Candidates for Towanda's Second Ward council seats address state their views

Two seats to be filled

TOWANDA - On Tuesday, voters will decide who will fill two seats on the Towanda Borough Council that represent the Second Ward.

In the running for these Second Ward seats are Second Street resident Rex Klinger and incumbents Richard B. Lewis and William Kovalcin Jr.

Klinger and Kovalcin have won the Republican nominations for these seats, while Lewis and Klinger have won the Democratic nominations for these positions.

The Review asked the candidates four questions, and highlights from their answers are printed below.

1. What do you think of the condition of the borough's roads? Is the borough doing enough to maintain the roads?

Klinger: "Some of the roads are starting to get pretty rough," said Klinger, who is an operations utility worker for Penelec who in the past had managed a local gas station for 16 years. "You've got to keep in mind that some of the streets are state routes, which the state takes care of ... I think they (the borough) are doing enough to keep up the condition of the roads."

Kovalcin: "We definitely do maintain the roads so they are safe," said Kovalcin. "We try to fill potholes as soon as it practical." The borough makes a decision each year whether to pave any streets, based on whether there are funds available in the budget, he said.

Lewis: Some of the roads in the borough are state routes that are owned by the state, Lewis said. "Poplar Street is in very bad shape, but it belongs to the state," said Lewis, who is a longtime member of the council. "We're trying to do the best we can, with the least amount of money without further increasing the burden on taxpayers," Lewis said.

2. What should the borough do with the gas lease money it has received?

Klinger: "I think they need to make energy efficiency improvements" of borough buildings, which will reduce the borough's utilities and other expenses. "Royalties should be used for property tax relief," Klinger said.

Kovalcin: The borough should use it to save the taxpayers money, such as by undertaking energy-conservation measures at the Towanda Municipal Building at 724 Main St., Kovalcin said. Those measures would include replacing a furnace and installing heat-conserving windows, said Kovalcin, who is completing his second four-year term on the council.

The borough could also use the money to purchase other equipment that might be needed in the future - such as police cars - instead of paying for it with tax money, said Kovalcin, who is a bus driver for the Endless Mountains Transportation Authority. "We'd like to save the taxpayers a lot of money once royalty payments come in," he said.

Lewis: The money could be used to replace old water and sewer pipes that will need attention in the future. Some of the money could be set aside in a rainy day fund, said Lewis, who is a retired public school teacher.

3. Should the borough do more to attract businesses to the downtown? If so, how?

Klinger: The borough council is looking at passing an ordinance that would make it easier for businesses to place signs in their store windows, Klinger said. That and other measures - such as keeping taxes in check - would make the downtown a friendlier environment for businesses, Klinger said.

Kovalcin: "We have new businesses downtown, and the borough should do everything it can to promote new businesses," Kovalcin said.

The borough should also hire a Main Street manager, as long as borough tax dollars are not spent on the manager's salary and benefits, Kovalcin said. "We're looking into (acquiring) a state-funded grant that would pay for the Main Street manager," explained Kovalcin. The Main Street manager would promote the existing downtown businesses and would actively recruit new businesses for the downtown, he said. The borough's new Web site could also be used to inform people about the borough who might be interested in locating a business there, Kovalcin said.

Lewis: The Marcellus Shale gas industry has the potential to revitalize the downtown, said Lewis, who noted that Fairchild's Hardware is expanding its inventory. However, hiring a Main Street manager would be an important, needed step in making this revitalization happen, Lewis said.

A Main Street manager would "come up with innovative ideas on how to grow the community" and would work to attract small businesses to the downtown, Lewis said.

"I think there was state grant money" to hire a Main Street manager, said Lewis, who added that he didn't know if that money would still be available at this time, due to the state budget cuts.

If it's affordable, the borough should even look into paying for the Main Street manager itself, Lewis said. "If we could grow the community, that means more taxes. And if we had more taxes, this person (the Main Street manager) could actually pay for himself. If the person didn't pay for himself, it would be a short-term job."

Lewis also said the borough should take steps to redevelop the area in the 400 block where the fire had occurred several years ago. The redevelopment would include stores, a parking facility and community housing, he said.

4. The borough raised its property tax a total of 32 percent over the last two years. Is there anything the borough can do to bring the tax rate down?

Klinger: "I think they need to look at every expenditure" to control costs, said Klinger, who is a registered Republican. The council needs to take more actions such as its recent move to re-bid insurance rates, Klinger said. "People can't afford (borough) taxes. People on fixed salaries can't afford them," Klinger said.

Gas lease royalties could be used to "offset the need for tax increases," Klinger said.

Kovalcin: "The reason we voted for a tax increase the first year (the 27 percent increase for 2008) was because our medical insurance and fuel costs went out the roof," said Kovalcin, a registered Republican. "Before that, we had not raised (the property tax) for many years. The second one (the 5 percent tax increase for 2009) I didn't vote for. I didn't think it was necessary. I felt we could have tightened our belts a little."

If the borough receives royalties, the borough might be able to have a tax decrease, Kovalcin said.

Lewis: "No. We held taxes for seven years without raising them," said Lewis, registered Republican who won a spot on the Nov. 3 ballot by garnering write-in votes from registered Democrats. "Then all of a sudden (the borough was facing large costs) because of fuel and other expenses. We should have raised taxes gradually."