Two newcomers who ran as write-in candidates during the November 2023 general election took their seats Tuesday, Jan. 2, on Harrisville council.

The swearing in of John McFadden, who will serve a two-year term, and Kathleen Bray, who will serve a four-year term, took place during what was meant to be the borough’s first meeting of the year. A quorum could not be established as not enough council members were present.

Aside from the council’s newly sworn in members, councilwoman Mary Ann Hughes was the sole member in attendance.

According to an email sent by the borough clerk to council members in December, the meeting date had been changed from Jan. 8 to Jan. 2 to stay in line with requirements set forth by the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs.

The next council meeting is scheduled for Jan. 22.

McFadden, who owns Drop Dead Deals with his wife, has lived in Harrisville a little over a year since moving from Ross Township. He served in the Air Force and retired after 21 years.

McFadden said in previous interviews he ran for borough council with the intention of becoming more active in the community. He said he is also involved with a number of volunteer efforts.

“Me and my family like Harrisville,” he said. “It’s a nice little town. Everyone seems to be pretty friendly, and it’s pretty quiet.”

Previously, McFadden was vice president of the board at Moraine Camplands. He finished his term this year, he said.

“I want to get involved,” he said. “I’d like to see Harrisville grow. It’s a little town with a lot of good.”

McFadden said he would like Harrisville to grow in business opportunities, see more engagement from residents at borough meetings and improve communication between council members.

“I’d like Harrisville to stand out,” McFadden said. “I’m all about mom and pop shops.”

He said the top issues in the borough are the budget, tensions between council members and minimal resident engagement in council meetings.

“Not that many people come to the (council) meetings, from what I’ve observed,” McFadden said. “I would like to see more (resident) interest in the town and decisions being made.”

McFadden said it is critical to review the 2024 budget as soon as possible to “get an accurate picture” of spending and expenses.

“We need to jump on that,” he said.

As a new councilman, he said he would try to improve communication.

“We’re all there for a reason,” McFadden said. “We don’t need to like each other, but we do need to work together … I learned it in the military: You praise in public, criticize in private.”

He said he also wants to look at available grants for beautification projects in Harrisville and speak directly to residents about ideas and priorities they might have about the borough.

Accountability, civility and respectability are three values Bray said informed her campaign.

Bray has resided in Harrisville for more than 40 years. She works full time as a bank teller and has been executive director of the Miss Butler County Scholarship Organization for more than 20 years.

After declining to run for council several times in the past, Bray said in a previous interview she started going to meetings and realized she could help with some of the issues in the borough.

As a new member on council, Bray said she would want to work toward making council more transparent, having a balanced budget and being a dependable council person. She said top issues on borough council are transparency, respect and retaining council members.

“It’s going to be a slow process,” Bray said.

She said she “chose a four-year term because I’m not going to quit. I want to get (council) fixed.”

Bray also said she wants to help council build a balanced budget.

“We’re trying to come up with creative ways of working our pennies better and not spending when we don’t need to,” she said.

Both she and McFadden said they are in favor of the Marion Township police agreement, which is still under review by council.

“We have to be good stewards of our surrounding communities if we want to build good camaraderie,” Bray said.