Politics & Government
9th Ward Commissioner Bill Wechsler Runs for Reelection
The Republican incumbent said he would like to finish some initiatives.
Bill Wechsler, 9th Ward commissioner and president of the Haverford Township Board of Commissioners, said residents should look at his record to determine if they should vote for him.
Wechsler, a 58-year-old Republican, is running for re-election against Democratic challenger Patricia Loomer in the November general election.
Wechsler has lived in Haverford Township since 1985. He is married and has four daughters and three grandchildren.
Find out what's happening in Haverford-Havertownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
After graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a bachelor of science in engineering, Wechsler served five years of active duty in the Army and five years in the Army Reserves.
Wechsler ran his own telecommunications company from 1992 until 2000, when he sold his company to PAETEC Communications. For the next seven years, Wechsler worked as vice president of sales for PAETEC.
Find out what's happening in Haverford-Havertownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
After that, Wechsler again started his own telecommunications company, W.F. Wechsler & Associates, which he presently owns and runs.
Wechsler gives back to the community as a volunteer firefighter and EMT for Manoa Fire Company, and by volunteering at Merion Mercy Academy in Merion Station.
He served on the Ad Hoc Citizens Committee for Haverford Reserve for two years before he was first elected commissioner in 2008.
Wechsler told the Haverford-Havertown Patch that he is running for reelection in order to finish some initiatives. He said he would like to see completion of the redevelopment of the old quarry site at 116 Township Line Road (there are plans to build a ) and completion of a at the old Swell Bubble Gum factory site and the redevelopment of Eagle Road.
The issues of concern to 9th Ward residents are common ones such as cut-through traffic and speeding; the redevelopment of the old quarry and the impact on traffic; and the aging sanitary sewer infrastructure.
There have been several breaks in the sewer lines and the fixing the sewer system is expensive, Wechsler said.
“The pipes are old,” Wechsler said. “They’re collapsing.”
When Wechsler was asked why people should vote for him, he said voters should “just look at my record and see if I’m qualified to continue to represent them.”
“I’m a big proponent they should vote for who they think will do the best job for them,” Wechsler said.
