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Replacing Marolt
Posted
9-24-2004
The hottest topic in the
county courthouse and in Westmoreland County political circles (excluding
the presidential election) has been who will replace Terry Marolt as the
Republican county commissioner. Of course, by now everyone knows of Terry's
passing. He struggled mightily this past year to participate in the duties
of his office, and his health challenges called into question the long-term
prospects of his service. Yet, no one, and rightfully so, was writing him
off. So, a scramble is now taking place among interested Republicans, and
the Common Pleas Court of Westmoreland County is preparing to make a
decision.
By the time you read this
article, the deadline for applicants to formally submit their interest in
the position will have passed. On October 7, the court will conduct
interviews and make its choice. I am not even speculating who the court will
select because it is not certain who ultimately will apply.
This is not the first time in
our county's history that the courts have had to select a replacement
commissioner. In fact, Terry Marolt first became a commissioner by an
appointment. He replaced Bob Miller back in 1986 when Mr. Miller took a job
with the Reagan administration. Dick Vidmer also was appointed to fill a
vacancy when John Regoli took a job with the auditor general. Ted Simon in
the 1970s was appointed to fill a vacancy when Jim Kelly was elected to the
state Senate. But, appointing a replacement for Terry Marolt is the first
time since the 1960s that a vacancy is due to a death. At that time,
Republican Commissioner Smith McKee died in a tragic accident at his home,
and the judges selected John LaCarte as his replacement.
The stakes are much different
now than back in the 1960s. Prior to a change in the state's constitution
that took judges "out of politics", they were the true day-to-day political
powers in county government. While commissioners were the leaders on paper,
they did not really control county government. The scope of
responsibilities, the size of the workforce, and the magnitude of the budget
now make the job dramatically different than it was back then.
Getting elected county
commissioner is not easy, and an appointment is a huge assist for someone
who intends to run for re-election. In fact, when I was elected in 1995, I
was the first person since John Regoli in 1975 to get elected to the
position without first having been appointed. The changing political
landscape in our county and the growing costs associated with a countywide
campaign for commissioner make it very difficult to win without first
getting the exposure that comes from holding the office.
So whoever is chosen, in
addition to facing a steep learning curve to understand the challenges we
face in managing county government, will have a great political advantage
for re-election. Despite the misconceptions by the editors of our county's
largest daily newspaper, this job is not one of strident partisanship. The
financial numbers are the financial numbers. We are essentially managers of
a $293 million non-profit organization, who do not have the freedom to just
say we are no longer providing services. And, we must find a way of plugging
the holes in that budget with the roughly $60 million we generate in county
property taxes. Sweeping generalities may make good newspaper editorials,
but governing is not that simple. I will welcome the new commissioner on
board and hope that person has a tough constitution because the challenges
ahead are formidable.
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