INSANITY IS MAKING THE SAME MISTAKE OVER AGAIN

 

The Republican Commissioners, Sherman and Janis, are about to repeat one of the most embarrassing public relations disasters of their administration. On March 12, they will sponsor their second annual Washington County Real Estate Expo. Instead of burying the memory of the under supported and badly planned, first Expo, our majority commissioners have decided to double down on a bad idea. There is no evidence that the results will be different.

The problems associated with the first Expo were well publicized.

First, the commissioners paid HGTV television actor Hilary Farr more than $30,000 to appear as the keynote speaker for their inaugural Real Estate Expo. According to reporting in the Observer Reporter, “the county also paid for Farr to fly first class on an airline of her choosing and stay at a Pittsburgh hotel of her choice while being transported to and from the event in a chauffeured luxury vehicle.” She was only on site for several hours.

Farr is a British-Canadian designer, businesswoman, television host and former actress. She now spends her time renovating her Toronto home, after leaving the reality television show Love It or Leave It.  

Farr lacked qualifications or knowledge to address the real estate/economic issues facing South Western Pennsylvania. She was hired as celebrity eye candy to shake some hands and amuse the participants.

Second, following the Expo, an initial audit by County Controller, Heather Sheatler, revealed that the Expo did not break even and was supported by unrelated grant funding, The initial Expo cost was $122,877 and only $71,000 was collected from vendors.

The $50,000 deficit was eventually recouped, well after the event. Sherman and Janis, hat in hand, went to Chapman Properties (who has now received $6 million from the county for demolition expenses for the Costco project) and to the county’s Tourism Promotion Agency (with whom the county now has a running battle for control) asking for substantial contributions.

Minority commissioner, Larry Maggi, was critical of these actions. He told this newspaper, “I didn’t think county government should be going out and asking for contributions with vendors we’re doing business with to fund an Expo.”

Third, the audit by Controller Sheatler revealed that the majority commissioners had opened an unauthorized bank account, not subject to Controller review, to fund the first Expo. More troubling, withdrawals were improperly made from the newly formed Blight Mitigation Fund to bankroll the Expo.

The announcement of a second Real Estate Expo on March 12 was met with skepticism. Commissioner Larry Maggi tried to block the no bid hiring of Richardson Communications for consulting services and Drive Marketing Inc. to promote the event. He also complained that county resources and staff were being improperly utilized to organize Expo II. It is unclear how or how much the private companies are being paid.

While the Expo is only a month away, a posted schedule of programing does not exist. There is a general description of presenters to include the two commissioners, local county agencies and an unnamed “array of industry experts.” As of February 8, the identity of the keynote speaker has not been announced. A participant searching for interesting sessions to attend is out of luck.

It is inevitable that Sherman and Janis’s ill-advised Expo II will be compared with the upcoming Washington County Chamber of Commerce Member Forum to be held on February 19, 2026. The county recently terminated the longstanding economic development contract with the Chamber. The majority commissioners now refuse to cooperate with the Chamber. If last year’s event is a guide, they will not attend the Forum and will lose the opportunity to network with its many business leaders.

The Chamber’s Forum is a well-established occurrence that presents a broad range of issues of interest to our diverse business community. This year, Dan Rooney III, Vice President of Business Development, Pittsburgh Steelers, will be the featured speaker. He will bring the regional business community up to date on the opportunities afforded by the April 2026 Pittsburgh NFL Draft.  Other scheduled panels of announced experts include: 1) the region’s economic outlook, 2) infrastructure development, and 3) workforce development.

Washington County only needs one well-organized winter event to discuss economic development. Sherman and Janis’s vanity project should not have been repeated.