A new mayor will take charge of the Summit Hill Police Department in 2026.

Karen Ruzicka, who had served on Summit Hill Borough Council for the past nine years, will be replacing retired state trooper Jeffrey Szczecina.

Szczecina served one four-year term as mayor and opted not to run for reelection last year. Upon hearing Szczecina wasn’t running, Ruzicka opted to seek the open seat and was the only candidate.

During a recent meeting of the Summit Hill Borough Council, officials heaped praise on the leadership that was manifested by Szczecina.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better mayor,” said Chief of Police Todd Woodward.

He turned to Szczecina and said: “The support you’ve given us, the guidance you’ve given us, your experience with the state police. They were my best four years with the police department.”

Borough Council President David Wargo complimented Szczecina for “four years of hard work and the leadership you gave to the police department.”

“Not only did he support the police department, but he also supported the water department,” said Kira Steber, the borough’s secretary/treasurer.

Both Szczecina and Ruzicka are very active with Summit Hill’s Recreation Commission. Both of them assisted with the annual Christmas on the Hill festivities in early December.

Ruzicka said she ran for mayor because “it’s something I wanted to do for a while, and it happened to be the right time. With Jeff stepping down, I felt I had to step up. I’m looking forward to working with the police department.”

“Some of my goals are more community activities,” she said. Among them is having a National Night Out in August, such as those that occur in several other neighboring communities.

“I will miss council,” she said, adding that running for mayor “was a very hard decision.”

She said she has a college degree in criminal justice and has taken mayor classes.

She is the owner and operator of a hair salon in Summit Hill called The Hair Zone.