2 challengers face 2 incumbents in Greensburg council primary
Share this post:
A pair of Republicans and Democrats are on the ballot Tuesday in a bid for Greensburg city council.
Incumbents Gregory Mertz and Donnie Zappone Jr., both Republicans, hope to keep their seats against challenges from newcomers Yukie King and Ceil Kessler, two Democrats who are backed by Voice of Westmoreland, a grassroots nonprofit organization that promotes racial, economic and educational equity.
“We all need to get a little bit more involved because all of this stuff affects every single one of us,” said King, 32, who is a student studying software development.
King, who identifies as nonbinary/transfeminine, said their priorities center around creating affordable wages and housing in the city. If elected, King hopes to incentivize businesses to ensure they are offering workers affordable wages that employees can survive on.
King added that investing in sectors like transportation and education will help shift population trends that have been largely shrinking in Greensburg and Westmoreland County. Investing in the community also will help to fight blight, they said.
“I think that there’s a lot that we could be investing in our community to grow it as opposed to what we’re currently doing, which is shrinking,” King said.
Both Kessler, 50, an analyst at Gateway Health Plan, and King called on city officials in response to the covid-19 pandemic. King noted they want to see the city host a vaccination clinic while Kessler wants to work with county leaders to enact a local health department. Right now, the county relies on the state’s health department.
“We really need to be placing pressure upward to get people in the county government to enact some kind of health department so that we can address covid long-term,” Kessler said.
Other priorities for Kessler include combating poverty seen across the city. According to census data, Greensburg has an almost 19% poverty rate compared Westmoreland County, which has a 10.5% poverty rate. For Kessler, those numbers “sort of underlines that we have a real problem,” she said.
“I think that this is an important time for Greensburg, and I think that if people start to get involved and start to really feel like they’re part of the community we can do some great things here,” Kessler said.
Zappone, 35, who is a businesses manager and mechanic, said his priorities are focused on making policy changes that are right for everybody while streamlining processes to help grow and develop businesses in the city. That has largely been his focus throughout his first term in office.
He added that he also hopes to help businesses impacted by the pandemic.
“I just want to make sure that we’re continuing trying to grow and develop downtown Greensburg,” Zappone said.
Mertz, a copywriter for nonprofits who is serving his first term in office, has also prioritized improving relationships with businesses and homeowners, part of which includes streamlining processes within the planning department. Things that could help with that, said Mertz, 36, are putting documents and applications online and updating city operations.
During his time in office, Mertz said he has had several accomplishments, including introducing technology that helps determine which roads need to be repaired based on the quality of the subsurface while also working with state and federal officials throughout the pandemic to provide aid for businesses.
“What makes Greensburg exceptional, it’s been a place where whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican or an independent, we’re all coming together to do what’s best in the City of Greensburg,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed being on city council and working with everyone from different perspectives and to actually make a difference.”