Commissioners keep leadership roles

PERKINS TWP. — Erie County commissioners live by the mantra, "Don't fix what's not broken." And since they helped repair their government, two men want to continue building upon their many successes for, at least, another year. During Monday's public meeting, Erie County commissioners Pat Shenigo and Matt Old received their eighth-consecutive one-year terms to serve as board president and vice president, respectively. In addition to voting for themselves, the third commissioner, Steve Shoffner, reaffirmed both selections. Largely a figurehead position, the president position carries few executive powers. For instance, the president can set up public meeting times as well as topics and speakers for those sessions. The vice president fills this role when the president, for whatever reason, can't. Neither the president nor vice president boasts special voting privileges. People in these positions effectively stand on equal footing with their commission counterparts. "It's an honor to continue working on behalf of Erie County residents with commissioner Shenigo," Old said. "Together we've gotten Erie County's fiscal house in order and drastically reduced our debt. Given our financially strong position, we look forward to continuing to wisely invest in our infrastructure to make our community a better place to live, work and raise a family." Added Shenigo: "Erie County has come a long way in the last decade. We climbed our way out of a dire financial situation by ending bad decisions made by former elected officials and creating a new way of doing business for Erie County. This has allowed the county to make meaningful investments in our infrastructure and our people. In the future, Erie County is positioned to continue these investments in the coming years due to the hard work of so many. My commitment is to work every day to ensure that Erie County taxpayers get the best bang for their buck." A new era of business Voters initially elected Shenigo in fall 2008, and he began serving in 2009. Voters initially elected Old in fall 2016, and he began serving in 2017. The Republicans most recently won re-election in fall 2020, and their individual four-year terms span through 2024. During their time together, both have worked on several pieces of groundbreaking legislation, namely trimming Erie County's debt, which totaled about $48.5 million entering 2023 — the lowest amount since 2001, years before either began serving in office. Old and Shenigo managed to lower the debt while still pursuing many new projects over the past several years to better residents, visitors and those doing business in Erie County. Most notably, commissioners committed funding to: • Resurrecting a pair of long-dormant water lines, once owned by NASA; Work at a plant near Sheldon Marsh State Nature Preserve: — Ensures Sandusky water customers have a safe and reliable backup water system — Offers endless marketing opportunities, as raw water is a crucial ingredient to lure manufacturing companies into the region Erie County's in-house utilities team performed the work at a cost of $350,000. It came in at a fraction of the cost as compared to estimates collected by Sandusky officials, ranging between $8 million and $20 million. • Supporting various programs and initiatives related to the area's addiction recovery movement; Most notably, commissioners financially supported the region's first detox unit and Becky's House, a women's sober-living facility. Both entities exist at the Erie County Health Department's campus in Sandusky. • Overhauling The Meadows at Osborn Park, the Erie County-owned nursing home near Osborn MetroPark, with modern facilities to attract more residents • Implementing many changes at the Erie County landfill, which included installing a new scale to improve weight accuracy and creating an eco-friendly system to convert methane gas into electricity • Securing grants, totaling $24 million, with a majority coming from the federal government, to pursue many safety-related upgrades along U.S. 6 in the coming years • Working in collaboration with many in the public and private sectors to establish both the indoor and outdoor sports venues on Cleveland Road (U.S. 6); Together they represent about a $50 million investment and spurred more than $100 million in private development. • Backing the Erie County land bank, which has demolished dozens of properties and brought many of them back onto the tax roll • Helping to finance a countywide reading program, the Erie County Imagination Library chapter, which serves two-thirds of eligible children in this area with free books • Approving, most recently, the biggest budget in Erie County's history; At $38.4 million, the everyday operating budget aims to help the thousands who reside, visit and do business in Erie County. This would include committing public funds on road and utility upgrades. Both Shenigo and Old take on opponents in November's general election: Leslie Murray, a local attorney, faces off against Shenigo while Marcus Harris, the diversity and economic opportunities manager for Sandusky's government, squares off against Old. The two separate races each carry a four-year term, starting in 2025.