4 running for Butler Township commissioner seats
All three Republican candidates and one Democratic candidate for commissioner in Butler Township will likely move forward from the May primary election to the November municipal election, because three commissioner terms are ending this year.
Republican voters will have three names on their ballots for commissioner, incumbent commissioners Jim Lokhaiser Jr. and Joseph Wiest and challenger David Rice, while Democratic voters will have one name, incumbent commission president Dave Zarnick, on their ballots.
Lokhaiser has been a resident of Butler Township since 1966, and has been a commissioner since 2015. He is a full-time truck driver with Helena Agri Enterprises, where he has worked since 2010.
Lokhaiser said he wants to remain on the board of commissioners in part to continue being “a fiscal watchdog” for the taxpayers of the community, and keep the tax rate from increasing.
“With the prices of everything to rise, it becomes harder to hold the line on taxes,” Lokhaiser said. “My job as a commissioner is to hold all department heads accountable for their spending and I am not afraid to say no.”
Rice lives in the Meridian area of Butler Township, and said he has worked as an assistant manager for a “large convenience store chain, to a project manager for large scale advertising campaigns,” and currently manages a manufacturing department with nearly 60 employees.
Rice said he was prompted to run for office in Butler Township on the issues of transparency, accountability and communication. Additionally, he said he is concerned about the effect the sale of the Butler Area Sewer Authority to Pennsylvania American Water Company will have on residents.
“The utilization of streaming, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube along with the current Facebook page are just a few examples that will help bring awareness to township affairs. These platforms will help build trusting relationships between township residents and officials when done right,” Rice said. “Butler Township will be receiving a considerable large sum of money while ratepayers will bear the burden of repaying the monies in higher monthly sewer bills.”
Wiest has been a township commissioner for 12 years, and has worked full-time for his company, Wiest Asphalt Products and Paving, for more than 40 years.
He said he is running for reelection to take Butler Township from being a “great place to live and make it the greatest place to live.”
“My top three issues are crime, drugs and advocating for more community volunteers,” Wiest said. “We have a great Police department that works with all the surrounding departments from city, state police, sheriff's office, and with the Butler Area School District to maintain a good working relationship with them all. We already do a great job of supporting our volunteers in Butler Township but I would like to see more people get involved with their local community and see what we can accomplish together.”
Zarnick is running unopposed on the Democratic ticket for commissioner, but he has been on the board for the past 16 years. He worked for Armco/AK Steel for 30 years, and said he worked his way up to day-shift supervisor in electrical processing.
Another lifelong resident of Butler Township, Zarnick said he is running for reelection because it is his way of giving back his time and talents to the community where he has lived and worked his entire life.
“I have always been a community activist working and serving on various boards and projects that I feel strongly would be a benefit to Butler Township,” Zarnick said. “Times are changing and Butler Township must be prepared to meet these new demands for doing business and creating more amenities for those living in the township.”
