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South Strabane fighting it’s own Demons
By Judi Panasik
October 19, 2007
It’s that time of year, just before the blissful Christmas season, when we celebrate the ghouls and ghosts that haunt our world. In South Strabane this can also be referred to as a Supervisors meeting.
And those who live in the township should fear this government more than beings from the other side or spells that can be cursed upon them. The actions of these men may come to haunt us for years to come.
Over the last two years many residents, including myself, have come to witness actions and attitudes that would make Beelzebub (Prince of Darkness) to think twice.
There are only 4 meetings left with the current board. In January anything could happen.
The two candidates running for retired Supervisor Billy Bell’s position are Republican Tom Moore and Democrat Sherry Blackburn. Moore will bring a definite end to the voting block that is Bob Hollick, Tony Zelenka and Lou DePretis. DePretis, for a second time, was unable to win the seat.
Moore has attended almost every supervisor meeting over the last two years and often attends other South Strabane meetings. He is also known to stand up to the current board and defend the rights of residents.
Hollick told the residents after only 15 months in office that he will not seek a second term and just wanted to try this out. It is rumored that Zelenka will not be running for another term.
What that leaves residents with is hope. Ed Mazur was proof in 2005 that the residents wanted change. Mazur a strong opponent of the TIF came from dead last with over 300 votes in the primary to over 1,300 in the general election. And Mike Crowe who only ran a 10-day write in campaign in the end had over 700 countable votes. With all the ones thrown out it will never be known how many votes were truly cast for Crowe.
The same multiparty group that supported Mazur and Crowe is also supporting Moore who beat DePretis in the primary.
And that leaves Bob Koman, Chairman of the supervisors, and who will more than likely be the tiebreaker in the next two years.
But Koman is a hard read and will have to decide whom he can trust and who will back him. He voted against the TIF but has not been pursuant of concerns and issues with Tanger and Bass Pro that residents have brought up. Rumor has it he is being courted by certain supervisors who have mislead him in the past.
The votes Koman makes over the next year could guarantee him another term or end his political career.
But on the verge of Halloween also comes the six-week grading period for most schools. So lets take a look at the supervisor’s marks along with what fiendish powers they posses.
Chairman Bob Koman- Koman, who precedes Zelenka as Chair, has allowed the meetings to be more open to the residents. Unlike Zelenka, he doesn’t stifle opinions and does try to give an answer to residents. He allows comments to be heard in parts of the meetings that were not allowed before. Koman tends to go out of his way to hear from the public going as far as to call a special meeting when there were issues with North Strabane residents regarding Tanger’s construction. Although he asks a lot of questions he doesn’t always dig deep enough for the answer and will accept what he is given. He also needs to learn when and what humor is appropriate and stop trying to be class clown. Koman seems to want to do the right thing but tends to be naïve and mislead. To move to the next level he needs to stand up to the other bullies on the board and call them on issues instead of standing down and letting them walk all over him. Whatever his slight faults, he is still a good chairman, and unlike Zelenka, actually deserves another year in the position. If Koman stays with the right group he has a good shot at serving another term in office. He needs to educate himself more on the big issues surrounding the residents and not pick little ones here and there. If his intentions are true he could not only serve on the board for years but could possibly be looking at another government seat down the road. For his effort and his goofy charm with the residents Koman gets a B+. In terms of his ghoulish qualities he needs to realize corny jokes can kill.
Bob Hollick Vice-Chair- The worst thing that could happen to South Strabane in the next 4 years is that Hollick ever get elected as Chairman. In the one meeting that Hollick has run it proved to be a dictatorship, and not so much a democracy. Unlike the other Bob, this one tends to have no concern for resident input, but instead tends to become intimidating and demeaning to the residents. He tends to take a lot of things personally and becomes visibly upset, arrogant and condescending. Hollick has been known to scream at residents asking questions and tends to bully and intimidate not only the residents but also other supervisors. However he is a take charge guy. He alone has taken it upon himself to deal with Consol Energy. He and DePretis have taken a year to decide to close accounts (a vote that did not pass at the last supervisor meeting with Zelenka absent) and move everything into the general fund. Hollick has asked developers what they would be willing to do for Parks and Recreation before their plans have been approved. He, along with DePretis has also started the policy of voting on things not on the agenda and long after public comment. Hollick also tends to not answer any questions put to the board and tends to not appreciate public input. But I guess you can do whatever you want when you’re not seeking another term and just trying to get your goals accomplished.
