Tom and his wife Janella have been married for 22 years and are proud to call Abington their home.  They have lived in the Overlook Hills section of the Township for nearly 14 years and have two sons, Dylan (15) and Aidan (13), who attend the Abington School District. Tom received his BA in Psychology in 1993 from Elizabethtown College, and his PhD in Clinical Psychology in 1999 from Temple University.  Currently he serves as Executive Vice Dean of the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, where he is responsible for the administrative and financial operations of the medical school.  Prior to this, he worked at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania for more than a decade.

During his first term as Commissioner, Tom’s major priority has been connecting and engaging the residents of Ward 10 in the life of the community.  Through a weekly newsletter that reaches more than 1000 people, social media and ongoing community meetings, Tom regularly informs people about what is happening and seeks their input in address the Township’s challenges and opportunities.   He has also worked to ensure that the Township provides cost effective services and improve aging infrastructure while keeping residential taxes affordable

As Assistant Director of the Finance Committee, he has worked to stabilize costs and develop sustainable funding to address storm water and other infrastructure needs.  As Director of the Pension Committee, he led an effort to hire a new fund manager which resulted in $500,000 of annual savings for the Township.  He has also worked diligently to improve pedestrian safety throughout Ward 10, including having sidewalks installed on Rockwell Road, getting the speed limit reduced and installing stop signs at the intersection near the Crestmont Train Station. 

There is more work to be done to ensure the long term financial health of the Township and attracting new businesses will be a major focus of the next four years, in addition to revitalizing our parks and pools and furthering pedestrian safety efforts.  Tom would be honored to continue as Commissioner, and will continue to regularly engage the residents of Ward 10 in shaping the future of our community. 

If you are interested in posting a lawn sign to support this campaign, please contact us.

Email: hecker4ward10@gmail.com