As Election Day nears, The Rocket reached out to both candidates for Slippery Rock Borough mayor, incumbent Republican JonDavid R. Longo and Democratic challenger Douglas Cook, to discuss their goals and priorities for the community.
Questions were based on the Manual for Pennsylvania Borough Mayors, and focused on the responsibilities of the office, including communication, collaboration with council and the university, public safety and plans for local business growth.
Douglas Cook
Democrat
Candidate Douglas Cook was interviewed in person.
Q: If elected, what do you see as your most important responsibility?
A: “Let me start by saying, it’s not about me, it’s about us. I am all about leadership that listens, so communication is the most important thing. Communication between the borough and its residents, the university, is just about talking. Open communication, comfortable communication. It’s not about red or blue.”
Q: While the borough mayor does not generally have a say in council decisions unless it is to cast a tie-braking vote or veto, how will you influence the council to pursue goals?
A: “I think the mayor talking to the council and just finding out what issues we share and how we can go about accomplishing our goals. The mayor can definitely be a part of that. He or she can be the face of the borough. Just working with the council and the residents and talking to people that the mayor may know, groups he knows, contacts he has…just reach out to those people depending on what the situation is.”
Q: There is a possibility of Slippery Rock borough getting new council members. How do you plan to work with these new members of council to ensure a smooth transition?
A: “Again, just communicate with them and listen to them. It doesn’t matter what party had ideas and thoughts and desires and wishes, let’s get those out. There will be shared interests, so let’s work on those together.”
Q: With the potential for new council members, how would you handle a situation where council members and yourself disagree on an issue?
A: “We should be allowed to disagree. Why can’t we disagree? Here’s an interesting story: So, when I lived in Nebraska, I was in the planning commission of the little town I was in. City council actually gave me the key to the city for all the involvement I had in the community. The running joke was, because they had a voting machine on the wall, they said, ‘Doug, you’re the only person in the history of Blair, Nebraska who will have burned out their red bulb, which would be the ‘NO’ vote. You should be allowed to vote no, but I should still be able to walk out of the meeting with you. You voted yes and I voted no? I can still say, ‘Hey, what did you think about the Steelers’ game last night?’ We should be able to agree to disagree. You voted your way, I voted my way and we disagreed? Your side prevailed? That’s cool, let’s move on to the next time. We should be able to walk in a meeting room side by side, asking about our families, and have a contentious vote, disagree, and should be able to walk out that building side by side and ask about our families.”
Q: One of the key roles of borough mayor is to be the chief law enforcement for the borough and to take charge in case of emergency. How would you approach public safety as mayor?
A: “I would look forward to being educated as to all of the police department and what the police chief does, what his priorities are, and what his officers’ priorities are. From the emergency services standpoint, in my younger years, I actually worked for a volunteer ambulance company. I’ve driven an ambulance. I have the deepest respect for our emergency service providers. I would want to sit down and talk to them in an informal setting to ask, ‘What’s going on? What’s working? What’s not working? How can we work together with the council to deal with the issues you have?’ Again, just talk. If I have ideas, you have ideas, the police chief has ideas, the council has ideas, the public has ideas, the university has ideas; lets all get together on a regular basis in an informal setting and just talk. Maybe we have the university flute group come in and do a little concert at the beginning, and then we just sit down at tables with drinks and finger foods and just talk. I mean, God gave us one of these [motions to his mouth] and he gave us two of these [motions to his ears]. What does that tell you? I can’t tell you how many people I have met in this campaign where I would stand there and talk to them and listen to them. I was talking to one guy, and he mentioned the word ‘train’. I don’t know why that came up. Next thing I know, I’m telling him that I paint trainers, and he said, ‘Oh my God, I love to do that!’ So this guy I met on this campaign trail is going to help me paint the cabooses and the train cars because we just started talking. And this [points at his t shirt that reads] leadership that listens. ”
Q: In what ways will you foster an environment of growth for our local businesses?
A: “Here is where I think we need to sit down with the business people and ask, what’s working for you? And how can we help you? If a certain business thinks that it would be good located next to another business, then maybe as the borough, we need to encourage that second business so that we have businesses feeding off of each other. I have this wild and crazy idea, and this was a hot item in Omaha, and that is a cat cafe and a dog cafe. Now, maybe those shouldn’t be located right next to each other, but they still can be downtown. I want to take my dog down and get a cup of coffee with Cannoli [his dog] right there beside me, sniffing all the other doggy rear ends, you know, making new friends. With the cat cafe, you probably work with the local humane society, and they would probably bring their cats that are friendly with people. If you can’t have a cat, you can just go in there and sit down with your coffee, and these cats come up to you, and you have one in your lap and one on your shoulder and you’re just loving life. I mean, how cool is that? Another idea is a board game business. Maybe you will have the board game business in the same building as a dog or cat cafe. You strike up a conversation with the people next to you. It gets you off the internet and gets you in the real world.”
