Reading City Councilman Stratton Marmarou to seek fifth term

Mar. 2—City Councilman Stratton Marmarou does not believe his work on council is finished.

The District 4 councilman has announced he will seek a fifth term.

There are two big reasons the 87-year-old said he is running for another term.

"This was one of my wife's wishes before she passed away," he said. "I will not go against her dying wish."

JoAnne R. Marmarou, 79, died in May. The two were married for almost 55 years.

"Strat," as he is known, also wants to see the completion of the new Ninth and Marion Fire Station before he calls it quits.

Marmarou has spent his entire 14 years on council fighting to have a new station built in the city's northeast.

The project started moving forward at the start of Mayor Eddie Moran's administration, and Fire Chief William I. Stoudt hopes to break ground by late summer.

"If I'm reelected again," Marmarou said. "I may stay on until Ninth and Marion is finished, and then I will resign."

Marmarou also said he would continue donating his council salary to various organizations if he's reelected.

Since he was first elected, Marmarou has donated his $5,000 a year salary to 10 local organizations, including the Northeast branch of the Reading Public Library, Reading High School athletics and Berks Catholic athletics, he said.

Marmarou said he finds the strength to continue serving on council because of Moran's administration.

"I want to see the continuation of council and the administration working together," Marmarou said. "Instead of what happened the past four years (under former Mayor Wally Scott)."

Marmarou, who chairs council's Boards, Authorities and Commissions Committee, has been passionate about making sure each position is filled.

"We have appointed more people in the first six months of the administration than we did the last four years," Marmarou said. "Without these boards and commissions being filled, you can't move this city forward."

The committee is responsible for interviewing applicants for vacant positions and putting forth recommendations to the full council.

Marmarou has also pushed for diversity on the boards since he first came on council.

"I'm a big believer in diversity," he said.

Marmarou was a city policeman for 23 years — 18 as a detective — and followed that with 22 years as security director at Albright College.

City Council members serve a four-year term and receive $5,000 a year.

Also up for grabs are the seats of Council President Jeffrey S. Waltman Sr., District 1 Councilwoman Lucine Sihelnik and District 5 Councilwoman Donna Reed.

Council president is elected citywide, while to run for a district seat you must live in that district.