Westmoreland County commissioner Anderson won't seek re-election

Westmoreland County Commissioner Charles Anderson announced Tuesday he will retire at year’s end and will not run for re-election this year.

Anderson, a Hempfield Republican, was first appointed to commissioner in 2008 and served a four-year stint as board chairman until the GOP lost its majority in 2015.

“I’ve been doing this a long time now. I’m in my 11th year, so it’s time. Time to put more eyes on what’s going on. This is term limits, and it’s better for the county and better for everybody,” Anderson said.

Anderson, 76, is the grandson of the founder of local landmark Anderson Market in Greensburg. County judges initially appointed him to fill the remaining three years of the term of Kim Ward, who resigned after being elected to the state Senate. He was re-elected in 2011 and — with Republican Tyler Courtney — became part of the GOP’s first majority in more than a half-decade.

Anderson was re-elected in 2015 but resumed his minority role after Democrats Gina Cerilli and Ted Kopas won seats on the board.

Prior to his appointment, Anderson returned home to Westmoreland County after a long career as a U.S. Marine Corps pilot.

He served in Vietnam and later was the Marine representative at the Pentagon to the Joint Staff on Strategic and Tactical Nuclear Weapons, Space and Arms Control. He also served as chief of staff for the Caribbean Anti-Drug Task Force and commander of the Marine forces in Thailand.

County voters will elect a new board of commissioners in November, following primaries in the spring. Republican Paul Kosko last week became the first candidate to announce his intention to run.

Anderson said he has not decided if he will endorse any candidates as his replacement.

“I’ll wait to see what the field is,” Anderson said.

He said he will serve out the remaining year of his term with the same enthusiasm he has displayed for the last decade.

“I’m not going anywhere for a year. I will stay fully involved until then,” Anderson said. “It’s been a great honor to do this, but I’m not going to sit in a rocking chair yet. I’ve got more things to do.”

Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich at 724-830-6293 or rcholodofsky@tribweb.com.