OP-ED: Another view of the Washington County commissioners race
In the Saturday edition of the Observer-Reporter, Washington attorney Gary Stout presented what I believe to be a biased and misleading view of the Washington County commissioners race.
In the interest of providing clarity and understanding, let’s revisit Stout’s analyses and provide some illumination:
Larry Maggi, a Democratic incumbent, has served 20 years in office. In his case, this is proof of why term limits are necessary. Stout asserts that “Maggi is committed to keeping Washington County on the forefront of economic growth and low taxes.” In fact, Maggi voted for the county’s most recent tax increase. Then there was the issue of Maggi pushing for the ill-considered home rule charter that would have turned Washington County into an Allegheny County lookalike. That hasn’t worked anywhere else, so why would it work here?
“He’s always been a watchdog of the public purse” Stout tells us. I guess that doesn’t count the $400,000 Maggi wasted on the decrepit 1873 Caldwell Building, plus the $1 million it cost to put the building back into barely usable shape. The county still uses only part of the building. This was poor judgement. Stout forgot to mention the Starpointe Business Park debacle – $25 million of wasted taxpayer money that is producing no results and costing $10,000 a month in bonds. Then there is the biggest boondoggle of all – the absolutely terrible $1.6 million, no-bid long-term contract with the Washington County Chamber of Commerce.
Cindy Fisher is the more problematic half of the Democratic ticket. Stout describes her as a “fiscally conservative, moderate Democrat.” Not nearly true. During her time as a supervisor in Cecil Township, the size of local government has ballooned. Annual appropriations increased by $3.7 million in five years. In 2022, she badly bungled a municipal garbage contract, forcing supervisors to apologize to residents. She turned down a $2.8 million grant because it would create dust for which clean-up money was available. This is simply irresponsible. Stout claims Fisher “recently outlined her economic vision. It encouraged disgruntled Allegheny County residents to move to Washington County. With our growing economy we can welcome Allegheny County families.” This sounds like a rehash of a Washington County Chamber of Commerce brochure. Happy words and no substance. The fact is the county population has been stagnant for the last decade.
Fisher supports Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Adam Schiff, Pete Buttigieg and Stacy Abrams in job-killing, Green New Deal energy programs. She promoted content on far left climate charge programs, such as the Paris Climate Accords and collecting gas from cow manure. This is not a job-building, economy-building mindset.
Also overlooked is Fisher’s long history of trying to get rid of the natural gas industry. She placed 28 conditions on gas drilling in Cecil, making drilling impossible. Just like President Biden, she wants to kill the energy industry. That is not how one brings jobs to Washington County.
Fisher has promoted positions seeking to undermine the Second Amendment. That’s important to the citizens of Washington County. They really ought to know this. This is not a “fiscally conservative, moderate Democrat”. Fisher is a fiscally irresponsible, liberal, job-killing Democrat of the kind we do not need in Washington County.
Nick Sherman has done a fine job in his first term. Sherman has consistently demonstrated good governance. He filed a lawsuit against Gov. Tom Wolf to end lockdowns and mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. He reinstated Second Amendment rights to allow the carrying of firearms in county parks. He created an integrated Department of Human Services, resulting in cost savings of $1 million a year. He fought the misguided home rule charter ballot question championed by Maggi. He adopted a fleet management system for county vehicles, resulting in significant cost savings. He has actively supported the energy industry and the creation of new jobs.
Yes, Sherman opposed the Washington County Chamber of Commerce contract because it is a very bad deal. It is a $1.6 million, no-bid contract that binds the county for five years. Why not a year-to-year contract? Why annual escalations with no specified deliverables? It’s a lot of money for nothing quantifiable.
Electra Janis does not deserve the patronizing treatment Stout gave her. Janis is a college graduate with a master’s degree in psychology. That will prove very useful in understanding and working with the maze of human services in the county, one of the county’s single largest financial outlays. She did not simply answer phones for a state representative as Stout disparagingly alleges. She spent four years as a district director for her state representative, actively involved in state and county government. It is no surprise that state Sen. Camera Bartolotta has endorsed her. As Stout draws distinctions between Janis and her opponent, he really should conclude that Janis represents new, young conservative energy, with a track record of successful involvement, while Fisher has a proven record of leftist ideology, bungled projects, irresponsible decisions, constantly increasing municipal spending and devotion to job-killing, Green New Deal and other leftist programs. Which fits in Washington County?
Dave Ball is the former chairman of the Washington County Republican Party.