QUESTION: What are the reasons you are running for county commissioner?

THOMPSON: I've been a lifelong resident of Butler County, and indeed, the sixth generation of my family to live, work and pay taxes in Butler County, so that makes me a stakeholder. I care deeply about what's happening in the county, and I think one of the travesties that has occurred in the last three and a half years is the lack of decorum and good order in the commissioners office. I value all elected offices; I think its honorable to serve in public service. The main reason I am running is to restore good order and integrity to the office of county commissioner.

QUESTION: What services should the county provide its senior citizens? Should its 10 senior centers remain open or should some or all be closed or consolidated?

THOMPSON: I don't think we should close any of our senior centers.

We've heard reports that the county wants to attract younger seniors, in my age group actually: 61 to 75 years old. But I don't think that's a viable outreach, for this reason: most of the seniors in this early age group, 61 to 75, are still actively employed. They have grandchildren, they're going to hockey games, they're doing their own way of volunteering.

My wife and I have been visiting the various senior centers in the county over the past couple of months. The centers provide a very unique service for the age group that's there, usually 75, 80 and above. They provide the hot meal, they provide the ability to socialize and form friendships, so I don't think that these seniors want to be bused to any consolidation centers.

We had one lady who we were visiting down in Zelienople say, “Look Larry, there's five of us here on walkers. Do we want to get on a bus and go to the Clearview Mall or Cranberry?” I think that tells the story. So I don't favor closing the senior centers.

QUESTION: What is your view about the county budget? Should revenue increase to meet rising costs and should expenses be cut? Explain your specific proposals.

THOMPSON: Well I think that any time the county realizes additional revenue, it should be applied, in the most part as possible, toward reducing the county debt. I don't believe that we should increase revenue via increased taxation.

I think we should look at all segments of county operations and take a hard look at where we can save money. That's a basic approach that I favor. One area that I believe the county can begin to save money is, and this doesn't affect a lot of positions, we have several positions that are funded by grants from various sources.

The person or persons are hired, the grants, at times, run out or are reduced and the county then keeps these employees on as full-time employees. I think that what we should do in the county is, in positions where grants are used to fund the position, it should be made very clear to the potential employee and the department head at the time of hiring or interview that if this grant is ever reduced or eliminated, this position will be reduced or eliminated accordingly. These become legacy costs as well, with pension obligations down the road.

Even though it can be told that there is no expense to the county, this is totally covered by a grant, if that employee stays on for 20 years or so, they do become a legacy cost to the county, so the Butler County taxpayers pay for this position.

QUESTION: How much should the county commissioners and county residents be allowed to talk at commissioners meetings?

THOMPSON: From being a former Center Township supervisor, and school board member here in the Butler School District, we operate under a representative form of government where commissioners or township supervisors or school board members are elected to conduct the business of those who elect them, it's also an obligation of those who are in elected positions to provide time for the public to voice their concerns.

So I think that optimum time should be allowed, three to four minutes, and they should be able to speak on any subject they want to at that time and not be interrupted.

Though we are a representative form of government, the people should have the right to speak. So I think that the ideal way is to have a time to speak before business is conducted to address issues that they want to address and then have a time afterward to offer opinion on whatever they want to offer related to the agenda. So I think that maximum time, within reason, should be allowed for public input at the public meetings.

QUESTION: Explain what you think should be the role of the county commissioners in their oversight of county agencies such as the county housing and redevelopment authority, the county industrial authority, the tourism bureau and the planning commission?

THOMPSON: We first have to understand the basic construction of an authority. Basically, it is an entity unto itself. For instance, the county housing authority was created by the county, but the county has no real play in its day-to-day affairs, and vice versa, the county is not obligated by any financial crisis beset by that authority or any authority.

I think that any time an authority carries the county name, I think its incumbent on the county commissioners to monitor, as much as they can, what is going on with that authority.

