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LOCK HAVEN -- Republican Doug Byerly is looking to trade his Lock Haven City Council seat for a position on the Clinton County Board of Commissioners.
Byerly is one of four Republican candidates looking to snag a spot on the November Election during the May 16 Primary Election. He has served on city council for nearly two terms over eight years and has been a county resident since 1999.
He currently works at the world Campus of Penn State University as an Admission Counselor with a focus on the university's business-to-business partnerships.
While on city council, Byerly has served on various municipal and county boards including the Lock Haven Flood Protection Authority, the Clinton County Historical Society and the board of the Susquehanna Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He's also served on the Keystone Central School District Foundation Board, Leadership Clinton County Advisory Board, Clinton County Planning Commission, a trustee for the Ross Library, and Election Inspector for Lock Haven's 3rd Ward and is a 2003 Leadership Clinton County graduate.
The Express recently asked Byerly six questions regarding himself and issues the county is facing. These were his responses:
Q: Why have you chosen to run for a seat on the board of commissioners?
Byerly: As a 2-term member of Lock Haven City Council, I have been involved with local government for going on eight years and have also been involved with a number of other organizations, such as Leadership Clinton County to promote our county and region. With the experience that I have gained, I am looking forward to the opportunity to be involved at the county level to work to make this level of government more responsive to county municipalities and citizen needs.
Q: Our rural county is facing significant challenges: Population decline, reduction of services, worker shortages. How would you try to tackle each of these issues as a commissioner?
Byerly: Population decline is something that is difficult to control, but I do believe we need to be more proactive in marketing what our county has to offer, such as affordable housing, a variety of family sustaining jobs and a solid educational system including Lock Haven University. This ties in directly to the issue about worker shortages, and while our county leadership has been involved in some programs to promote and recruit people to come and work in our area, these type of programs and efforts need to be increased. In regard to reduction of services, I'm not sure if you mean services provided by government entities but if so, this is a difficult topic. All of us are facing an increasing burden that is placed on the shoulders of tax paying citizens and it's a key job of governments to work diligently to maintain costs without cutting services or raising taxes. I do believe all government units need to explore alternative sources of revenue other than taxes to then hopefully be able to maintain a high level of services provided.
Q: The county also is losing life-saving emergency medical services due to a lack of qualified EMTs, along with some financial strain among ambulance and EMS services. What ideas do you have to alleviate this critical issue?
Byerly: As most know, the issue about the crisis in volunteer and paid personnel for EMT organizations (and fire companies) is a nationwide issue. I believe locally we need to have serious conversations about integrating or collaborating organizations/functions to provide the opportunity to then operate from a position of strength both financially and from an organizational perspective. Also, I believe county leadership needs to take a proactive and leadership role with our local health care providers (Geisinger, UPMC, Bucktail Medical Center, Family Practice Center) to determine what will be cost effective and viable options for EMT and emergency care services, county wide in the years to come.
Q: Will you support continued development of recreation trails, including the Bald Eagle Valley Trail, if elected?
Byerly: While positive strides have been made over the past 20 years with outdoor recreation in our county, there are even greater opportunities for growth in this area. We are blessed to have unique, outdoor spaces and opportunities that just don't exist elsewhere and are still within reasonable travel times/distances from major population centers. I fully support the continued development and expansion of outdoor recreation trails such as the BEVT and will look to promote further growth in this marketable commodity that we are fortunate to have available. An example of possible projects are the continued development of the ATV trail system in western Clinton County and a plan to develop the now underutilized Peddie Park for a variety of outdoor recreation options. In addition, I believe the county has a need for at least one additional hotel space to better serve visitors to the region and I will work to develop a plan to partner with private investors to make this a reality.
Q: What qualities do you possess that you believe make you the most qualified for the position?
Byerly: A good level of experience in local government, higher level education and experience in working with a variety of public and private organizations has provided me with the background necessary to move into the county level of leadership. Passion for my adopted home area of Lock Haven and Clinton County for the past 22 plus years fuels my desire to find ways to enhance all our county has to offer to make it an even better place to live, work and recreate.
Q: Why should voters consider you when they visit the polls on May 16?
Byerly: To make Clinton County the best place it can be, I believe proactive work by our leadership needs to be done at a high level and with my experience and creative outlook to problem solving, I am a positive option in the upcoming Primary Election. I will work with any municipal leaders that so desire to find ways to provide enhanced services to citizens in the most cost-effective way possible. It will also be a pledge that I will listen to the voice and concerns brought to me by individual constituents and work to take action on these concerns if and when possible.