Pictured from left to right are Clearfield County Commissioner Candidates Trudy Lumadue (D), Mark McCracken (D), Tony Scotto (R) and John Sobel (R). (Photo by Wendy Brion)
DUBOIS – Penn State’s DuBois Campus was the political center of Clearfield County last night when a candidate forum for the four running for Clearfield County Commissioner was held at the Hiller Auditorium.
During the primary election, voters selected two candidates from each party to run for the three commissioner seats, and voters will be asked to choose two during the election Nov. 3. The top three with the most votes will then go on to serve as county commissioners for the next four years.
The current commissioners are John Sobel, Mark McCracken and Joan Robinson-McMillen. Robinson-McMillen announced she will be keeping her promise and not seeking a third term as commissioner. Both Sobel and McCracken are running for reelection and were joined by local attorney Trudy Lumadue and local business owner and County Controller Tony Scotto.
McCracken and Lumadue are running on the Democratic ticket while Sobel and Scotto are running on the Republican ticket.
The event was a question-and-answer forum instead of a true debate with each candidate being given the opportunity to answer 14 questions as they were asked. The candidates were seated in alphabetical order and the first person to answer the question rotated from one person to the next throughout the forum.
The questions were compiled by the staff at the Greater DuBois Chamber of Commerce and included questions submitted by chamber members. The candidates often agreed but also often had different perspectives on each issue discussed.
The questions kicked off with two questions concerning the Clearfield-Jefferson Regional Airport, which is a commercial airport serving the region of Clearfield and Jefferson counties. The first was in regards to the funding the airport receives from the county, and whether the candidates would support increasing funding from the county, and the second asked if the candidates would support raising property taxes in order to support the airport.
Each of the candidates assured the public that they support the airport, and also said that raising taxes would be a final consideration after other options were explored. Lumadue said she would need to really examine the numbers associated with the airport but noted the importance of having a regional airport and the jobs it provides.
McCracken and Sobel pointed out how the commissioners have been considering the issue. McCracken said he has suggested forming a community group to study ways to help support the airport.
Sobel said also that it was important to not create corporate welfare and look for answers outside the box, such as support from other communities. Scotto added that they need to be mindful of taxpayer money and suggested looking at other options aside from just passenger flights, such as cargo flights and full use of foreign trade zone.
The candidates also noted that marketing is important for the airport and the airport should be marketed better. McCracken recalled that the airport used to have flights to Pittsburgh and many people would like to return to that. Scotto added a need to work with local industries to better utilize the airport. Lumadue also noted a need to utilize online resources and make the airport competitive in the online marketplace.
The next three questions concerned the Marcellus Shale industry, first asking if the county has the infrastructure in place for development of the industry, and if the county is prepared to protect the environment and respond to problems.
The candidates all agreed that the local emergency management agency is ready and able to respond to emergencies, and McCracken, Sobel and Scotto noted the blow out, which happened several years ago, and resulted in the commissioners being able to bring Wild Well to the Clearfield-Lawrence Joint Airport to be on hand in the event of other disasters.
Sobel noted the best decision was appointing Joe Bigar as EMA director, and said he has worked to bring the agency to a new level of competence. Lumadue added there is a need for transparency in the process of working with land owners and the drilling companies. McCracken also noted a need to work closely with the state Department of Environmental Protection in regards to drilling activities.
The candidates also agreed that the county is far more prepared now for the industry’s return than it was when drilling activities first began in the county, both with infrastructure and in emergency preparedness.
When asked about deep injection disposal wells, the candidates expressed concern about the technology. Sobel said he is not in favor of them, noting it is a technology over a century old and the technology to treat the water is available. He said it is time to bring the technology into the 21st century.
Lumadue also noted a need for transparency in this aspect of the industry as well, adding she would not support wells near residential areas and water supplies.
McCracken said there are other injection wells in the county, but they were put in place in the 1990’s in very rural areas. He said the one proposed in the Highland Street area is far too close to homes and water sources and treating the water is a better option.
Scotto said the companies say the wells are safe and said he would ask them to take the risk themselves and drink the water, saying he also agrees with using water treatment technology instead of the wells.
When asked about control of drilling activity, the candidates agreed local municipalities need more say in where the wells are located. McCracken noted there is always the option of zoning, but many municipalities cannot afford to have zoning.
Scotto also noted a need for a cooperative effort between municipalities and DEP in regards to where wells are drilled. Sobel also noted that Act 13 money gives the municipalities some power, but not much and he would like to see a shared system.
Lumadue also noted municipalities have a better grasp on the local land and where wells can be safely drilled.
The candidates were then asked what is missing in the economic picture for the county, and all four agreed that improvements in railroad service are needed. McCracken said R.J. Corman has expressed a need to get products to customers, and this will especially be important with the natural gas industry.
Scotto added in addition to rail, the county needs to look into more recession-proof industries and pointed to the food industry ready site certification brought about by the county’s economic development corporation, Clearly Ahead.
Sobel also noted the importance of the certification obtained by Clearly Ahead for the industrial park in Clearfield and added there is a need for workforce development and encouraging more students to pursue vocational training. Lumadue also noted a need to emphasize research and development in the shale industry.
