By Sam Thrift
Friday, July 22, 2011
The debate between Republican candidates fighting for a seat on the York County Board of Supervisors Thursday night at Grafton Middle School turned into a battle between the current board and the men trying to take their seats.
The 90-minute debate sponsored by the Just Cause Foundation allowed for eight questions to be answered by the three incumbents - Walter Zaremba from District 1, Donald Wiggins from District 3, and Tom Shepperd from District 5 - and the four challengers - Mitchel Thomas from District 1, Frank Barger from District 2, Bob D'Eramo from District 3 and Jim Haas from District 4. Incumbents Sheila Noll (District 2) and George Hrichak (District 4) did not attend. Shepperd, a Republican, is unopposed in the Aug. 23 primary.
The questions ranged from the candidates identifying their biggest priorities to what each felt was the biggest problem and its solution, to their opinions on the York County Sports Complex operation and the General Assembly's failed bid to bypass local land use control and allow aquaculture in residential areas.
While the incumbents spoke about how their work has helped the county maintain a status superior to others in the surrounding area, the challengers shared concerns about the Board of Supervisors’ past financial decisions.
A few projects dominated conversation among the challengers, especially D'Eramo and Haas, who repeatedly showed disapproval for the decision-making process that resulted in the creation of a new sports complex and the acceptance of a federal grant that will pay for a new fireboat.
District 2 contender Frank Barger called the sports complex a “blessing and a curse” on the community. “The curse is the fact that it is right off of Route 17, with the heaviest traffic in York County, and we spent an awfully lot of money to put it there. We have to live with that now.”
Barger believes that if a “task force” were given the goal to create revenue from the sports complex, it could one day be profitable. Jim Haas, who is competing for the District 4 seat, had similar ideas, using the sports complex as an example of how the venture wouldn’t have been an issue if the board had an individual with business experience.
“We didn’t have someone on the board thinking about how we could make money,” Haas said, suggesting corporate sponsorship would be viable. “We can’t change where it is or that we have it, but I think we can make money on it.”
Zaremba and Wiggins commented on how the complex was never meant to be a “money maker,” and was a sports facility for the children that the citizens demanded.
Some of the challengers claimed that the complex was wasteful because it was not being used, a statement Shepperd wouldn’t accept. “The complex will see about 5,000 events this next year, don’t tell me that it’s not being used,” he said.
Bob D’Eramo, who is contending for District 3, felt the current board has focused more on wants than what the county actually needs when making decisions.
“I’m a businessman, not a politician,” D’Eramo said, using the board's decision to accept a grant for a new fireboat as an example of how the current board did not fully consider the cost of the new addition to the York County Fire Department.
District 1 candidate Mitchel Thomas agreed with the other three challengers that the budget was the most significant problem. His solution to fixing the issue is making “hard adjustments” by setting conservative budgetary restraints.
Throughout the debate, the challengers showed that they believed the pattern of fiscal stewardship in the county is lacking. The incumbents countered their arguments by restating how low the tax rate is compared to neighboring communities and how safe the county is.
The challengers seized on that argument, too, saying as the county's property values soared the board could have held spending in check and lowered the tax rate.
The seven men did agree on one topic during the debate: Aquaculture, or any business that would "interfere with the quiet enjoyment" of property, as Zaremba said, had no place in a residential area. The group was against Senate Bill 1190, which would have amended the Right to Farm Act and allow for aquaculture activity on waterfront property without need for local government approval. State Senator Tommy Norment sponsored the bill in February after York County Realtor Greg Garrett sought his help to get approval for an oyster farming operation at his waterfront Dandy home. The York County Planning Commission recommended denial of Garrett's application last November; Garrett then asked that the issue be pulled from supervisors' consideration.
“As many of you know, this bill set me off in a big way,” Shepperd said. “If you have a problem you can come to us, we can fix it. If you move a problem like this past us to the state level, that’s wrong.”
With closing statements, Barger brought to the attention of the audience that his opponent was not in attendance. Sheila Noll from District 2 and George Hrichak from District 4 said they would be unable to attend the debate “because they are planning on working in their districts that evening,” according to the debate organizer Sid Holloway.
About 80 people were in the audience, including the Democratic candidate running for District 1, Tony Joseph. Joseph said he came to the event for the same reason as everyone else in the auditorium, because he is a “concerned citizen.”
Joseph said it was apparent that the candidates cared about the community, but it seemed their ideas of what York County needs were very similar. “I think there needs to be a new vision on the board,” Joseph said.
The Republican primaries are on August 23. Click here for more information about voting in the primary.
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Comments
It would be good to see Hrichak actually discuss issues face to face with his challenger. He has declined several invitations to do so. He must be afraid that he cannot compete with Jim Haas. Given his record after three and a half years on the Board, it is apparent that the man can't think or talk for himself. Where to the strings attach?
I believe some changes need to be made, but these are terrible arguments. Find better things to contend with, then I might listen. The goal of a county is NOT to be a business, we want smart spending, but if these are the issues that the board candidates wants changed, then these are not the people I want on the board. I worry what the fire department (especially if they prefer we buy with our own money equipment rather than accepting grants for nicer equipment) and our parks will be like in a couple of years - these are things that the county is expected to provide and poor issues to argue. Find better points, then I'll listen. I'm not happy with the current board, but I am happy VERY happy with our current state of fire safety and parks.