Spurred by property reassessment, Dellorso runs for county commissioner
At a dinner in Houston Thursday night, Bobby Dellorso formally announced his bid for a Democratic nomination as a candidate for Washington County commissioner in the May 21 primary.
Dellorso, 59, of Canonsburg, cited the countywide property reassessment, which resulted from a court case filed by the McGuffey and Washington school districts, as one of the reasons he is seeking the nomination.
“I believe senior citizens were taxed the hardest,” Dellorso said, citing as an example his 80-year-old mother, a Canonsburg resident who lives in the home where he grew up. Her county property taxes have more than doubled, he said.
Dellorso prefers a system that would allow post-reassessment tax increases on those who live on fixed incomes to take effect gradually over four to five years “so people could get used to it and adjust their budgets accordingly.”
Dellorso also expressed dismay over the commissioners’ sale of the Washington County Health Center in 2017.
Dellorso supports term limits for commissioners, who he said should serve no more than two or three four-year terms.
The law imposes no term limits on the officeholders.
“I question how hard the current commissioners are working for the taxpayers,” he said in a release.
“The current board feels too comfortable and has held these positions long enough. It is time for change in Washington County and have someone working for the people.”
Dellorso is a graduate of Canon-McMillan High School who attended Washington & Jefferson College.
He coordinates logistics for the Department of Defense contractor 3 Rocks Inc. of Moon Township. For the past 13 years, he has been president of the Italian-American Cultural and Heritage Society of Washington County. He is also a licensed, ordained wedding minister.
Democratic incumbent Commissioners Harlan Shober and Larry Maggi are running as a slate, seeking third and fifth terms, respectively. Incumbent Republican Diana Irey Vaughan has declared her candidacy for a seventh term. Other announced GOP candidates are Nick Sherman and Jason White.
A Washington County commissioner’s base salary is $93,944.