Democrats in 3-way race for Tarentum mayor

Eric Carter is facing two challengers in the upcoming Democratic primary to remain mayor of Tarentum.

His opponents should not be strangers to most people in town.

Carrie Fox is a current council member who was last elected in 2019 and a former Highlands School Board member.

Robert Lang had been a police officer in Tarentum for 22 years before retiring in 2020.

Republican Stephanie Adams is unopposed in the primary, which will be held Tuesday, May 18.

Carter, 48, is finishing his first term as mayor. He was previously a councilman for about a dozen years and is a past council president.

Carter was elected mayor in 2017 after defeating then-incumbent Carl Magnetta Jr., first in the Democratic primary and then in the general election, where Magnetta was on the ballot as a Republican through write-ins. Magnetta died in July 2018.

Fox is Magnetta’s daughter. In the 2019 election, Fox won both the at-large council seat, which she accepted and currently holds, and a seat representing the 3rd Ward, which was filled with the appointment of Brian Snyder.

This is Lang’s first run for elected office.

In Pennsylvania boroughs, the mayor is primarily responsible for overseeing the police department.

While saying he’s gotten a lot done as mayor, Carter, a Tarentum native, says he has more to do more.

“One of the things I wanted to do coming in was upgrade our computer systems and get more (traffic) cameras in the borough, which we’ve done,” he said. “We want to make the business district as safe as possible. There’s still more we could do to prevent these small businesses from being shoplifted against.”

Carter said he has worked to get grants for upgrades at Riverview Memorial Park, and has pushed for the borough to spend its own money to tear down dilapidated buildings instead of waiting for grants.

“If you wait, you could wait 12 years and still not get grant money for these things,” he said. “I pushed and pushed to make sure that was budgeted for.”

Carter said being mayor has been rewarding, and often because residents don’t know how limited the role technically is.

“People don’t realize the mayor can only do so much,” he said. “But a lot of people, they don’t call council people, they go directly to the mayor. Hearing the worries people have and being involved in solving them has made it a lot more rewarding than I anticipated.”

Fox, 57, is also a Tarentum native. She grew up with both her grandfather and father involved in local politics, and said becoming mayor as her father had been “would be a proud moment.”

“I love this borough,” she said. “I would pour my heart and soul into it every moment of the day. My mind is constantly spinning about what I can do next to help this borough.”

Fox said she feels Tarentum is currently underrepresented, and that she wants to lead it in a different direction. The mayor, she said, is the primary spokesperson.

“Tarentum deserves and needs someone to advocate and push toward the future. I believe a good mayor should have governmental experience and leadership capabilities and good communication skills,” she said. “We need our confidence back in this borough with a new mayor.”

Fox said Tarentum has “a fantastic group of officers” in its police department.

“I’d like to see a community police presence so we could build a mutual respect between the community and the police officers,” she said.

Fox said she would remain involved in the borough’s recreation board, which she heads and calls a passion.

“I’ve given all I can give to this borough and I want to continue to give all I can give,” she said.

Lang, 70, grew up in Harrison before joining the Army, serving for nearly three years, including a year in Vietnam. He’s lived in Tarentum for 42 years.

A coal miner for 17 years before becoming a police officer, Lang worked in Brackenridge for four years before coming to Tarentum.

“I loved the job. I would like to believe I made a difference in some people’s lives,” he said.

Lang said he got the idea of running for mayor when he heard a retired officer in another town was considering it, but ultimately didn’t go through with it.

“I put on the uniform for 26 years. I went out and put my life on the line for the residents of Tarentum. I would think that was a resume that I can stand by,” he said. “The residents know who I am. They know my work ethic, and I’m proud of that.”

While saying he sees the job of mayor as primarily overseeing the police department, and conducting marriages, Lang said he would want to meet monthly with business owners to hear their concerns and ideas and take them back to council.

“My top priority has always been the safety of the residents, and it’s always been my number one priority,” he said. “That would continue if I was mayor.”