This is the first of a two-part series on the Centre County Commissioners election. Check the website tomorrow for the commissioner candidates’ thoughts on the county crisis.
Centre County, depending on who you ask and what criteria is examined, is either in good or bad shape.
Taxes haven’t been increased in six years, several lengthy projects have been completed under budget, and the county is weathering the state budget stalemate in Harrisburg better than some of its colleagues.
But at the same time, conflict and controversy have run rampant in Centre County for the last 10 months, seemingly pitting the executive and judicial branches of county government against each other in several contentious lawsuits.
Against this backdrop, five candidates for Centre County Commissioner are seeking to dominate the ballot box on Nov. 3. Incumbents Steve Dershem, Chris Exarchos, and Michael Pipe are all seeking reelection, while newcomers Mark Higgins and Todd Kirsten are also vying for a seat on the three-person board.
The Candidates
Steve Dershem, a Republican candidate, is the current chairman of the board and has served three consecutive terms as commissioner. Prior to his election, he ran a sporting goods business in Centre County. He cites his business management experience as a key asset he brings to county government, and points to the county’s under-budget 911 system upgrades and improved emergency services facilities as major successes of his pervious terms.
Chris Exarchos, a Republican, has served two non-consecutive terms as a commissioner, and previously served on the College Township council and ran the Victorian Manor restaurant in Lemont for many years. He also advocates for frugal decision-making influenced by his time in business, and cites the county jail and emergency services center as evidence of his effect management of county government.
Michael Pipe, the minority Democrat on the current board, is seeking reelection after his first term as commissioner. He previously managed a State College restaurant before winning his seat as a commissioner, where he currently serves as the vice-chair of a statewide community and economic development committee. He wants to press for criminal justice reform to reduce the number of repeat offenders cycling through the county’s jail while also pushing for greater transparency from the commissioners.
Mark Higgins, a Democrat, is a business turnaround specialist who currently works for the Link Computer Corporation. He boasts of a 32-year career that has saved six companies from the brink of bankruptcy. Investment in economic development to grow and attracted new businesses and jobs to Centre County is a major component of his campaign, as is increased transparency in county government.
Todd Kirsten, the lone independent candidate, currently serves on the Halfmoon Township Board of Supervisors. He also worked on the finance and transportation committees of the Centre Region Council of Governments, and advocates for increasing the county’s revenues without raising taxes through responsible development while preserving its agricultural heritage.
The Economic Issues
Chris Exarchos said Centre County is “in great financial state,” as evidence by a strong fund balance, the relative lack of impact on the county by the state budget crises, and the county’s flat taxes over the last six years.
Exarchos identified continuing this trend of sound financial management as his primary concern if elected for another term. He pointed to his work on the upgraded 911 system and various under-budget capital projects as evidence of his proficiency at scaling back government overhead.
“This has been a very productive and fiscally responsible board,” Exachos said. “We have not raised taxes, we’ve had a good source of revenue, and we’ve continued a high level of service to our citizens.”
Steve Dershem also said efficient financial management is one of his strengths as a commissioner, and one of the focuses of his campaign. Like Exarchos, Dershem is proud of numerous projects completed under budget over the course of his last term.
He said that making sure the county has a healthy budget is the first step toward ensuring the county has a healthy future. Dershem wants to continue to examine financial trends in the county and beyond to shape the county’s budget in the coming year and plan for financial difficulties that could come up down the road.
“This is year one of the governor’s term, so we don’t know if we’re going to see a recurring theme with protracted budget discussions,” Dershem said. “This proves the values of having a strong fund balance to weather this storm and keep our service providers’ faith.”
Both Dershem and Exarchos also advocate for economic development through greater partnerships with both Penn State and the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County to attract new companies and jobs to the area.
Mark Higgins has made economic development a major pillar of his campaign, and agreed that partnerships between Penn State and the CBICC are important. However, he said that’s not enough and criticizes the current board for not investing more resources into improving the county’s economy.
Higgins said other similarly-sized counties spend around $1.2 million dollars on economic development per year, while Centre County spends $25,000. He wants to increase the amount of money in the budget allocated to economic development to support new businesses and start-ups, which he said will help foster more new businesses and ensure more businesses can grow and expand in the county.
Higgins also wants to devote a county staffer to finding and applying for state and federal grants, which he said could easily double or triple the amount of money going to economic development without requiring more money from the county.
“It certainly sounds nice to say, ‘let the university handle it,’ but that doesn’t help Bellefonte,” Higgins said. “That doesn’t help Philipsburg or Millheim or Milesburg. That does nothing for them.”
Higgins and Pipe both also call for great transparency from the county government by making more documents and information readily available online and by starting public work session meetings so the public can watch the commissioners’ decision-making process.
Kirsten said he wants to improve Centre County’s financial state by increasing revenue through development while also cutting costs and maintaining the area’s agricultural history. He said his experience as a Halfmoon Township supervisor has given him experience in expanding a property tax base while also protecting farmlands.
“Property tax revenue has been going up by one to two percent annually, but costs have been going up between three to five percent, and the costs of benefits has increased as much as ten to twenty percent over the past couple years,” Kirsten said.
“If we want to increase our property tax revenue, then we have to have development… But we need a proper balance of development and maintaining agricultural history, which can be a difficult balance,” Kirsten said. “I’m a big supporter of preserving farmland around the county, but we also have to find the areas that are right for development.”
Kirsten also advocated for developing an advisory committee with area fire companies and emergency responders to gather feedback on recent improvements to the county’s emergency infrastructure and to begin to address the declining enrollment in the county’s vital volunteer fire departments.
The local elections will be held on Nov. 3. Your address dictates your polling place, which can be found by visiting the Centre County Elections Office website.
