Republicans compete for seats on Mercersburg Borough Council in May primary election

Correction: Joseph Burkot was listed as a Democrat, but is a Republican. The elections office incorrectly put him on the ballot as a Democrat even though he filed as Republican.  

In the primary election on May 18, six candidates will compete for five open seats on Mercersburg's Borough Council.

Tim Stanton, a Republican, is the only candidate running for a two-year seat. His name will also appear on the Republican ballot with candidates Paul Sipes, Anthony Miller, Donald E. Stoner and Raymond Minton for the four open four-year seats. 

Joseph Burkot is the only Democratic candidate running for a four-year seat.

Voters will be able to make their choices for local representation at polling places on May 18. To help readers learn more about them, we asked all candidates the same three questions. Here are the answers they submitted, with light editing for clarity.

Tim Stanton

Age: 64

Political Party: Republican

Occupation: Director of Finance

Why did you feel compelled to run for this position? 

I have lived in the Borough of Mercersburg with my wife Karen for over 35 years, we have raised three children Joni, Rachel, and John. After living in the Borough for over 35 years, I would like to give back to Mercersburg in the form of sharing my knowledge of government accounting and financial management experience.

My agenda is simply to improve the lives of residents that live within the Borough of Mercersburg. To do this I will be a public servant, listen to the residents, build trust, and act in accordance with the will of the residents.

What qualifications would you bring to this role? 

I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Clarion University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Business Administration and have 35 years of accounting and financial experience and 15 years of government financial management experience with some of my previous work experience being Director of Finance of a political subdivision for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; Director of Management and Financial Services of Jefferson County; Business Manager of Fulton County; Vice President of Finance and Administration at Wilson College; and Retail Bank Manager of Financial Accounting at Mellon Bank. 

With the above experience, I have developed the financial acumen, analytical ability, and financial insight to interpret financial challenges and identify the appropriate corrective action. People that I work with know I am professional, trustworthy, and extremely ethical when administering public funds. I believe that I have the experience that matters for Borough Council.

What are the top three issues you want to address in your community?

I want to focus on Transparency, Communication, and Protecting the Future of our Residents.

1. Transparency – Without transparency, there is no trust. All governmental agencies and municipalities must be transparent in everything they do or the residents will not have trust in them. You can’t be an effective elected official if you are not transparent, as you are responsible to provide as much information to the public as possible so it gives the public the opportunity to think about decisions that the elected officials are thinking about making so the public can provide feedback. Secrecy creates an environment where there is a lack of accountability and abuse of power.
2. Communication – A municipality must be open and timely in its communications. Good communication can be achieved with a well-maintained website, a functional one-call system, and clear and concise communications during Borough Council meetings.
3. Protecting the Future of our Residents – The Borough of Mercersburg is one the most expensive locations to live in Franklin County when considering overall tax rates. Mercersburg therefore should be the best in quality of life, recreation, public safety, and public infrastructure. Correct decisions need to be made on council to make sure this happens.

Paul Sipes

Age: 64

Political Party: Republican

Occupation: Associate Athletic Director, Mercersburg Academy

Why did you feel compelled to run for this position? 

I didn't feel compelled to run for Borough Council in Mercersburg.  I was asked by some people if I would consider running and honestly was quite honored to be asked. Public office is a challenging thing in our town. We are volunteers. It is the smallest municipality in Franklin County and there are lots of misunderstandings about what we do and do not control as well as how many businesses are actually in our Borough and pay taxes. Our small tax base presents other challenges, like funding our police force which costs our residents more than 3 times what any other municipality pays for police services. I am trying to find ways to support our town and our very real issues related to its size.

What qualifications would you bring to this role? 

I am not uniquely qualified to be on Borough Council, but I have a background in Urban Planning and have witnessed two revitalization efforts in places I have lived previously that were both wildly successful. I would like to energize our town to follow suit and do this through my participation in local government, as well as the Mercersburg Vibrancy Steering Committee which is a regional group of citizens from the Borough and surrounding constituencies, promoting a regional approach to planning efforts.

What are the top three issues you want to address in your community?

1. Economic Growth - Mercersburg, in terms of what is in the borders of the borough, has very few businesses. Those that we do have are smaller with the exception of the 2 largest, D.L. Martin and APX. I want to support those businesses and attract others to expand our tax base and to support our local economy through increased demand for property rentals, increased foot traffic in our shops and restaurants and more incentive for small businesses to open and provide goods and services in-town instead of 20-30 minutes away.
2. Beautification Efforts and Infrastructure - Mercersburg is a great town, on the edge of a recreation paradise. We are a hub for outdoorsmen and their pursuits, as well as a great stop for golf and skiing, as well as cyclists and motorcyclists. The more we look like a tourist town, the more we will become a destination for people looking for a great weekend getaway.
3. Efficiency of Government - We need to tighten up, revisit and enforce our local ordinances. We currently have a number that either are ignored and/or outdated.

Anthony Miller

Age: 35

Political Party: Republican

Occupation: Restaurant

Why did you feel compelled to run for this position? 

