5 Republican contenders featured in race for 2 Ligonier Township supervisor's seats

Republican voters in Ligonier Township will have five candidates to consider Tuesday as they select their party’s nominees for two seats on the five-member board of supervisors.

The need for expanded public sewage service in the township, the future of the former Ligonier Beach property and township officials’ partial oversight of the Ligonier Valley Police Department are among topics being discussed by multiple candidates.

Incumbent Erik B. Ross, who won a four-year term in 2021, is seeking reelection for a full six years.

A second supervisor’s seat is being filled through the end of the year by appointee John Fraser, following the recent resignation of D. Scott Matson.

Other GOP candidates for supervisor include: Paul Knupp, who previously served eight years as a supervisor; Chris Hefner, a member of the township planning commission; Robert Barron, who serves on the township recreation board; and Wade Stoner, a former recreation board member.

No Democrats filed to run for supervisor.

Ross said he originally ran for supervisor because he wanted to increase efficiency in township operations. He said he’s partially realized that goal through changes in the township office staff.

As one of the township representatives on the Laurel Valley Police Department’s supervisory commission — which also includes members from neighboring Ligonier Borough — he said he’d like to see changes in police force operations.

“I’m just looking to continue what I started,” Ross said, citing other township achievements — including road improvements, keeping taxes under control and investing funds in high-yield CDs.

Ross said the police force has the right number of officers, but he wants to look into “maximizing those officers’ duties.”

Stoner said he was motivated to run for a supervisor seat when he came to view the board of supervisors as dysfunctional, citing numerous split votes.

“I would like to see us get more professional in the way we run the township,” he said.

Hefner suggested the supervisors should “allow the professionals to do their job without micromanaging it.”

Knupp said he decided to step away from the role of supervisor more than three years ago as he underwent a medical procedure and wanted to devote more time to his family and to his service with the fire department in Waterford. He said others since suggested he run again for supervisor, and he decided his experience could be of value to the township.

“I was starting to attend a lot of the (supervisor) meetings, and I could feel the tension,” he said.

Barron was a resident and a council member in Ligonier Borough, chairing the council’s public works committee, before he moved to the township. He said his experience in borough government would serve him well as a township supervisor.

“It’s not as easy as a ‘yes’ or ‘no,’” he said of decisions that came before the council. “There are a lot of moving parts to getting a process started or done.”

If he is elected, Barron said, he would work to keep the township budget stable and avoid tax increases while improving support of local emergency services.

Barron, who is a 16-year member of the borough-based Ligonier Volunteer Hose Co. No. 1, and Knupp both said more support is needed for the three fire departments in the township.

“I’d like to create something that would entice more people to volunteer with the fire companies,” Barron said.

Attracting young people to the township is one of the biggest challenges for the supervisors, Ross said. He said expanding sewage infrastructure, including to the commercially zoned area of Waterford, could be key.

Despite regulatory roadblocks, he said he’d like the township to construct its own new sewage treatment facility rather than turning to the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County.

“We’re continuing to fight,” he said.

Hefner, Stoner and Knupp also list expansion of sewage service as a top priority for the township.

“A lot of people are sitting on property they can’t do anything with other than paying taxes and waiting for city sewerage,” Knupp said.

Knupp suggested bringing broadband internet service to unserved areas would be a good way to attract and retain younger residents. He also would like to see the township do more to control stormwater runoff.

Hefner said keeping the township’s budget balanced will be an increasing challenge now that federal pandemic recovery funding has come to an end.

“I want to understand the (township) cash flow and try to get back to basics,” he said.

To help generate more revenue, he suggested exploring a possible municipal services fee that might be assessed on properties that are held by nonprofits and aren’t subject to township taxes. There could be a reduced rate for places such as a house of worship, he said.

A consultant and a local study committee are considering possible uses of the Ligonier Beach site the township purchased in 2019.

“I think it’s important we get as much out of that property as possible,” Stoner said. “If we can do something there that can generate income directly or indirectly — something that will generate interest for people coming to Ligonier for recreation and tourism.”

Hefner said, “Whatever use the township comes up with, it has to be self-sustaining, and it has to be for a good public use.”

Barron envisions it as “a place where people can enjoy nature,” with amenities such as a trail and access points for fishing on the adjoining Loyalhanna Creek.

Knupp said he’d like to see a fishing pier there.

Ross said a walking trail might be a possibility for the site but noted he’s awaiting the results of the study.

Stoner and Hefner both questioned Ross’s selection to serve on the police commission since Ross has sued the Ligonier Valley department and three of its officers in a case pending in Westmoreland County Court.

“It just seems irrational,” Hefner said. “Whether or not it’s a conflict of interest, it makes no sense.”

Ross told TribLive he was advised by his attorney that, to avoid a conflict of interest as a police commission member, he need only refrain from voting on or taking part in discussion of any matters related to his lawsuit.

Other attorneys have indicated Ross also should abstain from voting on other matters involving the three officers named in the suit, such as potential pay raises.

In the suit, Ross is seeking unspecified damages and coverage of his legal fees, claiming the police misused the criminal justice system in an effort to discredit his actions and tarnish his reputation.

Following an investigation by Westmoreland County detectives, Ross was cited with a summary harassment offense. In October 2023, during Fort Ligonier Days, Ross is alleged to have had a run-in with three Ligonier Valley police officers as they rode along Main Street in an all-terrain vehicle.

The officers contended there was a physical and verbal altercation, but the charge was dismissed when Ross appealed to the county court.