The four candidates for Greensburg council agree the city is moving in the right direction. They disagree over whether it is doing so quickly enough — and on who should lead the city for the next four years.
Republicans Sindy Diaz and Colin Johnson are challenging Democratic incumbents Randy Finfrock and Cheryl Lennert.
Diaz, originally from Kentucky, moved to Greensburg a little more than three years ago and said she quickly came to see the city as her home.
“Greensburg is my heart. I love this city,” she said.
As councilwoman, she said she would prioritize cutting red tape for businesses, supporting first responders, and partnering with state and local agencies to fight the opioid epidemic.
“I don’t think that Greensburg was realizing its full potential,” she said.
She said she wants to put residents first.
“I have a vision, determination and the energy, definitely the energy, to be able to get the things done,” she said.
Finfrock has served four terms on council, the last three consecutive.
He said city leaders have already taken steps to make Greensburg more business-friendly by restructuring the planning department and he wants to stick around to finish the job.
“You could kind of sense that everything we’ve been trying to do has finally started to fall into place,” he said.
Finfrock serves as council’s accounts and finance director and said he has worked to rein in spending and prevent tax increases.
He’s the longest-serving council member.
“I’m kind of all there is left. Institutional knowledge counts for something, and everybody’s new,” he said.
Johnson said the city needs more new blood.
“If you’re not happy with what’s happening, why vote incumbent?” he said.
He said the city’s efforts to court business development are positive steps, but don’t go far enough fast enough.
“If you look at Irwin or Hempfield Township … or even Latrobe … it sounds like they’re expanding, it sounds like they’re bringing in jobs,” he said. “Everyone around us seems to be moving forward, and I don’t think we are.”
He said he plans to bring a more “aggressive approach” to council to try to bring jobs and development to Greensburg.
“I’m not going to take ‘no’ for an answer,” he said.
Lennert is finishing her first term on council.
She said she’s aware the pace of change can look slow from the outside, but that she and her fellow council members have been taking steps to modernize city government.
“Nothing happens overnight,” she said. “It takes time to do things in the political and government fields.”
She’s the director of parks and public property, and said the city’s recreation department has had sizable improvements over her four years in office, with new programs and a major renovation to Veterans Memorial Pool.
The city’s parks and playgrounds are due for an upgrade, and she’d focus on those projects in a second term, she said.
