Republican Michael Korns aims to unseat Democrat Joseph Ferguson in Allegheny Township

A Republican challenger is looking to unseat a longtime elected official for an open Allegheny Township Board of Supervisors seat in the Nov. 5 election.

Republican Michael Korns will face Democrat Joseph Ferguson, whose term expires in December.

Terms on the three-member board are six years.

Ferguson, 66, has been a supervisor for 12 years. He co-owns Ferguson Heating & Air Conditioning in Allegheny Township.

Korns, 62, is a member of the Kiski Valley Republican Committee and a professor of employment and labor relations at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Korns decided to run for office to give voters an opportunity to elect someone new.

“I think competitive elections are good,” said Korns, who has lived in Allegheny Township for more than 20 years. “I want to make the township more responsive to its citizens.”

Korns said one of the things he won’t do if elected is approve a tax increase.

At 16.5 mills, the township’s property tax rate is “very high already,” he said.

“That’s not a proactive thing; I understand that’s saying what I won’t do,” Korns said. “But, if I’m not going to do that and we need additional revenue, which we will, I want to make Allegheny Township a place where businesses, small employers, small industry retail, want to locate. Right now it’s going the other direction — we’re losing businesses and we need to be attracting them.”

Ferguson said he doesn’t see any need for change.

Since he’s been in office, the township has hired and retained good employees, such as Manager Gregory Primm and police Chief Duane Fisher, and extended the Tredway recreational trail from the River Forest marina to under the Freeport Bridge. It also has taken out its first ever bond issue, worth $2.4 million, to pay for an addition and renovations to the township building and public works equipment.

“We are probably one of the best run townships in Western Pennsylvania,” Ferguson said. “We have no debt. We have all of our pension plans, health plans, everything up to date. We have some of the best people running our township.”

“Why would you want to change anything when you have everything going for you right now?” he said. “I’m going to make sure that nothing changes and we stay on the course that we are to be a leader in the area.”

Korns said Allegheny Township has a good manager. Because of that, he believes role of a supervisor should be less about managing the township and more about promoting it and looking out for the citizens.

Korns said he will act as an ambassador by reaching out directly to stores to encourage them to move there.

“There’s a lot of rumors around here and have been for years about Walmart relocating here,” he said. “I’ll reach out to the Walmarts, to the Targets, to the small stores, retail establishments (and) medical clinics.”