Mt. Pleasant voters have choices for council nominees in Republican primary

Republican primary voters in Mt. Pleasant will choose between two candidates — Tim Bauer and Andy Davis — vying for a two-year term representing the 1st Ward on borough council.

Also on the May 16 GOP ballot, incumbent Linda L. Czekanski is competing with challengers James P. Rega II and Joe Bauer, who is Tim Bauer’s father, for two four-year council seats in the 2nd Ward.

Tim Bauer, 29, works as an HVAC service technician. He is a lieutenant with the town’s volunteer fire company.

“I want to give back to the community that raised me” while providing “a little bit younger blood on council,” he said of his decision to enter the primary race. “I want to see the town prosper and succeed.”

He said he would like to see some of the town’s neglected side streets receive fresh pavement.

He also wants to get to know the borough’s business owners while learning “what issues they would like to see addressed.

“We have a decent amount of businesses on Main Street, including pizza shops. I’d like to see what benefits we can offer to entice other businesses here, not just restaurants.”

Davis, 32, is a country rock artist who is self-employed with pressure washing and fishing guide ventures.

Noting that his father once served on the local school board, Davis said, “It’s time that young people step up and play a part in the community. I want people who have an issue to be heard.”

Davis cited flooding issues that need to be addressed in various neighborhoods. He said the town’s storm drains are aging and not up to handling increasing rain events.

Without a dedicated ordinance enforcement officer, he said, property maintenance problems are getting overlooked.

Davis would like to see new businesses move into town, but he said borough regulations limit the ability to create new parking facilities to support such development. “There are vacant spots that could become parking lots,” he said.

Czekanski, 65, manages the billing department for CVS Caremark Specialty Pharmacy.

She’s seeking election to a full term on council after being appointed in January 2022 to fill a vacancy. The vacancy occurred when council member Diane Bailey was appointed to succeed longtime Mayor Jerry Lucia, who died soon after winning election to a 10th term.

Among areas in the borough that need attention is Frick Park, according to Czekanski. She said some of the park’s lights aren’t working and engineers are studying a fix for a hillside where railroad ties put in place years ago are deteriorating.

“It’s a beautiful park and a focal point,” she said. “I take my grandson up there. I want it to be a safe place.”

She chairs council’s human resources committee and serves on a committee for the town’s Veterans Park, along with Patience Barnes and Kenneth Phillabaum. Czekanski also is president of the town’s VFW auxiliary.

“I’m very passionate about the veterans,” she said. “I want to make sure they’re being noticed and taken care of.”

Joe Bauer, 62, is in charge of maintenance at two local Catholic churches, a function he previously performed at area nursing facilities.

He served a previous stint on council, including a turn as president, through 2015. He said he’s seeking to return to the borough governing body after fellow residents encouraged him to enter the primary race.

“I’d like to see the town stay vibrant,” he said, citing concern about some vacancies in the borough’s business district. “There are some businesses that are leaving and some open storefronts.

“I have the time. I can make calls during the day to reach out to try to pull some businesses in.”

He said events like the annual Mt. Pleasant Glass & Ethnic Festival add to the town’s appeal. “We have good things in place,” he said. “We just have to work to keep them in place.”

He suggested the borough consider applying for funding from government programs to support local tourism.

Rega, 47, is a licensed private investigator for Rega Investigative Group and is a municipal police instructor at the Westmoreland County Community College Police Academy.

He said he wants to serve on council to help keep Mt. Pleasant an attractive place to live and run a business.

Rega said the borough faces a challenge of meeting increasing costs for providing services while drawing local revenue from a limited tax base.

He said, “I hope to forge partnerships with businesses and property owners, to find creative solutions to center on public safety, attracting new businesses and home ownership and help lessen the need for future tax increases.”

Unopposed in primary

Additional incumbent council members are running for new four-year terms without primary opponents: Democrats Barnes and Phillabaum, in the 2nd and 3rd wards, respectively; Republican Cindy Wojnar, in the 1st Ward.

Barnes, 70, is a retired accountant and contract administrator who is seeking her third term on council.

She’s hopeful that Mt. Pleasant businesses will continue to rebound from the pandemic.

“It was really tough on some of the business owners,” she said. “Most of them that I know have gotten back on their feet.”

Barnes said she’s anxious to see improvements completed at Frick Park and Veterans Park.

At the latter park, she said, the borough needs to repair lights that shine on a memorial wall displaying the names of more than 1,500 local veterans. A digital wall that allows visitors to search the names hasn’t been functioning well.

The digital device, she said, is “down all the time. We’re trying to make it so it will be up more than it’s down.”

The town also has been working on a gazebo that will have new stained-glass windows.

“We’re working on getting an artist to put scenes on the back of the veterans memorial wall,” Barnes said.

Phillabaum, 40, is an asset protection investigator who was appointed to council in May 2018 and was elected to a four-year term the following year. He said he’s looking to move forward with projects he helped to start, including proposed development of a dog park at the borough’s Willow Park.

He’s also involved in a study exploring the possibility of merging Mt. Pleasant’s police department into a regional force in partnership with nearby communities such as Scottdale.

“The biggest issue is working on keeping taxes down, especially with inflation,” Phillabaum said. “During my years on council, we have yet to raise taxes. We do the best we can.”

Wojnar, 43, works as an administrative assistant in the Westmoreland County courthouse. She was appointed to council in October, replacing her husband, Jim, who took a job that didn’t allow him to devote time to borough duties.

She said she wants to continue working with other council members on projects such as the park improvements.

She’s also excited about the potential for a dog park. “That’s a great place for people to get together,” she said.

Wojnar said there is a healthy business presence on Mt. Pleasant’s Main Street, but she would like to see more motorists taking the time to explore the town.

“When people drive through Mt. Pleasant, I’d like them to see how beautiful our Main Street is and stop and eat at our restaurants,” she said. “We want to be a destination.”