Apr 27, 2003 By Steve Ostrosky 11 min read

The six Democratic candidates for Greene County commissioner in the May 20 primary include three with political experience and three looking to use their experiences in other areas to make the county a better place. Recently, the Herald-Standard editorial board interviewed each of the candidates, and each voiced an opinion on a variety of different topics, including infrastructure and economic growth.

Greg Ayersman, 37, of Waynesburg is the youngest of the six candidates seeking the two Democratic spots in the November general election.

Ayersman, a 1985 graduate of Waynesburg Central High School, a graduate of Waynesburg College and politically active since age 17, said the approach by most commissioners over the past two decades has been begging at the feet of the federal government for grants and other aid.

He said he would like to find other ways within the county to improve it and to provide it with better direction, something he said many in the county have told him is lacking.

“People are upset to see their friends and family leave because of a lack of opportunity,” Ayersman said.

“Greene County needs to have a chance to grow.”

He said he would like to develop a long-term plan for the county but one that also shows action early and often.

“Until there is a plan that realizes the means for commercial and residential development and includes public water and sewage, we can’t create jobs,” Ayersman said. “The key is to have businesses find Greene County as a place someone would be interested in.”

It is important to market Greene County for what it already has, he said, not what it will have. He said more should be spent on tourism to make the county as appealing a tourist destination as possible and make tourism a bigger part of the county economy.

Ayersman supports development of EverGreene Technology Park, development of more retail sites in the county and expansion of the Greene County Airport, if possible.

Tom Boyd, 61, of Waynesburg has known government for most of his life. His father was Greene County sheriff for eight years, he himself ran an unsuccessful bid for sheriff in 1972, and he has worked for the state auditor general’s office as southwest regional supervisor.

A U.S. Navy veteran and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Superior, Boyd said his accounting and auditing background would be an asset to running a county with a $10 million general fund budget.

“I don’t think the commissioners are looking closely when it comes to budgetary matters,” he said. “The buck stops at the top, and they are at the top of the food chain. I feel I can take a look at the budget and scrutinize the spending.”

He said the commissioners are spending too much and own way too much property, including the Fort Jackson Building and the former Murphy Building, and should get out of the real estate business.

Boyd said that if elected, he would work closely with U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D-Johnstown), who took over representing Greene County this year. He said the county is lucky to have a congressman as valuable as Murtha, whom Boyd said will be instrumental in his quest to improve the county.

“We don’t have enough infrastructure, and we need federal and state money for it. We can put tax dollars for that to piggyback onto grants we could get, but Congressman Murtha needs to be a part of that,” he said.

Boyd said economic development has to continue, only stronger, in the years ahead. If more development occurs, other projects should progress, including expansion of the county airport. Until then, though, he said the commissioners should focus on businesses before the airport.

He said he would be a full-time commissioner, and his extensive administrative background separates him from the other candidates. He said he has learned of several issues facing county residents during his campaign, and he pledges to address them if elected.

“I will be available seven days a week, because I think that’s what it takes,” Boyd said.

For Commission Chairman Dave Coder, the past eight years have marked a dramatic change in Greene County. As commissioner, he said, Greene County has become progressive among counties of similar size in the state and has developed into more of a regional competitor when it comes to economic development.

“We’ve had folks from all over the state come over and see our human services department that the Department of Public Welfare didn’t think we had what it took to run,” he said. “We’ve made believers out of them.”

Coder said the development of EverGreene Technology Park will be proof of the progress the county has made and will continue to make in the years to come. He said his close relationships with state and federal legislators have paid dividends and will continue to do so in the future.

Coder, a Mapletown High School and Waynesburg College graduate, served in the U.S. Coast Guard for four years, spent five years working for former U.S. Rep. Austin Murphy and also spent four years as Greene County prothonotary. He serves as vice chairman of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, a regional planning agency that works on transportation and economic development initiatives.

If elected in November, Coder is in line to be the first Greene County commissioner to chair SPC and would take over in January. That status will put the county in line to take advantage of the clout he will receive, and special attention will be given to some of the county’s most important projects, he said.

According to Coder, the county continues to invest in its infrastructure, has expanded the Greene County Prison in a project that was paid for by other counties and has worked to see that improvements to Route 21 and the Morrisville corridor are state priorities.

In the next four years, if he is elected, Coder said he would like to see all the business parks in the county full, a commercial development in operation and attracting shoppers, the county’s partnership with Westmoreland County Community College continuing to grow, infrastructure expanded and Morrisville and Route 21 improvements completed or in progress.

“I hope people have realized I have worked my way up in the region and the state to make a difference for Greene Countians,” he said. “I’m excited about the potential for Greene County.”

