BRUCE PENUEL FOR MAYOR

For more than 40 years, Bruce Penuel has worked hard to protect the safety of every Collegeville resident - as a law enforcement officer (retired) and active fire fighter and Emergency Medical Respondser with the Collegeville Fire Company. This experience makes him far and away the most qualified to fulfill the Mayor's primary responsibility:  working with the Police Department to keep our community safe.

A fifty-year resident of Collegeville Borough, Bruce was originally from Delaware County and first moved to our community when he attended and graduated from Ursinus College where he also served as the Manager for the college's basketball team that earned reknown for rescuing 14 people from an explosion and fire at the Motel 22 in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.

Bruce has extensive training as a firefighter and is certified as a Firefighter I. He is also certified by the Pennsylvania Department of Health as an Emergency Medical Responder (EMR). He has served the Collegeville Fire Company as an assistant fire chief and as the financial secretary. He currently serves on the Collegeville Volunteer Firemen’s Relief Association and is involved with public fire education programs.

In 2001 Bruce received an award for valor from Shomrim of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley stemming from an incident in which he assisted in the apprehension of a man who had shot and wounded his wife, shot at Bruce during a vehicle pursuit, and then shot at other police officers until the man was wounded by those officers. 

During his police career, Bruce completed courses in criminal investigation, police management and supervision, and instructor development to name a few. He also took graduate courses in Criminal Justice at West Chester University. 

Bruce is married to the former Gwen Parker who was raised in Collegeville and graduated from Perkiomen Valley High School. Gwen was the first female firefighter at the Collegeville Fire Company and still serves as a firefighter. Gwen and Bruce have two children who are also involved in the “family business.” Craig is 39 years old and is a career firefighter with the Montgomery County (Maryland) Fire and Rescue Service.. Kim is 36 years old and served active duty with the United States Army for five years. She was a military police officer and deployed twice to Afghanistan. Kim is currently a member of the Army Reserve and deployed once as a reservist.