EAST SMETHPORT — The McKean-Potter Farm Bureau on Tuesday hosted the candidates from both parties who are seeking nominations for county row offices at the May 21 primary election.
Candidates for county commissioner, district attorney, treasurer and coroner spoke briefly — offering positive comments for a maximum of three minutes — about their respective qualifications, during the organization’s annual spring informational meeting at the East Smethport United Christian Church.
Farm Bureau Director Richard Kallenborn introduced the candidates and served as timekeeper.
First to speak were Sherri Himes Swanson and Melissa Jo Smith, who are seeking the nomination for treasurer. Both are Republicans.
Since November 2018, Swanson has been the acting county treasurer when the treasurer resigned.
During her six years with the county treasurer’s office, Swanson served as first deputy for five years. “As first deputy, I worked closely and established a good rapport with the treasurer, controller, commissioners, financial director, chief clerk and local banks used by the county,” Swanson said. “Those relationships have helped me with the transition into my current role.”
The treasurer’s office also serves as an agent for the Commonwealth for issuing dog, hunting and small games of chance licenses.
Smith resides in Foster Township. She has 18 years of accounting experience.
For the past four and a-half years she has been secretary-treasurer of Keating Township. “During this time,” Smith said, “I have worked extensively with township supervisors to develop budgets that enabled the municipality to purchase $375,000 worth of new equipment without a tax increase, and address various road and bridge projects.”
Her additional responsibilities include payroll, tax collections, accounts payable and receivable, insurance, pensions, grants, bids, road bonds, annual audits and delinquent sewer accounts.
Smith holds a double bachelor’s degree in economics and business management with a minor in account from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.
Republican Anne Bosworth of Keating Township is seeking another term as recorder of deeds.
She began her employment with the county in 1978 in the assessment office. In May 1979, she was appointed second deputy recorder of deeds. Bosworth was first elected recorder of deeds in 1995.
According to Bosworth, “This office is required to maintain and preserve all documents recorded pertaining to real estate in the county. The documents include, but are not limited to deeds, mortgages, powers of attorney, rights -of way, oil and gas leases and many other types of documents.”
The office also acts as an agent for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, six school districts and 23 local municipalities for the collection and distribution of realty transfer taxes.
Phil Clabaugh, the current public defender, is challenging incumbent Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer for district attorney in the Republican primary.
A graduate of Duquense University Law School, Clabaugh said his legal focus has been on criminal law since he has relocated to McKean County. After nearly a four-year stint as an assistant district attorney with former DA Ray Learn, Clabaugh became the county’s first full-time public defender. “Since then, I have transitioned all the part-time staff to full-time status in a cost-efficient manner.”
If elected, Clabaugh said, “I want to streamline the system by cutting waste and getting cases heard in a timely manner.”
According to Clabaugh, three days a month are limited to criminal trials, with 45 of them unused.
A resident of Kane, Clabaugh is an adjunct professor of criminal justice at UPB.
Shaffer is rounding out her first term as DA.
“In 2014, nearly six out of every ten defendants who went to trial were found not guilty of all or the most serious charges. In 2015, the rate was even worse, “ Shaffer said. “When I ran for DA in 2015, I promised to improve those unacceptable results. I have kept my word.” The conviction rate is over 88 percent, she said.
Shaffer, along with excellent police work, has secured convictions in several significant cases. Prior to becoming DA, Shaffer served as the special assistant public defender.
For almost a decade, she served the court as the county’s guardian ad litem, where she represented more than 400 children involved in the child welfare system.
Mike Cahill, Mike Mascho and Jeff Carson are the candidates for coroner.
Cahill, a Republican and incumbent, was unable to attend the meeting. Standing in for Cahill was McKean County Sheriff Dan Woods, who commented on Cahill’s many years of service.
Mascho is a lifelong resident of Bradford and a Republican.
Licensed as a funeral director in Pennsylvania and New York, he has owned the Mascho Funeral Home in Bradford for 11 years.
Mascho explained his proposal for establishing a secure location in the county keeping any unclaimed bodies with no known families or until a responsible party can be located. Funeral directors would have access to such a facility.
A similar system is used now in Cumberland County, Mascho said.
Democrat Carson did not attend the meeting.
Republicans Tom Kreiner and Brett Morgan are challenging incumbent Carol Duffy for county commissioner.
Kreiner is a Bradford native and now lives in Hazel Hurst. A graduate of Duquesne University, Kreiner is a registered pharmacist, having been employed as a pharmacist/manager for Rite Aid in Kane from 1987-2001 and at Tops Pharmacy in Bradford for four years. From 2005 to 2019, he was a pharmacist at the Bradford Regional Medical Center, where he was pharmacy manager from 2011-2019.
Kreiner spoke about his governmental and volunteer service. A former Hamlin Township supervisor, he also has been a 28-year member of the Hamlin Township Volunteer Fire Department, where has served as chief and treasurer.
In addition, he is an emergency medical technician with the Mount Jewett Ambulance Service and serves on the board of directors.
“If elected, I will be a full-time commissioner,” he said. “Communication is key with fellow row office personnel. One must listen before plans are put into practice.”
Morgan said he is seeking the commissioner’s position because “I have the energy, passion and drive for public service and to work on solutions.”
He has been a member of Mount Jewett Borough Council for 14 years, and in that time, he has worked with multiple agencies on the county and state levels to obtain funding for various projects, most recently a state and federal grant for almost $1 million for new sidewalks in Mount Jewett.
Morgan said his zeal for public service began right after high school. Since then he has been the operator of the Mt. Jewett Water Department. He is the current roadmaster for Hamlin Township and operator of the Jones Township Municipal authority in Elk County.
At the county level, Morgan has been an emergency services dispatcher.
Two Democrats, Cliff Lane and Kourtney Regis, are on the Democratic ballot for county commissioner.
Incumbent Lane of Annin Township spoke about the importance of bringing rural broadband to the area.
He also endorsed C-PACE, a new state financial program for assisting industrial and agricultural in securing energy-efficiency and clean energy loans.
A long-time director of the McKean County Conservation District, Lane also mentioned his support for conservation measures.
Since he did not use his allotted three minutes, Lane offered his remaining time in remembrance of fellow Commissioner Al Pingie, who died Tuesday. “As commissioners, we sometimes agreed to disagree, and I believe that many times we accomplished much on a bipartisan basis.”
Regis is making her first bid for public office.
She expressed her support for C-PACE and PA Smart programs.
“I will fight for our infrastructure, keeping our elderly in their homes and improving the bridge between our veterans and the veterans administration,” she said.
County Commissioner Carol Duffy and Wendy Yaros, register of wills and clerk of the orphans court, were also unable to attend the meeting due to a prior commitment.
