Progress to let people know of ways people
First-time female
candidate, now
mayor-elect, a
fresh face in
Bellevue
Bellevue welcomes a brand new
politician as their mayor.
By Victoria Bails
After devastation that followed the 2016
Presidential Election, first-time female
candidate Emily Marburger attended the
Million Women March in Washington,
D.C., and decided it was time to get more
involved in local government, specifically
her hometown of Bellevue, Pa.
Oh I can be the person to do this,
Marburger said after looking into the
candidates who were running for mayor and
at the description of what is required for a
mayor of the small borough.
Just months later, Marburger launched her
first campaign for mayor of Bellevue and
began door knocking and setting up
campaign events throughout the borough.
Whenever I see a need, thats when I try to
jump in and do something, Marburger said
about her involvement in the community
since the election.
On Tuesday, Nov. 7, Marburgers hard work
paid off as she won the election for mayor of
her town as a first-time candidate.
Before she thought about running for mayor,
Marburger started a group called PGH for
can get involved in local neighborhoods and
in local government.
When Marburger considered running for
mayor, she looked into both candidates and
couldnt believe they were running as
democrats.
The incumbent mayor, Paul Cusick, openly
talks about voting for Donald Trump in the
2016 election.
Fodi ran as a republican for State
Representative in 2014 and openly endorsed
Gary Johnson in the 2016 election.
Fodi marketed himself in the campaign as a
candidate for all and wanted to see past
party lines to appeal to all voters.
Ive been here. Ive been involved. I grew
up in this community, Fodi said.
Marburger looked into the description of the
position of mayor and realized that she was
qualified to run.
You have control over making the budget
every year, and youre the head of the police
department, Marburger said. Thats a lot
of what falls into my wheelhouse as far as
experience goes.
Marburger, who grew up in Saxonburg, Pa.,
and attended Knoch High School, graduated
from Point Park University with a
Bachelors of Art in Journalism and Mass
Communication and Applied History. She
received her M.B.A. in Management from
Point Park University as well.
Her career started in finance and budget. For
four years, she worked in a management
position at First Third Bank assisting low-to-
middle class families budget and raise their
credit scores. Because of this experience,
she realized she could successfully hold the
position of mayor.
After holding this position, Marburger left
the bank to work for her fathers company,
Upright Sprinkler Design.
This is a regular job where theres
flexibility, said Marburgers mother, Donna
Marburger. Through this job, Marburger had
a better schedule to help her with campaign
efforts.
In the Facebook group called Pantsuit
Nation, Marburger announced that she
would be running for mayor of Bellevue.
I knew I had to get involved. I felt driven to
help, Marburger said in the Facebook post.
But I never imagined I'd find myself, at 29,
running for Mayor in the heated Democratic
primary in my tiny square mile borough of
8,000.
The post got over 59,000 reactions and over
5,400 comments. Because of the post, she
gained supporters from all over the country,
including one in Hawaii who still sends her
homemade pottery.
I would open up [Facebook], and I would
have, like, 70-some new messages in the last
hour. It was just random people from all
over the country saying, Good luck,
Marburger said.
Her campaign also gained national
recognition when Marburgers picture was
featured on NBC News.
It was just about how there was a surge in
first-time female candidates, Marburger
said.
The story was about another first-time
female candidate Emily Brewer who ran for
Virginia State Delegate as a Republican.
Marburgers picture was featured among ten
other women who were running for public
office for the first time.
While campaigning, she did different events
like Coffee with the Candidates, sat in the
playroom of McDonalds to try to be
accessible to more mothers in the
community, Drag Queen Bingo fundraiser,
and participated in the League of Women
Voters Forum.
All of these events were done in effort to try
to attract different demographics within the
community.
Out of all of the events, Drag Queen Bingo
was the most successful.
That sold out like three weeks in advance.
It was packed, Marburger said.
Besides events, the biggest effort Marburger
put forth in her campaign was simply door
knocking.
Theres about 5,500 registered voters in
Bellevue, and in an election like this, maybe
1,000 will show up, Marburger said. We
already had a pretty high number show up
for the primary in a non-issue year.
Marburger spent months knocking on doors
of those registered to vote in Bellevue.
Ive been door knocking everyone. I found
that the democratic partys entire plan has
been to knock people who they know for
sure are going to vote.
Marburger has focused on not just people
who will likely vote, but she also focused on
residents who voted in the presidential
election but did not vote in the following
primary election.
