Millcreek Study Commission candidates

Occupation Family EducationRunning because?

Do you support changing the government?

Larry Dedinsky (D)Age: 70

Age: 48

Retired carpenter

Also U.S. Marine Corps. veteran, 1966-68

Single; no children

Cathedral Preparatory School, 1963

“If the voters approve it and actually want (the commission), I just want to go through the process and see how it’s done.”

"Quite frankly, I think the present form of government is fine. ... If a citizen has a problem in a specific area, they know which supervisor to go to. Or you can go to an open supervisors’ meeting.”

Candidates listed alphabetically.

SOURCE: The candidates ERIE TIMES-NEWS

Lori Eaton (D)

Program director at Sarah Reed Children’s Center

Married; two children

Bachelor’s degree in economics, Pennsylvania State University, 1997; Fairview High School, 1985

“I’m interested in why they may be looking at a change in the form of government and if they do want to look at a change in the form of government, I’d like to be involved in the process to make sure Millcreek citizens are aware of all their options and that they truly understand what they are.”

“Not necessarily. I personally don’t think that the current form of government is the problem. I think it’s possible that we need some different representation. However, I am open to exploring the possibility and getting feedback from what the Millcreek residents themselves want.”

Age: 54

Michael Federici (D)

Political-science professor at Mercyhurst University

Married; two daughters

Bachelor’s degree in economics, Elizabethtown College, 1983; master’s degree in politics, Catholic University, 1985*

* In addition: doctorate in politics, Catholic University, 1990; Morris Knolls High School, Denville, N.J., 1979.**Also involved in Erie Sport Store, her husband’s business. ***Other education includes Gannon University Leadership Erie program, 1994.

“One is, I think my professional (research and writing) skills would be valuable to the study commission should the voters choose to have one. The second reason is, I am not partisan on this issue. ... I do feel strongly that the decision should be brought to the voters, which was not done four years ago.”

“I think it’s the voters who should make the decision (with a recommendation from the commission). Even if the study commission believes there shouldn’t be a change in the system of government, it should still give the voters the choice — either keep the current system or you move to this alternative.”

Age: 53

George Hazuda (R)

Owner of Mor�e Advertising

Single; one son

Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, Gannon University, 1986; East High School, 1979

“I ran for supervisor in the spring because I have an interest in Millcreek. ... I just haven’t been happy with some of the things that occurred in the township over the last 20 years. ... I thought it would be a good thing (the commission) to take a look at and see if there are any adjustments we can make to the current form of government.”

“Yes, I think there should be change. If you take a look at the recommendations from the study commission in 2012, they made some recommendations that were never implemented by the current form of government. ... The other thing is, the voters never had a chance to vote on their form of government, and I think they should have that opportunity.”

Age: 62

Jess Jiuliante III (D)

Retired long-distance trucker; former one-term Millcreek supervisor

Single; no children

Bachelor’s degree in foreign service, Georgetown University, 1974; Cathedral Preparatory School, 1970

“Millcreek Township has grown dramatically in the last 65 years from a rural community to an urban, residential and commercial center. We are still operating under a form of government that was designed 80 years ago to accommodate rural communities throughout Pennsylvania.”

“Absolutely, that’s why I’m running. It would be ludicrous to run for this commission and not be in favor of some sort of improvement. I have a number of ideas, but that’s what the commission will sit down and discuss. And then something should be presented to the voters — hopefully next November — for their approval.”

Age: 66

BillSachse (D)

Retired PennDOT manager of building mainte-nance and equipment repair

Married; three daughters

Bachelor’s degree in history from Mercyhurst University, 2011; Cathedral Preparatory School, 1967

“I’m running to better understand what we have and to make an informed decision about whether we need to change it or not.”

“No, unless this committee uncovers problems. I want to better understand how the system runs, that’s for sure. I’m not unsatisfied with what we’ve got. You’d have to convince me that what we have is in need of improvement.”

Age: 55

Russ Thompson (R)

Owner of Thompson Medical Systems, Millcreek; partner and chief executive of DB Consultants, Allentown

Single; two children

Bachelor’s degree in business administration; bachelor’s degree in business management, Slippery Rock University, 1983; Strong Vincent H.S., 1978

“I believe the voters in Millcreek Township deserve to have a say in their form of government, not through a proxy as far as a study commission is concerned, but through a direct vote.”

“There are days when I’m in favor of it and days when I’m not. I’m kind of tired of the costly mistakes. I believe that a professional township manager would have avoided many of the (financial) pitfalls that have occurred, such as the Angela Cres (Trust) lawsuit and the contract with the U.S. Postal Service regarding the empty building on Legion Road.”

Age: 61

Sue Weber (R)

Realtor; substitute teacher; former two-term Millcreek supervisor; former two-term county controller**

Married; two children; two grand-children

Bachelor’s degree in letters, arts and sciences, Penn State Behrend; took courses toward her master’s in business administration, Penn State Behrend.***

“In today’s economy, businesses are constantly examining their bottom line, and I think govern-ment should always be doing the same because they’re operating with our dollars. And I’m willing to spend (time) doing careful research for Millcreek residents.”

“In order for a government study commission to determine if it would suggest change, that research has to be done first. You can’t draw a conclusion before you examine the facts. And that should be the goal of the study commission. It doesn’t matter what I think anyway, It’s up to the voters.”