Connellsville mayoral candidates discuss community center, police department
The Greater Connellsville Area Community Center in Connellsville has had a long history in the city, and all three Democratic candidates running for Connellsville mayor want to see the center thrive.
Incumbent Mayor Charles Matthews, who is seeking his second term, is being challenged by businessman Joshua DeWitt and Greg Lincoln, who is a laborer for the North Fayette County Municipal Authority.
The candidates recently met with the Herald-Standard editorial board to discuss a variety of issues the city is facing, including the state of the community center and the police department.
There are no Republican candidates for mayor.
Matthews said that the community center has been operating for the past six months without taxpayer money. However, the current advisory board suspended action following the resignation of four board members.
“The first advisory board they had was full of business leaders, church leaders — it was a good group of people who really had a lot of great ideas,” Lincoln said. “They wanted to get this community center back on track, but they were told they were just an advisory board, they had no power, they couldn’t do anything.”
Matthews said he sees the potential for bringing in a new board, but is hesitant to completely hand the center’s operations over to another controlling body.
“I think you have to be careful. That is a city building, and not to be real apt to turn it over to someone else who’s going to run it for a year or two, and then be back in the same financial straits that you’re in now,” he said. “I actually have a vision of possibly using that building as a revenue source for the city. It has that capability. It just needs marketed a little bit more.”
Lincoln said the “greatest gem” of the city is the Edwin S. Porter Theater, located in the center.
“That theater is not being used enough,” he said.
“They’re starting to get events in there, but we need to get national shows in there. We need more culture in our city — the theater will do it.”
DeWitt agreed with Matthews that the center needs to be marketed and promoted. He referenced the success of the “Christmas in the Community” event that was held in December.
“The community center has been in the city for so long, I’d hate to see it get rundown,” DeWitt said. “The city has been doing a good job of keeping costs down. The biggest thing is … letting people know it’s there … there’s an enormous amount of space.”
The candidates also expressed their views on the efficiency of the city’s police department. This year, council is set to negotiate a new contract with the department.
“If (council) signs a contract we can’t afford, then the city’s bankrupt,” Lincoln said. “The most responsible thing they need to do when they negotiate this contract is to make sure it’s fair.”
Matthews said negotiating a contract can be a difficult process, especially if it goes to arbitration.
“If we don’t settle a contract with them, then it goes to arbitration, and whatever that arbitrator gives those police, you have to live with,” Matthews said. “That’s one of the things municipal governments are fighting now, so it doesn’t put cities in dire straits.”
Because the crime rate is not decreasing, Matthews said the police department is one of the last departments he would cut.
DeWitt said he thinks the police department is doing a “fine job” but suggests that the city consider supplying the force with vehicles run on natural gas.
“I’m a firm believer in saving money,” DeWitt said. “You can buy a gallon of natural gas for $1.67. Now, police are riding along all day, burning gasoline where they can instead be burning clean, natural gas.”
As a final topic of discussion, the candidates expressed their views on how City Council should operate. Council had been criticized by city residents in the past for scheduling executive sessions every month before the regular meeting
“As mayor, I want to be as transparent as possible,” Lincoln said.
If elected, he said his first goal would be to update the city’s website.
“Our budget is not online — that is unacceptable,” he said. “That should be easily available to our citizens.”
Additionally, Lincoln said he doesn’t believe in “closed-door” meetings.
Matthews, however, disagreed and said that there are certain issues, such as legal or personnel, that call for executive sessions.
“Those things you can’t talk about in public unless you want to get sued,” he said. “Now, if we have them (executive sessions), we specify what they’re going to be for.”
Matthews said he’s had an open-door policy since taking office.
“A lot of people have my cellphone number,” he said.
If elected, DeWitt said he would have an “open-door” policy.
“I believe in not hiding from any issues in the city, and not sugarcoating them,” he said. “City Council needs to be open with the citizens in Connellsville.”