In a 6-0 vote with Council vice president Bill Latchford absent, Jennifer Bryan was selected by Tyrone Borough council to fulfill the vacancy left by the recent resignation of Sarah Jane Miller.
Tyrone residents Bill Fink and Jennifer Bryan applied for the open Council seat.
In the effort to let you the reader make your own opinion, the question and answer session between Council and the candidates is appearing in its entirety.
Fink was first to be questioned by the sitting council members.
Councilman J.R. Watson, started by asking if each of the candidates met the qualifications to be on the Council.
Clapper responded, “According to the Home Rule Charter there are two qualifications. Are you an American citizen and are you a registered voter with Tyrone borough?
Watson started by asking Fink if he had ever run for public office before, and were you elected and what position was that?
“I ran for an office in Frederick, Maryland as a member of a committee of a home owners association,” said Fink. “It was a community of 204 units. When I ran for that office, it started with me moving into the community. I was elected in 1985, the next election, I was nominated for President of that Board of Directors, I was elected to the Presidency of that Board of Directors and remained the President until I left Maryland to return to Pennsylvania in 2001.”
Councilperson Sharon Dannaway asked Fink if he considered being the President of a Home Owners Association being a public elected official?
“That is what it is considered in Maryland,” said Fink. “It is considered an elected public official. It was an elected office by ballot.”
“Councilman Jim Beckwith asked, “Did I hear you say it was an elected office by ballot? Fink responded yes. Beckwith asked, “Whom were the people voting, just the home owners of the association?
Fink responded, “The people who resided in that community and the members of the association.”
After a lengthy pause and then a prod by Mayor Pat Stoner, Dannaway asked Fink, “Reading the information that you gave us, you worked for the Federal Government, can you explain what you did?”
“I spent 36 years in the Federal Government,” said Fink. “I was in the position of a special agent with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration. My final position was as the Federal Security Manager of Washington/Dulles International Airport. I have been involved in law enforcement and security the entire 36 years. I dealt with various Federal agencies to include the FBI, to the Secret Service to the Departments of State and Agriculture and any of the agencies that we had to partner with to accomplish the mission and duties that were required to improve and increase security and law enforcement positions throughout the United States.”
Dannaway asked, “Would you say that in the positions that you held, that you handled confidential information?” Fink replied, “Yes I have.”
Dannaway continued, “As a Borough Councilperson, if we should elect you here tonight, how are you going to handle confidential information when in the past, you’ve been our biggest critic on confidential information?”
“I can apply those requirements that are outlined in the Home Rule Charter and under the Sunshine Law, and deal with whatever confidential information needs to be dealt with the same as when I was a Federal employee. If it is prohibited to release, then it is unreleaseable. If it is not prohibited to release, it is releasable and if there is a question in my mind, that is what we pay Mr. (Larry) Clapper (Borough Solicitor) for to advise me one way or another.”
Dannaway continued her questioning, “If for some reason, it was leaked by you, would you object if we proceeded with following up on that?”
Fink replied, “Absolutely not.”
Another lengthy pause developed before the Mayor called on Virgie Werner.
Werner asked, “Other than your security positions, did you ever deal with other type of community things?”
“In the Home Owners Association, I dealt with similar problems that you contend with here,” said Fink. “Working and dealing in a partnership relationship with the city of Frederick. I was responsible as the President of the Association along with the other four members of the Board to handle street repairs, to deal with water and sewer problems and to deal with general issues in the community that would involve similar to what you handle here. The biggest and most challenging job was to deal directly with the city of Frederick to use their facilities and equipment to improve the quality of life in that community and to do at that at an expense less than it would have cost us to go out on our own to do it.”
Jim Grazier, who is running for the 80th District State House seat, had one question for the candidate. “Mr. Fink, having spent three decades away from this community, please explain how you feel you are in touch with the issues and the concerns of this community more so than someone who has lived here their entire life?”
“Since I returned to the community in 2001, I have spoken with many, many, many residents and I have heard the pros and cons of their concerns and the issues that are facing the Borough of Tyrone today,” said Fink. “I have also attended your meetings here, listened to the activities that have taken place here and basically got a fairly good network and groundwork of what you are facing and up against. I lived here for 18-19 years before I went off to the service and got a good job. A lot of the problems then still basically exist but maybe in a greater or lesser detail. I don’t see a lot of differences between what you are facing and what we faced down there in the community and the issues that presented themselves. I think each one is unique and each one in itself is different and each one has to be handled different. Tyrone is a community right now that is reaching out. My desire is to reach back and try to help them get what they are looking for and do it in the most effective and most productive way.”
Jim Beckwith asked Fink, “In your position on the Board of Directors, did you ever deal in any way shape or form with unions?”
“No,” Fink said. “I did in the Federal Government, but not in my job as the President of the Association.”
Mayor Stoner took her turn with the questioning.
“Since you talked about reaching out and wanting to help reach out, what have you done in the past year since you’ve been back to Tyrone after being away for approximately 30 years, to help with our efforts to renew vitality to our community? Have you volunteered to serve on any committee made up of the good towns people who are really interested about our future and they organized and are working diligently to turn things around in our town. What contribution have you made to this effort?”