My patriotism, passion for politics, and belief in the Constitution of the United States compelled me to run. After the handling of the 2020 presidential election and the country's blatant caving to cancel/woke culture, I am motivated to make sure the people of Mercersburg have common sense representation on the Borough Council. 

What qualifications would you bring to this role? 

I have worked in several management positions involving budgets, planning, strategic decision making, organizing schedules, and working with diverse groups of people to effectively get things done.

What are the top three issues you want to address in your community?

My main focus is to find a way to keep an open line of communication between myself and the people in the Borough. Additionally, I will work with the community and other council members to identify economic development opportunities, enhance borough services and safety, always with fiscal responsibility in mind. I want the people in the Borough to know they are my priority. I am working for THEM.

Donald "Dusty" E. Stoner

Age: 58

Political Party: Republican

Occupation: Paramedic shift supervisor/coordinator Penn State Health Life Lion LLC., Chambersburg Division

Why did you feel compelled to run for this position? 

I have served several years on the Mercersburg Borough Council, the last two as Council President. I feel that it is important to serve the community that you live in. Having served on Council, I feel that we have done a lot of important things and can continue to improve the quality of life for our citizens. Representation of the taxpayers is an important responsibility and I feel I can continue to represent our citizens in a financially fiscal manner.

What qualifications would you bring to this role? 

Currently serving as a Council member, I bring the experience of how local government operates and what it can do for the community. I have served in various leadership roles that required me to well versed in management, budgeting, employee relations and the operation of a successful business. I have also attended training in the operations of local government. My career has allowed me to work with many different government agencies including local, county, state and federal.

What are the top three issues you want to address in your community?

1. Maintaining a financially fiscal Council that provides services to the community without a constant increase in taxes.
2. Improve our streets and traffic areas to make them safe for drivers and pedestrians.
3. Work with local organizations to provide services that will benefit the residents of the Borough. Interagency operability will continue to make Mercersburg a community where people will want to live and raise a family. 

Joseph Burkot

Age: 56

Political Party: Republican

Occupation: Retired

Why did you feel compelled to run for this position? 

I retired in October of last year after 34 years as a Federal employee, I still felt the desire to serve my community. It would give me the opportunity to apply the experience and skills I have learned over the decades of public service for the betterment of my community.

What qualifications would you bring to this role? 

I hold a BS in Business Administration with a major in Accounting from Bloomsburg Universtity, a second BS in Computer and Information Science from University of Maryland University College (UMUC) and an MS degree in Computer and Information Science from UMUC. I spent my entire career as a public servant. 12 years at the Department of Defense as a Contract Auditor where I audited Multi-million dollar companies to ensure all costs charged were allowable and accurate. I also worked as part of a team in the Department of Commerce for 7 years, instituting a new Accounting and Financial Management system across all bureaus which enhanced the Department's financial stewardship of taxpayer funds. Finally, for the last 15 years, I worked as an Operations and Project Manager for the United States Coast Guard (USCG) IT Enterprise Systems such as Search and Rescue Operations and Maritime Security. All of which entailed working with a limited budget and ensuring the taxpayers received the best value for the buck while meeting the Operational needs of the USCG.

What are the top three issues you want to address in your community?

1. Hold the line on taxes - The Covid pandemic has been financially stressful for many of the borough residents. Now is not the time to be raising taxes on residents as they are trying to dig out of the financial hole that Covid created.  If elected, I pledge to vote against any taxes increases during my term.
2. Transparency - Council owes it to the public to be completely transparent on their intent to expend funds. Recently, Council considered moving the borough offices out of the historic district to the old Orrstown bank which would have cost 100's of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money. While a new borough building might be nice for the 3 borough employees, it is not at the forefront of what the taxpayers desire based on my many discussions with residents. While having  public council meetings and posting the minutes on the borough website meets the the letter of the law, I believe it is the responsibility of elected officials to go the extra distance to ensure that the public is fully informed . All residents need to have the ability to express their concerns and ensure that their voices will be heard and respected in a public forum. This is the responsibility of Council. If elected, I pledge to be transparent with all potential expenditure of taxpayer funds.
3. Best Value for the Taxpayers - When expending taxpayer funds, elected officials should treat that money as their own and constantly evaluate what is the best value or best bang for the buck for the limited funding resources that are available.  The council recently was approached by members of the community about updating the borough website to bring it into the 21st century. This community group did research and background information on companies offering solutions and provided pricing. Afterward the borough posted the solicitation for bid and awarded it to the incumbent at 10x the cost.  The group that spent significant effort researching this was not informed until after the fact nor was the large company that provided the services aware that the solicitation for bid was released. While the process of the solicitation and bidding met the letter of the law it was hardly the best value for the taxpayers.  If elected, pledge to ensure the taxpaying residents get the best value when expending taxpayer funds.

Candidate Raymond Minton did not return multiple requests from the Public Opinion for comment.

Carley Bonk is a Watchdog Reporter for the USA Today Network - Pennsylvania. Her coverage spans across the southcentral region of Pennsylvania. She can be reached at cbonk@publicopinionnews.com or on Twitter at @carls_marie.