Former chief deputy sheriff launches 2nd bid for Westmoreland commissioner

A former chief deputy sheriff announced she will run a second time for Westmoreland County commissioner in this spring’s primary election.

Patricia Fritz, 68, a Republican from Mt. Pleasant, finished sixth in a seven-candidate GOP field in the 2019 primary.

“I know I can make a difference,” Fritz said. “I am a worker bee, and I’ve been working my whole career in federal, state and county government.”

She said she will advocate implementation of a competitive bidding process to award county contracts and also supports a 5% cut in county property taxes for senior citizens.

Fritz served for more than eight years as a deputy in the Westmoreland County sheriff’s department, including four years as its second-ranking officer. She was fired in 2018 after she was convicted of a summary harassment offense following allegations that she had a physical altercation with a union president who represented deputy sheriffs. Her conviction was overturned on appeal in 2019.

Also in 2019, Fritz filed a federal lawsuit against the county, claiming she was discriminated against because of her age and gender. A federal judge dismissed Fritz’s lawsuit last October. She has appealed that decision.

Prior to her serving with the sheriff’s department, Fritz worked for 23 years as a county supervisor for PennDOT. She previously served as an administrative officer, a property specialist at the 171st Air Refueling Wing in Coraopolis.

Current first-term Republican Commissioners Sean Kertes and Doug Chew were endorsed for their reelection bids last month by the county’s Republican committee.

John Ventre of Hempfield, a former retired executive, and Paul Kosko, a retired Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County computer specialist, also have declared their intent to run for a spot on the Republican ballot.