Hempfield school board candidates gear up for election

Three incumbent candidates have formed a uniformed front in the race for a seat on the Hempfield Area School Board.

The incumbents — Jeanne Smith, 71, Paul Adams, 50, and David Iwig, 51 — are vying for three of the five open seats on the board. Smith and Iwig are facing Vince DeAugustine, 41, Jennifer Bretz, 47, Tony Bompiani, 65 and Mike Alfery, 50.

Adams, who was ousted during May’s primary election, is running for a seat left open when former board member Chris Rossman resigned in June due to a job relocation. Adams is facing incumbent Paul Ward, 53, for the two-year position which runs through December 2021.

Much like the primary election, the board’s tax assessment appeal program is the hot topic with several candidates contesting the process. The program, which assesses recently sold properties that meet a $250,000 differential, was started years ago for commercial properties, but taxpayers became upset last year when it was applied to residential properties.

“It is nothing more than another way to bail them (the school board) out of poor financial decisions,” DeAugustine, who is cross-filed said. “It is also keeping a lot of great people from buying houses in the township.”

For DeAugustine, tax assessments should be done at the county level. Westmoreland County has not done a reassessment since 1973.

In May, DeAugustine won more than 12% of the votes on the Democratic ballot and more than 11% on the Republican ballot. He said he will be a voice for the students while working to slow increasing tax rates and to hold the school board accountable.

Bretz, Bompiani and Alfery all share DeAugustine’s sentiments against the tax assessment appeal process, which is one of the main reasons Bretz said she decided to run.

A registered Republican, Bretz received 10% of the votes during the primary. She is also focused on expanding vocational training and ensuring students graduate with marketable skills.

“Running for office is exhausting, but the support I’ve received from school district residents and fellow candidates has made it a rewarding experience and I look forward to the opportunity to serve as a conservative voice on the school board,” Bretz said.

Bompiani, who served on the school board for 12 years until 2007 and was the top vote-getter on the Democratic and Republican ballots, said he’s against the tax assessment appeal process, but also wants to focus on other budget factors including cyber school tuition and changing the timeline to better account for incoming expenses and revenues. He also wants to focus on school safety and creating consistency with teacher salaries.

Alfery, who was appointed to the board after Rossman’s resignation, is focused on the budget, removing politics from the athletic department, updating aging buildings and improving school security. Also cross-filed, he received 10.7% of Democratic votes and more than 13% of Republic votes.

“Being selected to fill the vacancy … has been an honor,” Alfery, who is cross-filed, said. “I feel the opportunity helped me get a better understanding as to how the inner workings of the process works.”

The incumbents

Ward, who secured the Republican nomination in September, also is against the tax assessment appeals program, but said he is working to ensure academic excellence is put first.

“There’s going to be some new faces in the board room so I hope to be in a position and I hope to have the opportunity to work with the new board members,” Ward said.

He wants to focus on the upcoming teachers contract and making repairs and renovations to the high school.

Unlike their opponents, Smith, Adams and Iwig have voted in favor of the tax assessment appeal program in the past, and is one of the reasons they are running together.

“I am running as a team with them because I trust their judgment and their ethics,” Smith said. “From serving with them over the past several years, I know they vote for what is in the best interest of the students and the community at large. They listen and weigh all aspects of something before they cast their votes. They have no vendettas nor do they micromanage. Their decisions are informed, impartial and fair.”

Smith, who is cross-filed, won about 14% of the votes on the Democratic side and about 9% on the Republican side. She is focused on making a decision on the aging high school, expanding safe school resources for better emotional and support services and creating opportunities for internships and externships for students.

Adams echoed those sentiments, adding, “We need more school counselors and school psychologists — we have unfortunately had to make cuts here in the past but it must be built back up. Adding school police was important but that must be paired with better resources for mental health and counseling if we really want safer and better environments for our students.”

According to Iwig, who has “heard positive feedback from our tax appeals program, from Republicans and Democrats alike, once the issue is explained and the facts are known,” the program has lessened the tax burden on residents by over $150,000 annually. He added that, previously, Hempfield property owners had been subsidizing properties at 50-70% discounts.

“Our opponents, whom I applaud for running for these incredibly important and time-consuming positions, nonetheless, are trying to scare voters on the issue of taxes,” Adams said. “We all know that property taxes are a serious issue for our residents especially lower-income residents and seniors — but Hempfield has actually done a very good job of dealing with the issue as best we can.”