North Wales accepts resignation of councilwoman Brittany Kohler

After just over two years on council, Ward 1 councilwoman Brittany Kohler is leaving. Council voted unanimously on Tuesday night to accept her resignation, which she said is due to moving out of town.

“You have done a remarkably good job. We’re going to miss you on this council, for many, many reasons,” said council President Sal Amato.

Kohler was appointed to council in March 2023 after the departure of prior Ward 1 representative Eion O’Neill, and brought a background in the childcare, athletic, hospitality, customer service, retail, finance and medical fields, while also acting as president of the Montgomery County LGBT Business Council and serving on the town’s human relations commission. Later that year Kohler was elected to a four-year term on council running through the end of 2027, and since then has helped steer the planned operation of the town’s newly-opened Arts and Cultural Center.

In a resignation letter shared with council, Kohler said her resignation was due to personal reasons, and said “North Wales has been more than my home—it has been my village, my classroom, and my inspiration. This town is where I first stepped into public service, where I became a foster mom, and where I found a sense of belonging that will live in me no matter where I go.”

As members of council voioced their personal farewells, borough Manager Christine Hart added thanks on behalf of staff, saying she often crossed paths with Kohler “late nights, early mornings, whenever,” particularly volunteering at town events.

    North Wales borough council members pose with VMSC-EMS Chief Shane Wheeler, fourth from left, as they present a check representing the town’s annual contribution to VMSC. From left to right are council members Brittany Kohler, Sarah Whelan, Wendy McClure, Wheeler, councilmembers Sal Amato, Anji Fazio, Sally Neiderhiser, and Mayor Neil McDevitt.
 By Dan Sokil | The Reporter   

Hart said council is required by borough code to fill the vacancy within 30 days, so a call for applicants from the town’s Ward 1 asks that they submit a letter of interest, resume, and statement of financial interest to the borough by noon on Aug. 21.

Those who apply will likely be asked to speak to council “on or before” their Aug. 26 meeting, and the appointee would serve through the end of 2025, “and will be required to run in this year’s election cycle to remain in office.” If no residents apply or council does not agree on an appointee, borough vacancy board chair Jocelyn Tenney could act as a tiebreaker, and “if that doesn’t work, then we’d go to the Court of Common Pleas and ask for a judge to appoint….some non-willing soul in the borough, from Ward 1. I hope it doesn’t get to that,” Hart said.

“This little borough, this beautiful patch of Pennsylvania, holds the heartbeat of what democracy was meant to be — a place where every voice matters, where ordinary people gather to do extraordinary things simply by showing up, speaking up, and caring deeply. And yet, I would be remiss if I didn’t speak the truth plainly: we are living in a time when that vision feels broken,” Kohler said, reading from written remarks.

“The systems built to serve and protect us — grounded in the ideals of democracy, of checks and balances — are faltering. Not because the ideals were wrong, but because we’ve lost our collective courage to uphold them. Because fear has become louder than truth. And silence — far too often — is confused for peace. But let me be clear: peace is not the absence of conflict. Peace is the presence of justice — and justice, my friends, requires us to raise our voices.”

Kohler then called on her colleagues and the public to challenge power when it fails to protect, to call out systems that “punish rather than uplift,” and “to defend the dignity of every human being — regardless of race, gender identity, immigration status, religion, income, or who they love.

“Because no human being is illegal. Because love — not hate, not fear — is what should unite us. Because safety, belonging, and the right to live freely in one’s truth are not luxuries — they are rights,” she said.

“Thank you, North Wales — for letting me serve, for teaching me, and for giving me hope. Now it’s your turn. Let’s build a future where everyone can live and lead in their truth — without judgment, without fear, and with love as our loudest language.”

North Wales borough council next meets at 7 p.m. on Aug. 12 and 26 at the borough municipal building, 300 School Street. For more information or meeting agendas and materials, visit www.NorthWalesBorough.org.

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