close

No politics allowed: Meeting to bring community together absent political party

By Alexandria Mansfield for The 4 min read

When people gather at North Belle Vernon Community Bank Park on May 16 for a “meet your elected officials” event, organizers are hopeful they’ll check their political affiliations at the entrance.

“When you come down that day, you’re not wearing a Democratic or Republican hat; you’re wearing a mom and dad hat or a brother and sister hat. If you can’t do that, we don’t want you down there,” said North Belle Vernon Councilman Robert “R.J.” Sokol.

Sokol, who chairs the parks and recreation department and heads the borough’s recreation commission, said the event, which begins at 5:30 p.m., is meant to bring the community together to discuss problems it’s facing.

The date — the day after the primary election — was intentional.

“I did not want to have it before the election so there would be no politics involved,” he said.

Sokol wants the gathering, which includes officials from Westmoreland, Fayette and Washington counties, to be a step in removing barriers that separate different populations of the community.

“The theme for this is for the general public to get to know each other,” Sokol said. “We’re very segmented here. If you’re in Perry Township, you’re in Perry. We’re trying to get people to learn how to cross the boundaries, work together and get to know each other. If you know somebody, you’re more apt to go out with them, and you’ll be more likely to work together with them.”

Removing those barriers and setting aside political differences are first steps in restoring the focus on the good of the community, he said.

One of the primary issues Sokol said he wants to address is the opioid epidemic affecting many communities throughout Pennsylvania and the rest of the country.

“You always read about county commissioners getting together to work on the opioid epidemic,” Sokol said. “You see a lot of planning and treatment, but you don’t see anybody putting in action to stop (people) from doing drugs. We need to work in unison with school districts, local officials and the general public to educate everyone on what is actually ahead of them if they start doing the drugs.”

Many political officials have committed to attending the event and meeting one-on-one with community members. This list includes Republican congressional candidate Rick Saccone; state Sens. Pat Stefano and Kim Ward; state Reps. Justin Walsh, Bud Cook and Ryan Warner; Westmoreland County Commissioners Ted Kopas and Gina Cerilli; Fayette County Commissioner Vincent Vicites; and local officials from Rostraver and Washington townships and North Belle Vernon.

“This park is the perfect place to host it because it’s living proof that, if you work as one, you win,” Sokol said. “We need to get together and work as one, and I’m hoping that’s what this does. We’re hoping the general public and service clubs and other organizations come down to meet these people and listen to what’s being said.”

Local organizations attending include the Greater Rostraver Chamber of Commerce, Mon Valley Alliance, Mon Rivers program and the Mon Valley Chamber of Commerce.

“If people have segmented efforts, it’s all great intentions; but, it’s like spitting in the wind if you don’t combine all these efforts with everyone. I’m hoping to get that message across that day.”

Sokol said hopeful the event will be well-attended as nothing like it has been done before.

“It’s a win-win for everyone if people show up,” Sokol said. “This is a nonpolitical event — and in my entire history in this valley, I’ve never seen high-ranking Republicans and Democrats come together for something like this. People with serious problems don’t deal with politics first … they deal with problems first. And we have serious problems. I’m hoping that the people of the region understand that this is a very serious problem we’re all facing.”

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $4.79/week.

Subscribe Today