Blight, redevelopment major issues for Tarentum Council candidates

Tarentum voters will fill five seats on the seven- member borough council this year.

Voters across the borough will have a choice to make for one at-large representative, between Democrat Carrie Fox and Republican Tiffany Babinsack.

There’s also a choice in the 1st Ward, between incumbent Democrat Erika Josefoski and Republican challenger Thomas Grates Jr.

For the other seats, incumbent Democrat Scott Dadowski is running unopposed for reelection in the 2nd Ward; Fox is unopposed and on both party ballots for the seat she now holds representing the 3rd Ward.

Those four seats all carry four-year terms. One two-year seat is up for election in the 3rd Ward, for which Democrat Jim Bonner is the only candidate on the ballot.

Bonner and Babinsack were among five who applied in February to fill a vacant 3rd Ward council seat. Council appointed Brian Snyder; he lost his bid to be elected to the seat in the May primary.

Babinsack could not be reached for comment.

Fox, 55, a former Highlands School Board member, is finishing her first term on council representing the 3rd Ward. She defeated incumbent at-large Councilman Tim Cornuet for the Democratic nomination in the primary.

Getting rid of abandoned properties and bringing in new residents and businesses are Fox’s top priorities.

“I know people in the community want to see that happen fast. It doesn’t happen fast,” she said. “It takes a lot of time and effort. I do think we’re moving in the right direction.”

Fox said she’d also want to continue pursuing grants to upgrade recreational facilities and bring programs to children and families.

“I also would like to continue to see grant funding continue to come for our infrastructure,” she said. “Below the ground is just as important as what’s on top.”

If she wins both the at-large and 3rd Ward seats, Fox said she’d likely accept the at-large position.

That would leave her 3rd Ward seat vacant and to be filled by appointment.

In the 1st Ward, Grates, 52, had previously been appointed and served two years on council, but failed to win election to the seat.

Grates is director of facilities operations for Residential Resources, a property development and management company. He is an Army veteran, and founder of the nonprofit “Ride for Homeless Vets.”

Grates said his concerns focus on the borough’s infrastructure, the electric distribution system that it runs, in particular, and attracting businesses into town.

“I feel things could use improvement, mainly the infrastructure of the electrical system,” he said. “I don’t see how you can run an electric company without setting money aside for infrastructure to be replaced.”

On the business front, a lack of parking and the problems of blighted properties and “slum lords” need to be addressed, he said.

“I believe there’s a way to bring in some developers to come up with some low-cost housing for seniors so they don’t have to leave the community,” he said.

Grates said he believes Josefoski does a “pretty decent job,” but believes his experience can benefit Tarentum.

“I’m a pretty good candidate for the needs of Tarentum at this point in time,” he said.

Josefoski, 35, an accountant, was appointed to council and served six months before being elected to her first term. She wants to remain on council because she has unfinished business.

“I’d really like to see my plans through to fruition. I have some things in the works,” she said. “I feel I work really hard for this community. I hope they can see how committed I am.”

Fighting blight and revitalization are Josefoski’s top two priorities.

Since starting on council, the borough has increased its spending for demolitions from $10,000 to $150,000 this year.

“It was a little bit of a struggle at the time to get the rest of council on board with raising that amount in the budget,” she said. “That’s been my main goal, to eliminate the blight and make room for new developments or bigger yards for families with children and make this place look like it used to and even better than it used to be.”

Josefoski wants Tarentum to be a destination, where people can walk from business to business and go to “hang out.”

“We’re in a really great location as far as close proximity to the city but also to the rural communities,” she said. “We have really great potential. We have to show investors why they want to invest in our community.”