Jan 28, 2015 3 min read

The words “long-term” appeared five times in a news release Washington County Commissioner Diana Irey Vaughan sent out Wednesday to announce she intends to seek a sixth, four-year term in the May primary.

In her case, the words would also apply to the length of her tenure.

With nearly 20 years in office, Irey Vaughan isn’t the longest-serving commissioner in the state, but, “She is pretty long on the seniority list,” said Douglas Hill, executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, an organization that includes the state’s 67 counties.

According to Hill’s database, Elk County Commission Chairman June H. Sorg was elected in 1991. Franklin County’s Bob Thomas and Tioga County’s Erick Coolidge were elected in 1995, the same year as Irey Vaughan.

Among larger counties with forms of government different from Washington County’s three-member board, Fiore Leone, Erie County councilman, is the longest-serving member of that governing body. He was elected in 1977.

“You could say she’s in a pretty elite club,” Hill said. “Commissioners, typically, serve two or three terms.”

Edward Paluso held the recent record for longevity in the Washington County commissioners’ office, serving for 20 years until his term expired in January 1992.

Irey Vaughan, 52, who has been vice chairman of the three-person board since 2012, is a Nottingham Township resident. She has been the lone Republican on the board since 2000.

“Over my tenure in office, Washington County has undergone a tremendous positive change that has created new jobs, attracted new companies and increased our already high quality of life. Our county has become an economic driver for our region and this can be seen by our low unemployment rate, increasing population and destination status for companies locating to the Southwestern Pennsylvania Region,” Irey Vaughan said in a news release.

Although she has adopted the slogan, “Diana Irey Vaughan – the energy to power Washington County,” she said she was referring to her “personal enthusiasm and drive, just how much I’ve worked for the county.” The slogan could also conjure up thoughts of Washington County’s gas and oil industry. The county won’t close its 2014 books until March, but nine gas wells in Cross Creek County Park are expected to bring $3.1 million in oil and gas revenue to county coffers, and the county has received $16.1 million in three years from impact fees from the state’s Act 13.

The office of county commissioner pays $83,468.

Voters from each of the major parties will select two candidates in the May 19 primary. Mike McCormick of Peters Township, a former Congressional candidate, is also seeking a GOP nomination. Barring the entry of any independents or third-party candidates in the race over the summer, voters will winnow the field to three of the four major-party hopefuls in the Nov. 3 general election.

Democratic incumbents Larry Maggi and Harlan Shober announced their re-election bids earlier this month. Former Canonsburg councilman A.J. Williams also announced he intends to seek a Democratic nomination.