Q: In what ways do you plan on collaborating with other forms of government such as surrounding boroughs, Butler County, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania?
A: “Definitely need to get involved with all those different government entities, go to their meetings, see what their hot button items are, maybe talk about our shared problems. There’s groups out there that do that. I think there’s some kind of conference tonight for boroughs that some of the council people in Harrisville are going to. You just network with people.”
Q: How do you plan to collaborate with the University to make sure that relations with the borough and the university are collaborative?
A: “You have the Borough Council, maybe we can meet with the trustees or officers of those groups. But definitely, you need to involve the students. You need to meet with the students and ask them a few questions like, ‘Hey, do you go downtown? Why not? What will bring you downtown? What will keep you downtown? What do you want downtown?’ Maybe a dog cafe or a cat cafe isn’t an important thing, but they have some ideas that I haven’t thought of, or the council hasn’t thought of. Again, its not about me, its about us. When I was a student here, when I lived on campus, I never went further downtown than Bob’s Sub Shop, except for a couple class assignments. So how do we get people a little further down the block?”
Q: In Pennsylvania, borough mayors have a strong ceremonial role within the community. How do you plan on being a mayor that anyone in the borough can voice concerns to, even if you disagree with them personally?
A: “I could have regular hours at Borough Hall, I can set up a separate email account. Anyone would be welcome to come out to my home and talk to me. People need to feel welcome and I’m perfectly good with that, they shouldn’t feel uncomfortable. I’m a pretty open person.”
Q: What is your vision for the borough over the next four years?
A: “We just completed a comprehensive plan. I was majorly involved with that because of being on the planning commission. That is a great document, you should always have that, the planning commission. I always carry it with me. We have a lot of University involvement, we have a lot of public involvement; all of that got put in the plan. I think that is an awesome document to refer to on a regular basis. I really feel very strongly about having informal, regular meetings with people. Maybe we could go different places, so maybe we have a meeting at the Keystone Safari, maybe we have a meeting somewhere else just to change the environment a little bit, but we’re all talking about Slippery Rock. I want Slippery Rock to be the place to go to. I can envision a family waking up in Zelienople on a Saturday morning and say ‘We’re going to Slippery Rock today because’. What is that because? Because mom and dad are going to play board games, you kids can go pet the dogs and the cats. Then after a couple hours, we’re going to go up to Keystone Safari and then we’re coming back to Slippery Rock to have lunch. What can we do to bring people to Slippery Rock? There is a lot to offer. This past summer, every weekend there were baseball games up at the baseball field. I would regularly go. I didn’t know a player, I didn’t know a parent, I didn’t know an umpire, I didn’t know the team names, I don’t know where they came from. I’m siting there and there’s people around me on their phones saying, ‘Well, the game’s over. Where are we gonna go to lunch?’ Everybody gets on their phone to figure out where they’re going. Inevitably, it seems like they’re always going to Grove City, which is okay in some ways. However, in that parking lot were license plates from Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia. What would be wrong with having someone working with the business people here in town to have Sheetz give 50 cents off a gallon of gas, or Camelot gives a dollar off of breakfast, and then go around with a sheet of paper with all these little coupons on and stick those on the car’s windshield. People are going to stay and spend their money. That’s how we would work with the business people, because we all benefit. A lot of those people wouldn’t know. If you’re from New Jersey, you wouldn’t know what Slippery Rock has to offer. You might if you have a sheet of paper thats giving you all these discounts! That’s how we sell the borough.
Mayor JonDavid R Longo – Incumbent
Republican
Mayor Longo submitted his responses virtually.
Q: If elected, what do you see as your most important responsibility?
A: “For nearly eight years as your mayor, my most important responsibility has been bringing the concerns and issues most important to the taxpayers to the attention of my colleagues on Council and to present solutions to those concerns and problems.”
Q: While the borough mayor does not generally have a say in council decisions unless it is to cast a tie-braking vote or veto, how will you influence the council to pursue goals?
A: “Your assertion that the mayor does not have a say in council decisions outside of those two scenarios is not rooted in reality. That talking point has been pushed by my opponents in an effort to delegitimize me in my role and make me appear insignificant (which is humorous when you consider that my opponents hold me both accountable for everything that goes on in our town but simultaneously call me insignificant and inactive in governance.) For 8 years as your Mayor, I have had a say in every decision made by Council because I speak with members of Council daily to create solutions. I deliberate with them on these decisions at every public meeting, as is evidenced by the meeting minutes and reports from journalists. Council members understand that an ordinance will not succeed without my support and signature and, therefore, we share a mutually respectful and symbiotic relationship whereby we discuss all matters of town business regularly. In fact, I have had a hand in writing nearly every ordinance/law that has passed over my near 8-year tenure as mayor. Just ask my colleagues on Council, our Manager, and our Solicitor.”
