Montgomery County’s three-term controller is resigning to become tax collector in Abington

Montgomery County Controller Karen Sanchez, who was first elected to the role in 2015, will leave her position with the county at the end of the year.

Last week, the Abington Township Board of Commissioners appointed Sanchez, a business lawyer, to fill the township’s open tax collector position, a role she will hold until Dec. 31, 2025, unless she runs for reelection.

During the Montgomery County salary board meeting Thursday, Sanchez said she had enjoyed her years as the county’s fiscal watchdog but didn’t discuss her new role.

“Working with everyone in the county, across the county, has just been a pleasure,” she said.

Her colleagues, meanwhile, thanked her for her service.

“I had the pleasure of running with Karen last year. We know how important the controller’s office is. It’s a critical function of county government when we think about fiduciary responsibility,” said Jamila Winder, the chair of the county board of commissioners.

The county controller is responsible for overseeing the county’s finances and conducting internal audits. Sanchez was elected to the post in 2015, and reelected in 2019 and 2023. This summer, she was elected president of the Pennsylvania State Association of County Controllers.

Under Pennsylvania law, Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, will appoint a replacement to fill Sanchez’s role until the office is next up for election in 2027.