Leader in mayoral race visits chamber meeting
BROWNSVILLE – Although the election results are not yet final, Lester Ward, who leads the vote for mayor, was invited to be one of the guest speakers Tuesday at the Greater Brownsville Area Chamber of Commerce. Ward said that his educational background was in business management and his employment history was in public service.
“I was 25 1/2 years military, 20 years civil service, so a large part of my life has been dedicated to our country and the people,” Ward said.
Ward said he would like to see town meetings held in Brownsville so everyone knows what the various organizations are doing. Ward said that as mayor, he would want to attend the meetings of all of the area service organizations.
“I want to represent the people and in order to represent the people, I need to know you and what you’re doing. You’ll know where I come from and what I stand for,” Ward said.
Carl DellaPenna, vice president of the chamber, said the chamber has always welcomed the mayors to its meetings.
Meredith Hamilton, the director of Brownsville Free Public Library, offered her support for the town hall meetings, saying it would be of benefit to the library. Hamilton was also a guest speaker Tuesday.
“I’m hoping the library can be a very active participant in the town meetings,” Hamilton said. “The library can be a hub of information about what’s happening in the community.”
Hamilton said the three public computers at the library are well used, especially between 2 and 5 p.m., when students use them. She said all library use has increased in the past year, reaching last year’s usage record in September.
Hamilton said she would also like to reach out to the teens in the community, possibly hosting a movie night, as well as expanding the young adult collection.
Chamber members commented on a recent Herald-Standard article about illegal dumping in the Century area of Brownsville and Brownsville Township. David Gratz noted that the Izaak Walton League has held cleanups in the past, only to have new trash dumped.
“We need to find a way to keep it from repeating,” Dave Polvinale said. “We need to work on the minds of the people that live in this area, that this is wrong. We need to get to the root of this problem”
“I think that as citizens of the Brownsville area, we have a responsibility to present the community in a positive light,” DellaPenna said. “We as citizens need to be more responsible ambassadors.”
In other matters, it was noted that this year’s chamber Christmas ornament will feature a garden locomotive that has been donated to the Monongahela River, Rail and Transportation Museum in Brownsville. The garden locomotive is a fully functioning 4 1/2-inch gauge steam locomotive from the estate of Art Browning. Gratz said the museum is open Wednesdays from 8:30 until 11:30 a.m. Work is still being done to open the lower display room, Gratz said.
Polvinale reported that the Brownsville Rotary Club will be sending boxes to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, packing the boxes next week.
Nellda Ware, who also serves on the Brownsville Tri-County Hospital board, reported that the nonprofit board continues to meet two to three times a week in an effort to reopen the shuttered hospital.
“We’ve never given up hope,” Ware said.
Ware said the board is continuing to work with state and federal officials to seek funding for the hospital.