Bradford’s Mayor is running for re-election.
Thursday evening Mayor Tom Riel announced that he will be a candidate for the Republican nomination for Mayor in the May 16th municipal primary.
Riel was elected to City Council 5 times, and served three terms as Mayor before being defeated in 2019 by former Mayor Jim McDonald’s write-in campaign by 11.
Riel was appointed as Mayor in November to fill the vacancy caused by Mayor McDonald’s resignation.
The following is the text of Mayor Riel’s press release.
Current City of Bradford Mayor Tom Riel has announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination in the May 16th municipal primary for mayor.
Elected 5 times to city council, Riel served as a councilman from 2006-07 and then 3 terms as mayor from 2008-2020. Voters returned Riel to city council in January of 2022. He was appointed mayor in November of 2022 by city council after the position was vacated by resignation.
“The City of Bradford has made a lot of progress over the past 15 years. I very much enjoyed being a part of the teamwork that made much of that progress happen. There is much more to be done.”
“I worked very hard to help facilitate economic development projects to build back our declining tax base. Some of those projects ranged from simply brokering a deal to save the former Chestnut Street laundromat building from demolition, working with the landowner of the $3M+ Holiday Inn Express project to outright initiating the $4M+ Dunkin development that removed a tremendous eyesore in the heart of our city.”
“There was very little to no funding from private donors when I first became mayor. There were needs in city government with no funding sources to provide them. I established local donors who also believe in our city and funded many projects with their help.”
“For the police department those projects included a security system and surveillance cameras in the station, a new roof and air conditioning, in car cameras and laptops, a rebuilt cruiser, body cameras and radios and the first downtown surveillance camera system.”
“Donated funds also paid for the renovation of city council chambers, third floor hallway, treasurers’s office and first floor security doors.”
All of those much needed projects were done for the betterment of Bradford at no cost to the taxpayer and more importantly without raising taxes to do so.
“During my first year as mayor in 2008, I began to successfully propose to city council quality of life ordinances to curtail by law dogs/dog waste in parks, cigarette butts in the square and other parks, graffiti and the theft of shopping carts. Did those ordinances make all of that go away? No, but they sure did greatly reduce those problems.”
“Those type of ordinances might not seem like much to some. I was and am still a firm believer that if you shine something up a little bit here and a little bit there, eventually it will all start to shine.”
“Being an effective mayor is much more than just showing up to the 2 monthly meetings. It requires a great deal of involvement with community groups, local service boards, private developers, local stakeholders and community leaders. It requires developing good relationships with other local, state and federal officials. It requires an extensive knowledge of local government, Third Class City Code law and labor law.”
“I always gave 110% serving as mayor and would like to continue to do so.”
Riel was born in Bradford and graduated from BAHS in 1987. He received a bachelor of arts degree from Concordia College in Bronxville, NY in 1991. He is self employed.
He has been a member of Kiwanis, having performed in Kiwanis Kapers, Past Master Bradford Union Lodge #749, Past Monarch of the Orak Grotto, Zem Zem Shrine in Erie, Scottish Rite 32nd Degree and Bradford Landmark Society.
He has also served on the boards of the PA Municipal League, PA Rural Development Council, PA State Mayors Association, North Central PA Regional Planning an d Development Commission, FCI McKean Community Relations, Oak Hill Cemetery Association and Bradford Friendship Table.
In the past he has helped raise funds for CARE for Children, Salvation Army, McKean County SPCA, No Feline Left Behind-McKean and Shriners Hospital for Children.
Riel and his wife of 17 years live on Jackson Avenue.