Editor's note: One in a series of interviews with the eight candidates for Northumberland County commissioner.
SHAMOKIN - George L. Zalar has served as a Coal Township commissioner for 15 years, and believes he can take some of the ideas he's had at the local level and implement them in more communities as a member of the Northumberland County Board of Commissioners.
One of the key ideas in his campaign is a refocused fight on blight, which he believes is the crux of problems in many county com-
munities.
Zalar said the Northumberland County Blight Task Force has already helped municipalities eliminate some blight, but he believes some tweaking can help ramp up its efforts.
"Why couldn't we form our own demolition squad for the county?" Zalar proposed.
He cited declining Community Development Block Grant funds as an obstacle for municipalities hoping to demolish buildings. Additionally, each municipality is managing its own small number of projects, creating more overhead. Forming a county-wide department to perform this task could decrease demolition costs, ultimately allowing the county to clean up more blighted properties.
"Blight is a fight for all of us," said Zalar.
He said blighted buildings marring many neighborhoods and downtowns in the county deter economic growth and attract crime; addressing it means, at the same time, the county is encouraging economic development.
He described municipalities as "little kingdoms" with their own complex issues, service systems and cultures, but said the county could relieve some of the financial pressure all are facing through programs that help with common problems.
Prison and privatizing
A Democrat, Zalar is married and the father of two. He's worked as a business agent for a local union for 28 years.
The 45-year-old said his job involves working alongside other people daily, coordinating work for job sites and solving problems. That and his long tenure with Coal Township provides him the experience he thinks would be necessary to collaborate with the other two county commissioners on projects.
He said his management style consists of sitting back and weighing the issues, and he prefers "getting to the root of the problem and working through it" over yelling.
While he and other candidates who aren't current commissioners don't have access to the details of ongoing issues, he is convinced on what to do about one of the county's most high-profile projects: the prison. While there is much debate about rehabilitating the old or building new, Zalar makes his stance clear: "Build it," he said.
He said he's not "100 percent" behind using the Moran or former Celotex property, but believes the prison should remain in the Sunbury area.
"I do think we need to leave our resources there," he said.
As for building a new courthouse, which has also been proposed for the same site as a new prison, he has a different approach.
"I think the courthouse is fine," Zalar said. "Leave it where it currently is now and do a restoration on it."
Instead of using funds to build a new courthouse, Zalar would prefer to build a prison large enough to accommodate federal prisoners in transit to generate revenue. These prisoners would stay in the Northumberland County Prison for a few weeks or months before being transported to their permanent places at federal penitentiaries. In exchange, the county would bill the federal prison system a daily fee.
Zalar said he's not overly eager to privatize county projects, but believes each department should be considered individually to weigh the benefits. He cited the move by Coal Township to pave its own roads as an example of how bringing a previously outsourced task back to township control allowed it to be performed more efficiently.
"We wouldn't be able to pave half of what we do if we didn't pave our own," he said.
He has reservations over the planned closure of the weatherization department and decision to transfer responsibilities to SEDA-COG. Though SEDA-COG has experience with weatherization in other counties, it lacks the connection that existed between the county department and local businesses.
"I've had a lot of concerns on what I've read," he said.
Taxing the AOAA
In his hometown area, Zalar and his fellow commissioners have battled with the Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA) Authority over a possible 5 percent amusement tax on park admissions. While the township board agreed to give the AOAA some time at startup to see what revenue it generated, the tax will be brought up again for consideration in January.
With more than 90 percent of the park's proceeds coming from non-county residents, Zalar said it's essential for the township to receive some revenue in exchange for the additional costs the park imposes on the township. He's supported the tax, noting he's never "turned around" from an event or park because the admission cost happened to include a tax.
He would also like to see certain areas of the park designated solely for non-motorized activities like hunting, and he believes the discounted rate for in-county residents should be further decreased.
"The charge is just too extreme," he said.
As for its effect on the local economy, he said, unfortunately, many visitors from the south and east come in on Route 125 through Gowen City and never venture further into Coal Township or Shamokin to make purchases.
Overall, he said he supports the AOAA for helping clean up and maintain the county land it occupies.
Workers' program
Zalar also has his eye on creating programs he believes will benefit the county, such as a workers program. It would partner with large firms - he named Walmart and Reinhart as possible examples - to connect unemployed residents with jobs, in some cases helping force able-bodied people to take jobs.
Though he thinks management of criminals who are pushed from one community to the next to avoid police crackdowns should be handled primarily by the district attorney, he believes something like the workers program could help curtail crime.
Will keep current job
If elected, Zalar said he plans to continue in his union position while still devoting time to the county.
"I have flexibility in my hours," he said about his current job.
He said the recent pay cut to commissioners did not affect him in this decision. He simply prefers to be busy.
"I never had plans on quitting my job," Zalar said, adding that he does not see a need to be at the administration building or courthouse every hour of the business week. "That's why you have personnel."
His desire to stay involved in public affairs drove him to enter both the county commissioner race and seek re-election on the township board. He can't hold both roles, he said, and will give up the township position if elected to the county. If he doesn't win the county seat, Zalar said he'll gladly continue on at the township because he enjoys public service.
"I like being involved," he said. "The county's not a given thing."
He also noted the limited number of people running for municipal seats nowadays.
His own campaign
Zalar first sought to advance beyond township politics with a run for the state House of Representatives when Bob Belfanti retired in 2010. He won the primary, but lost by a 2-1 margin to Kurt Masser in the general election. The campaign turned nasty late in the going when Democratic state campaigners launched a personal attack on Masser's past on Zalar's behalf. The move drew many criticisms, and some blamed it for Zalar's loss.
He said there were many factors, including nationwide Republican election success, but did acknowledge he "let Harrisburg get too involved" with the campaign.
This time around, he's running his own show, which he said offers him more control of his message. He prefers this, he said, because he has autonomy to make choices.
"I have people helping me," he said, "but the ultimate decision at the end of the day is mine."