Update: In Whitehall, familiar names squaring off for mayor as write-in candidate emerges
Joseph Marx Jr. is township board president, Tina Jo Koren the township treasurer. Write-in candidate is Kyle Kern, a former commissioner
Update: Democrat Kyle Kern, a former township commissioner, has launched a write-in campaign for mayor. Kern, 57, served on the board from 2008 to 2011 and is a former Whitehall Public Library trustee. He works as a senior project manager at Dun & Bradstreet and a licensed auctioneer.
Two candidates with decades of public service in Whitehall are running for mayor on Nov. 7 in the township of 29,000 residents.
The Republican candidate is Tina Jo Koren, who was elected township treasurer/tax collector in 2021 and who served on the Whitehall-Coplay School Board for 19 years.
The Democratic candidate is Joseph Marx Jr., who is president of the board of commissioners and is a former member of the township planning commission and the Coplay-Whitehall Sewer Authority.
Koren said she is running for mayor because her role as treasurer-tax collector opened her eyes to inefficiencies in day-to-day operations and spending priorities. She wants to bring the township into the 21st century.
“I see all the revenue coming in,” she said. “We need to look at our expenditures and justify what we spend money on.”
She said the situation has left the township unable to keep up with services, including funding its recreation department, which oversees pools, playgrounds, parks and trails
“I lived in the township for 45 years,” Koren said. “It was a prospering township with beautiful places to go. We need to take 10 steps forward instead of sitting where we are.”
Marx said he is running to restore integrity and leadership to the mayor’s office.
“I want to build a Township that works for all of us. I believe in creating a community that is safe, sustainable, and prosperous. I will work tirelessly to improve the quality of life for every resident by investing in our neighborhoods, supporting small businesses, and promoting equal opportunities for all,” he said on his campaign page.
The race is taking place against the backdrop of a $140,000 settlement over allegations by three female employees against current Mayor Mike Harakal. At a January township meeting, Harakal said his actions were misunderstood.
The township also weathered the discovery of $77,920 in missing taxes and garbage fees paid to the treasurer’s office in 2018 and 2019 – before Koren ran for and took office.
The situation led township commissioners, including Marx, to approve a May 16 referendum to replace the elected treasurer-tax collector with a paid director to ensure the post is helmed by someone with experience. The measure was defeated by 61% of the voters.
Now the township is facing decisions over the closure of two of its three pools. A comprehensive study on what to do is underway.
The mayor’s term is four years and the current salary is $108,000.
Here is a look at the candidates. Profiles were drawn from interviews, campaign websites and Facebook pages, Linkedin accounts, newspaper articles and township records.
Tina Jo Koren – Republican
Background
Koren, 62, is a graduate of Whitehall High School who went to Lehigh Carbon Community College for business management.
She served on the Whitehall-Coplay School Board for 19 years, including as president and vice president.
She was a troop administrative manager for Pennsylvania State Police in Hazleton, retiring in January 2022 after 41 years with the agency. She was named civilian employee of the year in 2011.
Koren and her husband previously owned three Subway franchise restaurants.
Foray into office
Koren ran for treasurer-tax collector in 2021 and was the lone candidate in the race.
Koren was a Democrat while on the school board, saying she chose her party affiliation because of the township’s Democratic tilt. She said she switched parties for the township treasurer-tax collector’s race because she has always been a Republican at heart.
Marx’s son Kade A. Marx filed a petition challenge in March to remove Koren from the ballot, saying she allegedly failed to file a statement of financial interest with the township.
Lehigh County Judge Michele Varricchio denied the appeal, allowing her to remain on the Republican ballot.
In the May primary, Koren defeated John C. Hersh with 728 votes to his 499 votes.
Issues
Koren said her 24 years as a manager with the Pennsylvania State Police prepared her to become mayor. Her duties included payroll, human resources, budgeting, travel planning, interviewing and onboarding new employees.
“I know I have the qualifications to do the job,” she said.
Koren said the township is beset by inefficient operations. One example she cited is that taxpayers cannot pay their taxes and recreation fees electronically with a bank card, something many municipalities allow.