For Miles A. Davin Jr., 52, of Waynesburg, he is hoping his second bid for commissioner is the charm. Davin, a former Waynesburg Borough councilman, ran unsuccessfully in the May 1999 Democratic primary but decided to enter the race in 2003 because of his desire to see the county that has been his home for so many years grow and prosper.

A civil engineer, Davin said the key to growth is sewerage, water, better roads and stormwater management before any other development can begin. He said his background can be helpful when the county plans to tackle large projects and will be helpful in ensuring all grant requirements are met.

He acknowledges that more tax dollars would have to go toward infrastructure, but he is confident that the impetus is there for a change in the tax structure in the state. Bond issues could be another route for communities and the county to take, but he said the municipalities need to be in strong financial shape to pay back the bond issue after projects are complete.

“I want to take a leadership role as county commissioner,” Davin said. “Everybody says infrastructure, but you have to do something.”

Infrastructure should be a priority at all the county’s Interstate 79 interchanges to spur development, and also in parts of Franklin and Cumberland townships where those public services are not already in place.

He said improving the county’s image and marketing it more effectively will be a huge asset to improve the county’s economy. Events such as Rain Day and the Harvest Festival and attractions like the Greene River Trail are important to get people to visit, and possibly relocate, to the county.

He said improvements to Route 21 and Morrisville corridor are critical, and moving the county airport would be a better solution than expanding the current site. Davin does not consider himself a politician, but a Greene County businessman who wants to make the county better for its residents.

“I think somebody needs to get in there to do the right things and make the right decisions,” he said. “I think I would do an excellent job, and I think I could make the tough decisions.”

Jim Rizor, 60, of New Freeport is not a newcomer to the Greene County political landscape. A commissioner from 1988 to 1996, Rizor said he was one of several people who were instrumental in landing SCI-Greene and bringing Kyowa America to Greene County.

He said the county is “dying on the vine” and is being smothered by West Virginia and growth in neighboring counties within Pennsylvania. A businessman for decades, Rizor said the commissioners need to be good salesmen of Greene County, and good, qualified leaders can fit that role.

“We need to build the infrastructure to attract new businesses,” he said. “We need to jump start housing, and we need to control taxes.”

Rizor said taxes have gone up substantially in recent years, and the county cannot be a place that has something to offer if taxes are always on the rise. “You cannot grow the economy and taxes at the same time,” he said. “It didn’t work and it never will work.”

Rizor said he hopes to address the wants and needs of county residents, and his first order of business if elected is a complete review of the county budget. From his business background, he said a close examination of how the county is spending its money is in order, and he is quite sure that he could find some savings by cutting costs.

“We need to spend our money in productive places, not in places where we are not getting anything in return,” he said. “There are areas in Greene County that I feel money has been spent that has not been productive. In business, we can’t get the cart ahead of the horse.”

He said Greene County has a work force that is attractive to a large company, but infrastructure improvements must come soon to improve the county’s image. A lifelong county resident, Rizor said he is not afraid to run on his record.

“There’s nothing special about me. I’m just a business person, and I feel I have the experience,” he said.” I’m going to let the voters decide what they want for Greene County.”

For Pam Snyder, 47, of Jefferson, government has always been about people. A deputy district director for former U.S. Rep. Frank Mascara for eight years, Snyder said she has made herself fully aware of the issues facing Greene County and has developed some ideas on how to tackle them. She said the county has to build itself from the ground up and has to be realistic in its goal-setting for the future.

“It’s nice to have grandiose ideas, but it’s hard to do it when you don’t have the basic needs,” Snyder said. “No one will be willing to invest in us until we are willing to invest in ourselves.”

A graduate of Jefferson-Morgan High School, she said the commissioners have to take a more active role in economic development and prove to the region, state, and nation that the county has the tools to make a company successful in Greene. She said the four Interstate 79 interchanges in the county have remained stagnant for years, and more should be done at those areas to make them more attractive.

Snyder said she favors some restructuring within the county offices, and she also plans to go directly to municipalities all over the county to get a clear picture about what every community needs.

“I don’t have all the solutions, but I am willing to work with those folks,” she said. “They have to tell me what they need and then work to try and make it a reality.”

If elected, she said she plans to have a set schedule every day and plans to spend at least one day a week out in the county, listening to officials and residents.

She advocates infrastructure improvements, retail development with “limited incentives” to attract retailers and is a strong supporter of upgrades to Route 21 and the Morrisville corridor. “I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but if we work together, we can find the answers and solutions and make a brighter Greene,” Snyder said.

“The only promise I will make is that I will work hard at it every day.”