CLEARFIELD – When Dave Glass started his first year as a Clearfield County Commissioner, he had no idea 2020 was not going to be an ordinary year.
“No one could have predicted COVID-19,” he said in a recent interview.
While parts of the job were as he expected and similar to his role on the Clearfield School District Board of Directors, where he dealt with employees and contracts, others were different with some of the departments being separate entities covering their own employees.
But the virus was “a curve ball.”
His priorities going into his first year of service to the county were to update the jail which after a tour in 2019 he discovered was “worse than I thought.”
Glass explained there are serious structural problems with the building including water leaks.
“I need to push that issue to the forefront,” which he says will take time.
He also wanted to work on internal communications between the different departments which he described as “a work in progress”.
Another goal was to “bring the county into the 21st century” by converting to computer records rather than relying so much on paper.
Strangely enough, the COVID pandemic actually helped with a few of his priorities when the state released funds to the county from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress in March.
The seven million dollars was given out in three rounds of grants to area businesses and agencies but was also utilized for the county’s needs.
“Yes, there is a silver lining,” he admitted because the CARES money was able to pay for converting some county files from the Register and Recorders, Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts offices to an online site which limited the people going to the courthouse to access this information.
“Even when this is over, it will be easier to access records at home and this reduces the work for our employees.”
At the jail, they were able to set up an infirmary for ill inmates.
Unfortunately the CARES funds could not be used to fix the structural problems at the jail because the funds need to be spent before the end of the year. Later the state extended that time.
“If we knew they would be moving the deadline, we would have made different choices.”
He is still analyzing whether it is more cost effective to fix it or build another facility.
“We don’t have enough data yet. It is about 40 years old and maintenance has not kept up (with problems there).”
He praised the new warden, David Kessling, who has brought a lot of experience with him.
“He’s a problem solver,” Glass commented adding, “He loves the challenge”.
Handling an election during a pandemic was another issue in 2020.
“I enjoyed learning the election process and being intimately involved with it,” Glass said in spite of new election laws and problems from the virus.
The county “did a fantastic job working through that.” He went on to add that he is “very proud” of the employees and volunteers working on the election.
If anyone has any thought of fraud, they should go into the election office to see the efforts they make to have a free and fair election, he suggested.
“It is a non-partisan process.”
Distribution of the COVID vaccine is another matter facing Glass, Tony Scotto and John Sobel, the other commissioners.
“We are looking into ways to improve the (registration) process.”
Glass encourages everyone “to get on a list” for the vaccine and not just sit back and wait. He suggests calling back regularly for updates.
Overall he is “really, really, glad to be in this position” and was pleased he could help during this difficult time.
His background in computer science was important in setting up a website for businesses to apply for CARES grants online, with the updating of county records and in handling a recent hack into the county computer system.
Looking further into 2021, Glass stated that every employee union contract is up this year and it will be a difficult task to negotiate the new contracts.
Still he “looks forward to working with our employees and coming to agreements to help everybody.”