Six people are running for four spots on Youngwood council — including three incumbents, two newcomers and one who has filled in for a vacant seat on the board for about four months.

Managing borough finances, replacing public works equipment, updating stormwater infrastructure, fostering community and addressing blighted properties are among the candidates’ priorities.

Running for reelection are Republican Matthew Peoria and Democrats Charles Lutz and William “Billy” Cowherd. Republican Diane Klingensmith Fernandez, who took over a vacant council position in June, is running for council and mayor. She is unopposed in the mayoral race.

Republicans Randell Chapman and Irvin Shipley, a sergeant with the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office, are seeking their first terms on council.

Matthew Peoria

Peoria, 56, grew up in Youngwood. He attended Penn State and pursued a 26-year career in the Army before returning to his hometown in 2019. Now a full-time defense contractor, Peoria is nearing the end of his first term.

In his first term, Peoria led the creation of a planning committee aimed at preparing for long-term borough improvement projects, which went into effect in January 2024. He chairs both the planning and grants committees.

“Without planning that out in advance, I think that was one of the things that contributed to the community slowly declining a little bit,” he said.

Peoria also organized the borough’s Hometown Hero banner program, which recognized 100 veterans this year. He also helped the borough take ownership of the property that is home to its World War II Memorial — land previously owned by a resident.

If elected to another term, Peoria would like to create five-year and 10-year plans specifying the borough’s long-term goals.

Potential projects he would like to see included in the plans are replacing old public works equipment, improving stormwater infrastructure, updating the borough’s recreation complex and working with an engineering firm to brainstorm year-round uses for the Youngwood Park and Pool property.

Charles Lutz

Lutz worked as a special education teacher at the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit and Monessen City School District for about three decades. He retired and ran for a spot on council in 2017.

Lutz directs the borough’s public works department, assists with community event planning, sits on the safety committee and serves as the vice president of the Youngwood Area Revitalization and Development program.

“I’m very hands-on,” he said. “I just don’t sit in my chair on council and then go out the door and come back the next meeting.”

Addressing blighted property and maintaining community safety and public works equipment are among Lutz’s priorities for the borough.

“My grandmother had a saying that goes, ‘It’s not a sin to be poor, but it is a sin to be filthy.’ I look around sometimes and I think, ‘Oh, was she right,’ ” he said. “You go by houses in Youngwood, and they have cut grass and nice grass and flowers. And then you go past another one and there’s weeds 2 feet tall and disabled cars and junk. It’s just sad.”

William “Billy” Cowherd

Cowherd, 53, is approaching the end of his second term. He works for Wilkinsburg health and human services nonprofit Hosanna House, directing its Hope Group program.

A father to three children, Cowherd is a 17-year Youngwood resident and an active member of his church.

“When I first ran, it was a void that I kind of felt,” he said. “It seemed like, at the time, everything was just the same people. Back then, I was the ‘change person.’ I was the one that was different.

“I love the town. I felt like they needed someone who was a local, normal guy.”

The borough’s finance committee chair, Cowherd said responsibly managing the borough’s finances is his main priority.

“When you’re dealing with the whole budget of the town,” he said, “you’ve got to have character with that because people are wanting you to make the right decisions.”

Diane Klingensmith Fernandez

Fernandez, 65, is running for mayor and a spot on council. She follows in the footsteps of her parents, Paul and Maryann Klingensmith, who served on council in the ’90s and early 2000s.

“We have a passion for our town — for trying to make it better, for trying to bring a strong sense of community,” she said.

Fernandez has worked more than four decades as an insurance appraiser but plans to retire in the next year or two. She assisted with the borough’s 125th anniversary committee, volunteers with the Youngwood Area Revitalization and Development program and helps plan community events.

If elected, Fernandez said, her priorities would be improving the section of the Five Star Trail that runs through the borough, maintaining roads and addressing blight.

Randell Chapman

This is the first time Chapman, 48, has run for a seat on council. He has lived in the borough since 2020 and worked 18 years as a machinist.

“I’ve always wanted to be a part of the community as a leader, and I finally have the opportunity to dedicate the time to becoming a leader within the community as a whole,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to help others.”

Supporting the Youngwood Volunteer Fire Department and the borough’s local businesses are priorities for Chapman.

“These guys are awesome,” he said. “I want to focus on recognizing them and supporting them and making sure they get their just dues.”

Chapman said he supports the efforts the current council has made to plan for the borough’s future and keep its streets safe.

“I just want to stay positive and keep things going forward,” he said. “(I want to) give them fresh, new ideas and a new perspective that they may not be used to.”

Irvin Shipley

Shipley, 48, pulled together a write-in campaign for a spot on council this spring, winning on both the Democrat and Republican ballots. After an unsuccessful run for mayor in the early 2010s, Shipley said he was encouraged by numerous friends and residents to join the council race this year.

Shipley has worked 15 years in the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office, where he is a sergeant in the fugitive unit.

He has lived in Youngwood for nearly 15 years, serving as the borough’s constable. He volunteers with the Westmoreland County Blue Knights chapter, a community service nonprofit consisting of active and retired law enforcement.

Shipley said he believes the borough needs to maintain fiscal responsibility and offer more opportunities for residents to get together. He suggested hosting food truck or market events similar to the Greensburg Night Market.

“Whenever I’m conducting investigations for the fugitive unit and I come to town or any small town, I’m starting to see that people don’t even know who their neighbors are two doors down,” Shipley said. “I think that’s a big part of any neighborhood or borough or township.

“If the people know each other, they’re more likely to get involved and make sure that this is a place that they don’t raise their children — it’s a place their children want to stay and raise their families also.”

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