New Westmoreland GOP head wants to expand on party's success

The new chairman of Westmoreland County’s Republican Committee said he wants to keep the momentum that, for the last decade, propelled election day victories and voter registration surges that turned the local GOP from an afterthought to political dominance.

“It wasn’t that long ago we were the group on the outside looking in. When we do take our foot off the gas pedal that’s when we’ll slip,” said Bill Bretz.

Bretz, 48, of Hempfield, was elected Tuesday as the new chairman of the Westmoreland County Republican Committee, replacing the Kerry Jobe, who did not seek a second two-year term. Bretz, a production manager with a local manufacturing firm, also serves as a member of the Hempfield planning commission and, for the last two years, as the local GOP committee treasurer.

Nearly 400 Republican committee members participated in the party’s reorganization meeting at Hempfield Park in which Bretz easily defeated John Ventre, a former county commissioner candidate, for the committee’s top job. Trafford Council President Kris Cardiff was elected vice chairman and Jon Wian, chief of staff to county Commissioner Sean Kertes, was selected as the new party treasurer.

County Democrats last weekend elected their new leadership team, which will serve a four-year term though 2024.

The GOP’s new leadership takes over a party that two decades ago was outnumbered by a nearly three-to-one margin in registered voters and held virtually no elected positions in county government.

Republicans now have more than 111,000 registered voters in their ranks and outnumber county Democrats by nearly 10,000. The GOP also occupies most state and county elected positions.

“It is really unbelievable. It was packed,” said state Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, of Tuesday’s committee meeting, a far cry from the maybe 180 people who attended a similar meeting she was elected party chairwoman in 1995.

Ward praised the selection of Bretz, saying he was the right person for the job to oversee the continued growth of the county’s Republican committee.

“I think he is a good choice for the party. He’s even keeled and thinks things through and is a non divisive leader,” Ward said. “I think Bill will make a perfect Switzerland.”

Bretz said his goal is to expand the party’s membership and its recent successes at the ballot box.

“We have people in this county who are registered independents and Democrats who are voting for our candidates. We have to continue that and convince them to register with our party,” Bretz said.

Republicans will look to expand into what has been traditional strongholds for county Democrats such as the Mon Valley and the New Kensington area as part of efforts to broaden support for President Trump this November. Trump won Westmoreland County by 30 percentage points in 2016.

“It’s not good enough to win Westmoreland County. We need to win Westmoreland County by a significant margin to help the president win the state,” Bretz said. “I am really excited about the opportunity.”