Monella is a life-long resident of Clearfield County, having been born in Clearfield and raised in Morris Township where he currently resides. He is the son of Paul J. Monella (formerly of DuBois) and Ellen Weaver Monella (formerly of Clearfield). He is the grandson of the late Carl Monella and Jean Monella of DuBois and Jack and Margaret Anne Weaver of Philipsburg. Monella has attended West Branch Area High School where he was a school board representative, a member of the National Honor Society, a Teen Court Attorney, and in the top 10 percent of his class.
As a county commissioner, Monella’s primary focus will be on the reduction of the county’s double-digit unemployment rate. Monella posits job creation as a means of raising revenues for the county’s vital services, already stretched to the limit, and also legitimately easing the tax burden on citizens, not artificially by dipping into the county’s reserve fund.
“If we can get people the jobs and the incentives to stay here, then we will have sufficient monies to reduce crime, fully fund our services, foster tourism, and create a fertile environment for sustainable growth,” stated Monella.
Other issues of importance are Marcellus Shale drilling and landfill proposals. Monella stated, “Landfills are not a compatible choice with the county’s long term growth plan. They stink, they reduce property value, are not attractive to visitors, and are unpleasant evils for their neighbors.”
As Marcellus shale becomes a leading county industry, Monella makes it clear that as a commissioner he will seek to demand accountability of the drillers. He supported the state legislature’s two bills that would have placed a moratorium on drilling on state game lands and the creation of a gas extraction tax. He feels strongly that the commissioners need to act to balance the creation of new jobs and the protection of our citizens and resources.
“Our area has been twice ravished by the energy booms of the past: first timber and then coal, each taking their toll on our natural, human, and monetary resources. We need to learn our lessons from these. As with these previous booms, there are responsible operators, but we must, necessarily, protect ourselves from those who are not.”
Monella furthered that statement by saying, “Drilling must be done safely, or not done at all.”
He also encourages readers to visit his Web site.
