Republicans participating in the May 16 primary election will choose two of five candidates to likely become county commissioners.

Three Republicans — Joseph King, a self-employed farmer from Valencia; Ryan Covert of Chicora, a business owner and Republican Committee member; and Zachary Scherer, of Chicora, a sales consultant at Mike Kelly Automotive — are challenging Republican incumbents Leslie Osche and Kim Geyer for party nominations. The two with the most votes will proceed to the November election, where voters will choose three people to fill the county commissioner seats.

No Democratic candidates have filed to challenge Democratic Commissioner Kevin Boozel, which indicates that he will proceed to the November ballot along with two of the Republicans.

Up to two Republican candidates and two Democratic candidates who win their party nominations in the primary move on to the general election in November.

The three winners of the November election will serve four-year terms as county commissioners. The person who gets the most votes becomes the chairman, the person with the second highest vote total becomes vice chairman, and the person with third most votes becomes secretary.

Geyer said she that while she has accomplished a lot during her two terms in office, there are many issues that still have to be addressed.

She said the issues include addressing the challenges to broadband expansion in the northern tier of the county; the emergency medical service crisis; ensuring public safety by developing a funding formula ahead of the state’s 911 statute that expires Jan. 31, 2024; identifying mental health alternatives to placing people in jail; addressing mental health and complex behavioral health issues in children; and workforce development opportunities.

Geyer said she and Osche oppose the extension of precanvassing election ballots and the deadline to apply for mail-in ballots, but those issues must be addressed by the state Legislature.

“As county commissioners we work on a variety of 10 to 12 different issues daily. No one issue is ever done and scratched off the list, so to speak. I find all the issues that we work on interesting, and they motivate me to work toward thoughtful and pragmatic resolution in a long-term, sustainable way,” Geyer said.

Her accomplishments during her eight years in office include not raising taxes through conservative management of a $245-million budget and changing a budget deficit that existed before she was elected into a fund balance of more than $30 million, she said.

Another accomplishment is working with Osche to secure two federal Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Grants totaling $45 million. The state Department of Transportation recognized the project resulting in the county receiving millions of dollars in local and state investment to complete the Gateway 228 project, which is used to transport $30 billion in gross domestic product annually and supports 12,500 businesses from Freeport to the county line, Geyer said.

She cited creating the infrastructure bank program as another accomplishment, saying Butler was the first county in the state to have such a program funded by an annual allocation of the county’s Act 13 Marcellus Shale funds. In four years, the program has helped municipalities complete $60 million in bridge, road, water, sewer and stormwater management projects.

In the past eight years, she said, the most money in the history of the county has been invested in county parks and trails; there has been a 44% increase in the farmland preservation program, making it the largest in Western Pennsylvania; and Butler County Community College has been named the top community college in the state annually.

The Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport is one of three airports in the state to be designated as an airport land-development zone for new businesses; and a public-private partnership with the Municipal Water Authority of Adams Township, the county and the county airport authority resulted in building a 5-mile water line along Route 8 through Middlesex and Penn townships to the airport, she said.

During her tenure, Geyer said, the county has taken a multipronged approach to the opioid and addiction crisis using prevention, intervention and treatment provided by a team from a number of community organizations and agencies. The county's specialty drug and alcohol courts, such as veterans court and drug court, have been successful, she said. Drug-related deaths in the county have decreased from 166 in 2016-17 to 65 in 2022, and the county has the fourth-lowest crime rate in the state, she said.

“The notable thing I am most proud of is our county’s collaboration with each of our 57 municipalities. As county commissioners, we strive hard to work with each of our municipalities to help provide supports, tools and financial resources to accomplish the projects they want and need to get done to improve the quality of life,” Geyer said.

She said she learned the value of water and sewer infrastructure and its connection to economic development while running a construction and development business with her husband, Bob, for more than 35 years. She said she understands the state permitting and regulatory challenges that stand in the way of farmers, businesses, developers, builders, preservation and economic development.

She served on the Mars Area School Board from 1999 to 2011, including six years as president and serving on the IU4 Midwestern Intermediate Unit Board, and she is an ex officio member of the BC3 board of trustees.

She said she worked 12 years as a flight attendant for USAir, and worked for County Commissioner William McCarrier from 2012 to 2015 as his administrative assistant.

Osche, who has served as chairman of the county commissioners for both of her two terms in office, said she is running for reelection to complete the many projects initiated during her tenure.

