Cliff Lane has declared his intention to seek re-election for county commissioner on the Democratic ticket in the May 21 primary election.
Lane was first elected county commissioner in 2004 and has served for three terms. Regarding his desire to seek re-election, he said, “I believe we still face many challenges in McKean County – I don’t think I can state it any better than I did four years ago: McKean County is in the midst of some of the most profound challenges and changes that many of us will witness in our lifetimes.”
As commissioner, Lane said his primary goals have been to foster changes that best serve the needs of all county residents. He pointed out some of the changes that have come about during his tenure: the county conservation district changed from a part-time education district to full-time active district, qualifying for larger grants; the county secured a grant to bring water and sewer service to Bradford Regional Airport, which led to the Pennsylvania National Guard Readiness Center, a multi-tenant facility and the state police barracks developments there; and secured a $1 million grant for completion of the Kane-Knox Rails to trails from the Kinzua Bridge State Park to Mount Jewett.
Lane has served on the board of the Bradford Airport Authority for 12 years, nine of which were as chairman; is chairman of the board for the Department of Human Services and the county’s blight review committee; is a 16-year member of the board for the county conservation district and is currently treasurer/ secretary.
In 2013 he was elected regional representative for the Northwest Counties for the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts. In 2018, he was elected to represent Pennsylvania at the national level for conservation districts. He has served for eight years as a member of the energy, environmental and land use committee of the County Commissioner Association of Pennsylvania, and for seven years on its technology committee.
A Turtlepoint native, Lane attended Port Allegany High School, graduating in 1973. He obtained his Associates Degree in Business from Daniel Webster College in 1975 and in 1990 he graduated with honors from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration.
Lane and his wife Audrey have been married for 40 years and have 2 sons, a daughter-in-law, a grandson, and a granddaughter. They live in Turtlepoint and are the current ‘caretakers’ of the family farm which has been in the Lane family since the 1850s.
He is a life member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church where he serves as Eucharistic Minister & Lector, he is also a member of the Father Harland Davis Council of the Knights of Columbus and the Malcolm Cawley Trust Board.
In 2007 he was selected by Bishop Donald Trautman as one of the inaugural members of the Erie Diocese’s Catholic Foundation Board; he served for 8 years on the foundation. He served as a 4-H leader and volunteer for more than 10 years. He is a chairman of the board of directors of the P. C. Federal Credit Union in Port Allegany and also served as board chairman of the Petrowax FCU for 12 years.
