Duffy pursues bid for reelection to Mckean County Commission
Tom Kreiner of Hazel Hurst has announced his candidacy for re-election to the post of Mckean County Commissioner on the Republican ticket.
Kreiner was born and raised in Bradford and graduated from Bradford Central Christian High School. Kreiner went on to continue his education at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy.
As a registered pharmacist, he worked for Rite Aid Corporation including 14 years in Kane as Pharmacy manager. He also served at Tops Markets Pharmacy in Bradford and as Director of Pharmacy at Bradford Regional Medical Center until 2019.
Kreiner has resided in Hamlin Township since moving back to Mckean County in 1987. He is a past Supervisor in Hamlin Township having served 11 years in the position. Kreiner remains active in the Hamlin Township Volunteer Fire Department and currently serves as treasurer for the organization. He has served as an assistant chief and also chief of the department in the past. Kreiner is treasurer for the Fire Relief Association. In addition, he serves an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) with the Fire Departments QRS unit and is active with the Mt. Jewett Area Ambulance as well as serving as president of the board for the organization. Kreiner has been involved in teaching EMT classes as well.
Kreiner is a member of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Roman Catholic Church in Smethport where he serves as a lector and is a former member of the parish council.
Kreiner is a volunteer assistant football coach for Smethport Area High School.
Kreiner has two children. Nicole resides in Smethport and is a Special Education teacher in the Smethport School District and Kyle is a Safety Coordinator for Domtar in Johnsonburg. He also has two grandsons, Cade and Colt.
Kreiner was appointed Commissioner in May 2019 to fill the term of Al Pingie who passed away. He was elected to a four year term beginning in January 2020. “I was honored to be appointed and then elected. It is such an honor and privilege to do this work on behalf of all the residents of Mckean County.”
Kreiner is also a member of the North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission Audit and Finance Committee. In addition, he serves on the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP) Emergency Management and Veterans Affairs Committee.
Carol E. Duffy, current Republican Mckean County commissioner, has announced her intention to run for re-election in the May Primary.
“First I would like to thank the voters for giving me the privilege of serving as your county commissioner for the past two terms. From the onset I made a promise of commitment to community and dedication to progress and will continue to serve the next four years in the same capacity when re-elected as Commissioner,” said Duffy.
As a lifelong resident of Smethport, Duffy and her husband Roy have raised four children. For over 30 years, they coowned and operated a construction and trucking company. Duffy is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford with a degree in business management and a concentration in accounting.
Duffy now in her eighth year as commissioner indicated that her prior nineteen years serving on the Smethport School Board and eight years as vice-president on the Intermediate Unit Nine Board provided her a solid foundation for the expectations of the Board of Commissioners. She is also a long-time member of the Smethport VFW auxiliary, Smethport American Legion auxiliary, Smethport Women's Club, and Trinity Lutheran church, were she also serves as Treasurer. Duffy has said yes to other opportunities: The Leadership Mckean Board and co-chair of the Mckean County Women's Giving Circle.
In addition to her daily responsibilities as county commissioner, she also represents Mckean County on numerous boards and committees, both local and regional. These include North Central Economic Development Commission, Chief Elected Officials Workforce Board, Area on Aging, Northern Tier Community Action, and the County Commissioners Association of Counties Veteran and EMS committee. These experiences have given Duffy what she believes to be unique insight into issues and provides a valuable network.
As stated previously “I believe being an effective commissioner and leader requires listening to the critical needs within the community and working to form a solution. The county agenda belongs to the community and together we solve problems, create opportunity and growth, and sustain a safe and secure environment for our citizens”.
“Achievements since I have started at the County vary in size but all are important whether it is employee support and safety, advocating for county priorities, infrastructure projects, or working toward a community solution. Supporting initiatives such as public safety, the youth first responder training program at the Career Technical Center, broadband connectivity, trail development and tourism, have provided an opportunity to explore solutions to move the county forward.