The top projects that she said she wants to complete are finding a site and designing a new building for the Area Agency on Aging; the senior center and Veterans Affairs office; the Gateway 228 project; and economic revitalization of Butler City.

“I live and love to serve the people of our great county and hope to mentor a new generation of leaders,” Osche said.

Other issues that she said need to be addressed include expanding access to broadband internet service, workforce shortages, and aging water and sewer systems throughout the county.

Implementing broadband will take the next four years, she said, and require hiring a project manager to work with the Southwest Pennsylvania Commission, broadband providers, businesses, community institutions and schools to get all citizens connected and to help individuals and businesses adopt its use.

“We will use plans that are established and seek all available funds to build out broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved areas,” Osche said.

Workforce shortages that have reached crisis levels will require the shortening of the time it takes to become certified in many fields and continued development of the empowerment training program with Butler County Community College that provides emotional intelligence and soft skills to help all people succeed, she said.

The commissioners will have to help authorities and municipalities find money to replace and expand the capacity of aging water and sewer systems, Osche said.

Her accomplishments in office include building a fund budget balance from $1 million to about $11 million without raising taxes; purchasing new public safety radio system for 911 and supporting 75% of the cost for local fire and police departments; securing nearly $100 million in grant funds for infrastructure, including roads, water, sewer, parks and economic development projects for business and establishing the growth collaborative; and hiring Mark Gordon as the chief of economic development, she said.

Other accomplishments include serving municipalities by establishing the infrastructure bank program using Act 13 Marcellus Shale impact fees to subsidize interest on pooled borrowings for municipalities, generating $36 million in infrastructure investments countywide; helping create the award-winning southwest Butler County stormwater collaborative and allocating $12 million in American Rescue Act funds to prevent future flooding; and launching the empowerment training program with BC3 to help people, especially those with employment challenges and those in recovery, she said.

Osche said her 30 years of experience in nonprofit management is helping her manage the county budget and leverage financial resources that benefit taxpayers, and that working with other elected county officials has assisted commissioners in implementing cost-saving measures that prevent tax increases.

“Established relationships are key to success in this position. I worked with and for many boards, being accountable to and learning from many talented individuals. With those relationships I am able to connect people to services and/or people who can help them. I am a problem-solver,” Osche said. “Patience and perseverance are necessary to drive change that taxpayers want. I stay in the fight and play the long game, which has served the county well.”

In addition to serving as a commissioner, Osche served as director of United Way of Butler County for 14 years, vice president for development and public relations for Lifesteps, public relations director for St. Barnabas Health System, assistant director of the Butler County Chamber of Commerce, and public relations director for the Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh

In each position, Osche said she worked with government officials at all levels and testified at hearings in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C.

Osche said she is a Leadership Butler County graduate, United Way of Pennsylvania board chairman, state County Commissioners Association treasurer, Paul Harris Fellow, 21-year member of Butler PM Rotary and 33-year member of Trinity Lutheran Church, where she served on church council, as a Sunday school teacher and public relations volunteer.

She said she is a former president of Meridian Volunteer Fire Department ladies auxiliary, and she has won awards including the Distinguished Service Award, International Athena Award, Butler Health System Women of Legacy Award, Soroptimist Woman of Distinction, United Way Woman of Excellence, and Moe Coleman Award for bipartisan collaboration.

Covert, of Chicora, said his experience running numerous businesses makes him qualified to be a county commissioner.

Covert said he is a small-business owner with partnerships in two restaurants, a commercial truck wash, commercial farm, two retail stores and an independent news company, and all are for-profit businesses with employees. Before he bought his first small business in 2015, he said he worked for small businesses in the restaurant, security, construction and warehouse industries.

“I understand the struggles of working more than one job to make ends meet,” Covert said.

As a business owner, he said he understands payroll, hiring and managing employees; tax laws and government regulations; working with contractors; maintaining property requirements; job bidding; and creating and managing budgets. After he graduated from Butler High School in 1997, he said he learned trade and business skills from the hardworking people in the county.

He said his experience in owning, managing and operating business; his construction and maintenance experience from different jobs he had when he was younger; and the work ethic and toughness he acquired during 20 years of boxing will help him make him an asset on the board of commissioners. He said fighting for taxpayers will be a priority.