“Well, I know where you are coming from, I attended one of your sessions at Adams School with regards to the revitalization of the Borough down here,” said Fink. “I must admit openly that I got absolutely little or nothing out of that. And I have not participated in any of those committees or joined any of those committees because I don’t see where those committees where those committees are going to step up to the plate and do anything. I was encouraged to see this new (Tyrone Community) Partnership that the former Main Street Association has now established. I must say openly that a Rose is a Rose, no matter what you call it. So I am waiting to see what that presents as an option. And if it is a good option and it encompasses the entire community, I would be more than happy to participate.”
Stoner replied, “there were four public meetings Bill, not one, and perhaps if you had attended all four, that made up that vision study, then you would have learned that the group that is organized now is a direct effort of the vision study. That is a direct effort of the visioning study. They chose to choose a name other than Main Street, which they can do, and they chose Community Partnership. Those five committees are good towns people who really care about this town and they come aboard with ideas and things to make this town work.”
Fink replied, “In response to your question Mayor, I have no doubt in my mind that that is the case. None whatsoever. It’s just that I haven’t seen anything that I want to get deeply involved in with any of those committees at this point and time until I learn more about them, I am going to pursue other avenues.”
Stoner interrupted with the comment, “You don’t learn about them by staying away from them, and you stayed away from them.”
Stoner asked Fink, “Do you think your constant belittling this conciencious and dedicated Council and they are that and your incessant dissemination of misinformation to the public has served this community well and qualifies you for to serve on Borough Council?”
“I believe Mayor that is an opinion, and you are entitled to it,” said Fink.
Stoner replied, “I recognize misinformation when I see it.”
“You’re entitled to consider that,” said Fink. “I don’t consider it misinformation. By the way to your last question, I do belong to the Tyrone Rotary Club which I think provides a great service to this community.”
Stoner said, “I don’t doubt it, those people work hand in hand with us in our projects, I am waiting for you.”
With that comment, the questioning of Fink ended, and Bryan sat down to for her interview from Council.
Councilman Watson started Bryan’s questioning. “Have you ever run for public office before?”
“No I haven’t,” said Bryan.
The Mayor asked, “Jennifer, where are you employed?”
“I am employed with Blair Medical Associates,” Bryan responded.
“What is your position there?” Stoner asked.
“My title is projects manager,” said Bryan. “What that entails is a little bit of everything. I was in charge of our 15 satellite offices. With this position, I handled all of our Physicians and process claims with the insurance companies. I also deal with employees on a daily basis. I was in charge of the satellite offices hiring and also firing.”
Stoner asked, “How long have you lived in the Borough?”
“I was born in Tyrone,” said Bryan.
“You’ve lived here your whole life,” Stoner asked.
Bryan replied, “Yes.”
Stoner asked, “You’ve not left here?” Bryan answered No.
Stoner remarked, “As a matter of fact you live in your parents house.”
Stoner asked, “Are you involved in any of the activities… Did you attend any of our visioning study meetings?”
“Yes I did,” Bryan responded.
Stoner asked, “As a result of that, are you involved in any of the committees that were enacted from that visioning study?”
“Yes, Dawn Popa, I’m on her committee,” said Bryan. “I don’t think we ever came up with a title for the re-organization of Downtown Tyrone. We are working on fund raisers and things like that. We’re trying to enhance and get people more involved with different ideas like bumper stickers and not sure what all we are looking at.”
Dannaway asked the same question to Bryan about confidentiality.
“In my present position, it is part of our policy that we don’t give any information regardless of a Physician, patients or anything that may be cause for dismissal.”
Dannaway also asked, “If the Council found out that you leaked Confidential information, would you object to our doing an investigation?”
Bryan replied, “No.”
Beckwith asked if Bryan was ever involved with Unions?
Bryan responded, No I haven’t.
Grazier asked, “Being a lifetime resident of the Borough of Tyrone, do you feel you are up on the situations that face our community?”
“I feel I have a grasp of them,” said Bryan. “I know I have a lot to learn. With the situations, political, policies and procedures that you follow. That is just like the same way of starting any type of position. You learn from that and the policies about it. I’m not going to understand every issue.”
Watson asked, “Does your work schedule allow you to attend all Council meetings? We regularly meet the first and second Monday’s of each month.”
Bryan responded, Yes.
The Mayor asked, “Jennifer, why did you decide to run for Council?”
“It is something that I have thought about for quite some time,” said Bryan. “I feel that there has been so much negative publicity for this small town. Yes, we have our problems, but overall it’s really a nice town to live in. And I really would like to see it come back to what it was. Whether it means improving Downtown and adding more stores there or the broader picture of course would be Westvaco going back, and the Ames store. These are all things that we have to look at, I just want to be a part of it.”
Grazier asked, “Do you feel you are in touch with issues and concerns of the Tyrone area?”
“Yes,” Bryan replied. “I feel that I will have a listening ear, they can call if they have something particular that they are concerned about.”
With that response the interviews ended. The ballots were distributed to the Council members prior to the meeting and one minute and fourteen seconds after the questioning of Bryan ended, Solicitor Larry Clapper announced the voting as follows: Virgie Werner voting for Jennifer Bryan, Mayor Stoner for Jennifer Bryan, James Grazier for Jennifer Bryan, Sharon Dannaway voted for Jennifer Bryan, James Beckwith for Jennifer Bryan and Jeffrey Watson Jr. voted for Jennifer Bryan.
Bryan was sworn in by Clapper and took her seat for the rest of the meeting.
Read more about the business of Tyrone Borough Council in tomorrow’s Daily Herald.
