The four candidates vying for Carbon County Commissioner answered questions Monday night on a variety of topics including county employee salaries, blight and finding a balance between tourism and the quality of life of local residents in a debate ahead of next week’s general election.

The two Republicans on the ticket, Wayne Nothstein and Michael Sofranko, joined Democrats Rocky Ahner and Jeff Schnaiter at the Lehighton American Legion in an event sponsored by BRC13 and the Lehighton 912 Project.

Panelists included Marta Gouger, Times News editor; Marlyn Kissner, vice president membership and community relations for the Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau; and Ben Stemrich, BRCTV13 reporter and anchor.

Nothstein, who is the current commissioner chairman and seeking his seventh term in office, said the number one goal right now is retention and recruitment of valued employees.

“Our biggest problem right now is employee morale,” Nothstein said, “There is a lack of trust in the commissioners’ office due to salary board issues, followed greatly by the budget, which is really in shambles.”

Sofranko, current Jim Thorpe mayor, said the county must focus on fiscal responsibility.

“A lot of people say fiscal responsibility is not spending money or cutting money,” Sofranko said. “Fiscal responsibility is how you handle the money they taxpayers have entrusted you with. If we can do that, we can take care of the employees and their families and all of the taxpayers.”

Ahner, an incumbent commissioner, said refining county employee job descriptions will lead to better pay.

“It’s been going on too long,” he said. “We had people that didn’t get a raise that should be and that is where this hostility comes from. We do have enough money in this budget to pay salaries that are generous. I think it’s time to be generous.”

Taking care of employees, Schnaiter said, should be a top priority.

“There are job descriptions that need changed,” he said. “If we narrow that down a little bit, that will help. We want to stop being the training field for other counties who are paying their employees much better.”

Ahner said his top three priorities if elected would be improving salaries, working on needs and not wants, and using grants more often.

“There are grants available for salaries that we can give bonuses for and we never do that,” Ahner said. “In the sheriff’s department it is costing us $15,000 to train someone and that is money we could use to pay them to stay.”

Taking advantage of grant writing, Schnaiter said, would be one of his top priorities.

Nothstein, meanwhile, said the county’s responsibility is to retain and train employees who are providing services to the public.

“The number one priority is fiscal responsibility,” Sofranko said. “The county borrowed $5.5 million from last year’s budget to balance this year’s budget. We need to sit with every row officer and department head and get a vision of where this county will be two years from now and five years from now. If we don’t communicate, the taxpayers are going to pay.”

Nothstein said affordable housing for seniors is one of the biggest problems currently facing the county.

“The cost of rent is unaffordable not only to our seniors but also to our young families just starting out with low paying jobs,” he said. “We have to work more with our housing authority and see what we can do to promote better and affordable housing for seniors.”

Ahner said the county should partner more with Carbon Career and Technical Institute.

“We need electricians, plumbers and carpenters to build this,” he said.

On the topic of blight, Schnaiter said, “There never seems to be enough money” to address the issue.

“I’m probably going to become very unpopular right now, but it may end up being a raise in taxes to help deal with that,” he said.

Sofranko said one of the keys is holding vacant landlords and LLC’s accountable.

“The only way to do that is meet with our local district magistrates so when we go to court, we win,” he said.

On the heels of record-breaking crowds attending Jim Thorpe’s Fall Foliage Festival, candidates were asked about balancing tourism with the quality of life of local residents.

Ahner said putting a parking lot at Packerton Yards may help alleviate situations like the massive traffic congestion in Jim Thorpe on Saturday.

“We have to be careful it doesn’t turn into a strip mall with it,” he said. “Before I came here tonight, I had two phone calls from people that wanted to buy Packerton Yards and one that wants to out parking in there.”

Traffic in Jim Thorpe is a sign of economic growth, Sofranko said, but it is something that needs to be shared with other areas of the county.

“Traffic was the issue, but the bigger issue was pedestrians,” Sofranko said. “You can only fit so many people in a small area. So why not send some of them to Summit Hill for a while to see the old mine. Let’s share the wealth.”

Other offices

Before the commissioner hopefuls took center stage, controller and coroner candidates gave brief statements about why they were seeking those offices.

Kayla Herman, a Republican from Jim Thorpe, said the county needs a person in the seat that has the education and experience to effectively do the job.

“As a homeowner for the last 11 years, I am well aware of the issues with the current tax situation,” Herman said. “I’m looking forward to bringing a fresh perspective and working as a team with the current staff and other leaders in the county to continue moving it forward for years to come.”

Herman’s opponent, Democrat Sam Lux, said the county needs a controller who can ensure tax dollars are being used effectively.

“Look what happens when we vote for someone based solely on political party,” Lux said. “It leads to inept government and complete chaos when we’re trying to negotiate salaries or pay our employees a respectable wage. It leads to consistent budget deficits. We need someone with the experience to do the job right.”

Robert Miller, a Democrat serving as the incumbent coroner, touted the current accomplishments of the office.

“We’re one of the only counties where I can say that everyone in the office is state certified,” Miller said. “We’re lucky here in Carbon County in that we don’t have any unidentified bodies.”

Miller said during his next term, if elected, he would like to get a stone for the people buried in the county cemetery.

“I think it is very respectful,” he said.

Miller’s opponent, Republican Mark Smith, has been employed as a paramedic since 2000 with the Lehighton Ambulance Association.

“The first thing we’re going to do is install professional and ethical conduct requirements within the staff,” Smith said. “We are going to eliminate any persons not affiliated with the office accompanying staff members to scenes of deaths. Waiting hours for someone from this office to respond is not going to happen anymore.”