William Swartz

Background

About William Swartz

After graduating from Colgate University with a degree in philosophy, I worked on a log cabin building crew in the Tobacco Root Mountains of Montana and as a caseworker at the family homeless shelter in my hometown of York, PA. I then spent three years as a construction laborer at Kinsley before founding my own property management company. I served as President for 18 years and worked alongside our team members to grow the company to become the largest residential property management firm in York County. We managed apartment complexes as far away as Wilmington, DE. During that time, I co-developed $16 million of premier residential real estate in downtown York with Wagman Construction (Codo 241 & Codo 28). I also co-founded the CapLive music series at the Appell Performing Arts Center (please see and worked alongside other board members to oversee (and raise $2 million for the revitalization of) one of York County’s most popular gathering places, Central Market.(Please visit In addition to running twice for the State House of Representatives and serving for 7 years on the board of Better York (5 of those on the executive board), running a metalware company and leading a property management firm in Lancaster, I have also remained active in the York community in many ways. I rode my bicycle across America (coast to coast) to raise for Bell Socialization which runs York County’s family homeless shelter (where I served as a caseworker). Please visit for more info and photos of this cross country bicycle journey for charity. In 2019, I co-founded THE VALLEY GROUP (an advocacy organization). THE VALLEY: Building Community, Connections & People Power in the Susquehanna Valley. THE VALLEY averages over visitors a month and has over 200 adminstrators and moderators from all over the Susquehanna Valley. THE VALLEY’s territory includes Lancaster, Dauphin (Harrisburg), Lebanon, Cumberland, Adams, York, Franklin, Fulton, Berks, Schulkill and Northumberland Counties & communities in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Our Mission: To uplift diverse lives & protect our environment through member-sourced Awareness, Alliances, Advocacy and Activism. Our Justice-minded Vision: The Beloved Community Imagined and Happening Locally & Globally. Link to THE VALLEY I enjoy writing, bicycling, skiing, backpacking, community activism and photography.