Former Whitemarsh Police Chief Gunning for County Sheriff

Eileen Behr is familiar with public service.

A lifelong Whitemarsh Township resident, Behr was hired as a dispatcher for Whitemarsh Township when she was 19-years-old. She worked in the department for 34 years, including a eight-and-a-half year tenure as chief of police.

Politics, however, is a different game for Behr.

“This is all very new to me,” she said. “I have never run for office before, so its all a new experience.”

Behr said that she wouldn’t even have considered running for county office, that it had “never even entered [her] mind, if not for the passing of John Durante in February.

“I never considered myself a political person,” she said. “After John passed, I was approached by different officials and asked if I would go for it. I considered myself apolitical. My job is to enforce the law even if I don’t agree with it. But my whole life has been public service, and this is just service on a wider scale, so I decided it was worth going after.”

Behr said that she feels there is room for the county sheriff’s office to assist local law enforcement, especially in emergency situations where the aim is “ to assist, not take over” the local police department.  For her, the duties of the office are not as daunting as the campaign trail, which is a first for the Whitemarsh resident.

“Everyone has to start at the grass routes level, that’s what I’ve learned,” she said. “[On the trail], people don’t even know where Whitemarsh is, so I have to go out and tell them who I am and why I’m doing this. I’m not the person that puts myself out there all the time. I’m more a team player than an individual. I think my team actually gets mad at me sometimes because I’m not as aggressive in those area, but that’s me.”

While Behr says she looks forward to the end of the campaign trail, she says traveling to townships in the county has given her a better understanding of what voters look for in elected officials.

“Despite what you might read, there are a lot of people from all parties who care about who is running,” she said. “Sometimes it can be scary because you know you are under a microscope. People are looking for a candidate they can trust and for some people; I had not paid my dues in the political system. I accept that. I parachuted into this nomination and I would not be here if John was here, but I know how to service the public.