Unemployment in the county is currently at 6.1 percent, and the candidates talked about what they would do to improve this number. Scotto said a balanced budget shows fiscal responsibility and attracts business. He said educational institutions need to be able to prepare students for the workforce locally, including the shale industry and other important vocations.
Sobel said developing rail would attract jobs and also said the county needs to continue doing what it has been doing and never be satisfied with the status quo.
Lumadue said she would focus on “leading from the future” by looking at where we want to be and how to get there. McCracken said there is a need to look at opportunities and take an active role and work with forward thinking industries and supporting current ones.
The candidates also agreed when asked about the tax assessment and appeal process that the current system is flawed. Sobel says the technology is available to allow counties to do their own reassessments. The candidates also agreed on a need for standardization and a need for fairness for everyone.
Tax abatement programs, such as Keystone Opportunity Zones, were discussed and while the candidates agreed that the programs are something businesses look for, they had different thoughts on the zones.
Lumadue noted a need to look at the costs associated with them and what kinds of businesses they attract. McCracken noted there is often a lot of confusion on how the programs are used and there is a need to coordinate with the state Department of Community and Economic Development to create a better system.
Scotto said the programs bring in new industries, but there is always an issue with an industry moving to another parcel or another location entirely once their term for tax forgiveness is up. Sobel also noted the programs can starve municipalities and school districts of needed funds, but businesses expect the offer. He said a new system needs to be looked at.
When asked about centralizing collection of property taxes, the candidates each responded on a need to streamline the process and agreed that many municipalities struggle to get people to run for the office and possibly look at regionalizing tax collection, allowing smaller communities to share a tax collector.
When asked about streamlining for the row offices in the county, the candidates also discussed that there are different ways the offices can save money. Sobel reminded residents that the offices are separately elected and any changes have to be with the agreement of those offices.
Lumadue suggested encouraging the offices to explore ways of cutting costs, such as using less paper. McCracken said reducing costs has been a priority for him and pointed to needed to work with offices.
Concern for local healthcare was discussed, especially since the largest employer in the county is Penn Highlands Healthcare. Sobel said the commissioners have been trying to foster communication between Penn Highlands and the community and hope to bring them together and strengthen acute care in Clearfield.
Lumadue noted changes were inevitable and one concern is assuring transportation for people so they have access to healthcare. She added the town hall meeting in June was good for the community and they need to get senators and representatives on board, as well.
McCracken said he has seen the good and bad and noted people are afraid of losing the hospital in Clearfield. He said they also need to support those in the Moshannon Valley area and emergency responders. Scotto added he sees a need to make each location viable and suggested encouraging specialization, adding hospitals are important for job growth.
The candidates were asked about combating drug use and overdoses in the county. Lumadue said the commissioners need to be on the front lines and ensure services are available to address this serious issue.
McCracken said every community in the county is seeing a rise and it taxes resources, including the jail, court system and police services. He said people need to work together and support local programs and work to get pushers off the street.
Scotto also said there is a need to support local police and also to look at the environment, which fosters the problem and support the programs that try to help people. Sobel concurred in the need to support the services that are combating the issues. He also said fostering a better economy improves the community’s sense of well-being and decreases the use of drugs.
The final question was how the candidates would deal with “mountain-itis,” the perceived gap created by Rockton Mountain between the DuBois area and the rest of the county.
McCracken said he has concentrated on working with the city and townships and the commissioners are open to funding requests such as for hotel tax money and Act 13 funds for bridge projects. He said the best way is to “put miles on the car” and make the trip as often as they can and are asked.
Scotto, who lives in Sandy Township, said it is important to keep an open door for everyone, including those “over the mountain.”
Sobel said the mountain will always be there and difficulties are always going to be faced, but he has worked hard to communicate with leaders in the community and participate in events around the county.
Lumadue noted she spent much of her time campaigning in the DuBois area and the county can learn from what DuBois has done well, adding a need to have a presence in the entire county.
The candidates were then given an opportunity to give closing remarks.
Lumadue said she has nine years of legal experience in both large and small matters, and she has seen the many problems and issues facing the county and she has experience and insight to solve problems.
She said she is a go-getter, one of three daughters raised by a single mother in Clearfield County. She has three college degrees and wants to do what is best for the county. Lumadue said she wants people to be proud of their home and make the county a better place to live.
McCracken said he brings knowledge and experience to the job and said he has learned to always expect something new to happen. He said he has learned to look to the future and is proud of what the commissioners have done regarding the budget and finances and health insurance.
He said to look at the work done and the battles the commissioners have waged for the people. He said they have to work together.
Scotto said he ran for commissioner because he loves the community and civic duty is important. He said he is a first generation immigrant, as his parents immigrated to the country in 1966. Clearfield County is a great place to live, he said.
As controller he helped with the budget and worked with the commissioners and wants to take the next step and continue the good work of the commissioners and work to improve the county. “Tony fights for the little guy,” he said, “because he is the little guy.”
Sobel noted he has served two terms as commissioner and wants to see the accomplishments and projects continue. He said he wants to improve rail service and continue economic growth in the county.
Sobel said as solicitor for many small municipalities, he sees the problems they face and wants to help. He also said Clearfield County is the best county in Pennsylvania, the best people are here and “we will find success here.”