Longtime Palmer Township supervisor chooses not to run for re-election

PALMER TWP., Pa. — Township Supervisor Jeffrey Young says he won't run for re-election.

The announcement during Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting means Young will wrap up more than two decades of service when his term concludes at the end of this year.

In the fall, Young retired from his longtime job as director at Suburban EMS.

He said he wants to spend more time with his wife, Deb — who also retired from her job at Embassy Bank over the summer — and his family.

Young first served from 1988 to the end of 1999, then took a break to coach his kids in youth sports before he returned to a supervisor position in 2014.

“I never really intended to stay this long, but I did, and I really had a great time,” Young said. “I’m proud of most of what we’ve been able to accomplish.”

Young grew up in Palmer, and played an integral role in the expansion of Suburban EMS to include additional ambulances and vans that now service 19 municipalities across Northampton and Monroe counties.

As an elected supervisor, Young took pride in contributing to his community, even if he admittedly faced a steep learning curve.

“I didn’t know what I was walking into,” Young said. “And back then, we didn’t have a [township] manager.

"So in those old days, we were liaisons to different departments — I had parks, someone else had public works, someone else had police — and we didn’t hire a manager until my very last month of these first 12 years.”

Mr. Bike Trail

But Young said he found a sense of passion for helping his township. Inspired by trips to Hilton Head, South Carolina, Young aimed to expand Palmer’s biking trails for the betterment of the community.

“For a while there, I had the nickname Mr. Bike Trail, because I vacation in Hilton Head a lot, and they have an extensive bike trail system," Young said.

"And I came back and said, ‘We need to do this here.’”

Originally consisting of the seven-mile Rails to Trail path from Palmer to Bethlehem, the loop eventually was bought from Conrail and added onto the trail by the township.

It now runs from the Lehigh River in Easton and stretches through Plainfield Township.

“That was a big extension for us, and it’s really beautiful,” Young said.

Over his two stretches in office, Young said he was pleased to see the township grow and progress, which makes it so much easier to step down.

“I mean, Palmer has a quality police department, and when we had this snow, we have quality public works," Young said. "We try to give our fire department everything they need to be able to attract members as a volunteer organization.

"The administration is awesome. I mean, it's easy to leave when we're in this situation.”

'You have to give back'

Looking forward, Young said he can't wait to spend more quality time with his wife; his daughter and grandchild in Charleston, South Carolina; a newly married son in Fredericksburg, Virginia; and his two daughters in Palmer, in addition to his longtime friends in Hilton Head.

Young said he hopes his legacy will inspire his family and others to invest time and energy into improving their own communities.

He said that's something he held close to his heart even after all those years of work and service.

“I really, really appreciate the time that my family gave up for me to do this, between my wife and my kids," Young said.

"There were many times where I was running out to the meetings where I know they would have rather me be at home, especially the kids, but I think they've learned from it.

“I think they've learned that you have to give back to community, and I can't wait to see what they do as they get older.”