2 civic activists vie for Haverford Township seat

Jane Hall and Jeff Miller have a lot in common.

Both are parents and residents of Haverford Township. Both serve on the board of the Haverford Civic Council, and both want to make their community better.

But soon there will be a noticeable difference on their resumés: only one will be township commissioner representing Ward 3.

With incumbents in Wards One, Five, Seven, and Nine, Hall and Miller are vying for the only open commissioner post in this year's township races. They seek to replace Democrat Robert Trumball, who is not running for reelection.

Hall, a Republican, moved to the township 27 years ago. A Realtor and Villanova University graduate, she worked as a liaison between the township and her neighborhood, Merion Golf Manor. She went on to found the Merion Golf Manor Neighborhood Association, become vice president of the Haverford Civic Council, and work with the Haverford Partnership of Economic Development.

"It just seemed like a natural step to run," Hall said. "This is not about politics. I've proven through my dedication to my own community that it's about giving back. There's an incredible amount of momentum in the community right now, and we need to keep that going."

Issues in the township this year include the YMCA project on Eagle Road, which some worry will add to traffic congestion; and replacing the aging municipal building.

Miller, a Democrat, said his experience as a project manager and architect would benefit the township. A Havertown resident for 10 years, Miller is a former president of the Haverford Library board of trustees and served as a member of the Township Task Force for Revitalization. He also serves as secretary to the civic council.

"I'm running because I have a skill set that I think matches well with the issues facing the township right now, which are township-wide planning and finding ways to build new facilities," Miller said.

"The main thing that I see that I'd like to move forward with is the township master plan so we can figure out where we want to spend our limited resources," he said.

Maintaining that the Republican-controlled Board of Commissioners has been going in the right direction for the last four years, Hall agreed the township needs work to prepare for the future.

"People always like things as they are if it's working, and people think it's working," Hall said. "But we have to think about our future or it will be jeopardized. You need to repair, and infrastructure needs to be kept up to date. All of us won't be here in the future, but our children will."

Miller, 47, who is married and has two children, said the township needs to take a broader approach to planning in order to determine what its priorities will be.

"We haven't really taken a stab at creating a master plan in the last 25 years about where we need to be community- and regional-wise," he said. "It can be time-consuming, but we can as a community face where we want to go as a township, gel as a community, and prioritize."

Hall, who is married and has three children, said improving the Oakmont business district and Eagle Road corridor would help residents preserve their greatest asset: their homes.

"I work in real estate all day, every day," she said. "People want to keep their property values up."

For Miller, the only way to evolve is to engage the community. Though he came to the township at a different time, when the Haverford Reserve was a hot-button issue, he said sometimes the Board of Commissioners works behind closed doors.

"In the past, it was almost abusive," he said. "Now, it's better, but sometimes it's used as a crutch to avoid difficult issues. We need to increase involvement."