(Editor’s note: Recently, The Daily Herald sent out letters to individuals listed in our coverage area who have filed for candidacy in the May 15 primary election. Individuals were asked to send back the information so that the Herald could spotlight each candidate to the public. The Daily Herald compiled the information on the candidates and is currently running the spotlight articles to provide complete coverage of the election to our readers. It should be noted that if a candidate did not provide information to the Herald, then no information will be printed about them for the upcoming election.)
The long list of candidates for Blair County Commissioner will include Diane Meling from the Altoona area.
“I want to be a County Commissioner because I believe that strong leadership is needed to confront the many challenges facing Blair County,” Meling stated.
Meling is no stranger to local government. She had served as a Logan Township Supervisor for several years and served as Chair of the Board of Supervisors. She had also been employed by the Borough of Hollidaysburg as Director of Community Development and Borough Manager.
If elected, Meling stated she will be a full time Commissioner. She said she will begin to address the financial mess in which the County finds itself. Meling would like to implement a process to provide oversight of the budget and wants to require that the budgeting process no longer be done on a year-to-year basis.
“Well run businesses develop both short and long range budgets, and government should also,” Meling said.
Meling said she supports the efforts of law enforcement and the drug task force to curb the drug problems and violent crimes in the County. She also feels that the County needs to do more to increase security at the County Courthouse.
“We must continue to find ways to secure the County Courthouse in a cost-effective manner. Courthouse employees deserve to work in an atmosphere that is free of fear.”
On the issue of reassessment, Meling will host a series of public meetings throughout the County to learn about the true impact and cost of property reassessment. She wants to bring in experts to discuss the pros and cons of reassessment.
“We all need to be better educated about this process before any further decisions can be made about whether or not to reassess,” Meling said.
Meling also wants to complete the 911 re-addressing of the County. She stated that this is long overdue and that hundreds of thousands of dollars have been already spent in the last ten years to update addresses in the County so 911 Emergency Communication Centers can efficiently dispatch emergency services.
“Failure to complete this task causes needless delay in the dispatching of emergency services every day, delays that could make the difference between life and death,” according to Meling.
Meling is the mother of two grown sons, and has two grandchildren. After raising her family, she returned to college to complete her education.
“I believe that I have the necessary leadership and managerial skills to meet these challenges,” Meling said.
