Mayor of the Borough of Yeadon, Pennsylvania, Rohan Hepkins, A Protector of the Community in Which He Serves: by Mary A. Jones majoneskyw@gmail.com (215) 800-3444
Above L to R: Mayor Rohan K. Hepkins, Yeadon Borough
and Jim Kenny, 2015 Philadelphia Mayoral candidate Jim Kenney.
Rohan Hepkins is a man to be
respected in the community in which he serves and a name to listen for in the
Tri-State area. During a recent interview with Mayor Hepkins, I discovered
great things about the character of his work that the Borough of Yeadon should
be aware of, and that the neighboring communities should take note and support.
Mayor Hepkins is currently the
pastor of the Chapel of the Good Shepheard Church in Yeadon, Pennsylvania, and
is the chairman of Building One Pennsylvania. Building One Pennsylvania is a
nonprofit organization that lobbies the state and federal government on
housing, education, funding, and the like.
The mayor states that his number
one goal is to keep the residents of Yeadon safe and decrease the crime rate in
the burrow. Mayor Hepkins feels that this assignment is surmountable as he
says: “I will be the voice and ears of the residents. I am a protector of the
people and I want to know what they want from me.” How great these words are,
especially when they are backed up by action. You can hear the passion of the
major and his genuine concern for the people with the voice of these words. As
a pastor, a shepherd of the flock, and not a hireling, this becomes second
nature in his character.
Mayor Hepkins continues by saying
that he has an open heart and ear to what the people want from him because he
listens. It is apparent to the Borough of Yeadon that the property taxes are
high and school funding is low. His aim is to lower property taxes, while
increasing school funding. This task would include reaching out to obtain the
supporters that are needed, as in the other boroughs, such as Radnor. And
Hepkins wants supporters of all boroughs that have students in the William Penn
School District. Mayor Hepkins says that if property taxes are lowered, Yeadon,
again, would become attractive for people to come back; bringing wealth into
the community. To sum it up, the mayor says that “there needs to be a tax
relief and new funding formulas.” Mayor Hepkins is currently working with
Governor Tom Wolf on getting a budget passed that will have a direct impact on
this goal being accomplished; helping the residents of this community survive
high property tax.
In order for one to be a
“Protector of the People”, there has to be a beginning point. As pastor of the Chapel
of the Good Shepherd Church, he is leading his people, along with Emmanuel
Lutheran Church, with Pastor Denis Moses, to start a pilot program in the
community that will provided goods and services for the parents and students in
the neighboring boroughs. Starting with the elementary and middle school age
children, they will provide a means for them to have their homework assignments
completed and fed by the time their parents pick them up. The program seeks to be more than an after school
program, but supports the parents and grandparents who worry and struggle
during this latch-key time of the day. The program is in the embryo stage, but
is progressing to the vision being realized.
Keep your eyes to this thread and
read more about the pilot program and the work that Mayor Rohan Hepkins is
shaping to form in the Borough of Yeadon.
