8 seek seats on Hampton council

Hampton Township Council has six candidates running for three, four-year terms. Two of these seats are currently held by incumbents Bethany Blackburn and Carolynn R. Johnson, both are running for reelection. The other four-year term candidates are Julie Fritsch, Rebecca Craig, Michael Bowman and Daniel Scuilli. Additionally, Richard O. Kernick and Alfred Midgley IV are vying for one, two-year term, according to the Allegheny County Office of Elections’ unofficial candidate list.

The candidates and their responses to questions posed by the Hampton Journal:

Bethany Hardin Blackburn

Political party: Democrat

Age: 45

Education: BA in Economics; MBA

Occupation: CEO of North Side Christian Health Center

If elected, what are two short-term goals? 1. Form an Economic Advisory Board to help identify strategies to diversify our businesses and economical approaches to developing a unifying look to our commercial areas. 2. Assure that our sewage treatment facility is properly financed and is built to last for several generations.

If elected, what is one long-term goal? To assure the long-term sustainability of public safety personnel. It is more and more difficult to recruit volunteers for the fire department, as well as find qualified police and EMS professionals. The Township will need to look at how to fund competitive compensation packages to attract qualified individuals to serve our community and support Shaler-Hampton EMS.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? Pre-pandemic, the township hosted a series of Coffee Conversations/townhalls to discuss important local issues. These should be reinstated once it is safe to do so. It is also important to balance updates on social media for the younger generations with print media for those who still prefer a newspaper — to make sure all are aware that their voices can be heard at the council meeting during the “Citizen Matters” portion of our agenda.

Michael Bowman

Political party: Republican

Age: 67

Education: University of Cincinnati School of Medicine, Centre College of Kentucky

Occupation: Retired 0rthopedic surgeon

If elected, what are two short-term goals? I would like us to review the rules and ordinances to make sure they are clear, up to date and that they are user-friendly. We need to instill an ethic of responsibility to the taxpayers and for lack of a better term, customer service to the people of Hampton so that they understand that the employees that we have are there for them.

If elected, what is one long-term goal? To see that Hampton Township council focuses on providing what I would consider essential services to its residents, like fire, police protection, road maintenance, utilities and things of that nature. And when a special interest project comes up, that it gets properly studied, along with cost of maintenance.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? The meetings of the council are and should be open to the public, and we need to make sure there is room for everyone who wants to come and give them a chance to speak.

Rebecca Craig

Political party: Republican

Age: 54

Education: Hampton High School graduate, Bachelor of Science in communications, LaRoche College

Occupation: Full-time Hampton mom after enjoying a 25-year career

If elected, what are two short-term goals? Hampton is not Washington, D.C., or California. There is increasing pressure in this country for big government. Protecting Hampton from unwanted costly regulations and unwelcomed outside pressure on our citizens. We need to support and defend what our community wants. This includes supporting our local law enforcement.

If elected, what is one long-term goal? Having a background in supply chain and corporate purchasing, I seek to understand the process for our spending decisions and the process by which our contracts are awarded. The goal is to keep Hampton taxes reasonable and see if we are missing any cost savings opportunities.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? Council meetings should be better advertised and attendance encouraged. In addition, we have a wonderful community center that is great for our young and old alike. I suggest we use that location to have informal “talk to the council times.” This could be over coffee and doughnuts.

Julie Fritsch

Political party: Democrat

Age: 45

Education: JD from University of Pittsburgh

Occupation: Attorney

If elected, what are two short-term goals? Facilitate a better relationship between the township, our community recreational leagues, the school district and its teams and clubs. Updating our ordinances to attract a variety of businesses.

If elected, what is one long-term goal? We need to continue to revitalize Route 8 and improve the appearance of the Route 8 corridor. To accomplish this goal, I want to form a committee comprised of residents and business owners to help identify any hurdles in the process and strategize on how Hampton can attract new businesses.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? We need to bring back town hall meetings to give our residents more opportunity to be heard and to address their concerns. In addition, council always permits residents to speak at council meetings. We need to further publicize the meeting dates and times so that residents are well informed of their opportunity to address council.