Q: There is a possibility of Slippery Rock borough getting new council members. How do you plan to work with these new members of council to ensure a smooth transition?
A: “The transition is guaranteed to be smooth, no matter who is on council, because my colleagues and I have built a team of professionals who are dedicated to running the business of the borough in a manner that is reverent of the taxpayers and understands that it exists only to serve. The only chance for an unsmooth transition will be as a result of new members trying to undo the 8 years of progress and success my colleagues and I have achieved by shifting focus away from public safety and infrastructure upkeep.”
Q: With the potential for new council members, how would you handle a situation where council members and yourself disagree on an issue?
A: “I have disagreements with members of council every day. Disagreement and debate are part of the governing process but our mutual respect for one another and abilities to compromise are what have made me and my colleagues successful.”
Q: One of the key roles of borough mayor is to be the chief law enforcement for the borough and to take charge in case of emergency. How would you approach public safety as mayor?
A: “I have been the Chief Law Enforcement official for Slippery Rock as Mayor for nearly 8 years. During my tenure, Slippery Rock has never faced a challenge it could not handle. Every public event from Homecoming, to Villagefest, to Independence Day and Oktoberfest have been successfully executed without incident because public safety has and always will be at the forefront of my priorities as your Mayor. It’s the reason why I fought hard to expand our police department to 8 total officers and increase their coverage, while they work in sync with the University Police to ensure the safety of all our residents.”
Q: In what ways will you foster an environment of growth for our local businesses?
A: “I have fostered an environment that is conducive to economic growth and development for all 8 years of my tenure as your Mayor that has led to the opening of over 40 unique business in town including Dunkin, Taco Bell, Rooster’s Elephant #8, Branded Western Wear, and more. I personally wrote the proposal that decreased fees for businesses by 25% in my first term as Mayor. I have refused to sign a property tax increase for all 8 years of my mayorship to keep costs low for property owners (and for renters). I worked diligently with my colleagues to rewrite and change code and zoning ordinances to make them more friendly to property owners and businesses, alike. I will continue to do so.”
Q: In what ways do you plan on collaborating with other forms of government such as surrounding boroughs, Butler County, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania?
A: “I have sat on or am currently sitting on the following boards: Slippery Rock Planning Commission, Slippery Rock Area Parks $ Recreation, Slippery Rock – Wolf Creek Council of Governments, Glade Run Lutheran Services, Children’s Advocacy Center of Butler County, America First Mayors’ Council, Senator McCormick’s Service Academy Advisory Board, and more. Each of those roles has put me in a unique position to collaborate with other forms of government at the local, county, state, and federal levels. There is no candidate on the ballot in Slippery Rock that has as extensive a history in collaborating with other governments and government leaders as myself.”
Q: How do you plan to collaborate with the University to make sure that relations with the borough and the university are collaborative?
A: “As a two-time alumnus of Slippery Rock University and the mayor of the town that hosts SRU for nearly 8 years, I have always held regular meetings and correspondence with University leadership and the leadership of University-sanctioned programs and groups. Currently, my office and I enjoy and cherish a respectful and productive relationship with President Riley whereby we communicate regularly on all matters pertinent to the community at large.”
Q: In Pennsylvania, borough mayors have a strong ceremonial role within the community. How do you plan on being a mayor that anyone in the borough can voice concerns to, even if you disagree with them personally?
A: “For 8 years, I have held open office hours at the borough office ahead of every public council meeting so anyone can come and express ideas or concerns too. I have made myself accessible via email, phone, and 4 separate social media platforms. Through those means, I have taken input, suggestions, and complaints from members of the community. Individuals who disagree with my policy stances are welcome to disagree and I have been in receipt of the commentary of those who disagree with me for 8 years.”
Q: What is your vision for the borough over the next four years?
A: “My vision for the Borough is one that I have been carefully cultivating with my Council colleagues for 8 years. We have created and are still building upon that vision that includes affordable housing options, choices for businesses to enjoy, jobs for people at all levels, and safety for all. Our refusal to raise property taxes for 8 years has kept costs lower for property owners and the tenants they rent to, our reduction in fees for businesses have saved businesses thousands of dollars, and our renovation of code and zoning language has made it possible for the government to get out of the way of the people.”
Election Day is on Tuesday, November 4.
