Mayoral contest on for general election
The on-again, off-again race for mayor of Brownsville is on for next week’s general election. Lester Ward, who is running as an Independent, is challenging incumbent Democrat Lewis Hosler.
Ward had filed to run for the Democratic nomination in the primary, but his candidacy was challenged when he failed to file the proper paperwork at the borough office as well as at the county office. Fayette County Judge Ralph C. Warman struck Ward from the ballot over the late paperwork.
Ward was still written in as a candidate for the Republican nomination, as was Hosler, and the official vote count showed the two men tied for the nomination. Hosler won the drawing of lots for the ballot position, at which time Ward vowed to run as an Independent, which he is able to do since his name did not appear on the primary ballot.
The two men were asked about the election controversy by the Herald-Standard editorial board. Ward called the initial challenge “petty.”
“I filed the paperwork at the election board. A small town like this, the town manager or somebody should have said something,” Ward said.
“There’s a set of rules set up by the election bureau and we all have to follow those rules,” Hosler said. “In Lester’s case, we went before a judge and it was the judge’s decision, not mine or council’s. I filed all of my paperwork on time.”
Hosler said he is the best candidate for the job because of his knowledge of the borough, having lived in the community his entire 66 years, except for his stint in the military during the Vietnam War.
“I know every crack house and when they do business. When we were at war, we visited villages and tried to protect them against communist rule. That’s how I see the job of mayor. I’m there to protect the people,” Hosler said.
Hosler said he also has moved the code enforcement officer into the mayor’s office and they work closely together.
Ward questioned Hosler’s effectiveness against drug dealing and code violations.
“There are still people out on the corner doing their business,” Ward said. “I’ve been trying to get some cars off the streets for two years. One had weeds growing through it.”
Ward said he also would draw on his military experience by directing the police officers to stop and stay in areas where suspected drug activity is taking place.
“Make them move, just like we did in ‘Nam,” Ward said. “I want to keep the place safe, clean and green.”
The mayor is in charge of the police department under the Pennsylvania Borough Code. Brownsville police were recently criticized for treating a young man stopped for speeding as a drug suspect, searching the man’s young brother and another teen who were passengers in the car.
“They had 12- and 13-year-old kids out in the rain, spread-eagle. I would be forced to take corrective action,” Ward said. “It’s a lack of training. Whether they are full time, part time or whatever, they’ve got to be trained.”
Hosler contends the department is trained properly and the search was done legally and with the permission of the driver.
“We never know what we’re going to come up against. It doesn’t matter what age they are. You see people hurt every night by teens up in Pittsburgh,” Hosler said.
Hosler said that in another recent traffic stop for a driver that made an illegal U-turn, a gun slid out from under the vehicle’s seat. While the gun was legally registered, a search of the vehicle uncovered illegal drugs.
“Traffic stops are a dangerous thing in this country,” Hosler said.
The borough has been working toward the redevelopment of downtown Brownsville with the Fayette County Redevelopment Authority for the past several years. The authority is in the process of taking numerous properties by eminent domain. The candidates were asked what they envision for the community in the future.
“I see great things for downtown Brownsville. First, we need to get the buildings down, then we need to get developers in. In a year, we’re going to have a Wal-Mart over on the west side (West Brownsville). That’s probably going to hurt Brownsville,” Hosler said.
Hosler said he also would like to see the development of a veterans memorial park in the area of Johnny Camino Drive.
“I’m a member of the board of directors of BARC (Brownsville Area Revitalization Corp.) The buildings that we have, we’re in the process of renovating them and trying to rent them out,” Ward said. “I’d like to see small businesses in town. I’d like to see a small grocery store.”
Ward said the completion of the Mon/Fayette Expressway should make Brownsville more attractive as a bedroom community. He doesn’t see the community developing more parks.
“We only have one park now and that’s not being maintained. How are we going to have a bigger park?” Ward said.
The candidates also were asked about the borough’s level of support for the public library in light of state budget cuts. Ward said he would seek the will of the community, but would support a property tax increase to support the library if necessary. Hosler said he would not support a tax increase, but would continue the current level of borough funding while seeking grant funding.