Edward Koren has announced his candidacy for Whitehall Township tax collector.

Born and raised in Coplay Borough and a graduate of Whitehall-Coplay School District, Koren said he is looking forward to serving the community as the next Whitehall Township tax collector.

He and his wife, Tina, have lived in the Hokendauqua section of Whitehall Township for more than 21 years. They have two children: Matthew, who graduated from Whitehall High School and Cornell University and works for Citi Group in New York City as vice president of ETF synthetics trading, and Ashley, who is a graduate of Whitehall High School and DeSales University. She is a fourth-grade teacher in the Whitehall-Coplay School District. She is the head junior varsity and assistant varsity girls’ soccer coach and assistant varsity girls’ basketball coach at Whitehall.

After high school, Koren continued his education by obtaining a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Alvernia College in pursuit of a career in law enforcement.

After graduation from college, he trained in Georgia and served under President Jimmy Carter in the United States Secret Service in Washington, D.C.

He then was accepted into the Pennsylvania State Police and graduated from Pennsylvania State Police Academy. He served as a trooper and promoted through the ranks to lieutenant, retiring after more than 25 years of service.

While a trooper, he attended and received his advanced doctorate degree from Temple University School of Law. As an attorney, most of his service was completed with the Financial Regulatory Authority that oversees various stock market transactions and brokers across the United States. As an independent arbitrator with the authority for almost two decades, he made determinations on whether people’s money was invested properly.

He also has invested people’s funds for many years, has assisted many senior citizens with their Medicare needs and has held a real estate license for more than 30 years.

If elected, Koren said, he would like to introduce online bill payments to make tax paying more convenient to the residents and possibly provide a cost savings to the township by eliminating mass mailings of paper bills.

He said he would like to review the possibility of a “help desk” customer service - a person trained in advanced customer service available to answer all questions by residents Monday through Friday during normal business hours - and an email system to the tax office for all questions posed outside the normal business hours.

Koren said he would like to ensure the latest software is being used, not only for tax collection but also for residency changes to ensure the school district is kept informed of students moving in and out of the school district.

“I know that, with my education, experience and compassion, I will make an outstanding tax collector to serve the residents of Whitehall Township. I look forward to becoming the next tax collector and provide the best possible service to the Whitehall Township community and the Whitehall-Coplay School District,” Koren said.