MCSB candidates talk safety, stadium

Primary contenders gather for Measure the Candidates Night

LEWISTOWN -- During the Mifflin County Farm Bureau's Measure the Candidate Night at Mifflin County High School Wednesday, the eight participating school board candidates discussed their views on the proposed $15.1 million Husky Stadium Project.

Candidates seeking school board, municipal or judicial office were invited to the event, held at Mifflin County High School, in advance of the May 16 primary election.

While many believe the current facilities are antiquated and need to be replaced, they agreed the cost of the project should not be covered by taxpayers.

Like the majority, Paula Dickson stressed Mifflin County's student-athletes are deserving of better facilities. "The athletes need an upgrade," she said. "I'm not in favor of the price."

Current board member Fred Nickel, who voted against the latest plan, said "I feel we need something, but not at that price. We need to do it right and not burden the taxpayers." Rose Schulz added, "We have to be smart about how we spend our money."

Lori K. Haines and Dianne Shearer both said the new facilities benefit more than just athletics. Haines, a former band member at Lewistown Area High School, said extracurricular activities like band, would reap the benefits of the facilities, too. "I don't want to spend the big $15 million price tag, but Mifflin Field has been around for a very long time."

Shearer, whose husband coached football and children played sports in the Mifflin County School District, said the community would benefit from the revenues created by the field. "The money will come into the community that way," she said. "We need to have an upgrade to our sports complex."

Danica Laub hopes the project will bring the community closer. "I would look for grants and would work on community partnerships," she explained.

Current board member Terry Styers, who voted in favor of the project, said the project is long overdue. A former football coach, Styers said he first learned of potential upgrades when he was hired to coach Lewistown football in 1988.

"I was shown blueprints of a new fieldhouse and practice facility for Lewistown football," Styers recalled. "Not one shovel of dirt has been moved. This is our best opportunity; we are ever going to have to pull this off. Our community and students deserve these facilities."

Noah Wise supported the project and said if the project doesn't go forward now, "to me, it's now or never." He believes the field will benefit the entire community, not just the student-athletes.

The eight candidates were also asked if Critical Race Theory, which the current board voted to keep out of the school district's classroom earlier this year, should be taught at the high school level.

They all agreed that the topic should be prohibited.

For their final question, the eight candidates were asked what they felt were the most critical areas for the school district and what they would do to improve them.

School safety topped the list for Dickson, Nickel, Schulz, Shearer and Styers. Styers said, "Serious efforts have to be made to keep our children safe. It's on the front page of the news every day. We have to have the attitude of being pro-active."

Shearer favored steps that have already been taken, such as having School Resource Officers in the buildings.

Budgeting and finding additional sources of funding - rather than raising taxes - also made the candidates' list, along with teacher, substitute teacher and bus driver shortages.

"There are shortages not only in Mifflin County, but throughout the nation," Styers said.

Dickson believes teachers are under a tremendous amount of stress right now and are overworked. "We need to figure out a way to get more teachers in our schools."

Dickson, like several other candidates, wants to make sure students are getting the best education possible. "We're failing our children," she warned.

Nickel said the focus should be on adding advanced placement classes or foreign languages as well as programs on the vocational side. "We need more opportunities in education," he said.

Schulz also believes test scores show students are lagging, especially in reading. "We need to find ways to improve our reading levels," she said.

Wise, like others, said the answer to funding is not raising taxes. At budgeting time, tough cuts must be made in all areas. Haines, who has a background in accounting, agreed and would cherish the opportunity to "bring those skills to the table and work with the current board members," she said."

Laub would like to see the district encourage more parent involvement in the schools and make teaching positions more attractive by offering more paid time off and other support. "There are educational hurdles we need to cross," she said.

Shearer said the schools and community must work to entice graduates to come back to the area. "We need to change the narrative of the Mifflin County School District," she said. "We have

very-well educated kids, who go on to college and vocational schools. We need the brightest and the best to come back to Mifflin County and have their lives here."

County Commissioners

Four candidates running for county commissioner were asked how they planned to keep taxes at their current levels and create a positive environment for jobs.

