Jenkintown Council Member Michael Golden has announced that he will not seek reelection this year. He is expected to serve out his term. Mr. Golden appears above at left with his son Jonathan.

In a post left by his wife on Facebook, Mr. Golden writes:

I have decided not to run for re-election to Borough Council. Thank you all wholeheartedly for your tremendous support, effort, and teamwork over the past 20 years.

Nothing worth fighting for and achieving can be done alone. When I started on this journey, the Council and Borough leadership stated publicly that there were no problems in Jenkintown.

A group of us took up that challenge, implementing a community-wide, thoroughly inclusive process to establish our Borough’s goals—a process that grew into the Jenkintown Community Alliance (JCA). The foundation funding this community process told our group that we already knew the answers, so we should just draft a plan and share it with the public. But we said “no!” We knew many voices needed to be heard to secure the future of our town.

All told, more than 600 people attended a series of interactive public meetings. The vision resulting from that public process was later adopted as the Borough’s revitalization plan, still the roadmap for raising grants and implementing our success.

And that has always been my guiding star—transparency and inclusion. People have a right to know. My experience is that including those who might disagree with us leads to better decisions and more effective implementation of even controversial plans. I hope that my tenure on Council has been marked by a community-minded, thoughtful approach to important issues—and, of course, a strong representation of my constituents.

While my work in this community began with the important process of revitalization, I am most proud of my insistence on transparency and respect, including the rights of all of us to have a say in our collective future.

This announcement comes after the sudden departure of Rick Bunker and the announced resignation of Melissa Ashton-Young. Council has announced interviews for people to fill those seats. Mr. Golden is expected to serve out his term, which ends in January, 2020.