Everything you need to know about the Perkiomen Valley area May 20 Primary Election

The Primary Election is upon us.

May 20 marks the day where residents will go to the polls to make their voices heard.

There are many different officials up for re-election or first-time residents on the ballot hoping to make a difference in their communities.

Democrats and Republicans alike will head out to various polling locations to make their selections, all of which can be found below.

There are many resources available if you are unsure of where your polling place is, how late the polling places stay open, who can actually vote, etc.

To find out if you are a registered voter, click here.

To locate your district, click here.

Your election ballot status can be found here.

To find your polling place, simply enter your address in this form.

For absentee ballot information, click here.

For mail-in ballot information, click here.

PERKIOMEN VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT

There are four open seats on the 9-member Perkiomen Valley School District Board of Directors, and eight candidates are vying for these positions.

Two main groups are competing for the Board seats: PV Forward and Thrive4PV.

PV Forward is a Democratic-aligned slate comprising Judy Lofton, Ann Bridy, Kevin Williams, and Cindy Westphal. They advocate for a strong public education system, a healthy learning environment, fiscal responsibility, and transparent communication.

Thrive4PV is a Republican-aligned group featuring incumbents Jason Saylor, Rowan Keenan, and Don Fountain, along with newcomer Russ Larson. Saylor and Larson are cross-filing to appear on both the Democratic and Republican ballots.

The race has been marked by controversy, particularly concerning misleading campaign tactics. PV Forward allegedly mailed fake Republican sample ballots to registered Republican voters, listing Democratic-endorsed candidates and potentially causing voter confusion. The Montgomery County Republican Committee has filed a lawsuit seeking a cease-and-desist order and other remedies.

Pennsylvania operates under a closed-primary system, meaning only registered Republicans and Democrats can vote for their party's candidates in the primary.

However, school board candidates are permitted to cross-file, allowing them to appear on both party ballots. This system can lead to candidates securing nominations from both parties, effectively guaranteeing their election in the general election.

See candidates’ answers to questions below.

PV Forward candidates did not return the questionnaire by press time.

Thrive4PV

LARSON

What qualifications or experiences do you have that would lend well to the role?

I've lived in the school district for almost 25 years and I have three kids that my wife and I have shepherded as learners and inquisitors. My children are thriving: one child graduated magna cum laude from a major university in 2 1/2 years and is a successful entrepreneur at the ripe old age of 21. Another child is mid-way through her college track, and my youngest child will be applying for colleges in the fall and he'll do so with a 98% percentile GPA (4.0 unweighted) and a 99% percentile PSAT.

I helped champion the "get cell phones out of classrooms" approach that our district and many in the U.S. are now employing, which helps to minimize the dreaded "distracted student" syndrome in schools.

I have insights into what works in terms of educational approaches, both in public school systems and private schools and will be able to bring those insights to consider approaches in our school district as we attempt to improve our district's academic scores across all student cohorts and as we evolve more mature and diverse pathways for our children's next chapters after high school.

Professionally, I've worked in healthcare, specifically in customer engagement and outcomes for 32 years. I helped pioneer the PURPOSE principles in our industry that shift employee thinking toward a customer focused mindset, specifically patient-centric. I'll apply these same principles to Perkiomen Valley School District to shift the school board and school administration focus to a truly student-centric mindset that I call "student centricity."  

Lastly, I've held organizational roles where I've managed up to a $100M+ P/L (budget) and over 100 employees and I've also hired or interned over 30 college graduates during my career.

All of these components give me a breadth of insights and experiences that will help to propel our district toward lower spend AND higher student outcomes.

Why do you want this position? 

I want to give children in our school district the highest possible chance at prosperity and upward mobility. My ideas on "financial essentialism," that my running mates share, give our children the best chance at achieving high academic outcomes. I want to obtain this position to employ a student centric mindset with our school board and administration, to focus on the goal of improved student outcomes. More on this topic in question 5 below.

What are the major focal points of your campaign?

My candidate group (Don Fountain, Rowan Keenan, Jason Saylor, and myself) shares the view that our district is at a financial crossroads. We want to take a more disciplined and focused approach to looking at our spending priorities, measured against our student outcomes to achieve operational excellence alongside student excellence. Our team understands these issues well, and have formulas and ideas to make this a reality. Our opponents are focused on cultural priorities, they lack good financial management practices and they lack a student centric focus. Our candidate group will be stewards of our homeowner's hard-earned tax funds as well as stewards of student's academic needs. Our team is 100% focused on student achievements.

What do you hope to accomplish in the role?

