Profile: Andy "Bud" Wiesner, 2nd District Bollinger County Commissioner (D)

Date of birth: Nov. 23, 1940

Place of birth: Allentown, Pa.

Spouse: Bette but goes by the name of Penny

Children's Names and ages: Andrew J. Wiesner III, 45; Heidi Jo Richardson, 43

Occupation: Retired detective lieutenant supervisor

Employer: Retired/self-employed

Businesses owned: Farm raising paint horses and cattle

Public Office held: Appointed to the Pennsylvania's Attorney General's Task force 1985 through 1987

Past political campaign: Bollinger County sheriff 2004

1. What strategies/improvements would you work to put in place to better equip Bollinger County for disasters like we've experienced this year (flooding, ice storms, tornadoes, etc.)?

Answer: Marble Hill, in the past few years, has experienced a tremendous amount of flooding. This flooding causes a lot of monetary cost. Not only to the county but also to the proprietors in the area. In talking to many of the older people, who in fact grew up here, I was informed those years ago the county would retract gravel from Crooked Creek. By doing this the flooding in that area was at a minimal. Not only that but in this day of high fuel prices it would seem logical to try to attain a permit and take the gravel from there instead of all the way from the Castor River. The cost of fuel and wear and tear on the older county trucks has to have a negative impact on the budget. And lets not forget the cost it has impacted on the local business establishments. If this keeps up we will for sure lose some of them. When it comes to the ice storms, I believe that as a whole, Bollinger County along with all the local volunteer fire department working along side many residents of the county have done a great job in cleaning up debris left buy them. There is always room for improvement, but I don't feel that the county has fallen short when it came to the ice storms.

As we all know the U.S. government puts monies aside for the states and then the state divides up this money to the counties that request it. This request is done through writing of grants. If the county, like Bollinger, doesn't know of a grant or has no one that is writing them then the monies that Bollinger County would have received would then go to another county. If I were elected I would like to see each of the commissioners relinquish $5,000 of their first year's pay to hire a good grant writer, so as the monies for this hiring would not come out of the general budget. The second year's salary for this person would be determined by the amount of grants he or she was able to acquire. If we, Bollinger County, don't receive these needed funds some other county will surely.

2. What do you think the county could do to better equip individuals and businesses to respond to storm situations?

Answer: I think that as a small county in population the best was to do this is in education and training. To get this training and to educate the general public, the county has to be able to, again, acquire funds from outside like the state government. This is through grants. With this money and the proper people to do the training, maybe this will become a reality.

3. What experience/ideas do you have to help Bollinger County grow economically?

Answer: I have 30 years in government dealing with budgets, schedules and supervision. As a supervisor in the Detective Division, I had to put together a budget in wages along with supplies and equipment. I feel that this training I have had will surely enhance the performance of growth throughout the county's different subdivisions.

4. What makes you the best candidate for the job?

Answer: I believe that my training, throughout the years in city government, gives me an edge. I was appointed to Pennsylvania Attorney General Zimmerman's task force in 1985. I served in this capacity for over two years. We, as a body, rewrote some of the laws pertaining to violence toward the family. In 1985 I was requested to testify in front of the U.S. Attorney General Meese's task force in Chicago on similar topics. I worked as a supervisor for over 17 years, sometimes supervising over 40 officers at a time. I am familiar with the judicial system, which I have served well for over 30 years. I was qualified to teach in the police academy on many subjects, teaching not only local officers but state and federal as well. I would be dedicated to the betterment of all in Bollinger County while trying to hold down taxes and bring the best there is to the citizens. I may not have been born here in the county but have adapted this as my home for the last 17-plus years, enjoying the way of life that I have found in no other part of this great country.