Noah Wise said he's never raised taxes in his years of working in government. "We have to look within," he said. "For job opportunities, we can do better. Wages can go up." He added grants could help fund jobs.

Robert "Rob" Grassmyer said it's important for the county to spend money wisely, referring to what he believes was wasteful spending on the Mifflin County Annex renovations

Current Commissioner Rob Postal said Mifflin County was "one of the few counties that lowered millage when I became a commissioner." Postal said the county is "fiscally secure" and "saved a mill of taxes in their current budget." A former executive director of Mifflin County Industrial Development Corp., Postal said jobs are created by the private sector. "They look for stable government and stable taxes" when making these jobs, Postal said.

Donald Warntz II agreed the county needs to find other sources of revenue besides tax hikes.

The candidates were asked about constructing a local 9-1-1 center in proximity for dispatching local fire companies.

Grassmyer believes "the center needs to be continually upgraded," and Warntz added "safety in Mifflin County is more important to me than anything." Wise agreed that "whatever upgrades are needed are important" and are "very crucial for the safety of the county."

Postal said the current center has the "latest and greatest technology." He added there are protocols the center goes through, and they do look at the proximity and availability of first responders when dispatching calls.

The candidates were asked about COVID funding and forced closures due to health concerns.

Postal said the COVID funding came with strings at times, requiring the county to take certain steps. "We kept some for county projects," he explained, "and distributed most of it. I'd take it again, depending on what the conditions are."

Warntz was not in favor of the closures but understood county officials have "no choice" regarding conditions.

Wise opposed all the pandemic-related closures and mandates. "A lot of mistakes were made," he said. "Schools, businesses and government. Mandates are wrong."

Grassmyer would have liked to have seen disbursements managed differently. "It's always the same people who get the money," he said.

Finally, the candidates were asked if they favored hand-counting paper ballots as opposed to continuing using the electronic machines.

Grassmyer, Warntz and Wise favored hand counts. Warntz said, "It's more correct to do it that way because you have a correct count."

Wise believes "hand ballots are best and most secure."

Postal said the county uses paper ballots and called the electronic machines "like a calculator," he said. "They're not connected to the Internet. They're inspected. (Hand) counting paper ballots adds to inaccuracy. We have a paper ballot we can go back to and audit those if there's a problem."

Court of Common Pleas

The three candidates -- Jeff Davis, Jonathan Reed and Jerry Wagner -- were asked to share their experiences that would help them perform the duties of the job. The seat is open because President Judge Dave Barron is not seeking re-election.

Davis has practiced both sides of criminal law -- prosecutor and criminal defense attorney. "I have practiced for over 10 years in every area of the law which a court of common plea judge presides over." He's represented people in custody matters, divorces, estate planning and administration, municipal matters, civil litigation and orphans court matters."

Reed said he is uniquely qualified and is "the only candidate with judicial experience." He has presided as magisterial district judge over Derry and Decatur townships, Burnham Borough and Lewistown Borough South since 2016. "I have treated each individual who has come before me with respect and dignity and attempted to uphold the rule of law by deciding each case solely on the laws and facts," he said. "I have taken my duties and responsibilities as a full-time magisterial district judge very seriously and look forward to the opportunity to do the same as a common pleas judge."

Wagner has been a licensed attorney for 25 years, the last eight of which, prosecuting criminal cases as an assistant district attorney in Mifflin County. He also serves as the solicitor for the Mifflin County Domestic Relations office, handling all matters of child and spousal support, alimony and alimony pendente lite. "This judicial position requires a working knowledge of the law that enables on-the-spot decision-making," he said.

The three were asked to describe the two most frequent areas covered by the Court of Common Pleas judge.

Reed said, "As a judge, I have disposed of over 16,500 criminal, civil, traffic, summary non-traffic and landlord-tenant cases since 2016, and our court has collected over $2.5 million in fines, costs and restitution during that same time period."

Wagner said the criminal and domestic relations cases are "two areas that I do cover - matters of custody and support." "They are common-sense decisions. Raising five kids, I have the best interest of the child."

