Putnam, Westcott seeking re-election
The city of Washington’s mayor and a longtime councilman formally declared plans to seek re-election on Monday.
Mayor Scott Putnam and Councilman Ken Westcott, both Democrats, separately announced their bids to hold onto their respective seats.
Putnam, who is seeking a second term, cited multiyear grants – which he said helped to fund projects including improvements to Washington Park, home rehabilitation, demolition of buildings and stormwater upgrades – as a major achievement during this term.
“Washington has made great progress in recent years with over a dozen new shops and developments,” he said in a statement. “Our city needs to continue to rebuild our infrastructure, provide essential services, while being mindful of our fiscal decisions.”
Putnam serves on the Washington County Transportation Authority board, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, the Washington Citywide Development Corp. and Washington Business District Authority.
Westcott spent two years on council before getting elected to the first of two back-to-back terms as mayor in 1999. He’s currently in the second of two full terms since returning to council in 2011.
He’s seeking one of the two seats up for contest this year.
In a statement, he cited bond financing he helped secure for repairs to aging stormwater infrastructure in discussing achievements from his first term. He also said he’s exploring cooperative agreements with neighboring municipalities to help share services and equipment for road work.
“Many of the projects we’ve begun are just in the beginning stages, and I’d like to see them through to completion,” he added.
Westcott is a member of the boards of the Brownson House, Citywide Development Corporation and city Business District Authority.