FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:           March 23, 2003

Contact:       Nora Winkelman, Chair

                   Democratic Committee of Lower Merion & Narberth

                   610-585-0748

Narberth – Nora Winkelman, the Chair of the Democratic Committee of Lower Merion & Narberth, announced the following Democratic Candidates:

Mary Jo Pauxtis is running for her fourth term on the Narberth Borough Council.  Ms. Pauxtis currently the President of the Council and is a manager of administration and finance at a research center at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School.  She can be reached at 610-667-3983.

Nancy Lotz is running for her second term on the Narberth Borough Council.  Ms. Lotz is currently the Vice President of the Council and is a social worker with the Visiting Nurse Association of Greater Philadelphia.  She can be reached at 610-664-5282.

Hunter Martin is running for his second term on the Narberth Borough Council.  Mr. Martin is a research fellow at Thomas Jefferson University.  He can be reached at 610-550-0425.

Matt Comisky is running for his second term on the Lower Merion Township Board of Commissioners for Ward 1 and serves as the Board’s Chair of Building and Planning.  Mr. Comisky is a partner in the law firm of Blank Rome LLP and concentrates his practice in the area of real estate law.  He can be reached at 215-569-5678.

Jeff Lindy is running for election to the Lower Merion Township Board of Commissioners for Ward 3.  Mr. Lindy is a lawyer in his own firm and concentrates his practice in the area of criminal defense and commercial litigation.  He currently serves as the President of the Neighborhood Club of Bala Cynwyd, the oldest civic association on the Main Line.  Mr. Lindy can be reached at 215-575-9290.

Cheryl Gelber is running for election to the Lower Merion Township Board of Commissioners for Ward 5.  Ms. Gelber is an attorney, a Director of the Wynnewood Civic Association and Consultant to the Lower Merion Counseling Service.  She was an operations, product and financial manager for 19 years at Cigna Property and Casualty Group and now is the Consultant/Project Manager for the Lower Merion/Narberth Community Coalition.  She also serves on the Lower Merion Township Planning Commission.  Ms. Gelber can be reached at 610-642-3999.

Elizabeth Rogan is running for election to the Lower Merion Township Board of Commissioners for Ward 7.  Ms. Rogan was the Director of the Lower Merion Planning and Community Development Department and currently serves in the Building and Planning Department as a Special Projects Coordinator.  She can be reached at 610-649-6931.

Joe Manko is running for his 7^th term on the Lower Merion Township Board of Commissioners for Ward 9, and served as its President in 1993 when the Democrats and Republicans shared power on that body.  Mr. Manko is an environmental lawyer.  He can be reached at 610-667-3735 (home) or 484-430-2310 (office).

Dorcas Buck “Bucky” Farquhar is running for election to the Lower Merion Township Board of Commissioners for Ward 11.  Ms. Farquhar’s background is in social work.  She can be reached at 610-527-0517.

Bruce Reed is running for election to the Lower Merion Township Board of Commissioners for Ward 13.  Mr. Reed is the Assistant General Counsel of the Berwind Group in Philadelphia, a privately-held company with holdings consisting of a diverse family of companies with worldwide operations.  Mr. Reed has been a Board Member of the Neighborhood Club of Bala Cynwyd for over 12 years and served as its President.  He is the Co-Chair of the Lower Merion Township Planning Commission and a Board Member of and solicitor for the Lower Merion Historical Society.  He can be reached at 215-575-2328.

Diane DiBonaventuro has been on the Lower Merion School Board since 1999 and is running for her second term.  She was the Finance chair for 2 years and the Policy chair for 2 years and has been very involved in the oversight of the facilities projects.   In addition to her work on the School Board, Ms. DiBonaventuro is the Executive Director and League Commissioner of Main Line Girls Basketball Association which serves over 700 girls in Lower Merion.  She can be reached at 610-526-2851.

