqualify
him from the position.
“That was a mistake that I made that was probably the worst mistake of my life,” he said. “I made some changes in my life to make sure that never happens again. And I think the big reason why I was kept in my position after the incident was because of my character and work ethic.”
Hollenbach added that he has completed the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for first