Two supervisor candidates to appear on Lancaster Township Republican ballot
Two candidates are vying for a single open seat on the Lancaster Township board of supervisors in the May 16 primary election.
Kirk Farra and Rich Marcotte will appear on the Republican Party ballot. Board vice chairman Joe Plesniak is not running for another term.
The winner advances to the November ballot.
There are no Democratic Party candidates running in the primary.
Farra grew up in Beaver Falls and graduated from Geneva College. Since then, he has lived in both Beaver and Butler counties.
He worked at Robinson Fans in Zelienople for 14 years as IT director. He has resided in Lancaster Township for the past 23 years and worked for In-Synch Systems as president and part owner.
“Running a successful business is great preparation for being a supervisor, as you must deal with the challenges of revenue and expenses, personnel, completing projects, planning, effective communication, and keeping customers (residents) happy,” Farra said.
Though he never has served as a supervisor, he did serve 18 months as part of the planning commission in North Sewickley Township before moving to Lancaster Township.
He said he was prompted to run when he was asked if he knew anyone who might be interested and qualified for the position, saying he is in the stage of life where he has the time to give back to the township to help make improvements.
He wants to make sure there is an effective plan in place to govern coming growth and provide appropriate infrastructure and services.
“As the township population grows, we need to have better roads and grow the police department to ensure a safer community,” he said.
He said he has been told that residents are concerned that the increase in housing developments and population will turn the rural community into a suburban area, about the quality of roads and increased traffic exceeding speed limits, and the management of the township as a whole, saying they have had a lot of personnel quit or be replaced over the past several years.
Farra said he could only propose effective solutions if he were elected and could fully understand all of the issues at hand.
Marcotte has been a resident of Lancaster Township for 34 years and has been a business owner for the last 24 years.
His company specializes in operating heart/lung bypass machines for hospitals with open-heart surgery programs. He said his professional experience has provided him with the opportunity to manage a complex budget, plan for growth and work with a team to accomplish goals.
He is not currently a supervisor.
He said his desire to run comes from the value he places on the lifestyle and rural heritage in the township, but said developments make growth inevitable. He said he believes that by being proactive rather than reactive, they can ensure that the township is one that also will provide posterity with a great place to grow up.
He is a member of the comprehensive plan committee in Lancaster Township, so one of his primary goals is to make sure that the spirit of the community's vision expressed in the comprehensive plan is executed at the supervisor level.
Marcotte said the top issues in his mind all revolve around managing growth. These include considering the interests of new residents and longtime residents, planning for new infrastructure necessary to support additional growth and protecting the rights of all property owners.
“All of these issues are best addressed by having a balanced, realistic and proactive board of supervisors with a vision for the future of Lancaster Township,” Marcotte said.
