GANT News recently conducted a questionnaire with the two Democratic candidates for the office of Clearfield County Commissioner.
Both candidates—Dave Glass and Dennis James Biancuzzo—responded by deadline.
The purpose of this questionnaire is so that voters can use candidate responses to gauge the views, experience and knowledge of the candidates for the office of Clearfield County Commissioner.
Candidates were not limited in their responses; thorough responses were strongly encouraged.
Please provide a biographical narrative.
Glass: I was born and raised in Clearfield and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science in 1997 from Penn State. After working out of the area for a couple of years, I moved back in 2000 to raise a family and help run our family’s insurance business, which I sold in July of 2019. I served on the Clearfield School Board (2007-2013) and was president of the board for four years. I was elected County Commissioner in November of 2019, and I am seeking my second and final term. I have served on numerous local, regional and statewide boards since my election. During the pandemic, while learning my current position I also earned a Master’s degree from Penn State in Software Engineering. I currently live DuBois with my wife, Jess, and our sons.
Biancuzzo: Dennis Biancuzzo is a 1979 graduate of Clearfield Area High School. I’ve attended Penn State University, HACC and numerous other educational institutions throughout my career. I have worked in the hospitality field, the mental health field and rounded out my working career by owning several businesses. I’ve always made community service and volunteerism a priority throughout my life. In 2011 I was the recipient of the Pennsylvania Crime Prevention Citizen of the Year Award. In 2020, I thought of retiring and relocated to Jacksonville, N.C., where I founded the Onslow County Community Center, and the Jenna Franks Transitional Housing Program for the homeless. In 2022, I was awarded the 2022 Lightkeepers Award of Volunteerism by the Onslow County United Way and the 2022 Award of Excellence for Outstanding Community Advocacy and Humanitarianism while living in Onslow County, N.C. I returned to Clearfield in the fall of 2022 realizing there is no place like home.
What motivated your interest in running for Clearfield County Commissioner?
Glass: My primary motivation remains the same as it did in 2019 – to give back to the county I love. I do not see this as a career, I strongly believe in term limits and allowing new, fresh ideas to come into office on a regular basis. In 2019 I saw issues with transparency, major structural issues with the county jail and a variety of ways the county could leverage modern technology to operate more efficiently. I also saw that county wages were too low and out of balance with benefits offered. As I have been in this position for a few years now, there are some additional motivations for my second term, which I shall describe in the questions below.
Biancuzzo: I know what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck. I have been willing to work hard for everything I have and I think the people of Clearfield County share that trait. I want to work towards moving the county into being the best area for the residents who live and visit here.
Government transparency has been a buzzword in politics for the past few years. Do you feel that the county is transparent enough? If not, what needs to change?
Glass: I think the county has taken major strides with transparency. We now stream all of our meetings, which enables the public to view our proceedings either live or at their own leisure. We have made it a point to be receptive to the public, and to respond to inquiries as quickly as possible. There is always room to improve – I think we need to improve our two-way dialogue with the various county municipalities, for example – but overall, I think the county has made significant progress.
Biancuzzo: Local citizens do their best to vet their political candidates to ensure they get public officials into office that are honest, have integrity and will work for the best interests of the community. When the media comes forth with news about fraud in government, it’s a huge letdown, especially when it happens in local government. Secrecy creates an environment where there is the potential for the lack of accountability and abuse of power. When information about how a local government operates isn’t forthcoming, it causes the public to be skeptical. Best practices for good governance recommend that transparency is a vital component of good government and strong communities. One of the challenges in making local government transparent to any degree is tight budgets and a burden on limited resources. Fortunately, technology has become a friend to local governments. Digital tools create an environment of openness, transparency, honesty, accuracy, accountability. Advancements in technology have provided new ways for local governments to share information publicly in ways that are efficient, cost-effective and fast. New digital tools make it drastically easier to store and manage documents and other information. Citizens are familiar enough with technology that they expect their governments to be current on how technology can make information more transparent and accountable.
What is your vision for the future of Clearfield County? What changes would you advocate and why?
Glass: My vision is that Clearfield County becomes a place our kids want to live and work in. To get there, we need quality jobs which require a variety of skillsets; we need to embrace the ‘remote work’ paradigm that has become very important for young workers; and to support that, we need high-quality broadband infrastructure and a better inventory of housing. We also need to address our addiction issues more directly.
