Yardley Borough Councilman Resigning

YARDLEY BOROUGH, PA — Just two months after winning re-election, longtime Councilman Uri Feiner has announced his resignation from the seven-member board.

Feiner read his resignation statement during the Yardley Borough Council's reorganization meeting on Monday night. He had served the past year as the council's vice president after returning to the council once again in January 2023.

"You may have wondered why, as the former vice president, I did not seek a leadership role again," he said. "This counts as my fifth non-contiguous term of council. Since I was reappointed to council nearly three years ago, I’m very proud of the work that we’ve accomplished as a team. There are always ups and downs on council. It happens. But when I step away from it — zoom out and look at it— it occurs to me that this is the most positively productive period of council that I’ve ever seen."

Feiner said he is departing due to a new opportunity over the past few weeks involving a "venture" he's involved in.

"Pursuing it means less time available between meetings, and significantly more travel outside of the area," Feiner said. "I’ve been grappling with this and trying to figure out what to do. My goal is to make our town noticeably better for everyone and to build on the incredible momentum we’ve created. I know how much work that takes. So it has become clear to me that something has to give."

Feiner's resignation will go into effect on March 15.

Feiner listed the council's accomplishments over the past few years:

• Raising $2 million to pay for new sidewalks, safer crosswalks, and even a new roof for Borough Hall and the police department.
• Finding a way to complete and reopen the new Mary Yardley Bridge when the project was stuck due to PECO, while at the same time eliminating the stairs on both sides to enable residents to cross with a stroller, bicycle, or walker.
• Completing the Yardley Borough Trailhead acquisition — a new park for the Borough.
• Convincing PECO to make their antenna infrastructure black so it would be less of an eyesore.
• Working with a private property owner to donate property so that instead of a new house in the flood plain, the Borough received what will become Judy‘s Garden, a beautiful sanctuary with a sculpture for all people to enjoy, without cost to the borough. A second new park in a one square mile borough, in a three year period.
• After more than a decade of being stalled, applying for a grant to finally add a sidewalk to West Afton Avenue
• Starting the construction preparation for the third phase of the North Main Street sidewalk
• Just last month, passing Complete Streets and Vision Zero resolutions, which will not only help to protect and serve our residents by improving safe walkability, but will also help us raise more grant money to keep those improvements coming.
• Not to mention so many other areas, like the progress towards keeping our police local and smoothly transitioning to Chief Golden as our new police chief, and the countless processes that have been improved for a more functional and transparent Borough.

"While it may be convenient to say these things to toot my own horn, that’s not the point. In fact,
there were multiple team members involved with all of these projects," Feiner said, adding that Councilmen David Appelbaum and Jared Stump worked closely with me on Public Works while various council members played critical roles on all of the projects.

"I share all of this to illustrate the level of accomplishment that is possible when people dedicate
their time and effort. As you’ve probably heard me say before, the work of council — to make a difference and to really be effective in doing things for our town — happens outside of council meetings. To be this productive requires hours of boots on the ground, phone calls, meetings,
and research between the council meetings," Feiner said.

"And so, I have to come to the conclusion that I need to let go, to trust that we are in good hands, and to make room for someone else who is passionate and can make the time in their life to create progress for the Borough," he said.

While Feiner will be leaving the council once again, he didn't completely close the door.

"Finally, in my on-and-off history serving on council, I’ve learned never to say never," he said in his resignation letter sent to Patch. "So I will say... Should my situation allow for it in the future, and the need arises, I would be grateful for the opportunity to serve again. It has been my honor to serve this community over these years."