MERCER COUNTY Independent joins commissioner race

The appearance of an independent candidate gives voters an additional choice.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
MERCER, Pa. -- Mercer County voters traditionally have two Republicans and two Democrats to choose from when they elect three county commissioners every four years.
That's what it looked like again this year until an independent candidate threw his hat into the ring in August, adding a fifth name to the ballot.
Businessman Daniel J. Berent, who said he's always been an independent, decided to get into the race because he thinks politics and political parties have become a team game. It should be about solving problems, he said.
He thinks his vision and entrepreneurial drive are what the county needs.
And earlier this month, he vowed that if elected, he'll forgo his pay in 2004 unless work resumes on a the Oakland Avenue Viaduct in Sharon and the county cuts $250,000 in spending.
The $250,000 is the amount needed to avoid a tax increase and still be able to fund the county's Sites 1000 Economic Development and Infrastructure Plan, he said.
Berent proposed that his salary be placed in a special county fund to promote economic development at the county level. The job pays $51,479 a year.
One term
Contending that politicians' personal commitments are usually limited to their own re-election concerns or aspirations for higher office, he said, "Since I am committed to serve only one term, I will have no such personal concerns."
Berent is founder and majority owner of Regenex Corp., a plastic recycling and manufacturing company in West Middlesex.
He's not the only political novice in the race.
Brian Beader, a labor business agent who has never sought political office before, won one of the two Democratic nominations in the May primary and is teamed up with three-term incumbent Olivia Lazor on that ticket.
Republicans
On the Republican side, former Jamestown Councilwoman Michele Brooks and Grove City Councilman George Pokrant are the party nominees.
Berent says Mercer County has been held back by rampant partisanship and turf battles as well as a lack of creativity from elected officials. Visionaries and problem-solvers are what is needed, he said.
Taxes and the lack of a creative economic development strategy are key issues, Berent said, adding that he would oppose any tax increases.
As an independent businessman, he said he has experience in ensuring that value is received from all expenditures.
Lazor said she wants to serve as a mentor to two new county commissioners. New leadership is guaranteed because the two incumbent Republicans chose not to seek re-election, she said.
"The only question is whether new leadership will have the benefit of experience," Lazor said, pointing out that she is the only candidate with county government experience.
That experience has helped the county gain millions of dollars in state and federal grants to keep services up and taxes down, she said.
Major issues are improving infrastructure to spur economic development, supporting state property tax reform and providing vital services, she said.
Thinking ahead
Beader said a lack of interest in the political process on the part of the younger generation sparked his interest in the county position. Now is the time to get involved to help facilitate the needs of the people for the future, he said.
His experience in construction can be put to good use at the county level as work continues on a major restoration of the courthouse and work is just beginning on the construction of a new county jail, one of the largest construction projects the county has ever had, Beader said.
He has served on county planning and development agencies and said he is familiar with the challenges facing local communities.
Brooks said the good, hard-working people of Mercer County need good, hard-working public servants.
She believes her 10 years of public service and leadership can be used at the county level, pointing out that she helped oversee a multimillion-dollar water project in Jamestown and worked on securing a $2.2 million grant that funded borough infrastructure, sewer and other improvements.
Brooks said people are concerned primarilywith jobs and taxes, and providing those jobs and controlling taxes will require an open line of communication among county, state and local employers as well as the collaborative efforts of municipal, business and education leaders.
She said she is committed to keeping county property taxes low and that will require creative problem-solving and the search for alternative funding sources.
Economic development
Pokrant said his focus is on economic development that can provide a better future for Mercer County.
He said he has the experience as a manager and leader in a multimillion-dollar company as well as the government experience needed to serve as an effective county commissioner.
The area needs someone to focus on economic growth, and "I will do that," Pokrant vowed. The county must aggressively market the region, assist in infrastructure development and make use of economic development programs, he said.
The county must also do everything it can to avoid property tax increases in the future, he said, suggesting that tax levels are a major issue with county residents.