Our district pays the highest property taxes of the 22 school districts in Montgomery county, and at the same time our district lags around the middle in terms of student achievement. We can and must do better. I intend to flip that... By employing a financial essentialist approach we can improve our student's academic outcomes, while holding the line on tax increases.

I hope to shift the approach of our school board governance over to a "financial essentialism" model that emphasizes the need to determine the value of the things we agree to fund and we prioritize those things that are truly in the best interests of students. This approach (1) asks the board and administration to prioritize all the proposals ranked in order of how they'll improve student outcomes, and (2) asks the administration to identify things that are no longer working or no longer necessary, so those funds can be shifted to pay for these new priorities (instead of raising your taxes year after year). This approach minimizes unproven and unsatisfied thinking and helps us choose more carefully in order to get great results. Here's a link to what I've written about this approach, "financial essentialism" https://drive.google.com/.../1Bx-L1Oy...

If I'm elected to the board, I'll utilize the following principles in everything I consider and do as a school board director. I call these the Perkiomen Valley PURPOSE principles:

PV PURPOSE Principles

Putting students first

Understanding students’ needs

Recognizing every student is an individual

Progress over perfection

Outcomes driven

Stewards of fiscal responsibility

Excellence in academics

KEENAN

What qualifications or experiences do you have that would lend well to the role?

I have a B.A. In Philosophy, J.D. and an LL.M. In taxation which are all helpful. But in the real world I have served on Collegeville Borough Council for 12 years and on the Municipal Authority for ten. I volunteer as a member of Collegeville Fire Company No 1 and I am a sitting school Board Director. Despite all this, most importantly I have five young children, three girls and two boys, two of whom have special needs.

Why do you want this position? 

I am doing this 100% for my children.

What are the major focal points of your campaign?

We spend more on education than ever before in history and are getting poorer results. I want our curriculum leaders to stop buying into gimmicks, i.e. short-term software solutions to endemic problems. I want to downsize administration so that we can have more teachers per student and pay the ones that we have more. Finally, on my short list, I have three daughters, and I will protect women's rights in school and on the playing fields. (Don't forget, I have proved that I will prevent the district from sending any South Elementary child to West, some things actually are non-partisan.)

What do you hope to accomplish in the role?

I hope to reconnect Perkiomen Valley with what it means to be a school.

SAYLOR

What qualifications or experiences do you have that would lend well to the role?

First and foremost, I am a proud American citizen and a resident of this school district—which are the most fundamental qualifications for public office. I firmly believe we should not impose unnecessary litmus tests for civic participation beyond what’s constitutionally required. In terms of experience, I bring 3.5 years of service on the school board, including two years in leadership as Board President. This hands-on experience has given me valuable insight into district operations, budgeting, and community engagement.

Why do you want this position?

I don’t believe my work on the school board is done. I remain deeply engaged in the community and passionate about the future of our public schools. I also want to encourage more dedicated citizens to run for office—those willing to put in the time, do the research, and make informed decisions. Serving as a school director is one of the most demanding and time-intensive roles in local government—and one of the few unpaid elected positions. But I believe strongly in its impact, and I want to continue leading by example.

What are the major focal points of your campaign?

Rather than framing it as a campaign, I view this as a continuation of my service. A primary focus of my re-election effort is fiscal responsibility. I believe our district is approaching a financial crossroads, and we must take a hard look at spending priorities, streamline operations, and eliminate waste—especially within the administrative structure.

What do you hope to accomplish in the role?

I hope the community sees and appreciates the time, effort, and commitment I’ve dedicated over the past 3.5 years. If re-elected, I want to continue fostering a spirit of volunteerism and civic engagement. I was fortunate to grow up surrounded by mentors who gave generously of their time, and that had a lasting impact on me. My goal is to inspire future leaders to understand the value of being present, being involved, and giving back to the community in meaningful ways.

FOUNTAIN

What qualifications or experiences do you have that would lend well to the role?

I started my career in education in 1979. I spent 27 years in the PV district where I chaired the counseling department for many of those years. I am also a Licensed Professional Counselor and have focused much of my attention on working with adolescents. My entire professional life has centered around young people, which I believe has prepared me well for this role.

Why do you want this position? 

I have spent the past 3.5 years on the school board and I feel a great deal has been accomplished; however, there is still more to do and I am confident that my second term can prove even more successful.

What are the major focal points of your campaign?

My focus has always been, and will continue to be, focusing on what is in the best interest of the students and the faculty of PV. Any decision I make is made after much thought and consideration to ultimately decide on what is in the best interest of the district.

What do you hope to accomplish in the role? 

It is my hope and prayer that I can be an effective, honest, and open voice of integrity for the Perkiomen Valley School District.