Meet Uri Feiner, Yardley Borough's New Council Member

YARDLEY, PA —Uri Feiner never intended on serving on the Yardley Borough Council again.

He served on the council from 2014 to 2017. But Feiner started paying attention to borough business. He started seeing projects that were the fruits of his labor come to fruition. He even appeared before the council in mid-November to campaign for open space preservation.

"I tried to stay away," Feiner said during his interview with the council. "But after two terms on council, I found myself watching the meetings so I think I just love Yardley. I just want to help."

So Feiner is back on board, filling the vacancy of Councilman Matt Ross, who resigned at the end of 2022, on the seven-member board.

Feiner was appointed unanimously after the council interviewed six candidates for the seat. His term ends on Dec. 31.

In making the motion to appoint Feiner, Councilman Matt Curtin said he valued Feiner's expertise and experience in public works and that he could step right in and fill a seat that only has 11 months remaining on it.

Feiner believes he can bring a lot of experience to the council. He also said he sees things a little differently now than when he served before.

He sees the North Main Street sidewalks project progressing. Back when he started on the council in 2013, he was "deeply involved" in the project.

"I live right there, next to the third phase of the sidewalk," he said. "People used to say 'where's the sidewalk? I thought I could help. I was most passionate about increasing walkability and safety. I have young kids. More families are moving here. We have to be able to get around and meet other people in the community. Cars are driving faster. People need a way to walk and bike. We had to get that done."

Feiner even said that he walked from his home on the sidewalk to Borough Hall for his council interview.

When Ross resigned, Feiner said he saw another opportunity to make a difference. He believes this current council is the best once since he's lived in Yardley.

Feiner said he also plans to seek office for another term once his expires at the end of the year.

He believes the council can be better budget and project managers.

"When it comes to money, most people we all need the same things," he said. "When you look at the budget, our revenues are so small. My skills are on the professional side. We need to get projects to come in under budget. I'm a creative problem solver."

Feiner said it's important for projects to have a timeline since they can get lost with PennDOT and state bureaucracy. He said the borough needs to work closely with its state representatives —state Rep. Perry Warren and state Sen. Steve Santarsiero —and tap into "other alternatives that we haven't fully utilized."

Feiner also wants to work to find ways to get more grants for the borough, work more with neighboring Lower Makefield Township and use technology to improve crosswalks.

He also thinks the borough needs to do more with the Delaware River.

"That's just an incredible asset," he said. "We need to get public input on priorities."

And that's another goal for Feiner: getting residents more engaged. He also suggested that maybe the council should have a committee meeting each month to better communicate and discuss initiatives with residents instead of just voting on them.

"I think the public wants to have a say," he said. "If we engage in conversation, then there's less of a sense that things are happening behind closed doors. We can find other ways to just have a conversation. Maybe that would inspire more people."