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BELLEFONTE -- A day after the chaos at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., the Centre County commissioners commented on the events of the past 24 hours during a salary board meeting Thursday.
They didn't mince their words.
Board chairman Michael Pipe, spoke first.
"Essentially, you had an insurrection led by the President of the United States. It's not a mistake how we got here. I think if you look at the type of things that have been said and done over the last four or five years, it's not a mistake," Pipe, a Democrat, said.
According to Pipe, being an elected official comes with a certain amount of responsibility.
"I think that we as elected officials have the responsibility as we carry forward our business through the remainder of our terms to conduct ourselves in a way that takes discourse and civility up a notch," Pipe said.
He said that the three commissioners -- in spite of their differences -- have strong relationships with each other.
"I think that comes down to more communication with each other," he said.
Pipe also said that people need to recognize what happened at the Capitol on Wednesday is not acceptable behavior.
"We're already hearing calls about how it wasn't a big deal, and I think the people who are saying that are going to find themselves in a very small minority," he said.
Fellow Democratic commissioner Mark Higgins also chimed in.
"I love my country too much to stay silent any longer. The lack of decency and respect has steadily eroded for the last five years," Higgins said.
He also said that those questioning the results of the election need to take a look in the mirror.
"If you dispute the presidential election, you are also disputing your own elections and democracy in this country … it's amazing that I need to make this statement," Higgins said.
Commissioner Steve Dershem, the lone Republican, condemned the behavior of those at the Capitol on Wednesday.
"These events were regrettable, criminal and wholly unproductive," Dershem said.
The commissioners will meet at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 12. The meeting will be held via Zoom and televised live on C-NET.
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Clinton County Commissioner Miles Kessinger said he and fellow commissioners Jeff Snyder and Angela Harding had not yet discussed the events at the Capitol.