Morris reflects on tenure as Greene County commissioner
WAYNESBURG — It was the Greene County commissioners’ last meeting of the year earlier this month and there was plenty of business to address.
There was a budget to adopt, millage rates to set, tax abatement ordinances to adopt, a $4 million anticipation loan to approve and a host of appointments and reappointments to various boards and commissions to confirm.
Matters of pay raises, promotions, hirings, resignations and reclassifications were handled quickly by the county salary board during a meeting that followed.
Then it was time for Chuck Morris to say goodbye.
“I think it has been a good ride,” Morris said, before calling for a motion to adjourn, his final act as a county commissioner.
Morris, a practicing attorney with the Waynesburg firm of Pollock and Morris, was first sworn into office Aug. 10, 2010. He was selected by Greene County judges to complete the term of office vacated by Dave Coder, who resigned as commissioner after he accepted the position of deputy district director for U.S. Rep. Mark Critz.
Morris won a full term the following year, but in 2015, he lost in the Democratic primary to the man he replaced — Coder.
“I am going out on a high note,” said Morris, whose term expires at the end of this year. “The county’s finances are OK, and the budget is fine.”
Although he said he is leaving with a clear conscience, knowing he did his best, Morris did say he is disappointed he is not able to serve another term.
“There are some things I would have liked to see completed, especially the project at the county airport, but that is going agonizingly slow,” he said.
Yet, he said the implementation of security measures at the county courthouse and the Fort Jackson Building has made him “happy as anything.”
Additionally, he pointed to other accomplishments, including revitalizing and redeveloping houses throughout the county, improving and fostering cooperation between county offices, and being able to use Act 13 money to make major repairs to the courthouse, buildings at the county fairgrounds and putting a new roof on the Ben Franklin Building.
Perhaps Morris’ most significant accomplishment was his ability, as chairman of the board, to be able to work through disagreements with his colleagues, Pam Snyder, now a state legislator; and felow commissioners Blair Zimmerman and Archie Trader.
“We were able to avoid having any of our political differences become the focus of our public meetings,” Morris said.
Zimmerman concurred, stating that “there were a few bumps and bruises along the way, but the three of us had a great working relationship. Chuck is not just leaving co-workers, he is leaving friends. I will miss him.”
Jeff Marshall, the county’s chief clerk, a position sometimes considered the fourth commissioner, said he admires Morris’ ability to handle crisis and drama.
“He always would say, ‘Nothing is ever as bad as it seems,'” Marshall said.
Morris served as the district attorney in Greene County from 1980 to 1988, and on the county’s planning committee from March 2008 to August 2010.
The Cumberland Township native graduated from Carmichaels High School and attended college at the University of Notre Dame, followed by law school at Duquesne University.
Morris, a member of the Southwest Pennsylvania Commission, also is a member of various organizations in the county. He is a member of the Courts and Corrections Committee of County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, and serves on the Children and Youth advisory board and the Greene County Tourism Agency.
Morris has lived in Franklin Township for the last 26 years with his wife, Janice, and the couple has two children, Jenna and Trevor.