“To sustain and improve our local industry, education, and healthcare, we must focus on improving our workforce, infrastructure and especially broadband connectivity. Working with county departments, regional, and state partners and developing our broadband plan ensures that the county is prepared to capture opportunities as they become available. I believe focusing on economic development is essential to improving the quality of life for our residents,” she said.
Duffy pointed to her accounting background as a positive for dealing with the complex finances of a county government. “With the complexity of the county budget, it is important your commissioner has a strong financial background and the ability to understand the many revenue streams and expenditures,” she said. “I believe I possess that ability and work with others to fiscally and responsibly address our community needs.”
JOHNSONBURG-THE Writers Conference of Northern Appalachia (WCONA) will host a Regional Writers Event in the metro-area of Pittsburgh, a city also called the "Paris of Appalachia," at Robert Morris University, March 10-11.
Writers from, living in, or writing about the region of northern Appalachia have yet to be distinguished with a regional identity. The diverse peoples, places, cultures, folk traditions, history, landscapes, and geography of northern Appalachia are uniquely inspiring, and their stories deserve to be represented and valued as distinct literature.
The Writers Conference of Northern Appalachia Inc. (WCONA) brings together writers and others interested in the region's literature together to honor their distinct body of work and enhance our authors' craft. WCONA is a catalyst to inspire more novels, poetry, essays, history, memoir, drama, and other modes of literary writing that represent, in some way, northern Appalachia and so create and promote a canon of writers and writing of northern Appalachia.
Workshop and presentation topics include; Voice, Place, Marketing, History, Heritage, Fiction, Poetry, and Memoir. Attendees include writers, publishers, and others interested in creating and promoting a canon of Northern Appalachian Writing. Saturday's keynote speaker, Ben Moyer, is an Appalachian essayist and is Audubon Pennsylvania's Conservation Communicator of the Year.
Elk-county author Megan Schreiber-carter will be presenting a story-craft program on Saturday, March 11, based on the unvarnished voices, homegrown characters, and illustrations in her Mostly-true Short Stories series. She'll be reading scenes set in the woods of Elk County, PA; the woods inside the D.C. beltway; and the woods of West Virginia, Pittsburgh, and the Middle Ages. Megan will present Appalachian-mountain
and Forest Scenes: Story Craft, Mountain-forest Cultures, and Unvarnished Voices of Homegrown Characters.
"People are people. Wherever we are, we have in common our human nature, tempered by our surroundings. The people in my stories are diverse and complicated," said Megan Schreiber-carter
The three books she will promote at the conference include The Great Aunt Alice Collection. This is the first in the Mostly-true Stories series and is a memoir. In it, a young girl navigates tall tales and tells truths told in rural Elk County, PA, from the 1870s to the 1970s. Ultimately, she protects what she once feared, including the “Indians in the attic.” Scene readings Indians in the Attic (opening scene), Ghosts of the Forest, Recipes for Girls, Lutheran Husbands, & Mom's Freespirited Friends.
In Ill-gotten Gold, a Mostly-true Confession Story set in the woods of West Virginia, Pittsburgh, and the Middle Ages. In it, readers join a fireside confession about a quest for hidden gold in modern-day Pittsburgh. Readers hear a tale of chivalry, dishonesty, thievery, and the hazards of acting on youthful impulse. In the opening scene reading, the story opens with a Medieval wench in the woods before introducing three temporarily-insane young adults who become infected with Gold Fever.
In Her third book, The White Devil & the Twisted, Young Owl, is a Mostly-true, Wildliferescue Story set in the woods inside the D.C. Beltway. In the story,
three old friends with backwoods-mountain life experience find adventure,
humor, and hope while trying to save a twisted owl in D.c.-area woodlands. Presented readings include You Gotta Come with Me (opening
scene), Not Normal, and Swishing.
WCONA defines Northern Appalachia as "the Appalachia counties of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New
York, and the northern portion of West Virginia."
The event kicks off Friday evening with live entertainment, including open-mic readings.
Attendees will sign and sell books at the event's book sale, held both days.
More information about the conference event may be found at
wcona.com, where those interested can sign up to attend. More information about Megan's Mostly True Short Stories may be found at megansdesk.net.