Local Student Runs For Political Office
An undergraduate student at Chestnut Hill College ran for political office in a local township this past election. Christopher J. Sivel ’18 ventured door to door in Whitemarsh, persuading community members to elect him one of Whitemarsh Township’s Supervisors.
Responsibilities for the position included financing budgets, authorizing township projects such as land development, and establishing tax rates.
Sivel started as a campaign intern for Ed Flocco, a fellow Lafayette Hill resident. Under the Whitemarsh Republican Committee, commonly known as the Whitemarsh GOP, Sivel created door hangers, lawn signs, organized social media coverage, and learned the ropes of a political campaign.
After interning, Sivel became a committee person for the Precinct of Whitemarsh Middle 4. As a member, he attended local party and township meetings. Roughly three months prior to Election day, one of the parties candidates resigned, leaving a position open alongside Flocco. The committee nominated Sivel to join Flocco to run for the positions. The duo sent a simple message to township members, “Keep Whitemarsh Beautiful.” Their campaign targeted local issues such as over-development, saving open space, traffic issues, and budget concerns.
Whitemarsh Township is located in Montgomery County, a democrat-heavy area. There are 53,000 more democratic registered voters than republicans in the county. This posed a challenge to any republican ticket running for political office. But despite this, Sivel and Flocco teamed up with Whitemarsh GOP members to visit residents during the months leading up to Nov. 7. They discussed opportunities to improve conditions in the surrounding area that they’ve felt were missed by their opponents — Michael Drossner and Francis McCusker.
Election day arrived and Sivel alongside Flocco, family, friends, and party members, gathered to hear the results. As votes came in, support showered Sivel. His parents, Tom and Meg Sivel, congratulated him for his efforts in successfully running a campaign at only 21 years old. Results arrived at 9 pm. Out of 13,771 registered voters, 4,519 arrived at polls to submit their votes. Each resident could vote for two candidates. Township members elected Democrats Michael Drossner and Francis McCusker for the positions.
Despite not being elected, Sivel’s run marks another chapter in his budding professional political career. Sivel says, “After running, I’ve been contacted by several higher ups in different offices. So, hopefully some new opportunities will present themselves.”
Sivel is expected to graduate in May 2018 and looks forward to continuing his efforts in the political world.
