A CRITIQUE OF LOCAL REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN ISSUES

Local Washington County Republicans are raising several misleading campaign issues in support of their two candidates for County Commissioner. Several issues are featured in the campaign literature of incumbent commissioner Nick Sherman and his running mate, Electra Janis. Other talking points are displayed on the social media of the Washington County Republican Party.

Each issue in support of the candidates is overblown or factually inaccurate. Below, I will present the Republican positions and set the record straight with some background and verifiable facts.

The State of the Washington County Economy. Both Republican candidates are eager to announce that their goal is to “grow family-sustaining jobs by supporting job creators at every level.” There is no explanation of specific programs to accomplish this objective. Nor is there a detailed narrative that tells how the new Republican commissioner team, if elected, would do anything differently.  This may be because previous county administrations have left the state of the Washington County economy in exemplary condition.

At a recent Chamber of Commerce event attended by the present Board of Commissioners, including Mr. Sherman, it was reported that in 2022 the county attracted 69 new economic development and infrastructure projects. The present strategy has successfully brought economic diversity to the county. This includes energy fracking projects, health care, manufacturing, agriculture, and other industries. Public-private partnerships, always favored by Republicans, have long been encouraged by both political parties in Washington County. This includes the privatization of the county nursing home.

The gambling revenue “local share account program” was uniquely structured in Washington County by former Democratic Commissioner Bracken Burns to make funding decisions locally. This year the program responded to proposals by directing $8 million toward new infrastructure and development projects across the county.

Lastly, the county unemployment rate stands at a low of 3.2%.

If the Republican campaign is promising to continue this stellar record developed by past Democrat and Republican Commissioners, it should say so.  If there is a plan to improve this performance, it should be disclosed.

Voting in Washington County. One would assume that after the more radical MAGA commissioner candidates were defeated in the May primary, all Republican talk of stolen elections and the need for local election reform would disappear. Sadly, the “secure elections” topic remains on the Republican candidates’ platform.

No county commissioner has the authority to alter the manner in which local elections are conducted, including voter ID. The only explanation for keeping secure elections as a campaign issue in Washington County is to attract election-denying MAGA voters in the general election.

The present Board of Commissioners spent weeks in 2022 deflecting pressure to decertify the county’s presidential election results.  There were incessant demands to perform illegal audits of voting machines. The commissioners were forced to listen to the bizarre rants of debunked “election expert” Douglas Frank. Not one case of election fraud was found in Washington County. Only five fraud cases were documented across Pennsylvania, all attributed to President Trump supporters.

The Washington County Elections Office should receive an apology from the local Republican Party for the verbal abuse to its employees, by several members running for office in the primary. Instead, the Election Office is left wondering whether a new Republican administration will fill the office with election deniers in return for MAGA voter support in November.

Comparison with Allegheny County.  The Washington County Republican Party continuously posts articles about events in neighboring Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. The warning, “This is how bad socialist Allegheny County and Pittsburgh have become, Don't let Washington County fall!” follows each post. Sometimes this routine is altered to post warnings about events in Philadelphia or in the office of Governor Shapiro. The message is always the same. Washington County must elect the two Republican candidates and maintain a majority to avoid becoming a “bastion of socialism.”

It is true that Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia have voted progressive Democrats into office in recent elections. This has been the trend in urban communities across the country. It is also true that this development has added to the divisiveness in American politics. However, there is no evidence that progressive urban agendas have spilled over into conservative suburban or rural populations in Pennsylvania or elsewhere.

Allegheny County is surrounded by counties, including Washington that will continue to hold a clear majority of registered Republicans. The elected  Democrats in these counties most often favor moderate policy positions and are overwhelmingly fiscal conservatives. Such is the case with the two local Democratic candidates for commissioner, Mr. Maggi and Ms. Fisher. If the Washington County Republican party wants to “get real” on issues that are important to voters, it must stop the fear-mongering and present matters of substance.

Lower Taxes and Less Government Spending. Commissioner Nick Sherman makes these two claims in his campaign literature with no explanation on how to accomplish either.

Regarding lower taxes, the median property tax in Washington County is well below the average of other counties in Pennsylvania.

Regarding government spending, Commissioner Sherman was the primary cheerleader for the $10 million county purchase of the Crossroads Building. This enormous local government expenditure is widely considered a gross overpayment for a property that was worth far less.

Local voters should insist that the Republican commissioner candidates provide specific answers to real issues. We deserve a campaign based on facts, not alarmism and misrepresentations.