BUTLER TWP — The five candidates for Butler County commissioner discussed several topics including tourism, transportation and growth Thursday at Butler County Community College.

The candidates — Republicans Leslie Osche of Butler Township and Kim Geyer of Adams Township, Democrats Jerry Johnston of Butler Township and Kevin Boozel of Mercer Township, and the Green Party’s Michael Bagdes-Canning of Cherry Valley — are vying for three seats on the board of commissioners in the Nov. 3 election.

An initial report of the debate was published in Friday’s Butler Eagle. Here are other issues the candidates discussed.

[naviga:h3]Tourism

When asked about supporting the county’s tourism industry, Geyer said the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau has been advocating for the county’s bed tax mainly on hotel rooms — currently 3 percent — to be increased. She said that state legislators last year created an initial list of counties that would be allowed to increase the tax.

“Butler County was not included in that,” Geyer said.

In 2014, she and the bureau advocated with the legislators to get the county on that list, an effort she said was successful. If the tax is increased at some point, she said it would bring in millions of dollars.

Johnston said the tourism bureau is willing to help with any aspect of county government, saying executive director Jack Cohen has done a good job.

Osche said that tourism can be the face of the county, and that a lot of tourism serves a number of county businesses. She said she would work to make sure that the tourism program continues.

Bagdes-Canning said the role of commissioners partially is to sell the county statewide and nationwide, and one of the ways to do that is to promote the county’s clean air and water — and to keep the air and water clean.

Boozel said he cannot find a downside to tourism, and said he supports the bed tax.

“That money stays here for you,” Boozel said.

[naviga:h3]Transportation[/naviga:h3]

Asked about the importance of having transportation from the county to downtown Pittsburgh, Osche said 45,000 people commute into Butler County for work and 45,000 commute out of the county for work, so she said transportation is a big issue.

However, she said that proposals for more bus service to Pittsburgh are challenging because of the expense and the question of who would pay for it.

She said multiple suggestions have looked at such ideas as organized carpooling. She said she would invite the private sector to discuss ways to pay for transportation.

She also would get the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission involved.

Bagdes-Canning said there are lots of jobs in Cranberry Township, but people who live in Butler or the northern part of the county have a hard time getting there. However, he said that people in Pittsburgh and in New Castle are able to hop on a bus and get to Cranberry Township.

“It’s because we haven’t invested in mass transit, and we need to,” Bagdes-Canning said.

Boozel said transportation is needed, but said funding is a problem. He said no private investor is going to go on his own and fund mass transportation, saying that the government needs to make the initial investment to start it up and then see what private companies want to get involved.

Geyer said that some private companies already offer service to Pittsburgh, and noted the park and ride lot on Route 528 recently expanded.

She said she has been appointed to the newly formed Regional Transportation Alliance of Southwestern Pennsylvania, which will work to develop new ideas for transportation in the region.

Johnston said that the idea of the privatization of mass transportation came up a few years ago, but he emphasized Boozel’s point about private companies not wanting to make initial investments. He said private-public partnerships are one way to develop transportation.

“Privatization is not one of the ways its going to go,” Johnston said.

[naviga:h3]Growth, northern region[/naviga:h3]

Asked about countywide planning and getting more services to the northern area of the county, Bagdes-Canning said that as a member of the Cherry Valley Borough Council in northern Butler County, he cannot remember anyone from county government coming there to ask how they think they can grow.

He said he would like to see transportation extended to the northern tier.

He also said he wants to see the county stop helping big corporations but aid local businesses.

Boozel said there is a discrepancy between the north and the south, with the south growing fast and the north lagging behind.

He relayed a story of a northern municipality telling residents that roads there would not be plowed on Sundays. He noted that a lot of small townships and boroughs in the north have no full-time employees. He said northern tier residents are resourceful, but the county needs to help them.

Geyer said the county should work with all of the municipalities to promote growth, which would give the county a greater chance at getting more state funding if they pool their efforts together.

Johnston noted that there is not much industry up north.

“It’s a rural area,” Johnston said.

But he said the county needs to work with those municipalities to assist with growth.

Osche said the county is diverse, and said many people choose to live in the north because of its rural nature and farmland.

“We have to respect that not everyone wants to be Cranberry,” Osche said.

In the north, she said many landowners are taking advantage of gas leases to increase their income. Also she noted that Slippery Rock University is in that area of the county.

“We have to build on these assets and acknowledge that,” Osche said.