Bucks County Commissioner Race Gets Into Gear

The race for the three Bucks County commissioner seats is in full swing.

Bucks County Democrats Diane Marseglia, an incumbent from Middletown, and Brian Galloway of Falls are endorsed and will be on the ballot in the May Primary Election. The county Republicans have endorsed and are running incumbents Rob Loughery of Bedminster and Charley Martin of Upper Southampton. Northampton Republican Jay Russell, who has previously ran for federal, state and municipal elected offices, will also be on the ballot.

Republicans have controlled the county’s top leadership roles for nearly three decades, and Marseglia and Galloway are looking to change that.

“To be clear, we’re running to win,” Galloway, currently the principal at Bristol Township’s Mary Devine Elementary School, said in a statement.

“It’s not always easy to serve as the minority Commissioner on a three-member board, so I am thrilled to have a strong, qualified running mate this year in Brian Galloway, who I believe gives us our best shot in decades at a Democratic majority,” Marseglia said in a statement.

Loughery and Martin said in a press release they have “worked together to accomplish important goals and major milestones for the residents and taxpayers of Bucks County.” They further cited the competition of the new $90 million Justice Center, preservation of farmland throughout the county, obtaining two AAA bond ratings from Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s and reducing the size and cost of county government as accomplishments.

“If I was Commissioner, my focus would be squarely on their welfare, not on building an $85 million dollar courthouse and a $20 million parking garage. Those kind of misplaced priorities have put Bucks County families in distress,” Galloway said.

“We still believe that there is more work to do and improvements to be made, which is why we are seeking to run for re-election and to serve another term,” a joint press release announcing Loughery and Martin’s campaign said. The two Republicans said they want to see that a new 9-1-1 communications system is installed, repurpose the old courthouse to shrink the the county office space footprint, hold the line on taxes, reduce overhead costs and the size of the government, preserve additional open space and develop new housing community policies and programs to improve neighborhoods.

Martin during the 2012 election previously told a LevittownNow.com reporter that he likely would not run for commissioner again in 2015. Recently when asked about the statement Martin said, ” I’m having too much fun.”

Marseglia said her and Galloway plan to be “strongly making our case to Bucks County voters throughout this campaign.”

LevittownNow.com was unsuccessful in getting in touch with Russell, whose family owns a popular gardening center in Northampton.

No matter who wins the three commissioner seats in November, they will have to deal with mounting pension costs, the renovation of the old courthouse and union contracts.

The commissioners currently earn a $89,072.72 taxpayer-funded salary. Following a unanimous vote last year, a 6.66 percent raise starting in January 2016 which will until 2019.