COLUMBUS, OH: American Municipal Power, Inc. (AMP) is pleased to announce that Harold Pudliner, Borough Manager for the Borough of Weatherly, was named a recipient of the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Larry Hobart Seven Hats Award.
APPA announced the award during a ceremony on June 11 during the APPA National Conference in San Diego.
The Larry Hobart Seven Hats Award recognizes utility managers who serve communities of less than 2,500 meters and whose management duties extend well beyond the scope of a manager in a larger system. Pudliner has served the Borough of Weatherly, a small community in eastern Pennsylvania, for 27 years.
“Harold Pudliner symbolizes what this prestigious honor represents — a public servant with a strong work ethic who is dedicated to his community and to public power,” said Jolene Thompson, AMP President and CEO. “Harold is not one to seek praise, but the work he has done to improve his community shows how deserving he is of this award and national recognition.”
As Borough Manager, Pudliner oversees numerous borough departments, including water and sewer, street, police and electric. Under his leadership, the Weatherly Electric Department recently completed an upgrade to the Weatherly Substation, replacing the station’s switch gear, wiring and insulators. These upgrades have helped to greatly improve Weatherly’s electric system reliability. The utility also recently installed generators at each of the borough’s three well systems and sewage treatment plant, helping to ensure that water and water treatment operations are continuous, even in the event of an extended electric outage.
“Harold Pudliner’s service to the Borough of Weatherly over the last 27 years has been outstanding,” said Paul John Hadzick, Weatherly Mayor and Council President. “His expertise has earned him the respect and admiration of his colleagues, as well as each and every member of the Borough Council who has had the opportunity to work with him over the years.”
In recent years, Pudliner has addressed the need for continual improvement for the community by helping the borough secure more than $8 million in grant funding to pay for several major projects. Significant recent projects include the construction of a new Borough of Weatherly Municipal Building, development of a new trailhead for the Lehigh Gorge and installation of electric vehicle charging stations.
Pudliner was also named the AMP Seven Hats Award winner during the 2023 AMP Annual Conference. The AMP Seven Hats Award, initiated in 1984, was modeled after the APPA’s award. Pudliner was also recently featured in a video as part of AMP’s People Moving Public Power Forward campaign.
APPA is the service organization for the nation’s more than 2,000 community-owned electric utilities that serve more than 49 million Americans.
View the official APPA news release here.