Former deputy running for county coroner
James Wilson making second bid for job
James Wilson said he thinks the position of Berks County coroner could benefit from a fresh set of eyes and some renewed enthusiasm.
He believed that four years ago when he first ran for the post on the promise that he would bring change. And he still believes that now.
So the Upper Bern Township Republican is running again.
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.
Wilson — a retired police officer, correctional officer and deputy coroner — said he brings experience running the office and a reputation for restoring confidence to the office. The 62-year-old was promoted to chief deputy coroner in the wake of a 2000 fraud scandal that led to federal indictments of several of the office’s top officials.
“We need to bring leadership and integrity back to the office,” he said. “It seems like there’s a lack of respect for the people who work there now.”
Wilson lost the contest for coroner four years ago by more than 4,000 votes. But this time around he will be facing a new opponent.
That’s because former longtime Coroner Denny Hess retired in July after serving in that role since 2006. His chief deputy, Jonn Hollenbach, was appointed to serve the remainder of his term and is running to retain the position as the Democratic nominee.
Wilson said he believes Hollenbach is not the right man for the post, questioning his character by bringing up his 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.
“I think his arrest is a big problem,” he said. “Integrity means the world to me and it should mean the world to him. He works for the county and because of that should be held to higher standard.”
Wilson said that since he has not worked in the office for quite some time he would also be able to bring a fresh perspective to the position. And he added that he’d take a businesslike approach to running the office and crafting budgets.
Wilson said he’d investigate the costs associated
with purchasing high-tech medical equipment that can perform virtual autopsies, which would greatly reduce costs associated with autopsies in the long run. However, he said traditional autopsies would still be performed in cases involving serious crimes.
“It was my many years in the criminal justice system that taught me one of the most important valuable lessons was to treat everyone with respect,” he said. “I intend to treat the public and the staff with the utmost respect because I truly believe in order to receive respect it needs to be given.”
The coroner serves a four-year term.