Candidates answer at public forum

BY STACI WILSON

Candidates seeking election in county-wide contested races came together Friday, Oct. 16 to field questions from the public on recycling, the county budget, Act 13, and the impact of the state budget crisis.

Commissioner candidates appearing at the forum were MaryAnn Warren, Chuck Bullock and Alan Hall.
Candidate Elizabeth Betsy Arnold was not present.

Register/Recorder candidates Tom Charles and Michelle Estabrook were both present.

Hall said Act 13 revenue has been a “Godsend” to the county and said the money has been used in areas that will not cause a budget deficit if the money goes away.

Warren and Bullock agreed the money had been utilized well by the county, with Warren adding the funds had been used to benefit the EMA, sheriff’s office, and probation departments.

The commissioner candidates also spoke on the state and federal mandates placed on the county and the impact the state budget impasse has on the county.

Hall said the county approved $100,000 to keep services to the elderly population operating during the budget stalemate.

Bullock said the state legislators and governor both are culpable in the continuing impasse.

Warren suggested freezing legislator salaries and budgets until an agreement is reached.

County taxpayers provide .33 mil to support the Susquehanna County library system.

Warren said she would be in favor of asking county taxpayers if they would want more taxes levied to support the library. “We try to lower (taxes),” she said, “to increase, we should go to (the taxpayers).”

Hall said he was not opposed to going to county voters with a referendum. “May be three people shouldn’t answer that,” he said. “Maybe it should be answered by a lot more people.”

The candidates also provided their thoughts on the use of the county buildings by the public. A policy enacted by the commissioners in June limited the use of the county buildings.

Bullock said, “(County taxpayers) own the buildings. They should be able to use it.”

And Warren, an incumbent commissioner, said she was opposed to the policy when it was adopted. “I welcome the opportunity to revisit it,” she said.

Hall said he realized the move was controversial and said the primary goal was the safety and security of the building and employees. He said the policy was under review.

After an attempt to privatize the recycling center failed, the county is committed to making recycling work in Susquehanna County, Hall said. He added upgrades to the facility have been made to make it more efficient.

Bullock said maintaining the recycling center was a “must” and said that, if elected, he would continue to look to maximize efficiency.

Warren said she believed the state should mandate recycling.

The commissioner candidates offered closing remarks.

Warren said she has served as a commissioner for 12 years, was instrumental in bringing Leatherstocking Natural Gas – a distribution company – to the area to bring gas to homes and businesses. “”I think I have served well,” Warren said.

Bullock spoke of his education and background in banking. He said he would use his business experience to keep things moving forward in the county.

Hall, an incumbent, said he has often been described as “the finance guy.” He said the county has accomplished more in the past 3-1/2 years than in the 20 years prior.

In the Register/Recorder’s race, both Charles and Estabrook promised to bring top-notch customer service to the office.

Estabrook, who currently works in the office, said she would maintain the current office operations.

Charles said he would look to bring more technical advances to the office.

Estabrook said the office is currently working with historical records to scan original documents.
Overuse of records by the gas industry searchers, she said, had damaged some of the original documents.

Charles said he would digitize as many records as possible in an effort to preserve the original documents.

Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls are open 7 a.m.-8 p.m.

In addition to the commissioner and register/recorder race, voters will also cast their ballots in a number of contested school board and municipal races.

Other county-wide races on the ballot that are not contested in the general election include: President Judge of the County of Common Pleas; District Attorney; Treasurer and Coroner.