Joss Gelfand was appointed to the Lower Merion School Board in 1998 and was first elected in his own right in 1999.  He is running for his second term after serving as Vice President of the Board for 2 years.  He has been chair of the Human Resources Committee for the last 4 years and has been actively involved in school district activities since the early 1990’s.  Dr. Gelfand is a practicing physician in Philadelphia and has been a resident of Bala Cynwyd for 22 years.  He can be reached at 215-969-2300.

Larry Rosenwald was also first appointed to the Lower Merion School Board in 1998 and was first elected in his own right in 1999.  He is running for his second term after serving as President of the Board for 2 years.  He is a former chair of the Policy Committee and is the current chair of the Legislative Committee.  He has more than a decade of service with the Penn Wynne, Bala Cynwyd and Lower Merion Home and School Associations.  Mr. Rosenwald has been an attorney for over 30 years real estate and construction law.  He can be reached at 610-642-8682.

Marcia Taylor has been on the Lower Merion School Board since 1999 and is running for her second term.  She formerly served as chair of the Policy Committee and has been chair of the Curriculum Committee for the past 2 years.   She is a member of the Steering Committee of the Lower Merion-Narberth Community Coalition and a Board representation to the Special Education Advisory Liaison Committee.  Dr. Taylor has been involved.   She is a dermatologist and has been a resident of Wynnewood for 22 years.  She can be reached at 610-649-1235.

Lisa Fair Pliskin is running for the Lower Merion School Board.  Ms. Pliskin is Senior Corporate Counsel at Kravco Company in King of Prussia, a strong regional shopping center management and development company, and is primarily responsible for real estate projects in development or under construction.  She has 2 children, a preschooler and a third grader currently attending Merion Elementary School, and volunteers with the Home and School Association.  She is also a board member and active committee person with Beth Am Israel Synagogue in Penn Valley.  Ms. Pliskin can be reached at 610-768-6371.

Karen Zucker is running for the new District Justice seat just created in Lower Merion.  If elected, she will be responsible for Ward 7, 8-1, 8-3, 9-1, Ward 12, Ward 13 and Ward 14.  Ms. Zucker is a real estate lawyer, a member of the Lower Merion Township Planning Commission and active at her synagogue, Beth Am Israel in Penn Valley.  She can be reached at 610-667-1484.

Donna Haas is running for District Justice in the district currently served by Henry “Chip” Shireson, namely:  Ward 1, Ward 2, Ward 3, Ward 6, 9-2, 9-3 and 11-3.  Ms. Haas is a lawyer, having practiced in Bala Cynwyd for 16 years in the areas of motor vehicle and products liability, residential real estate and matrimonial law.  She is also a certified teacher for grades K-12.  She can be reached at 610-664-5165.

Joel Bigatel is running for District Justice in the district currently served by Kathleen Valentine, namely:  Narberth, Ward 4, Ward 5, 8-2, 8-4, Ward 10, 11-1 and 11-2.  Mr. Bigatel is a general practice attorney concentrating in family law and civil litigation with his office and his home in Narberth.  He is a coach in the Narberth Basketball League and has been active in community groups in the area, including N.I.C.E. and the Lower Merion/Narberth Youth Council which recommended grant funding for the Ardmore Community Center.  He can be reached at 610-667-3282.

Marjorie Annapav is running for Constable in Narberth.  Ms. Annapav owns her own power washing business with contracts such as the Philadelphia Airport.  She has served as a Democratic Committee Person and can be reached at 610-664-5801.

Eric Bradway is running for Constable in Lower Merion.  Mr. Bradway currently works with attorney Phil Berg of Lafayette Hill and can be reached at 610-649-5952.

Julie Sokoloff is running for Constable in Lower Merion.  Julie is no stranger to politics.  She currently serves as Secretary to the Democratic Committee of Lower Merion & Narberth, ran Connie Williams’ 2000 race for State Representative and was Ed Rendell’s scheduler throughout the Primary and General Election campaigns.  Ms. Sokoloff can be reached at 610-649-8239.