Terry L. Curran is a fresh face in the race for Northumberland County commissioner, and the reason he hasn't run for office before is simple.
"I hate politics," he said. "Politics to me is partiality, favoritism and nepotism."
He believes he can serve, however, and not fall victim to those traits.
Curran, 63, of Snydertown, instead would apply knowledge from his career in training and management in working with the handicapped, plus his two years of active duty and 33 years in the Army Reserves. He is one of seven Republican candidates seeking two nom-
inations in the May 17 primary.
In discussing why he'd make a good commissioner, Curran cited his ability to work through issues and solve problems during his career at the Selinsgrove Center, and his conviction to "advocate for the troops" as a command sergeant major in the Reserves, during which he led as many as 500 men and women in various assignments.
He noted that employees can be better served by a leader who isn't aggressive, and - noting his religious convictions - said people too often confuse "meekness" with "weakness."
Key priorities
Curran said his objectives are to make the county fiscally responsible; create an environment to encourage and attract industry; maintain a good rapport with local state legislators for the benefit of the county; and to "rediscover and preserve our county's rich historical heritage."
Curran said the county suffers from the fact that neither nearby interstate cuts through the heart of the county. Still, a strong workforce exists here, and he believes the county can be attractive to industry with more lobbying of state officials. He noted the need for Pennsylvania to lower its corporate net income tax, and suggested tax breaks be offered to industry seeking to locate here.
With no new industry, the county population continues to decline, and a loss of identity could result, Curran believes.
During his door-to-door campaign, Curran met a retired professor who said a textbook at Berkeley College in California lists Northumberland as among the most corrupt counties in Pennsylvania.
"We need to change the attitude of Northumberland County," he said.
A little reality
While there are many intricacies to the budget process that Curran said he will have to learn once in office, a dose of reality wouldn't hurt, he said.
"If I make so much money in a month, I know that I can't spend more than that," he said. "That's foolish."
He pointed to the county's multimillion-dollar debt, and the need to eliminate it - and associated large interest payments - to allow the county to move forward. Citing past, not current, administrations, he labeled their actions "criminal" in allowing the financial baggage to pile up.
"We need to have checks and balances in the county," he said. "Three men should not have the power to borrow $50 million."
Curran would also like to see each county department give a report that would come back to the commissioners. Like his work in the military, he'd have a "scorecard." Those reports would then be audited to ensure county spending was on the right track.
He spoke of doing a lot of planning, about an organized chain of command and structure, and how employees could put confidence in that structure.
The campaign - which has been low-dollar and has included a lot of door-to-door visits, not unlike as a youth, when he sold baked goods door-to-door for his parents' Shamokin bakery - has revealed smart ideas from the public.
"We need to implement them to make sure that we are working the right way," he said about better ways of doing things.
He said he like to establish volunteer advisory committees to address economic development and other important issues.
"There are a lot of resources throughout Northumberland County that we can use, and we must take advantage of them to keep us viable," he said.
Servants to people
To his point about politics, Curran said he won't play that game when it comes to employees.
"I've heard of people that left the county and are bitter; well, why are they bitter?" he asked. "There are some that have changed parties in order to keep their jobs. That shouldn't be. Party should not play a part in any of it."
On a related topic, Curran said if a relative was up for a county position, he would recuse himself from the decision, leaving it for the other two commissioners.
Curran said he will be a full-time commissioner if elected.
While the commissioners are considered county leaders, Curran said he wouldn't approach the job in that manner.
"We are servants to the county, to the people that elected us," he said. "We are hired by the people, and we are hired to do a job. I consider them my bosses, and the department heads will be my first sergeants."