Economic development among issues in Greensburg mayoral race

Democrat Robb Bell said he is seeking a third term as Greensburg’s mayor to continue working on the revitalization of the city.

Republican challenger G. Domenic Spino believes he is the best candidate to lead the city forward in areas including economic development, livability and access to services.

Voters will decide Nov. 7 which of the two presides and votes at council meetings, supervises the conduct of police officers, directs the city’s Department of Public Affairs and Safety and represents Greensburg at ceremonial occasions.

In the area of economic development, Bell said, “We’ve had growth in the last years, but there’s still a lot of work to do. I want to keep going until we get the job complete.”

Bell noted the city has approved about 70 occupancy permits since 2019, and storefronts on downtown Greensburg’s Pennsylvania Avenue are nearly full.

But, a block away, he said, “There are a lot of empty storefronts on Main Street. There are a number of cornerstone buildings that need to be developed, and we’re talking to a number of different developers.”

Bell said he wants to continue strides Greensburg has made in improving recreation — including updates this year of Spring Avenue Park, several playgrounds and the Kirk S. Nevin ice arena — and improving access to city services.

Last year, Greensburg switched to an online platform for permitting, code enforcement, inspection, licensing and planning functions, using a cloud-based program.

“It’s been a valuable tool, and we need to grow upon that,” making Greensburg “easier to do business with,” Bell said.

In the city’s efforts, Bell said he sees himself in the role of a quarterback who “tries to keep everybody moving together.”

Bell is campaigning jointly with incumbent council members who also are seeking new terms, Randal Finfrock and Sheila Brumley. “We’d like the opportunity to keep moving forward,” Bell said. “I have never been more confident for the future of Greensburg.”

Community engagement

Spino said he wants to bring more “energetic attention” to the city’s needs.

He said he has met with Greensburg residents, business owners and first responders “to understand the concerns and gather thoughts about moving our city forward.”

Spino said city government should have greater transparency, as well as an increased online engagement, including “interaction with the businesses and residents and greater marketing to a broader community so they can come and experience and enjoy the city of Greensburg.”

He said he wants to “work with the residents, to encourage them to participate in economic revitalization.”

He suggested developing a structure “to solve things on a neighborhood basis,” perhaps involving town hall meetings. “Business development and neighborhood development, they go hand in hand,” he said.

While a recent study found there are sufficient parking spaces in downtown Greensburg, Spino said parking is an aspect of the city that is in need of improvement and requires further research.

“While there may be statistically enough parking, it may not meet the expectations of visitors or residents,” he said, citing the problem of “having spaces but not having them positioned exactly where a person would want them.”

Regarding downtown revitalization, Spino said the city should weigh various development opportunities for each property and encourage those that are “in the best interest for the growth of the city.”

It’s been the better part of a year since Greensburg was rocked by the resignation of its former police chief, Shawn Denning, as he was arrested on federal charges of serving as a go-between in purchases of drugs from California. That case remains to be resolved, as is the case with separate charges filed against Denning in Westmoreland County, alleging he took a backpack containing suspected steroids and psilocybin mushrooms from the city police evidence room.

“That crisis was a very bad time for the city, which reflected very poorly on our city, our police department and other departments,” Spino said. “I want to make sure whatever led to that situation could never occur again. I would look forward to working with the chief of police and everyone in City Hall to ensure we have a safe city.”

“It was an unfortunate situation, but we handled it right away,” Bell said of the federal charges against Denning. “We’ve had an auditor go through our police department.”

Bell and members of city council also engaged the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association to help evaluate candidates for the subsequent city police chief. As a result, they promoted Charles Irvin, an 18-year veteran in Greensburg, to lead the department.

Bell said morale now is high on the city police force.

“I don’t think that one guy should bring down the whole department,” he said. “I think we’ve gotten past that.”