Sherman, Janis upset by lack of speaking role at ‘State of the Economy’ event

Feb 21, 2025 By Mike Jones 5 min read

The two Republican commissioners in Washington County are upset with the county’s Chamber of Commerce and its leadership for their apparent exclusion for the second consecutive year from the State of the Economy breakfast held Thursday morning at Southpointe.

In a scathing joint statement sent to chamber President Jeff Kotula and shared with the Observer-Reporter, Commissioners Nick Sherman and Electra Janis expressed disappointment for being “deliberately excluded” from speaking at the annual economic event the past two years.

“Although we have disagreed politically, I never expected the Chamber to engage in such petty behavior by intentionally omitting the commissioners from the State of the Economy event,” Sherman said in his statement directed to Kotula. “Traditionally, the commissioners have had the opportunity to inform the citizens of Washington County about the important work we are doing. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, the Chamber has chosen not to include the county commissioners. I am personally disappointed by the lack of communication between the Chamber and the Commissioners’ office.”

Janis, who has been on the board since January 2024 and has not had the opportunity to address the forum in the last two events, said she “shares concerns” with Sherman about not being invited to speak to the attendees.

“I am both disappointed and perplexed that I have not yet had the opportunity to participate twice in this event, or a State of the County that you have had in years past,” Janis said in a statement. “It is hard not to conclude that politics has somehow influenced the decision-making process, which is not in line with the responsibilities and practices that the Chamber should uphold. I continue to question various actions taken by the chamber, particularly regarding the lack of invitations to events and our exclusion from other key gatherings where we, as leaders of the county, should be present. I wonder if these decisions are politically motivated, which should not occur in a professional environment.”

Thursday’s event had three separate programs, with the presidents from W&J College, PennWest University at California and Waynesburg University participating in the discussion on higher education. The head of the Pittsburgh branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and new leader at the Marcellus Shale Coalition also spoke about the economy and energy.

Sherman and Janis, the two Republicans who control the majority on the board of commissioners, apparently did not attend Thursday’s breakfast. Democratic Commissioner Larry Maggi did attend and said he had no qualms about not being asked to participate in one of the panel discussions despite having done so in the past.

“I’ve been there a long time and I didn’t see it as a personal slight,” Maggi said in an interview Thursday afternoon. “I just know we all got invited to be there and (the discussions) focused on the inflation issue, focused on higher education. We’ve had good relationships with the chamber for years and years. We’ve worked with the business community.”

Maggi said he anticipated the commissioners would have a chance to speak about the economy during the county’s upcoming Real Estate Expo March 12 at W&J College.

But having the three commissioners speaking at the annual State of the Economy has been a cornerstone for the forum since its inception in 2013, except the past two years, according to Observer-Reporter archives. The commissioners typically sat on stage – except in 2021 when it was held through video conferencing and they appeared remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic – and spoke during a panel discussion touting the county’s economy. Sherman has been the board’s chairman since January 2024 when he took over the top position on the board following longtime commissioner Diana Irey Vaughan’s retirement.

In a statement, Kotula said the chamber works to “tailor our State of the Economy program to the relevant issues of the day” for its members, which focused this year on the national economy, inflation, workforce development and natural gas development.

“We wanted to provide our members with the information and insights they are requesting to expand their businesses and learn about the policies of the new Presidential Administration,” Kotula said in an email. “All three commissioners were invited to attend as our guests as they are always welcome to attend our events as they have in the past. We also requested quotes from each of the commissioners to appear in a follow-up publication promoting the county and its successes throughout the region. We are looking forward to their comments to include in our publication.”

But those comments from Sherman and Janis instead took on an adversarial tone, illustrating a possible rift between the commissioners and Kotula, who oversees the chamber and the Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency. Sherman voted against a motion in 2023 that paid the chamber a $1.6 million contract over 10 years to help with the county’s economic development, although there is an option to terminate the agreement after five years that comes with a hefty price tag attached.

“After a year and a half, we, the county commissioners, have yet to receive a single email regarding any projects they are working on,” Sherman said in his statement, alluding to that agreement. “While I commend the Chamber for their good work internally, this comes at a significant cost to Washington County taxpayers under a unique and questionable arrangement. Given the current pressure for cuts at the federal level, one questions the return on investment we are receiving in Washington County.”

Meanwhile, Kotula stepped down last month as chairman of the Local Share Account committee he had overseen since its inception in 2008, saying he thought it was time for new people to take the lead. His resignation from the board Jan. 7 came two days before the committee convened for an introductory meeting to discuss 2025 LSA grants before eventually recommending to the commissioners a list of 67 projects to receive a share of more than $10 million in casino gambling revenue.