PA Primary 2013: Candidates for Crescent Board of Commissioners

The Pennsylvania primary will be held on May 21.

An incumbent commissioner will face Crescent Township's former police chief in in the race for the role of Crescent's commissioner at large during the 2013 general municipal election.  Two seats are open on the Crescent Township Board of Commissioners in 2013. The Pennsylvania primary will be held on May 21.  Karen Patton, who now sits on the board, will run against Todd Miller, who left his position as chief of police in 2012.  Tax Collector:  Karri A. Griffith, Republican Judy Withee, Democrat Commissioner at large. One seat: Karen Patton, Republican, incumbent Todd Miller, Democrat  Commissioner. One seat: Diane Cvengros, Republican, incumbent Peggi Schofield, Republican Mark D. Schukart, Democrat 

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Moon Police Explore Possibility of Patrolling Crescent Township

Elected officials from Crescent recently approached Moon Police about police protection.

Moon Township Police are looking at the potential of providing police coverage to neighboring Crescent Township.  Moon Police Capt. Gregory Seamon said some commissioners from Crescent recently asked the department to explore the possibility of providing police protection. “The elected officials have approached us and just asked us to do a study on that, but there is nothing definite,” Seamon said. Seamon said Moon is still surveying the possibility after being approached this month. “It’s going to take awhile,” he said. Patrolling Crescent Township wouldn’t be new territory for Moon. Back in the 1990s, Seamon said, the Moon police department patrolled the neighboring township on the weekends. Moon also provides dispatch servicesand back-…

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Talk of the Town

No Re-Opening in Sight for Crescent's Shouse Park

What do you think of the park's closure?

In a Monday editorial, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette looks at wrangling between Crescent Township officials and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. At the center of the dispute is Shouse Park, a municipal green that was shuttered one year ago because the hillside roadway leading up to it, McCutcheon Way, had deteriorated.  Township officials last year said the road had begun to sink and slide downhill and posed a safety threat to park-goers and motorists. Duquesne Light in recent months moved utility wiring on the road so residents do not lose power as a result of poles being pushed in the landslide.  The park was closed in May 2011 and no re-opening date has yet been announced. The Crescent Board of Commissioners has discussed the slide and …

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You Sent It In

Crescent Commissioner Stumps with Romney in South Park

View photos from a Mitt Romney campaign stop.

Crescent Commissioner Jerry Keller was on hand for presidential candidate Mitt Romney's Monday morning campaign stop in South Park.  Romney spoke to supporters during his visit to CONSOL's Research and Development Campus.  Keller said security at the event remained tight during Romney's 30-minute speach.  "Dressed comfortably in a dark sport jacket, blue jeans and absent a tie, Romney appeared very relaxed as he spoke without the use of notes of teleprompters," Keller said.  Click through to view Keller's photos from the event. 

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Crescent Police Drop Charges Accusing Commissioners of Threats

Police and the municipality reach a nonbinding conciliation.

Crescent Police have dropped unfair labor practice charges in which they accused Crescent officials of threatening to disband the police department if they requested additional benefits in ongoing collective bargaining negotiations. Teamsters Local 205, which represents township police, said in a complaint that members of Crescent’s Board of Commissioners told a police captain they would eliminate the police force if union members “were to request anything beyond the existing contract benefits in the next collective bargaining negotiations.” R. Anthony DeLuca, an attorney representing police union members, said police and the township reached a “phone conciliation” earlier this week regarding the charges but that contract negotiations …

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Crescent Hires Police Officers, Increases Tax Anticipation Loan

Prompted by the Allegheny County property reassessment, tax revenues for municipalities could be delayed until November.

The Crescent Township Board of Commissioners Tuesday night approved the advertisement of its 2012 Tax Anticipation Loan. The township's requested amount, $350,000, is $100,000 more than the $250,000 it usually requests.  “We borrow a certain amount of money to float us until our taxes come in,” said Commissioner Karen Patton, who oversees finances. “Normally, a lot of municipalities do that in order to operate the township.” The Allegheny County property reassessment prompted the request for the increased loan amount.  The township begins collecting its tax dollars by the end of May or beginning of June.  But board President Bill Cook said the reassessment may cause the township to not get its tax numbers back until April or May, giving …

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Update: Candidates Take to the Polls on Municipal Election Day

Voter turnout has been mixed, candidates say.

Denny Lewis said after 60 years as a Crescent resident, he decided to run today as a write-in candidate for the township's Board of Commissioners.  "It's a long shot, I know, but I figured I'd come out today and give it a shot," Lewis said between talking to voters outside the Crescent Township Building, which serves as a polling location. Lewis is the township's emergency management coordinator and works for US Airways.   Candidates and campaign workers today are staked out at polling locations in Moon and Crescent, where many said voter turnout has been moderate.   Samuel Tranter, a candidate for Moon Area School Board on the Citizens for Education Ticket, said he saw an uptick in senior citizens taking to the polls early this morning…

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Crescent Landslide May Cost Township $22,000 to Repair, Open Road

The board of commissioners agrees to repair the McCutcheon Way landslide.

The Crescent Township Board of Commissioners last night said a landslide on McCutcheon Way outside the community's Shouse Park continues to pose a safety hazard.  The board discussed ways to remedy the landslide, which has caused the road to be closed for nearly two months.  A geo-engineering firm assessed the landslide, and the estimated cost to repair the road is $22,335. Commissioners said their main concern now is how that cost will affect the township's finances, especially if the proposed repairs don't solve the problem. In late May, community officials began to notice that the road surface was sinking, cracking and sliding downhill.  Finance Commissioner Karen Patton assured the board that its funds would be able to cover the cost …

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Five Things You Need to Know This Week

A rundown of the week's soon-to-be big stories and upcoming events for Monday, June 20.

The Crescent Township Board of Commissioners will meet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Crescent Township Municipal Building. Check back with Patch Wednesday morning for coverage of the meeting.  Tune into Moon Township Public Access TV today to catch a glimpse of the Moon Area High School Class of 2011's senior projects. MCA-TV will air a series of senior project presentations at 11:30 a.m., 5:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Comcast customers will find MCA-TV on channel 14. The Moon Area School District has announced its summer administrative office hours.  Residents may reach school staff from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. District offices will remain closed on Fridays. Summer hours are in effect from today through July 31.  The team will …

Crescent Appoints New Commissioner

Joe Sabol, a 23-year resident of Crescent, will fill the seat left vacant due to the death of James Withee.

The Crescent Township Board of Commissioners today appointed a new commissioner to fill a vacancy due to the death of longtime Commissioner James Withee.  Joe Sabol, a 23-year Crescent resident, will serve as the board's fifth commissioner through the end of the year.  Board President Bill Cook said that Sabol has not been appointed as the township's police commissioner -- the position that Withee held for several terms while on the board. He said commissioners will be reappointed to township committees later.  "[Sabol] has the qualifications," said Cook. "Out of respect for Jim, we waited until all of the memorials and services were over. But Joe had expressed an interest, and it was my opinion that he was qualified." Withee, 77, who died…

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