Biancuzzo: We must provide land use and community design strategies that bring together smart growth, environmental justice and equitable development principles that community-based organizations, local and regional decision-makers, developers and others can use to revitalize our communities. Strategies can be grouped under seven common elements that connect environmental justice, smart growth and equitable development: facilitate meaningful community engagement in planning and land use decisions; promote public health and a clean and safe environment; strengthen existing communities; provide housing choices; provide transportation options; improve access to opportunities and daily necessities; and preserve and build on the features that make our community distinctive.
If new resources were available, what one area of county services would you feel most needs additional resources?
Glass: This is a difficult question because the county does not have any unimportant services. However, there is a statewide crisis with Children and Youth Services (CYS) and we are not immune; we are operating far below full staffing levels in that department. This puts additional stress on both caseworkers and management and can lead to mistakes. NOTHING is more important than protecting our children. We have committed to providing more training resources for the department, and it is my hope that we can find a way to provide more financial resources as well. It’s an incredibly hard job, burnout is a constant factor, but we can and will work to reduce the load on our employees there.
Biancuzzo: Everyone should be afforded the ability to have a safe and affordable housing arrangement. Whether that be home ownership or renting an apartment, one of the biggest setbacks is a lack of choice in properties when pursuing a housing arrangement. I propose we move forward with a Land Bank, which is a blight remediation tool. The Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania defines a Land bank as a “governmental entity whose mission is to convert vacant, abandoned, and tax-delinquent properties to productive use.” Through this process, we can remediate blight, remove tax delinquency, build productive use structures and sell them to private individuals for a gain, to then put those funds toward future remediation projects. Clearfield County Housing First is a homeless assistance approach that prioritizes providing permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness, thus ending their homelessness and serving as a platform from which they can pursue personal goals and improve their quality of life. Through a landbank and working with the National Alliance to End Homelessness as well as the PA Department of Human Services, we can make Clearfield County a safe, livable place for everyone.
Should any part of the county budget be shielded from cuts? And if so, which area?
Glass: CYS is the obvious answer here, given what I said in Question 5; I would also like to protect our mental health funding. The county spends a lot of money on folks who have already encountered addiction or legal troubles; if we could spend more resources preventing those problems in the first place, I think both the county budget and the overall health and safety of the county would be much improved.
Biancuzzo: Though our county commissioners are facing unprecedented fiscal challenges, we should resist the temptation to make indiscriminate, across-the-board budget cuts. Instead, there are useful, proven tools that we can use to inform our spending decisions that will lead to better outcomes. If we have learned anything during the Great Recession of 2007-09, it was that—in the face of declining revenue—the ability to effectively and accurately prioritize spending on programs and services that have beneficial outcomes is crucial. At the county level, new research from the National Association of Counties estimates an overall $114 billion in lost revenue and $30 billion in additional expenditures, with the median county spending around 8 percent of its total budget on COVID-19 response. This two-part impact (declining revenue, increased spending) has led to the situation in which we must consider not if, but how to cut. It is necessary to continually review the following with each annual budget: updating budget guidelines; assessing needs and analyzing program performance.; using state and national clearinghouses; and adapting program delivery. These strategies would serve as ideas for looking to make strategic cuts to maximize dollars and outcomes during tough times.
What one part of county government would receive more attention if you were elected?
Glass: When this question was asked in 2019, I said the jail needed more attention – and we recently completed an extensive renovation there. Today – other than my comments about CYS above – I would say the compensation structure for the entire county needs more attention. It’s a well-known fact that county employees have been woefully underpaid for decades; they also have had some of the very best benefits available. We have already done some work in this area – last year, our contract negotiations yielded the highest raises for county union employees in history, and I’m very pleased about that – but there is more work to be done. The county will never be the highest-paying entity, but we cannot lag this far behind the private sector and expect to fill all positions.