She said she proposed buying a card reader for her office to the township administration. “They never made a decision on it,” she said.
She blamed the closure of two pools on the township not properly funding the recreation department.
As mayor, she said at least two pools would be open. “My stance is that taxpayers have for years paid for three functioning pools through their property taxes,” she said in an email. “They are now paying higher property taxes than they were pre-pandemic but are getting two less pools.”
She said she doesn’t support raising taxes to fix problems but said the township needs to change the way it spends money. She said the township is top-heavy with staff, which could be slimmed through attrition, not layoffs.
Koren questioned the decision by Marx and the other commissioners to approve the referendum to end her elected position.
Koren said they did so without finding out what measures she had taken to shore up oversight. She said she wrote and implemented software to keep track of the payments before the township installed a system to do the job.
Koren said she is also concerned about public safety. She said she supports having paid fire department staff, saying the current system has left the township relying more on neighboring departments.
She cited a May 22, 2023, fire call to Raymour & Flanigan on MacArthur Road. While it turned out to be an odor, she said, only one volunteer trained in unrestricted firefighting was able to respond from the Whitehall Fire Department.
“This is only one example,” she said.
Koren said she wants to establish three community boards to focus on police and fire, parks and recreation and quality of life. Each board would have direct access to the mayor's office to propose policy changes that will better life in the township.
She would also set up a portal where residents could complain about quality of life issues at all times.
Joseph J. Marx Jr. – Democrat
Background
Marx, 58, is the owner-operator of a property management company who serves as president of the Whitehall Board of Commissioners. He grew up in Northampton Borough, moving to Whitehall in 2001. Marx is a Marine veteran who was an aviation mechanic, serving on active duty and in the reserves. He is a member of the Whitehall Township Veterans Memorial Committee.
Foray into office
Marx was appointed to the Whitehall Board of Commissioners in 2016 to replace Jerry Palagonia who had resigned. Marx then ran for a full term in 2019. Prior to that, he served on the Whitehall Township Planning Commission for four years and was on the Coplay-Whitehall Sewer Authority for 14 years.
Marx defeated Michael Cocca 943 to 895 in the May 16 Democratic primary.
Issues
On his campaign website, Marx said, “Whitehall Township has provided my family and I great opportunities to succeed, and I want to ensure that our citizens and businesses have those same opportunities afforded to them moving forward. I feel my experience in business and public service give me the skillset to do just that.”
Marx said he wants to work with law enforcement and community partners to reduce crime, strengthen emergency response systems and ensure emergency personnel have the equipment they need.
He said he wants to promote small business development and attract new retail establishments that will create job opportunities. He also wants to prioritize investing in our roads, facilities, pools, and parks.
“My campaign is built on the belief that by working together, we can create a township that is stronger, safer, and more prosperous for everyone,” he said.
Marx has acknowledged the difficult decisions over the township’s pools and supports formulating a Recreation Comprehensive Plan.
“We have three pools in Whitehall (two of which are failing) for approximately 30,000 citizens. The people need to decide if it’s economically feasible to support that many pools,” he said in a Facebook post.
He also said the township hasn’t kept up with funding parks, playgrounds and trails.
“Years ago we had robust Park Associations that helped run and maintain them, but people are not volunteering in the numbers they previously have. Now those responsibilities have been taken on by the Township, but we have not hired employees to fill that gap,” he said.
He said he insisted the township hire a full-time recreation director.
“If elected mayor it is my hope that our pools and parks will be vibrant spaces again for our citizens,” he said.
On his campaign page, Marx said a top priority as a township commissioner was the renovation of the Whitehall Township Municipal Complex and construction of an adjacent police station, both of which were completed in December 2021.
He noted that he came to the aid of a Whitehall Township police officer who was shot in the line of duty in 2017, raising $5,000 from businesses and residents to help with costs associated with his injuries.
Marx said he is collaborating with Lehigh County and the Lehigh County Police Chiefs Association to build a self-supporting, regional training facility at the Whitehall Township Police Range on Columbia Street. This will be a facility for weapons training, as well as training in other areas like de-escalation tactics.