Carolynn R. Johnson

Political party: Democrat

Age: 50

Education: Ph.D. in cognitive psychology

Occupation: User experience director for Daedalus, a local product development consultancy

If elected, what are two short-term goals? During public outreach for the Comprehensive Plan, a common theme from residents was a desire for a greater sense of community in Hampton. I’d like to see the township launch additional events and activities to further increase that sense of community. We’ve finally added an easily walkable path along Topnick Drive to connect the high school and park to Fridley Field. I’d like to move forward with extending that path to Wildwood Road and Route 8.

If elected, what is one long-term goal? One of the most common concerns expressed by residents during outreach for the Implementable Comprehensive Plan related to the safety of the Wildwood and Route 8 intersection. Reconstruction of that intersection to improve safety and drivability needs to be a priority for the township.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? As a user-centered designer, I am a passionate advocate of citizen-centered government. Throughout my term, I have supported transparency and outreach to ensure that council has citizen input for the decisions we have to consider. I have every intention of continuing that path, as it is the best way to ensure that we are taking into consideration the needs and wants of our constituents.

Richard O. Kernick

Political party: Democrat

Age: 61

Education: BArch from University of Illinois at Chicago (5 year professional degree); attendance at the Architectural Association School of Architecture Diploma Programme (London)

Occupation: Architect, planner, sustainability consultant

If elected, what are two short-term goals? First, I’d like to see the township develop a policy for hiring professional services similar to the one that the county uses. Second, I’d like to get public feedback on something that I’ve seen happening professionally: the use of all electric utilities in multi-unit developments. This is something that developers are already doing because it’s cost efficient but it’s also a gesture towards a sustainable future that’s being implemented in many communities.

If elected, what is one long-term goal? I’d like to see the municipality tailor their commercial development similar to the suggestions shown on the comprehensive plan. One of the components of that is the way Route 8 has developed more or less out of out control as Hampton has grown. The plan gives suggestions for making Route 8 into something that’s more like a town center rather than suburban sprawl. When I helped Bethany, Carolynn and Mike get elected in 2017, this was one of the main comments at all of the doors I knocked on.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? This is simple: I’d love to see our township meetings streamed and recorded for review, similar to what was done during the pandemic.

Alfred Midgley IV

Political party: Republican

Age: 46

Education: BS in engineering from Penn State with an MBA

Occupation: Sales director for local manufacturing company

If elected, what are two short-term goals? If elected to council, my near-term and ongoing commitment is to provide unwavering support of our law enforcement officers and vigorously oppose opting into any Allegheny County oversite committee. The second near-term challenge is fiscal policy. Spending structures will be evaluated and adjusted based on the strength of the community as whole, building in the ability to assist those that need a helping hand.

If elected, what is one long-term goal? Hampton is embarking on two multi-year major projects, a new wastewater plant and implementation of our Community Comprehensive Plan. My charge is to ensure execution of both are in the most viable, cost-conscious manner possible, balancing the needs of the community with being responsible to the taxpayer.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? This election cycle for Hampton is unique, that 4 of 5 township council seats are open. We are truly at a crossroads. Before even being elected my focus is to raise this awareness in the community and the importance of voting.

Daniel E. Sciulli

Political party: Republican

Age: 42

Education: MBA, Katz Graduate School of Business; BA, University of Pittsburgh

Occupation: Deposit pricing manager with First National Bank of Pennsylvania

If elected, what are two short-term goals? The short- and long-term goals are one and the same. Both a short- and long-term goal is to look for opportunities to increase fiscal efficiency within the township. It starts day one and never ends in my opinion.

Another short- and long-term goal is to work to improve the Route 8 corridor. The township has many manor intersections with state-owned Route 8. These major intersections need improvement for the safety of our residents and business owners and those passing through our community.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? Future correspondence will be made via multiple methods including print and digital. I am always available to the community and if elected will continue to be open and honest and address all requests and concerns, big or small.