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Lawver honored to serve as president of Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs

By Steve Ferris sferris@heraldstandard.Com 3 min read
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John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard

Brownsville Councilman Jack Lawver is serving as the president of the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs.

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Lawver

BROWNSVILLE — It’s good to be president.

“Humbling and rewarding” is how longtime Brownsville Councilman Jack Lawver described his first few months as president of the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs (PSAB).

Since his one-year term as president of the 102-year-old PSAB began in May, he said he has traveled all over western Pennsylvania, selected the sites for an upcoming board meeting and the annual fall leadership conference, spoken to audiences, presented awards and met with state legislators in Harrisburg.

“You walk in and people know you,” said Lawver, who has served on council for 22 years, including 16 years as president.

He said he has established new contacts with legislators. “If I text, they text back,” Lawver said.

Lawver is in his second and final year as president of the Tri-County Boroughs Association, which represents 55 boroughs in Fayette, Greene and Washington counties, and is one of many county-based affiliates that select local council members to the PSAB board of directors.

Two years ago, Lawver was elected as PSAB second vice president, which placed him in the rotation to be president. The second vice president becomes first vice president after one year in office and then becomes president.

He said he regularly asked the president and other officers about serving on committees and volunteering for work. He said he has attended all conferences, and PSAB members remembered that when he ran for second vice president.

“They see you doing stuff. They respect that,” Lawver said. “It’s an honor to be put in this position. Hopefully it will bring some attention to our area.”

He is the first PSAB member from Fayette County to serve as president.

The PSAB, which represents 957 boroughs where 2.5 million state residents live, has a staff of 22 that organizes education on budgeting and operations; provides copies of ordinances used in other municipalities; provides training for newly elected council members; helps with grant writing; helps council members network; and answers questions.

“If they don’t have the answer immediately, they’ll find it,” Lawver said.

The PSAB also offers a municipal retirement plan and lobbies the legislature on issues and legislation that impacts boroughs.

The board of directors is meeting this week at Nemacolin Woodlands, and the organization’s annual fall leadership conference is being held at Seven Springs Resort in October. Lawver picked both sites. He said he is preparing his first president’s report for the board meeting.

He said he has been invited to and will be recognized at the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania’s annual conference.

A volunteer firefighter in Brownsville for 37 years, Lawver said he encourages council members that he encounters through the PSAB to get involved with their fire department and work with local groups, such as redevelopment agencies, historical societies, churches, fraternal organizations, citizen’s groups.

“It takes the whole community to make the community successful,” Lawver said.

Twenty-five family members and friends from the community accompanied Lawver to his swearing in ceremony in May.

Among them was his boss Frank Ricco, owner of Brownsville Bus Lines, where Lawver has worked for 38 years.

Lawver said he learned a lot about community service from Ricco, and he was overwhelmed that Ricco and his wife, who are in their 90s, attended the ceremony.

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