Dianne Herrin

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Dianne Herrin
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 156th district
In office
January 5, 2021 (2021-01-05) – November 30, 2022 (2022-11-30)
Preceded byCarolyn Comitta
Succeeded byChris Pielli
60th Mayor of West Chester
In office
January 2, 2018 (2018-01-02) – February 20, 2021 (2021-02-20)
Preceded byJordan Norley
Succeeded byJordan Norley
Personal details
Born (1961-11-08) November 8, 1961 (age 62)
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseStan Herrin
Children2
EducationWidener University (BA)
Occupationpolitician, consultant, inventor

Dianne Taylor Herrin is an American politician and energy efficiency consultant. A Democrat, she was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives representing the 156th district from 2021-2022. She previously served as Mayor of West Chester, the seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Early life and education[edit]

Herrin earned a BA in English from Widener University. She is LEED AP certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as well as a Certified Energy Manager, with an Energy Master Planning Certificate from the Association of Energy Engineers.[1]

Professional career[edit]

Herrin served as Vice President and partner at Practical Energy Solutions, where she worked for 12 years beginning in 2009. Previously, she worked for Synthes managing prototype development, and afterward formed her own company, Herrin Communications, to work with businesses in the medical device, managed care and pharmaceutical industries.[1]

In 1996, Herrin invented the Adjustable Clamp for Bone Fixation Element with Michael Mazzio and Beat Schenk for Synthes, it was approved in 1997.[2]

Political career[edit]

Community organizer[edit]

Before holding elected office, Herrin had been involved in the West Chester community since 2004, focusing on environmental issues. In 2006 she founded West Chester Borough Leaders United for Emissions Reduction (BLUER) which became the West Chester Borough Sustainability Advisory Committee in 2015, of which she was chair.[1]

Mayor of West Chester[edit]

Herrin sought office of Borough Mayor in 2017, she won the Democratic Primary with 61% of the vote, defeating Cassandra Jones (23%) and Kyle Hudson (15%). Herrin was the only candidate endorsed by the Sierra Club.[3] In the general election she defeated Tommy Ciccarone Jr., the Republican candidate, with 72.41% of the vote.[4]

Herrin was sworn in as mayor on January 2, 2018.[5] In 2019, she supported a ban on single-use plastics, which was passed by the Borough Council.[6] On October 2, 2020, she declared a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, limiting gatherings to 10 people. The order was subsequently amended to a limit of 25 people with a permit.[7]

Herrin resigned the mayorship on February 20, 2021 after being elected State Representative. She was succeeded by Jordan Norley, who previously served as interim mayor after Carolyn Comitta, Herrin's predecessor as both Mayor and State Representative.[8]

Pennsylvania House of Representatives[edit]

In June 2020, State Representative (and former West Chester mayor) Carolyn Comitta withdrew her re-election bid for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives's 156th district after having won the Democratic primary for the Pennsylvania State Senate's 19th district.[9] Democrats selected Herrin to replace Comitta in the general election.[10] She defeated Republican challenger Len Iacono in the general election, receiving 55% of the vote.[11] Herrin currently sits on the Commerce, Environmental Resources & Energy, Transportation, and Urban Affairs committees.[12]

On February 19, 2022, Herrin announced she would not seek a second term and retire at the end of 2022.[13] She was succeeded by Chris Pielli[14]

Electoral history[edit]

Pennsylvania's 156th Legislative District election, 2020

Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 156, 2020
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dianne Herrin 21,914 55.28%
Republican Len Iacono 17,679 44.59%
Write-in 52 0.13%
Total votes 39,645 100.00%
Democratic hold

Personal life[edit]

Herrin met her husband, Stan Herrin, in 1982, while they worked editing trade magazines for Chilton Company in Radnor, Pennsylvania. The pair married in 1986.[15]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "herrin-for-mayor RESUME". herrinformayor.com. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  2. ^ "Patent US5741252A - Adjustable Clamp for Bone Fixation Element". Google Patents. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  3. ^ Rettew, Bill (May 17, 2017). "Dianne Herrin wins Democratic Primary for West Chester mayor". Daily Local News. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  4. ^ Heinze, Justin (November 8, 2017). "Election Results: Dianne Herrin Wins West Chester Mayor's Race". Patch.com. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  5. ^ Rettew, Bill (January 4, 2018). "Dianne Herrin was sworn in as new mayor of West Chester". Daily Local News. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  6. ^ Vella, Vinny (August 4, 2019). "Defying the state on plastic-bag ban". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. B1. Retrieved November 14, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Rettew, Bill (October 23, 2020). "West Chester passes mask-wearing and gathering-size ordinance". Daily Local News. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  8. ^ Bickerstaffe, Emma (February 22, 2021). "West Chester Mayor Herrin steps down, appointed mayor steps up". The Quad. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  9. ^ Rellahan, Michael (June 16, 2020). "Five seek to replace Rep. Comitta on ballot". Daily Local News. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  10. ^ McGann, Mike (June 24, 2020). "Herrin overwhelming choice for State Rep. to replace Comitta on ballot". The Times of Chester County. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  11. ^ Rettew, Bill (November 19, 2020). "Diane Herrin is projected winner in 156th House District". Daily Local News. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  12. ^ "Representative Dianne Herrin". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  13. ^ Rettew, Bill (February 19, 2022). "Herrin says she will not run for second term". Daily Local News. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  14. ^ Rellahan, Michael (November 9, 2022). "Chester County legislators see new face in, familiar face out". Daily Local News. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  15. ^ Kadaba, Lini (February 8, 1994). "Cupid on the job". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. G4. Retrieved November 14, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
Political offices
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 156th district
2021–2022 		Succeeded by
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