For example, in the housing authority, you appoint the five members to the committee on the board to advise that authority. In the case of the tourism bureau, there is the hotel bed tax.

I think that if the county commissioners receive the tax and remand it to the tourism authority or any authority that operates on this construct that they should maintain an active vigilance, to make sure that the taxpayers' money is being duly watched and rightfully spent.

QUESTION: What role do you think the county commissioners should have in economic development in the county?

THOMPSON: I strongly support the concept of a unified economic plan that's now being pursued by the CDC in consortium with Dr. Nick Neupauer and BC3.

It is a unique construct to a county initiative to bring more business into the county. It forms the dynamic of a private-public partnership. We have forward-thinking individuals in the private sector coming together with individuals from government, which has its unique set of services such as planning service and infrastructure and development; the expertise.

I believe that the private sector should be the driving force here, but the public arm of the partnership should be strongly led by the county commissioners because its been shown where regions have their economic development plans in order, the state and federal appropriators respond accordingly.

Now, one candidate in the race does not favor this, and they had referred that this smacks of socialism. It does not, because in socialism, businesses remain privately owned but they are heavily regulated and taxed by the government. Under a unified plan of economic development, personally, I believe that business regardless of size, small, medium and large, I believe they should be free from all regressive taxation and regulation to allow them to grow.

A unified plan for economic development would allow this to happen because it would bring the forward-thinkers from the private sector and the public sector together to bring economic development to Butler County.

As a simple model shows, if you have expanded business, you have expanded jobs; in turn, you have an expanded tax base and in turn you have increased revenue for Butler County and the municipalities. So I strongly support the unified plan for economic development.

QUESTION: What role do you think the county commissioners should have in helping to coordinate with community services such as water and sewer authorities, emergency medical services and bus transportation?

THOMPSON: This I think ties in with the unified plan for economic development. While I don't believe the commissioners can have their hand in everything, they should reach out. They should remain vigilant about everything that's happening in the community.

Since November of last year, I have been visiting local boroughs and municipal meetings all over this county. What I'm hearing, time and time again, is that the commissioners do not have a face there. “You are the first candidate to come here to visit us in X number of years.”

So what I think is important is that it's incumbent upon the county commissioners to reach out to your local leaders and in the context of the question, by reaching out, I believe we will be able to be aware of what the needs are in the county as far as human services and transportation.

I think the county commissioners should be the driving forces in keeping all these things in order, finding out what's happening in their community. One thing I do advocate is, and you need two votes on the board to do anything, so I can't promise anything here, what I think we should do is one of the stated meetings every month should be held regionally and in the evening. So, your local elected leaders and the residents from the different sectors of the county will be able to interact with the county commissioners.

I understand that this has been tried in the past and it has been told to me that it wasn't pursued because Armstrong would not move around and would not televise the meetings; I don't think that's important. I think what is important was that the county commissioners make themselves available to the various regions in the county. This will facilitate communication.

In real estate, the moniker has always been “location, location, location.” In public service, “communication, communication, communication” is my moniker.

One of the issues that I have moved from the very day that I announced and have been the first candidate to advance this, is that we have a severe drug problem in this county.

Indeed, the headlines in the Butler Eagle have said that the drug problem here is deadly. I'm glad to see, now, that this is recognized. Being a lifelong resident in this county, I've know it's existed for years. I strongly support the county drug task force and as commissioner, will work very hard to make sure that they have all the boots on the ground that they need from the various police departments and law enforcement agencies throughout the county, and the money that they need to make sure these boots are on the ground.

Conversely, once again where strong leadership would be needed from the county commissioners, would be that we need a countywide education initiative where the main focus would be to decrease the demand for illegal drugs.

This would involve school districts primarily, parents would be involved. The schools have the young kids for four to six hours a day and then the parents and the churches and the other county agencies and interested groups. What we have to understand is this is a county problem, and we all have to come together.

Related Article: Republicans Seeking a County Seat