May 7, 2006 5 min read

“We’ll never get any companies to move in here now.’ “Some people are working so hard to improve things and it’s all for nothing with these things going on.’

“You just have to wonder if Fayette County will ever move forward?’

These were some of the comments I heard from local residents after the arrest of Walter Scott Fordyce, 58, for the fatal beating of Mary McCann, 54. According to Uniontown city police, Fordyce killed McCann after she refused to heat up a roast beef sandwich for him.

The bizarre nature of the crime made headlines not only here but in the Pittsburgh area and also around the nation as there were reports of it being picked up by news outlets such as CNN.

However, while domestic violence is horrible wherever it happens, I think that people make too much of things like this. Crimes like this are not a reflection on all of us, and we don’t need to apologize to anyone for them.

After all, it’s not like Fayette County is the only place where this kind of stuff happens. Maybe it’s because I work in the news business, but I see stories everyday about crazy things happening not just here but across the country. There’s not a day that goes by without some report of a wild shooting or twisted crime of some sort in some part of the nation.

Perhaps it’s the times we live in, but certainly there are plenty of bad things going on in places outside Fayette County.

It’s hard to imagine the owner of a company deciding not to move a plant someplace just because of a fatal beating. If that were the case, no one would be moving anywhere, especially to big cities, which have the most crime.

So, what prompts people to make such comments? After all, it’s not like Fayette County has killings every day. I remember studying yearly crime reports compiled by the state police and finding that Fayette County was about normal for its population in regards to criminal activity. The only crime that was really high was arson and even that typically involved vacant, abandoned buildings.

I think that part of the reason for the comments is that Fayette County is a small county, and we tend to take everything that happens here to heart for better or worse. Given the size and population of Allegheny County, it’s doubtful if someone from say Moon Township thinks twice about a shooting in Penn Hills.

But here, if something bad happens in Brownsville everyone in Fayette County winces a bit. Maybe that’s not all bad. There is something to be said for a place that cares about what happens even if they take it a little too seriously.

I’ve always said, and I’ll say it again, that the people of Fayette County are it’s best asset. The vast majority of its residents are good and kind, wonderful, hard-working people. Look at all the churches we have here. Look at all the people we have out there doing all types of community service. If you haven’t noticed, check out the series of stories we’ve been running on the students nominated for Community Service All Star awards. They make me proud to live here.

When my wife and I moved to Fayette County 25 years ago, we knew not a soul here. But the people opened their hearts to us and made us feel very welcome. It’s now home for us, and I really can’t imagine living anywhere else.

I think sometimes that Fayette County natives don’t realize how lucky they are to have places like Ohioyple, Fallingwater, Kentuck Knob, Fort Necessity, Laurel Caverns, Storey Square and Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa, just to name a few local landmarks, in their backyard. Few places of our size have so many treasures. Fayette County definitely has a lot going for it.

Finally, consider for example the recent incident in the Mount Lebanon School District, where a list was distributed with vulgar and insulting comments about female students. The list has caused a lot of consternation, provoking many comments in the media. But are parents pulling their kids in droves from the school district? Has the incident sent property values in the school district plummeting. The answer, of course, is no. Mount Lebanon High School’s image might take a small hit but it will continue to be regarded as one of the top school districts in the state and in time the whole incident will be forgotten.

Now, imagine if such an incident happened here? The prophets of gloom and doom would be out in full force. They would be screaming about how the bad publicity would haunt the county forever. We’d all be kicking ourselves and beating our heads against the wall.

Think of that the next time you read about something bad happening here or elsewhere. Sure, we have a few problems, and we need to improve on a lot of things. But we’re working on them and a few bad apples aren’t going to stop us.

Mark O’Keefe is the editor of the Herald-Standard. He can be reached by e-mail at mo’keefe@heraldstandard.com or by phone at 724-439-7569.