You should be making sure that other
people are aware that there is a vote
happening and that they understand why its
important to vote in local elections,
Marburger said. Its not jammed in your
face constantly like a presidential election.
To help cover the borough, Marburger had
25 people help with door knocking.
One of those volunteers was Kelli Jones, a
five-year resident of Bellevue.
I had reached out to her prior to [the
primary election] through social media,
through Facebook about volunteering and
about getting involved, Jones said. I
worked the polls, both at the primary and
today at the general election, and I went out
canvasing for her, door knocking.
Marburger also had help with other aspects
of her campaign.
Natalie Roberson, Marburgers yoga
instructor, helped manage a lot of
Marburgers day-to-day social media pages.
Its been informative. Its been positive,
and shes always tried to stay above the
fray, Roberson said. I think you cant win
a campaign via Facebook, but you certainly
can use it that way.
Molly Brown helped with Marburgers
campaign by door knocking and by planning
out as well as acting as home base for a lot
of events that took place during the
campaign.
Brown is married to one of the candidates
Val Pennington, who ran for Bellevue
Borough Council. Pennington and
Marburger, as well as Michael Rajakovic,
who ran for Northgate School Board,
endorsed each other and all combined efforts
to help each other campaign.
The team has been amazing, said Brown.
The cool thing is that none of us have any
political experience in any way at all.
Brown explained that all of the people who
campaigned together were disappointed or
furious about the outcome of the 2016
presidential election.
We just wanted to do something to
change, Brown said.
The success of campaigning as a team
showed when voter Jacob Singerling
showed up to vote on election day.
Our connection to voting day, and really
the only reason we came out, is because of
Michael [Rajakovic] who is running for the
school board position, Singerling said.
Singerling voted for Marburger because
Michael was running with her."
Ross Marshall also turned out to vote for
Marburger on the day of the election.
I knew that she was a democrat, and I heard
some things about Tom Fodi that I didnt
really agree with, said Marshall.
Marburger ran her campaign on streamlining
the budget, supporting the police
department, and start and manage activites
and local groups for the youth of Bellevue.
My platform really is economic
development, Marburger said.
The main street of Bellevue is Lincoln Ave.,
which is the home to many businesses.
Lincoln Avenue is not dying, but it could
definitely use some help, said Marburger.
I one day had this very simple, yet out of
the box idea to imagine what we want on
Lincoln Avenue and then work backwards.
With this plan, they would imagine starting
a business and plan out where the optimum
location would be for the business to thrive,
what it would cost to bring it up to code,
look at any zoning restrictions that would
come up, look into demographics for
marketing the business, and then reach out
to investors to show them all of the research
that has already been done for them.
Marburger set up meetings with Bellevues
police chief to familiarize herself with the
department and see what improvements
need to be made.
Ive been doing ride alongs with the police
officers, Marburger said.
During her experience of riding along with
the police, they would put up signs in the
community for no parking and respond to
suspicious activity calls.
We did respond to a heroin overdose one
day, Marburger said. The guy looked like
he was dead on the side of the road, and then
five minutes later he was standing on his
own and talking in cohesive statements.
Marburger worked with a law student from
Duquesne University to try to see what can
be done about blighted property around the
neighborhood and how to enforce codes
more strictly.
A lot of people have complained that there
is nothing for kids to do in this community
once they leave school, said Marburger.
Because Bellevue is a walking district, the
school districts are responsible for children
from the time they leave school until they
reach their homes.
If there were activities for them to do, they
would maybe be going there, Marburger
said. There are some after school programs
that do exist, but they all of them have the
same sort of issue, which is lack of space.
Because of the lack of space, not all kids can
participate in the after school activities.
On Election Day, first-time candidate
Marburger stood outside of one of six
polling locations in Bellevue to hand out
information on herself to voters.
Hi. Im Emily Marburger, and Im running
for mayor, Marburger would say to each
citizen who took her information card.
After standing outside for 13 hours in the
cold and sleety weather, Marburgers
opponent, Tom Fodi, gave her the unofficial
news that she won the election.
The candidates and their families stood
together as they waited for the numbers to
be posted on the Bellevue Boro Council
Chambers.
Looks like I get to work with you as our
next mayor, Fodi said as he reached out his
hand to shake Marburgers.
I won, Marburger said as she looked over
to her parents in shock.