Blue Waves

Joan L Erney, J.D.

Mayor of New Cumberland
January 2026

Last year was my third campaign to be mayor of New Cumberland. Each election, even when I lost, helped to build momentum for the kind of change I was elected to lead.

In 2021, as a first-time candidate, I lost to an incumbent by 57 votes. But I laid a foundation to build on. People began to know me and my drive to make my home town better.

In 2023, I had less money but more engagement with other Democrats. I won by 48 votes, and voters elected another Democratic council member.

In 2025, my third election was different; with an extraordinary result.

There is no doubt in my community, where many are moderate politically, the national overlay made a difference. In New Cumberland, the mayor’s office as well as four council seats were up for election. We had five strong candidates including two incumbents. For the first time, in New Cumberland, we had a primary for the council seats.

Our opponents had a mayoral candidate, but only two individuals running for council, including an incumbent who had been appointed. Two of the Democratic candidates as incumbents were well-liked and had garnered Republican votes in the previous election, which may explain why the Republicans did not put up four candidates.

This election cycle we did a number of things to increase our visibility and increase our Democratic base. We hosted a Democratic fundraising gathering and re-invigorated the New Cumberland Dems website and West Shore PAC. One of our candidates hosted meet-and-greets, and because we had a primary, we had an early opportunity to introduce (or re-introduce) ourselves.

Three of the four candidates along with me came together to generate a Democratic hand out and a targeted mailing to Democrats who had not voted in the last municipal election, highlighting the importance of this election, both locally and for retention of judges.

The County Democratic Committee provided us with data, and also days before the election sent out a text to Dems to get out to vote! Both seemed to spark a high turnout at the polls. Mail-in votes also helped, but the County Dems partnership was an essential ingredient in our success. I won by almost 400 votes! All four of our council candidates also won by strong margins.

As I move into this new cycle of mayor, I will continue to be a compassionate spokesperson for our community and make every effort to be responsive to the array of residents’ concerns, from neighborhood complaints, speeding worries, to food insecurity, noise, homelessness, healthcare, and behavioral healthcare needs. My background in behavioral health intersects with my work as mayor frequently. I am committed to ensuring that every resident, whether they are a homeowner, renter, or here because of a disability has the opportunity to live and thrive in this great community.