Commissioners attend White House event
President Donald Trump may have been in Paris, but commissioners from Washington, Greene and many other counties toured the White House Thursday morning, then attended a meeeting with members of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to discuss what they consider to be the most pressing issues they face.
Washington County Commission Chairman Larry Maggi said in a brief phone interview during a midday break he was skeptical of the invitation when it arrived via email, but he was able to verify through the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania the communication about what was billed as the “Keystone Commissioners’ Convention” was legitimate.
He and his colleagues, Commission Vice Chairman Diana Irey Vaughan and Commissioner Harlan Shober, arrived at the White House at 8:45 a.m. as scheduled, but Maggi said a computer glitch dropped half of those registered to attend, so they had a one-hour wait as their data was re-entered.
A discussion was scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
“They’re telling us everything is on the table,” Maggi said. “Health care, opiates, Community Development Block Grant funding.”
Greene County Commissioner Blair Zimmerman said the discussions included “everything under the sun,” including health care, the coal and gas industries, and the possibility of eliminating federal programs. He and Commissioners Dave Coder and Archie Trader arrived in Washington Wednesday night, Zimmerman said.
“They really wanted one-on-one time with commissioners to see what our thoughts were,” he said.
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey also was at the White House early Thursday. Maggi said he and the junior senator from Pennsylvania “exchanged pleasantries” but did not engage in policy discussions.
Maggi last visited the White House with the McGuffey High School class of 1968 as part of a senior trip. Asked about changes since then, the commissioner said, “Security is very evident, as it should be.”
Staff writer Katie Anderson contributed to this report.