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John DeBartola and Joseph Taranto are seeking Republican nominations for Cambria County commissioner in the May primary.
"Our underlying belief is that as elected representatives, we are the servants of the people. To carry on with our record, we will continue to fight against corruption and waste. ... We pledge transparency, and not to fund quasi-government organizations that meet in back rooms and make plans for our future without the public's consent. We exposed and stood up to the plans to bring in unvetted Afghan refugees by Vision Together 2025," the pair said in a release.
The incumbent commissioners voted to fund Vision 2025 with $90,000, and some also served on the Vision 2025 board, their release said.
DeBartola and Taranto pledge to not increase taxes and fees, saying the county is still in debt, despite claims made by the incumbent commissioners. Continuing to overspend is going to force a reassessment, their release said. They pledge that all of the nonprofits and friends of the political insiders will pay the same taxes as regular citizens.
DeBartola and Taranto vowed to overhaul and streamline the county services to make them on par with or better than other areas, not lagging far behind.
"For example, the (Emergency Rental Assistance Program) was on a timeframe of eight to 12 months to turn around applications, while our counterparts in other areas were able to turn around applicants in four to six weeks. The county's processing time for ERAP was so bad the state took away half of the funding on the first round, which was millions."
Cambria County's population has dropped around 8% in the last 10 years. The pair said to reverse this trend, Cambria County needs to be business friendly, attracting new families willing and wanting to work. They want to encourage the development of manufacturing and agriculture to increase the county's GDP instead of the decadelong push for tourism and recreation, which has failed to turn around this area.
"We pledge to take an in-depth look at the current plans of the county and bring together all parties to openly discuss and address the issues we have been told about over the years," their release said.