Biancuzzo: Community and Economic Development—Economic growth and development can be measured by a marked improvement in total value of products and services, usually in an annual period. So, what does it take to improve our economy? It means we: enforce solid and effective economic planning. Economic planning is defined by key economic decisions as to the proper allocation of resources. These decisions are based on the economic system’s comprehensive assessment or evaluation. Unfortunately, inefficient public enterprises and heavy bureaucracies impede economic growth. When it comes to economic planning, there should be a strong implementation of economic policies, and commissioners should have the political will to enforce these policies. Without a strong political will, economic planning objectives or short-term and long-term goals won’t materialize as they’re expected to be. We must capitalize on infrastructure. According to research, infrastructure is considered an economic stimulus, or one factor that drives the economy. If a county has reliable infrastructure, jobs will surely be created. That’s why capitalizing on infrastructure is crucial for economic growth and development because it attracts both local and foreign investors. We must make businesses more competitive. Regulation is burdensome for business, most especially for small businesses because it means more time and money spent on fees, business permits, licenses and other documents to run a business legally. Complying with regulations is more costly for small businesses than those with more than 100 employees. By making the county more business-friendly, it means making the life of investors and consumers a lot easier. This goal can be achieved by eliminating some steps and costs associated with operating a business, most especially at the local level.
What do you see as the most pressing needs for infrastructure in the county?
Glass: Broadband. This is without question my top infrastructure priority today, and if re-elected, it will be a main focus for me for the next four years. Simply put – our kids and grandkids will not buy a house if it does not have fast, reliable internet available; they will move to a location that does. To them, a house with low internet bandwidth is like a house with enough electricity for only one or two outlets – simply unacceptable. This issue will take years to address properly, and there are no simple fixes – it will take a variety of projects and technologies to close this gap. With my background in IT, and through my connections on the CCAP technology board and the CCAP statewide broadband task force, I believe I can help make sure Clearfield County gets our fair share of the funding to address this.
Biancuzzo: The county’s pressing infrastructure needs include: road and bridge repair or upgrade, as well as rural broadband and telecom infrastructure.
If elected, how do you plan to approach the drug and mental health crises in Clearfield County?
Glass: Three main points here: We need to increase funding (via grants if possible); we need to improve our communication and partnership with entities like the Clearfield-Jefferson Drug and Alcohol Commission (CJDAC), and we absolutely need a diversionary drug court in our county. I’ll start with the drug court – this is a rare area of complete agreement between the Commissioners, the District Attorney, the public defender’s office and external advocates for our addicted population. Throwing addicts in jail is not solving the problem, particularly for those interested in recovery. I plan to continue to work with the courts to find a solution acceptable to all parties. CJDAC has really been working to engage with the county in recent months, and I’m encouraged by what we see from them. They are ideally positioned to work on the ‘prevention’ part of this crisis. Finally – funding always matters. We are considering a full-time grant writer for the county. I personally believe that investing in that position will pay for itself many times over with the grant funds available out there – not just for addiction and mental health, but for many county departments.
Biancuzzo: First, we must continue to fight the stigma surrounding the drug and mental health crises in this county. We must also recognize that alcohol is a drug. It’s classified as a central nervous system (CNS) depressant. Although drinking alcohol can feel good, take the emotional “edge” off, it works as a depressant. Caring for the individual and their families in my opinion should be our top priority. We need a long-term treatment facility in Clearfield County. Currently, we have to transport people to outside facilities in Pittsburgh, Altoona, State College or Philadelphia costing area residents more money. A long-term treatment facility benefits not only the persons struggling with addiction or mental health issues, but it benefits the county fiscally and creates jobs here in the county. Along with the long-term treatment facility, I believe we must meet the following needs: development of an Assertive Community Treatment Team; walk-in crisis services; crisis in-home support services; and Children’s Psychosocial Rehabilitation.
Why should people vote for you over those also running for county commissioner?
Glass: I have relevant experience – as a business owner, school board member and now this term under my belt. I’d add that COVID made my first term anything but typical, and it made for an extremely sharp learning curve – but I also learned so much that I would be able to put to good use in my second term. I have a proven track record of working with my colleagues, regardless of party affiliation, to find common ground and get things done. Rather than generalizations, I have specific goals and have made tremendous progress on the goals I laid out four years ago. I’m not interested in local party politics. My background is engineering; I want to identify problems and fix them. No more, no less. I would very much appreciate your vote, so we can finish what we have started in Clearfield County.
Biancuzzo: I continually tell residents of the county that I do not believe current or past commissioners have done a bad job. I do, however, believe that they have left Clearfield County in the “status quo” position for far too many years. We must begin to work on developing a stronger economy based on higher-paying wages, family benefits and care of the people of our county. We must also consider that the lack of leadership when addressing the social determinants of health for Clearfield County has led to its deterioration. We must become a healthier, thriving, sustainable county.
