CLEARFIELD – Making history was neither on Joan Robinson-McMillen’s mind when she decided to run for county commissioner, nor even the possibility of making history twice in Clearfield County.
When she made that decision she thought she could make a difference for the county. She had always been interested in politics and when the opportunity presented itself, she decided to run.
Clearfield County had only had one female county commissioner prior to 2008, and she had only served one term.
Robinson-McMillen said she didn’t even really worry about whether she would be elected or not. In fact, it was about two weeks before the November of 2007 election when it occurred to her that she could win.
And win she did, becoming the county’s second female commissioner, and the first to be elected to two terms.
“I’m a firm believer in term limits,” she said in an interview, something she has said many times during the elections and throughout her commissioner career.
And, in 2015, she repeated that conviction, announcing early in the year that she would not be seeking a third term.
Robinson-McMillen and Commissioner John A. Sobel were elected at the same time, becoming the “new kids on the block” with incumbent Mark B. McCracken filling the third seat.
However, shortly after taking office, Sobel broke his leg and while Robinson-McMillen noted she hit the ground running, Sobel’s activities were limited for about six months, though he took part in his duties as much as possible at that time.
Being commissioner presented Robinson-McMillen with a variety of challenges. She noted that when they took office, the county was facing the challenge of a bad economy and issues with the ethanol plant, which declared bankruptcy.
She noted it was an unstable, difficult time. Additionally, there was more bureaucracy than she expected with the job. “It’s a very political job,” she said.
Clearfield County is also a large, diverse county, and she found that they had to be different things for different people.
One of the first things Robinson-McMillen felt needed tackled was the county budget. She said it was one of the first things she grabbed hold of and feels it was a big accomplishment for the commissioners to be able to lower taxes by 2.5 mills and hold them at that rate until this past budget session.
Looking back on the past eight years, she also sees other accomplishments, including working with the Clearfield County Economic Development Corp., now known as Clearly Ahead Development, to bring in new businesses; expanding the industrial park in Wolf Run; negotiating union contracts; overseeing changes at the jail, including a new warden; and working diligently to keep TAFCO in the county and helping the company expand.
“It was very important to me to retain businesses that stayed,” she said.
The commissioners also faced challenges with two major fires affecting the community, one at Colonial Courtyard and the other destroying local businesses and apartments on Third Street, which also damaged the county’s administrative offices.
The administrative building was a new addition during the past eight years when the Gray Building on Locust Street was purchased and renovated by the county. The multi-service center was also closed and sold during this time. And many more changes and challenges faced the county over the years, she said.
Robinson-McMillen says she would have loved to have seen more growth at the industrial park but feels it was a positive move for the commissioners to instigate having Clearly Ahead take over the park.
So, what is next for Robinson-McMillen? “I’m keeping my options open,” she laughed, adding that right now she wants to spend more time with her family. She sees her time as commissioner as an opportunity to be a good role model for young women.
Her advice to young women, and really, to anyone who wants to make a difference, “Go with your heart, don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. Don’t let your fears get ahead of you, just jump in and go!”