DV Journal

Just before voting for a 23 percent property tax hike, Democrat Delaware County Councilwoman Christine Reuther advocated for a pay raise.

“I am on a fixed income. My income has not gone up in the five years I’ve been on council,” she said at a recent Council meeting.

Public records show that council members earn approximately $51,000 per year for what is considered a part-time position.

Reuther’s council salary isn’t her sole source of income. Her official county biography said she operates a “small business consulting practice” that serves individuals, businesses, non-profits, and partnerships.

Her husband is a pediatric surgeon and a frequent presenter for American Medical Seminars.

Reuther argued that’s going to change next year because her husband plans to retire. “He’s going to be on a fixed income.”

Their six bedroom house featuring a “large master bedroom with a skylight” is valued at an estimated $784,000 to $913,670.

An apoplectic Wallace Nunn told DVJournal that Reuther’s comments went beyond the pale. “How dare you equate your privileged situation to someone living on Social Security or [who] is trying desperately to hang onto their row home while you live in your $900,000 [home].”

But Reuther insisted she’s still in a challenging financial spot.

“[T]he one thing I get is I get health care benefits as an employee of the county, and I’m now paying contributing towards those benefits, which my previous council members didn’t have to do because they wouldn’t vote to do that,” she said.

Former Delaware County Council Chair Andy Reilly found Reuther’s comments ridiculous.

“There hasn’t been a pay raise for 40 years. She knew what she was getting into,” he told DVJournal.

Reilly said previous Republican-led councils left governance to the executive director because the council was supposed to be part-time and term-limited.

“I guess this is a set up to try to raise Council salaries, which wouldn’t surprise me,” he commented.

Delaware County has a $27 million structural deficit. Although County Executive Director Barbara O’Malley attributed the deficit to inflation and a lack of tax increases, records indicate that county spending has increased by $75 million since 2020.

It highlights the role federal COVID relief money played into the expansion of government in Pennsylvania. The county’s 2021 budget was $246.5 million. The county passed a $321.4 million budget last week.

Similarly, the state of Pennsylvania’s budget grew from $39.8 billion in 2021 to $47.6 billion this year. The Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office warned last month the state’s general fund will be emptied next year and the Rainy Day Fund empty in Fiscal Year 2026-2027.

That caused the Commonwealth Foundation to warn tax hikes of several billion dollars were in the Keystone State’s future due to the reckless spending.

As for Reuther, she said no one should feel sorry for her. “I’m just saying I’m in the same position that a lot of the people are, that folks have been writing me about.”

Nunn agreed with Reuther on not feeling sorry for her. “These are the words of somebody that’s desperate because they don’t even begin to reflex reality. … You have no shame,” he said.

Delaware County Democrats and Republicans have endorsed candidates for the upcoming primary on May 16.

The council Democratic committee endorsed incumbents Council Chair Monica Taylor, Ph.D., Vice Chair Elaine Paul Schaefer, and Councilwoman Christine Reuther. The three were first elected in 2019 in a historic Democratic sweep of council seats.

The Republican committee endorsed Joy Schwartz, Jeff Jones, and Upland Borough Mayor Bill Dennon for the county council.

Schwartz, a Drexel Hill resident, is a retired history teacher who worked for more than 20 years in the William Penn School District. She is running against the Democratic council’s policies that she believes have failed local communities.

Delaware County Council Chair Monica Taylor, Ph.D.

“If elected, I will lead the charge for common sense, fiscal sanity, safe streets, elections conducted in accordance with administrative code, and the reversal of the progressive agendas that are destroying Delco,” said Schwartz.

Jones, of Upper Darby, is an insurance industry professional and has been active in the community as a youth sports coach. He also served on the Upper Darby Economic Development Committee.

“Our current county council is not delivering on the things that are important to the health, safety, and welfare of our neighbors,” said Jones. “They lack transparency, take no administrative responsibility, and have been fiscally irresponsible with our tax dollars. If we do not rein them in now, the course they have the county heading on will lead to a devastating failure.”

Dennon, who has served as Upland’s mayor for five years, is a maintenance mechanic. He is involved in activities recognizing and honoring veterans. He also served as a site coordinator for the Chester-Ridley-Crum Watersheds Association annual stream cleanup.

Christine Reuther

“It is time for a change, and Delaware County cannot afford any more one-party Democratic rule,” said Dennon. “We need to restore accountability, fiscal responsibility, and sound leadership to Delaware County.”

“Under the Democrats’ one-party rule, Delaware County is facing unprecedented challenges: Closed hospitals and a lack of EMS services; a looming county tax increase; a deteriorating county financial position partisanship that prevents equal access to services, and changes to the county administrative code that has shutout Republicans from participating in the oversight of elections,” said Frank Agovino, chair of the Delaware County Republican Party. “We want to ensure our county government operates effectively and fairly while also ensuring a brighter future for all Delaware County residents.”

Taylor is a professor and program director in the kinesiology department at the University of Sciences in Philadelphia. In addition to her teaching, research, and administrative duties, she works on community outreach projects to educate high school students about potential future careers in the healthcare industry. She spearheaded a project in Philadelphia elementary schools to introduce young students to science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM).

Elaine Schaefer

Taylor, who formerly served on the Upper Darby School Board, lives with her husband and two daughters in Upper Darby.

Schaefer, a lawyer and former Radnor Township commissioner co-founded the Radnor Conservancy. She is the executive director of the Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area. Schaefer and her husband, John, are the parents of three children.

Also a lawyer, Reuther is “of counsel” to the Devon law firm McCausland Keen and Buckman. She is vice president of the Child Guidance Resource Centers board, a community mental and behavioral health service provider. She is a former Nether Providence commissioner, serves as the Nether Providence representative on the board of directors of the Central Delaware County Authority, and is the Rutledge Borough solicitor. She lives in Wallingford with her husband. They also raised three children.

The Democrats’ campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

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