Dec 6, 2017 3 min read

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median number of years Americans have been at their current jobs is 4.2 years. That number is clearly skewed by younger people who tend to hop from one job to another as they move up the career ladder and seek better salaries and more responsibility, but the fact remains that Americans are more mobile than they once were, and they tend not to linger in jobs the way they did in previous eras.

That fact alone makes the 25-year tenure Frank Siffrinn has had as the manager of North Strabane Township fairly remarkable. What makes it all the more noteworthy is that municipal managers have to navigate sometimes turbulent political waters and a rotating cast of “bosses,” in the form of supervisors or council members. One year, a manager can be the apple of a board’s eye, the source of all that is good and prosperous in a community. A couple of years go by, some board members retire or are defeated at the ballot box, and a board can make a manager a scapegoat, the root cause of each and every pothole and empty storefront. North Strabane has seen its share of turnover on its board over the last quarter-century, but Siffrinn managed to remain in place, making sure, to use the well-worn phrase, that the trains run on time.

The fact he has announced his retirement, with a likely departure set for April, will mark a significant change for North Strabane. After having had competent and reliable leadership in the township’s daily operations, the board now has to choose a successor. Moreover, Siffrinn has been at the helm of the township during a time of significant change.

Since the 1990s, the residential growth that caused one subdivision after another to sprout in Peters Township made its way north to North Strabane, as families settled there seeking homes within an easy commute to Pittsburgh, while sidestepping Allegheny County’s tax burden. North Strabane’s growth has had additional momentum because of the continued expansion of nearby Southpointe, with workers in the business park seeking an easier commute.

The transformation of North Strabane from a quiet, mostly rural community to a suburban one is reflected in the way the budget has grown over Siffrinn’s tenure. As we reported Tuesday, the township’s budget increased from $2.15 million to $13.6 million. All those people moving into the township need services, such as waterlines or having their roads cleared when the snow and ice arrives. In fact, Siffrinn noted half the township did not have public water 25 years ago, and now almost all of it does, with some of the cost covered by grant money.

Siffrinn said, “One of the things I’m most proud of is our overall financial management of the township and our budgetary performance over that period of time.”

North Strabane has also been lucky to be the host community for The Meadows Racetrack & Casino, receiving about $2.7 million per year in local share funds. It has used that money to float a bond for a new community park and to buy an aerial truck for its fire department.

In our dealings with him over the years, we have found Siffrinn to be straightforward and capable. We wish him well in his retirement.