Candidate for
Council Member; County of Delaware

Civic involvement is about rolling up your sleeves and working to make your neighborhood a better place. I am passionate about being involved in grass-roots efforts to improve the quality of life in Delaware County. I began my elected term, as mayor of Lansdowne in January 2002 and have served in this volunteer capacity since then. My paid employment has also meshed with my desire to make a difference. I worked as office administrator for Ridley Park Borough in 2009, and I am currently employed by the oldest environmental organization in the state, Pennsylvania Resources Council (http://www.prc.org), as a project administrator. An overarching theme of my efforts has been collaboration. I believe in working together to see all sides of issues and find solutions. Thus, the theme of my campaign, "Experienced, accessible representation for all." I have become very knowledgeable about municipal services and borough governance. I am certified in emergency management, and I am the acting information officer for Lansdowne's emergency management team. I participate, with Lansdowne's council, in oversight of our infrastructure, roads and sewers and in the borough's development and economic revitalization. I am also the liaison with our police and fire departments. During my tenure as mayor, I was instrumental in changing Lansdowne's approach to solid waste and recycling. My committee expanded our program to single stream recycling, the biggest change here since recycling was first mandated by the state. My approach to this change was to research what other communities were doing, visit the trash-to-steam plant in Chester and tour a recycling plant in Philadelphia. This collaboration resulted in a program that was embraced by our residents. Pennsylvania's Governor Ed Rendell appointed me to the Local Government Advisory Committee. I am on the Steering Committee of the Southeastern Pennsylvania First Suburbs Project, which works to solve common challenges facing older suburbs. I was the chair of the Community Council for Education, and a member of the Democratic State Committee. I regularly speak at statewide events, represent Lansdowne at countywide meetings, and have met with state and federal officials to advocate for policies that better address the issues of this region. I have formed lasting relationships with decision makers in towns across the county plus our state and federal legislators including Senator Bob Casey, Congressman Joe Sestak, State Senators Anthony Williams and Ted Erickson and State Representative Nick Micozzie. I have spent the last ten years dedicated to keeping open the lines of communication with the residents of Lansdowne. One of my first projects as mayor was to tackle our borough website, which I redesigned with a new look and content. I am the editor of the Lansdowne Borough News, which is published three times each year. I use our televised council meetings and other neighborhood meetings to communicate to residents information about what is going on, issues and programs. You can expect that same level of communication on the county level and I hope you will share your ideas and concerns moving forward. My e-mail is jayneyoungforcountycouncil@gmail.com. I first moved to Delaware County in 1976 with my husband, Ralph, a small business owner. We have two sons, Rory, age 30, and Christopher, age 20. Rory works with his father, and Christopher is a sophomore at West Chester State University My strong ties to this county and experience in municipal government make me well qualified for Delaware County Council. I am committed to bringing experienced, accessible, accountable representation to our county.