Jeff Rioux has announced his candidacy to become the next Gettysburg Borough Council member representing Ward 1. As a dedicated public servant with 30 years of experience in higher education administration and community service, Rioux brings a values-driven approach to everything he does.
Rioux would take over the seat currently held by Patti Lawson, who will complete her second term (eight years) on Borough Council in December 2025.
Jeff and his wife, Trang, have lived in Central Pennsylvania for the past 33 years and own a home in the Borough. For the past 15 years, Rioux has worked at the Center for Public Service (CPS) at Gettysburg College, where he connects faculty and students to the local community in mutually beneficial community-engaged learning.
“My desire to serve on Borough Council overlaps with my work at the college,” Rioux said. “I want to see my community thrive. I believe that when we connect good ideas and motivate people in partnership, great things happen. I’ve seen this in our work at the Center for Public Service on issues facing our community like educational equity and food insecurity.”
One example of his work is the recent $1.2 million grant received by the Center, in partnership with Vida Charter School, to create after school and summer programming for elementary school students who are English language learners.
Rioux has been the principal organizer of Project Gettysburg Leon’s (PGL’s) annual Salsa on the Square event for the past 12 years. The event celebrates the many ways the Latino community in Adams County contributes to our local culture, economy, and social fabric.
“Jeff Rioux’s engagement in our community is the perfect bridge for the work that is being done through Borough Council,” Lawson said. “Jeff brings integrity and strong values to the table, and is the perfect candidate because he does not have a personal or professional agenda,” Lawson added. “He always asks what is best for our community, and that is the reason why I am endorsing Jeff Rioux as our next Ward 1 Borough Council representative.”
“Building partnerships to improve community has been the focus of my career. I know that Patti Lawson’s slogan is ‘Partnership, not Partisanship,” and while I am not going to steal her message, it certainly resonates with me. I will make working together with every motivated person a priority as a Borough Council Member.”
He has served as a board member for Healthy Adams County, is currently a member of the @Home in Adams County Steering Committee, and serves as the president of Project Gettysburg-Léon (PGL).