“All of these skills directly relate to my ability to serve as your next Butler County commissioner. I am hands-on and will get the work done in an efficient and effective manner for the taxpayers,” Covert said. “I know what it takes to get the job done and will always fight for our values and freedom. I am fully committed to making Butler County and the great people who live here my top priority.”

Covert said he decided to run for office to help residents, instead of complaining about current affairs or the unfairness of government, and he would work with surrounding counties to make Western Pennsylvania a blue-collar powerhouse.

Maintaining election integrity and security and are among the main issues in the county and will be top priorities, if he is elected, he said.

“Overseeing free, fair and secure well-run elections are one of the most important jobs of a commissioner and one of the most important jobs for the people of this great country,” Covert said.

Infrastructure of all types, he said, is another top priority. Road, bridge and rail infrastructure are important, but so is “soft infrastructure,” such as internet connection, first responders, medical and rehabilitation services, law enforcement, and other programs that help keep citizens healthy and safe, he said.

Covert said he would like to see more tax money originating from the northern part of the county being used in the north to help strengthen and secure the soft and hard infrastructure to help make the entire county strong.

In addition, he said, he was a private plaintiff against the “partisan” legislative redistricting commission, which divided state representative districts in the county and placed some municipalities in districts in Mercer and Lawrence counties for political reasons.

“As a business owner, I know the challenges businesses face with overregulation, high taxes and today's market. I will make sure Butler County government makes decisions to help businesses. (I will use) the same heart, will and determination I showed as a competitive boxer to always fight for our values, our freedom and, most importantly, for the people that make us number one county in the Commonwealth,” Covert said.

King, of Valencia, said he is running for county commissioner to lower taxes and reduce government regulations.

King has been a self-employed farmer for more than 50 years and owns an auto shop.

He describes himself as a “renaissance conservative Republican” since the age of 19.

If elected, King said he wants to reduce taxes and wants “less government” in people’s lives. He said he also wants fewer regulations and more freedom for people.

King said he would encourage more people to find employment and treat jobs as gifts.

In addition to his work, he said he promotes holistic foods and medicines.

As a conservative business owner, King said he wants to make a difference in the county.

Scherer, of Chicora, said he would increase emphasis on opioid treatment and recovery in the criminal justice system and address transparency in the commissioners’ office, if he is elected.

Scherer is founder of Butler PA Patriots and a sales consultant for a county auto dealer.

He said he believes the opioid epidemic and transparency in local government are the top issues in the election, and he would address the opioid epidemic by changing the steps to recovery in the justice system.

“We need to spend more time on the recovery and the person, rather than just the crime. By treating the addiction, helping the person stay safe and clean, and by helping them reenter into a clean lifestyle, we decrease the constant revolving door in and out of jail for drug-related crimes,” Scherer said.

A lack of transparency, Scherer said, is among the issues that should be addressed by a change in leadership in the commissioners’ office.

To address the transparency, he said he would like to hold commissioners’ meetings at different times, livestream the meetings and have a question-and-answer session for at least 30 minutes after each meeting where citizens can ask questions directly to the commissioners and commissioners are held accountable for their answers.

“We have lacked the leadership we needed when it comes to issues such as transparency, secure elections and the opioid epidemic that is severely affecting our county. I believe that there needs to be a change in leadership in the county if we are going to fix the numerous problems that have been facing our county. I have spent the better part of the last two years asking our current commissioners to do more, to be more transparent, to be more reachable for citizens in Butler County, and they failed to do so,” he said.

“Because of this, I have put my ‘hat in the ring.’ We, as Americans, cannot complain about something unless we are willing to do something about it, so here I am. I am running to change and help fix our county.”

Leading the Butler PA Patriots, which was formed due to what the group calls anomalies and doubts about the 2020 election, is among his qualifications for office, he said.

“I started the group the Butler PA Patriots, which has been growing steadily for a few years now. I have used this group to help hold meetings; bring awareness and attention to certain local and national issues; hold town halls; and allow people in Butler County to have an organized group to go to discuss their frustrations,” he said.

“I already have working relationships with many people throughout the county and state. I have already sat and listened to the concerns of the people of Butler County, and I have already shown that I am willing and eager to help address these concerns. We, as a county, have lost focus of the concerns of the people and voters in the county, I believe that through my work with many local organizations, I have proven that I am here to lead this county for the people of Butler County with full transparency,” Scherer said.

In addition, he said he has been working in sales in varying roles for a few years and has been studying criminology online through Southern New Hampshire University for the last three years.