What's at stake in Bucks County Commissioners race? Here's what the candidates say

Public safety and how to keep the economy in Bucks County booming are two big issues before voters deciding on which slate of candidates should take control of the Bucks County Board of Commissioners next year.

When the pandemic struck, Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia and her newly elected running mate, Bob Harvie, had just won the Democratic Party control of the county government for the first time in about 35 years.

She was a social worker; he, a former school teacher. They used their interests in human services to help the county weather the public health emergency, and later, took control of almost $122 million in federal stimulus funds to help restore the county's economic health.

More: Bucks County has $122M in American Rescue funds to spend. Why employees got $44M so far

Now, with crime on the rise — up 18.7% in the county from 2021 to 2022 — and the need to allocate the stimulus money before 2025, public safety and fiscal responsibility are key talking points for Republican Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo and his running mate Controller Pam Van Blunk.

Democrats still have slight voter edge

Whichever party wins two of the three seats up for election on the board will have majority control in 2024. The third seat will go to the minority party.

The county is almost evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. As of Oct. 30, the county has 197,943 registered Democrats and 193,894 Republicans with another 79,128 independent voters who could swing the race either wa

Republicans have way more money

And while Democrats have a slight voter majority, Republicans have a heftier war chest. Campaign finance reports filed with the state show that the Bucks County Republican Committee had a total of $208,449 in funds as of June while the Democrats had $62,473.

Van Blunk said she and DiGirolamo are focused on public safety.

"That includes fully funding our county sheriff’s requests for the tools, resources, and training for his deputies; something the current administration has failed to do," Van Blunk said in an emailed statement.

The Democrats say that's simply not true. The money, in fact, has been allocated to fund new sheriff's deputies, but will not be distributed until hires are made, according to their campaign manager.

Other key issues for DiGirolamo, a former long-term state representative from Bensalem, and Van Blunk, an attorney living in Doylestown Township, are combatting the opioid and fentanyl crisis ― something that DiGirolamo has spoken frequently about ― and transparency and accountability, they stated in an email.

Sheriff's staffing an issue

Sheriff Fred Harran, a Republican, is not up for election this year but the funding for his department has been an issue. He recently staged a news conference to decry a manpower shortage at the county jail and argue commissioners promised him eight new sheriffs but only delivered four this year.

Democrat incumbent Marseglia said she is "proud that we have been able to reduce violent crime in Bucks while helping those with mental health and substance abuse challenges through co-responders and adding $1 million to our sheriff's budget. The fact that we did this without raising taxes shows they were important and fiscally responsible efforts."

Among the county's accomplishments under Democratic control include preparations for a ground breaking for the new crisis stabilization center in Doylestown meant to keep the mentally ill out of prison, progress on a new Lower Bucks County Government Services Center in Bristol Township, and an expansion of its Emergency Operations Center in Warwick.

More: It's still a few years away, but here's plan for new Lower Bucks government service center

Harvie, long a proponent of green energy, said one of his most important achievements has been helping to negotiate a partnership with Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties through the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission to buy electricity wholesale to help reduce costs while protecting the environment.

The county operating budget for 2023 stands at $458.45 million, including $72.5 million of the $121 million in American Rescue Plan funds that the Biden administration has provided to the county. While that money must be entirely allocated by the end of next year, Harvie said the county used some of that money to help fund construction of the services center in Lower Bucks, among other projects.

Harvie said he is most proud of “how we have dealt with issues in a bipartisan way while DC and Harrisburg can’t,” he said in a text message.

“I am focused on continuing that work, especially when it comes to protecting our free and fair elections.”

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Race for three commissioner seats a hot one in Bucks County