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The Blair County Prison and the county pension plan were hot topics among the candidates for county commissioner at a panel discussion Tuesday evening.
The forum, organized by the Blair County Chamber of Commerce and hosted by Penn State Altoona at its downtown campus, featured all six candidates -- four Republicans and two Democrats -- running for the seats in this month's primary.
Two candidates from each party will advance to the general election.
Incumbents Republican Amy Webster and Democrat Laura Burke participated, along with Republican hopefuls Manny Nichols, Dave Kessling and Scott Barger and Democratic candidate Carol Taylor. Each candidate had two minutes to answer questions from the moderators. None of the candidates had to be cut off for time, and none of them interrupted the others.
Top priorities
When it came to the candidates' primary goals in office, the common themes revolved around the prison building and the county pension plan. The Blair County Prison is more than 150 years old, and the county has been exploring options to rebuild or improve the building to provide better living conditions for the inmates.
Kessling was involved with the prison system for decades, including being a warden at three different facilities in his career. He said it was hard to pick just one primary thing to focus on as commissioner considering the state of the county, but he said the prison would certainly be high on the list.
Kessling said the building is no longer safe for administrators or for inmates, calling it "archaic" and "dangerous." He said he didn't understand why it had taken the county so long to take action when the prison was already so old and in such poor condition.
Taylor agreed, saying the prison no longer meets the most basic needs for the inmates. She said the most sensible action would be to build a new prison -- a sentiment shared by almost all the candidates, except for Nichols. Nichols said he didn't want to speak on a path forward for the prison without seeing the feasibility study for the project and learning more about what would go into the build. He said he didn't want to give an answer that voters would want to hear without actually being confident in its effectiveness himself and understanding it better.
Webster said a new prison is a "horrifying thought" because of the enormous cost for the county, but she said it is past due. Burke said the prison is currently under maximum capacity as of the most recent prison board meeting, but that doesn't equate to better conditions for the inmates who are still housed in the building.
The pension plan was mentioned constantly alongside the prison as major issues for the county, and Kessling said both are "in shambles" right now. According to Kessling, the pension fund is roughly $60 million in debt and will not last long at the rate it is going. Barger said the two problems are "leaky roofs" for the county, and if they are not done well right now, they will hinder progress 10 to 20 years down the road.
Barger said he wouldn't entertain any other funding for not-as-necessary items before the prison and pension fund were taken care of.
The prospect of investing into the Blair County trail system was posed as a question for the candidates, and Barger said he wouldn't commit "one penny" to other programs when there were more pressing issues. He said a lot of people these days confuse wants with needs, and while a more complex trail system would be fun and good for the community, it is not a need right now.
The other candidates were more willing to look into expanding and connecting the trail system. Taylor said she didn't believe there was a downside to investing in the outdoors, as it would serve to bring more business into the community. Burke said there are numerous federal grants for such programs, but the county would still need to chip in its fair share.
Business relations
Another issue raised by the moderators was the county's relationship with its employees and with local businesses. Most of the candidates raised the housing shortage as a reason it is harder for the county to attract workers and businesses to the area.
Nichols said there are vacant buildings across the county that could be renovated and turned into more housing options.
In the conversations he's had with employees in various county departments, Kessling said a majority don't think their voices are heard or respected. Barger agreed, saying there is a detachment between employees and county leadership. Burke said there is certainly room for improvement in valuing employees.
Taylor emphasized the importance of good pay, saying a lot of county employees have left due to the low pay rate. That has also been a deterrent for candidates for various openings.
"In order to attract talent, you need to pay them," Taylor said. "In order to retain them, you need company morale."
Webster said that her conversations with former county employees have shown that people accept county positions for the benefits, not necessarily for the pay.
When it comes to attracting small and large businesses to the county, Nichols said the current requirements to attain a permit and licenses are much more complicated than those in surrounding counties. Nichols has several small businesses and has invested a lot of money in the businesses he has in Cambria and Bedford counties because it is easier to develop and grow in those counties.
He said Blair needs to adjust and change its process in order for new businesses to entertain Blair as a viable location. Webster said she has been part of the small business community for more than 35 years, and she said it is important to not "micromanage" small businesses or else they are not likely to stick around. Barger echoed that statement, saying the local government needs to "stay in its lane."
Burke and Taylor stressed the importance of keeping communication lines open between the commissioners' office and local businesses. Burke said those relationships suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic and they now need to be re-established. She said the commissioners can't just disappear after the election and only reappear when election season arrives again. They need to be out in the community and be available to businesses.
All six candidates assured those in attendance that they are not bought by any outside parties and everything they are running for are platforms they all believe in individually. Kessling summed up their collective stances: "You don't work for me, I work for you."
Mirror Staff Writer Nate Powles is at 814-946-7466.