Davis said many cases involve criminal and family law matters. He has been representing parents and divorced spouses for the past 10 years. "It's the kind of experience that helps me render judgment and makes me uniquely qualified," he said.

Finally, the candidates were asked what areas of court they would like to cover if they had the opportunity to ask the President Judge.

Wagner said his case load would be largely determined by the docket. "I'd look at the needs and want more trial dates," he said.

Davis would take the areas he was assigned. "There are volumes and volumes of law that determine how decisions are made. As a court of common pleas judge, I would do that from day one."

Reed would focus on the families rather than the areas of court. "We've lost the family morals that keep kids out of the system," he said. "They do know stable homes. Trial judges can make progress. They need to protect the victim before putting criminals back into society."

County Coroner

Acting Coroner Andrea Alcalde is running for the office of Mifflin County Coroner against Michael Elder, a former United States Coast Guard veteran and retired Pennsylvania State Police corporal and paramedic, who had served as chief deputy coroner for three years.

Both candidates were asked about their previous training and work experience, and how it would influence their job performance.

Alcalde took over when Daniel Lynch retired. A licensed nurse, Alcalde is a national registered medicolegal death investigator and is certified in grief and bereavement care.

"I've done numerous years of healthcare," she said. "I've done numerous years of hospital admissions and I've worked closely with families of hospice patients, so I believe that qualifies me to continue being the county coroner."

Elder has more than a decade of experience in the medical field and 24 years in law enforcement, 13 of which he served as a criminal investigator with the state police. In 1996, Elder was appointed chief deputy coroner of Mifflin County.

Elder also collaborated with the attorney general's office, FBI, ATF and NTSB over the course of his career with the state police.

"Deaths come under the jurisdiction of the coroner's office: suicides, homicides, abuse and medical neglect," he said. "I worked with other agencies collaboratively."

Working previously as chief deputy coroner taught Elder "a lot about dealing with families, helping them through the grieving process."

In her summation, Alcalde reminded voters that she is familiar with the "intricate details" and "runnings of the office," having filled in as acting coroner. "I have the experience, the qualifications and commitment to the community."

She ended, "This is about who can best serve the residents of Mifflin County in their time of need. And that is me."

In his summation, Elder hopes to combine his medical and investigatory background and supervisory experience with his "care and compassion for others to serve as a corner. As a coroner, I would strengthen the relationship with first responders ... and provide outstanding service to the residents and families of Mifflin County."

Prothonotary/Clerk of Courts

Current Prothonotary and Clerk of Court Tammy Stuck, who has served in that position for the last 12 years and worked in the office for 27 years overall, is being challenged by Stephanie Lash.

Stuck said her office is here to "help as much as we can," she said. "There are many aspects of the office. ... It would be a privilege to serve Mifflin County for another four years."

Lash hopes to have a chance to prove her worth in office. She is currently a paralegal which has enabled her gain "24 years of experience," she said. Lash has experience in a variety of legal fields, most of which the prothonotary manages.

Magisterial District Judge

Current Granville Township Police Chief Craig Weston was present, announcing his candidacy for Lewistown magisterial district judge. He has worked for the Granville Township Police Department since 1997. He served as a patrol officer until 2008 when he became the chief of police.

"Over the 25 or almost 26 years of being a police officer, I've handled investigations from the most serious things such as homicides, DUI crashes, rapes, kidnappings, clean down to the less serious offenses such as traffic citations and ordinance violations," Weston said of running for district judge of magisterial district 58-03-01.

District Attorney

Current District Attorney Christopher R. Torquato has served as district attorney of Mifflin County since his election in 2016, and previously served as an assistant district attorney for 18 years.

Torquato has practiced law in Mifflin County for the past 32 years. During his term, Torquato has successfully prosecuted cases involving homicide, attempted homicide, drug delivery resulting in death, aggravated assault and child sexual assaults as well as many other felony and misdemeanor cases.

"My office has not lost a single case that has been on appeal to higher courts," Torquato said.