Mike Millett, who considers himself a "people person," believes his personality, ability to work with others and experience in rehabilitating criminals make him a good candidate for Northumberland County commissioner.
The 35-year-old director of Union County Day Reporting Center is in favor of constructing a new prison and pre-release center in Sunbury within the county's financial means. He doesn't agree with a proposal to build a new courthouse.
In his position at the center, Millett deals with an average of 35 low-level, non-violent offenders per day who are enrolled in various treatment programs with the goal of keeping them out of prison.
"The center is an alternative to incarceration," he said. "I'm in charge of the day-to-day operations, budgeting and other functions."
Offenders at the center are serving intermediate punishment that involves a program similar to work release, he said, and courses in parenting and anger management are among those offered.
Stance on prison
Millett, a Republican who studied business management and economics in college, helped establish the center more than four years ago and is confident a similar facility could be effective in Northumberland County, which already has drug, DUI and veterans treatment courts.
The Union County center is funded through grants and, because it saves money, gets local funds from the prison budget.
The candidate believes some people are put in jail who don't belong there. He said those individuals need treatment rather than being behind bars. "Seventy-five to 80 percent of the offenders we deal have committed drug or alcohol-related offenses," he said. "In order to reduce the prison population and lower recidivism, we must find alternatives to rehabilitate offenders. We give them an opportunity to change their lives in a positive way."
Millett would like to see a new county prison that could accommodate about 200 to 250 prisoners rather than a 400-bed facility. He also didn't rule out the possibility of building a jail at its current site on North Second Street in Sunbury that was ravaged by fire Jan. 14, prompting most of the male inmates to be transferred to SCI-Coal Township and female prisoners to be incarcerated at SCI-Muncy.
He said the former Knight Celotex plant in Sunbury, which has been proposed by Commissioner Chairman Vinny Clausi as an ideal site for a new prison, pre-release center and courthouse, is a viable alternative because of its existing infrastructure.
Millett said, "The prison should stay in Sunbury because it's the county seat and logistically makes sense. Housing inmates in other county jails or accepting state or federal prisoners in the county prison is a big gamble. I think turning a jail into a business is a bad idea. It's less expensive to provide alternatives."
Millett said in his four years operating the reporting center, the population at the 35-bed Union County Prison, which is the smallest county jail in the state, has decreased by 35 percent from 80 to 48. He said Union County inmates also are housed at jails in Snyder, Northumberland and Montour counties.
Regional 911
Although he did not disapprove of the federally mandated upgrades to the county's 911 center, the lifelong county resident said a regional 911 center should be explored. He noted some differences have occurred between officials in both counties over the years with Union County dispatching emergency services for the northern end of Northumberland County.
He said, "Whatever serves the needs of the constituents the best should be implemented," he said. "When it comes to 911 services, you are dealing with people's lives, which is the most important thing. I think we as a county are a little behind the curve and playing catch up when it comes to the 911 center. It's an issue I believe we need to study more."
Your vote counts
Millett said more residents need to vote and stop complaining about people who get elected to office if they don't do anything about it.
"Voting is very important in any county, but our voting turnout is pitiful," especially for municipal elections where the turnout is only 10 to 12 percent, he said.
He also believes commissioners must conduct themselves in a civil and professional manner instead of publicly constantly criticizing each other. "I am all for making the public aware of things through the media, but there are times things need to be discussed behind closed doors. The county needs to promote the positives instead of bickering over minor issues. I look at both sides of the spectrum on every issue and I respect others and their opinions even though I may not agree with them," he said.
Reassessment of property
Millett favors a countywide reassessment of properties even though he realizes it would generate a tax increase for most homeowners.
"I just think not reassessing properties since the early 1970s is wrong," he said. "Reassessment is the fairest way to do things. I believe the lack of reassessment discourages people from building new homes and deters people from moving into our county."
Millett said he would resign his current position if elected commissioner because he believes it is a full-time post. Although he thinks the reduction in commissioners' salaries was drastic, Millett said he would be willing to work under the reduced wages.
In December, Commissioners Vinny Clausi and Stephen Bridy adopted resolutions that reduces their salaries from $61,000 to $36,000, effective 2016, and eliminates health and welfare benefits for newly elected officials.
Millett is optimistic the county will be able to attract new businesses and industries in the future because of a good rail system and nearby highways.
He said bickering among the commissioners has deterred businesses from locating in the county. "We must make our county more attractive for business," he said.
The candidate, who serves on the board of education at Meadowbrook Christian School, favors granting tax breaks up to 10 years to industries seeking to locate in the county.
Millett said he doesn't have enough information available to say if the decisions by commissioners to shut down the transportation and weatherization departments and sell Mountain View Manor were appropriate, but is a firm believer in keeping as many services and programs in the county as possible while keeping government from intruding too much into people's lives.
Millett, an avid outdoorsman who loves sports, said he's running for commissioner because he loves his county and has ideas on how to make it better. He said, "This is a great county. I'm a very competitive person. I'm young enough to get the job done and old enough to know how to do it."