Birdsboro’s new manager encourages residents to interact with council
Kelly Yanos, Birdsboro’s new borough manager, says residents should feel free to approach their elected officials.
“I encourage the public to interact with borough council,” she said. “I look at my role as a facilitator, someone who can foster a good relationship between council and residents.”
Yanos, who was appointed at a council meeting Nov. 4, was on the job the next day. But she didn’t need any help finding her way around the office.
“I was the treasurer for the borough for 10 years,” she said. “And I had a good teacher in Aaron Durso.”
Yanos was selected over six other candidates to replace former borough manager Durso, who resigned last month.
An Amity Township resident,
Yanos, 56, didn’t aim for a career in public administration when she graduated from Gov. Mifflin High School in 1981, but that is where life’s path led. She has worked in local government for 25 years.
“I have worked as a consultant for several Berks municipalities, including Amity,” she said. “And I worked for five years for what is now the Center for Excellence in Local Government at Albright College.”
It was while working for Amity that she met her husband, Bobby Yanos, a farmer and former township supervisor.
A farmer’s wife can wind up with some odd hours, she said, which is why she hesitated to interview for the full-time job despite the urging of colleagues and others.
Council agreed to accommodate her need for a flexible schedule, she said.
Her duties include preparing the borough’s annual budget, managing projects and overseeing department and other borough operations.
“We have the best department heads and personnel,” she said.
“I could not do this without their support.”
Yanos said one of her goals is to empower the public with knowledge about the workings of the borough. She wants residents to feel comfortable bringing suggestions, questions and concerns to council or to her as an intermediary.
Richard S. Happel, council president, said Yanos has experience with all aspects of the borough’s inner workings, something he and the other council members find invaluable.
“I, along with council, are looking forward to having Kelly as our borough manager,” he said.