Maggi, Shober seek re-election
Larry Maggi
Harlan Shober
Washington County Commissioners Larry Maggi, second from left, and Harlan Shober announce their joint bid for re-election Wednesday at the local Democratic Party headquarters in Washington. Their wives, Mary Jeanne Maggi and Jackie Shober, joined them for the event.
The two Democratic commissioners of Washington County declared their joint bid for new terms on Wednesday.
Larry Maggi and Harlan Shober made the announcement at the county party committee’s headquarters on East Wheeling Street.
Maggi, a retired state trooper and former county sheriff who lives in Buffalo Township, is seeking his fifth term as commissioner. Shober, a Chartiers Township resident and eponymous founder of a house-building company, is trying for a third.
The prominent Democratic political consultant Mike Mikus of the firm Chartiers Group is managing the campaign.
The pair shared a pro-business message as they discussed population growth in parts of the county. They highlighted the natural gas industry, which by an accident of local geography has turned the county into a major fossil fuel source.
“Our county is actually the second-largest energy producer in the state,” Maggi said. “Actually leading our way for our country’s energy independence. We want it all to start right here in Washington County.”
Shober told a similar story.
“We don’t create jobs,” he said. “We create the atmosphere to let people come in and feel good about it and encourage them and then we step out of the way, let the private industry take over.”
So far, no other Democratic candidate has publicly said they’ll run for the seats.