The Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues hosted the Cumberland County Commissioner Candidates’ Forum in the Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium on Thursday Oct. 15. The event, which was open to the public, had about 50 attendees, most of which were Cumberland County residents. The event was sponsored by Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce, American Association of University Women (AAUW) Carlisle Branch, Carlisle Young Professionals, Carlisle YWCA, League of Women Voters Carlisle Area and The Sentinel.

The four candidates, Vince DiFilippo (Republican), Gary Eichelberger (Republican), Jim Hertzler (Democrat), and Rick Rovegno (Democrat) answered questions posed by the chair of the Dickinson’s Political Science department, James Hoefler, as well as audience members. The candidates each had the opportunity to answer every question, and was also given time for rebuttals.

The candidates are competing for spots on the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners. According to the Cumberland County website, the board is responsible for managing the county’s budget, approving all expenditures, authorizing government contracts, and managing county properties. Additionally, the board appoints the chief clerk and other administrative personnel. The board consists of three commissioners elected by popular vote: the chairman, vice-chairman, and secretary. Members serve four-year terms in the full-time, paid positions.

Candidates Eichelberger and Hertzler are current board members seeking re-election, Eichelberger for a fourth term. Rovegno also has experience serving on the board; he was a member from 2000-2011. DiFilippo is the only candidate who has not served time on the board, but is now chairman of the Agricultural Land Preservation Board for the county. DiFilippo and Rovegno, who are not presently on the board, are both currently working in the private sector in addition to their public service work: DiFilippo in the health insurance industry, and Rovegno in real estate.

Eichelberger focused on portraying his honesty and experience in government as well as his conservative opinions. He claimed the county was “over-unionized” and “over-bureaucratized”, and instead advocated for efficiency and only “smart growth.”

Hertzler, stood in contrast and once acknowledged that he is viewed by some as a “union loving socialist.” He stressed fairness to all county employees, especially in terms of pay, as well as his accountability to the taxpayers of the county.

DiFillippo concluded his statements by stressing his ability to work with anyone, his commitment to working relentlessly for the county and his experience in the private sector.

Rovegno stressed that he would be personal and accessible to county members, citing the example of visiting Claremont Nursing and Rehabilitation center and contrasting his behavior to Eichelberger’s. Tension was evident between Eichelberger and Rovegno throughout the forum, with Rovegno stating at one point that Eichelberger’s statements about him were “untruthful and disrespectful.”

The first major issue that the candidates showed disagreement on was their stance on the Claremont Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, which is currently county owned but is in need of additional Certified Nursing Assistants. Each Democratic candidate, Rovegno and Hertzler directly stated that the home should remain county owned. The two Republican candidates, Eichelberger and DiFillipo each implied that they would consider the possibility of privatizing the home.

Eichelberger acknowledged that he once directly advocated for privitization, but now instead suggests stepping back to consider all available options, including government subsidies. DiFilippo also suggested that there may be a time to privatize the home, but insisted that he would only do so if it was ensured that the quality would remain and the current employees would keep their jobs.

The audience expressed visible interest at the issues of the budget deficit and the recent employee compensation, which offered pay raises to select government officials. The question was initially proposed by Hoefler, and then re-examined during an audience question.

DiFillipo stressed the importance of carefully timing new purchases to avoid another budget deficit, which he acknowledged may currently stand at one to three million dollars, and suggested using the county reserve so that a tax increase may not be necessary. Regarding the new employee compensation, he stated that the budget decisions raised some “red flags” despite good intentions, and suggested periodically examining employee salaries to avoid similar issues.

The rest of the candidates mainly focused on employee compensation. In terms of the deficit, Hertzler acknowledged that he made some “unpopular decisions” in order to combat it. Rovegno claimed that he would keep taxes low despite the deficit and still keep the county beautiful.

Hertzler and Rovegno each called for a “re-review” of the employee compensations, with Hertzler growing visibly heated about the issue, surpassing his allotted time and pointing out the high pay of select employees compared with other counties. Eichelberger, while acknowledging the “imperfect system” of pay, defended the decisions and stressed the importance of rewarding employees based on performance to encourage productivity.

Hoefler’s final question focused on the candidate’s plan to address poverty in the county. According to the US census, eight percent of the county population was living below the poverty line between 2009 and 2013. Rovegno and Difillipo each stressed the importance of education, with Rovegno advocating for more funding for the county libraries. Hertzler and Eichelberger each focused instead on the availability of affordable housing, with Eichelberger also suggesting business expansion to provide jobs and rejecting solely focusing on education without providing jobs for high school graduates.

The audience brought up the point of the preservation of the environment, with each candidate acknowledging its importance.

Eichelberger stressed the previous actions of the county including the conservation program and biofuel initiative, and warned that the county may soon have to deal with issues of mining and fracking.

Rovegno and DeFillippo spoke in more general terms about preserving the natural resources in the county.

Hertzler criticized state and federal environmental initiatives for providing regulation to the county without providing support for the programs, monetary or otherwise, citing the “rain tax” as an example.

Candidates did express unanimous claims on various general topics, such as the importance of keeping military bases in Carlisle, the quality of Claremont Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, and their ability to put aside personal politics and work with others.