By LES STEWART And JOHN LATIMER , Staff Writers

The Republican Party kept its hold on the Board of Lebanon County Commissioners yesterday, with GOP candidate Larry Stohler the top vote-getter and Bill Carpenter right behind him.

Some Republicans said they believed a state GOP flier criticizing Democratic candidate Steve Keefer tipped the balance in the election. Keefer lost by 500 votes.

Stohler and Carpenter will be joined on the board that is seated in January by Democrat Jo Ellen Litz. Litz will be serving her second term as commissioner. She lost a re-election bid four years ago and ran again this year. Democrat Ed Arnold, who defeated Litz for the minority seat in 1999, did not seek re-election this year. Incumbent Republican Rose Marie Swanger also did run for another term.

Unofficial results showed Stohler winning his first term as a commissioner with 12,590 votes; Carpenter, 12,418; Litz, 7,274; and Keefer, 6,774.

The campaign had been quiet until last weekend, when the anti-Keefer flier appeared in the mailboxes of voters registered as Democrats and independents. The flier, paid for by the state Republican committee, criticized the former Jonestown councilman for his response to a question about property reassessment at a candidates' forum and his attendance record as a borough councilman last year.

The flier made a difference in the outcome of the election, said state Sen. David J. Brightbill of West Cornwall Township.

"I thought the flier was effective," Brightbill said last night as he sat in Lebanon County Republican headquarters.

Brightbill called Keefer "the surrogate of Mike Veon."

Veon of Beaver County is the Democratic whip in the state House of Representatives. Brightbill is the Republican majority leader in the state Senate. Keefer works as Veon's communications specialist.

"It is very appropriate that the Republican State Committee stepped in," Brightbill said.

Brightbill said Keefer might have defeated Litz if the GOP state committee had not sent the flier to targeted voters.

In an interview with a radio reporter last night, Brightbill said the information in the flier was accurate. He said Keefer had accepted $5,000 from the state Democratic committee.

As Brightbill was being interviewed on the radio, Keefer listened to a radio in Democratic headquarters.

At one point, he briskly walked out of headquarters and headed up Cumberland Street. He returned several minutes later.

Keefer said Brightbill's claim about the $5,000 donation was inaccurate.

"I didn't get a dime from the state committee," Keefer said.

Keefer received contributions totaling nearly $5,000 from political friends including Congressman Bill Holden and state Rep. Bill Deweese, as well as from several labor unions, according to campaign expense reports. Deweese of Washington County is the Democratic leader in the state House of Representatives.

Keefer said he was unhappy about the flier but was more upset that his campaign supporters had been disappointed by the election results.

"I'm more upset for the people who believed in me, and believed in what we stood for, than I am for myself," Keefer said.

He said he would not rule out running for public office again.

Keefer also said he had no plans to use the commissioners' office as a stepping stone for higher political aspirations.

"I have no interests other than serving this community, and if they don't want to see that happen, then so be it," Keefer said.

Keefer's campaign manager, Noel Hubler, said, "If they're worried that this guy was going to get in there and do a good job, they're against the best interest of this county."

Carpenter agreed with Brightbill that the flier hurt Keefer's candidacy.

"We heard a lot about negative advertising in these last couple of days, and believe me, it's not negative if it's the truth," Carpenter told fellow-party members at the Lincoln Republican Club. Carpenter said he and Stohler had nothing to do with the mailing.

Stohler said he did not know if the flier had an impact.

"I would have preferred if they would have sent something out positive about Bill and me rather than something perceived to be negative about one of the other candidates," Stohler said.

Dale Hoffa, Democratic Party chairman, was upset about the mailing, calling it "a cheap shot."

Litz said she was shocked when she heard about it but thought it might have given Keefer a boost with some voters.

"I think there was an empathy vote, and it served as a catalyst," she said.

Stohler said he thought that he and Carpenter will work well together as commissioners.

Stohler said he could not explain why he came out on top in the commissioners' race. He said he had met as many voters as he could during the campaign.

"The goal was to make the team," he said. "I felt the best way to do that was to work as hard as I could to try to get as many votes as I could."

He also said his campaign sent introductory letters to Republican voters in the spring. Those letters laid the groundwork for the fall campaign he conducted with Carpenter, Stohler said. The letters were written by people in the community, Republicans and Democrats who know Stohler, and told voters why Stohler would be "a good fit" for serving as a county commissioner, he said.

Both Republicans said the next board will face numerous challenges with the county budget.

Litz said she will not hold a grudge against local Republicans about the fall campaign.

"We have a job to do," she said. "I serve all of the people, and I am not going in with a bad attitude."

Carpenter shrugged off Litz's return to the board.

"I know that some of our fellow Republicans wanted Jo Ellen Litz back in ... and they worked hard to get her there. So therefore she is going to be back, the way it looks.

2 of 3 incumbents refuse to run again

By JOHN LATIMER , Staff Writer

Regardless of which three candidates are elected to the Lebanon County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, when the new board convenes in January, it will experience a change it hasn't undergone in 16 years: It will have at least two new members.

Since 1988, Republicans Bill Carpenter and Rose Marie Swanger have served as a team on the three-member board. As members of the majority party, they rarely disagreed and held the upper hand in leading the county in the direction they felt best.

When Swanger announced she would not seek a sixth term and fellow Commissioner Ed Arnold said he also would not seek re-election, it guaranteed the next board would have a new leadership dynamic.

Besides Carpenter, the candidates include Republican Larry Stohler and Democrats Steve Keefer and Jo Ellen Litz. The latter three have pledged to work full-time if elected. Voters may choose two candidates, and the top three vote-getters will be elected to serve four-year terms. Next year's salary for a commissioner is $44,499, but it will top $51,000 when the term expires in 2007.

By running for a fifth term, Bill Carpenter, vice president of development and community service at Good Samaritan Hospital, is hoping for some continuity on the board. Before being elected commissioner, Carpenter, 57, served 16 years on the borough council of Cornwall, where he still lives.

Although incumbency comes with advantages like name recognition, publicity and often a fund-raising edge, it has its drawbacks. Carpenter has been criticized for using $12 million in reserve funds to balance the past two budgets.

Carpenter defends his actions by pointing out that taxes have not been raised in the past six years, and spending down the reserve is the main reason. He also asserts there is no fat in the budget.

"We have tightened the screws (on spending)," he said. "But in order for them (the other candidates) to know that, they would have needed to sit through all our budget hearings. We are very firm in our budget hearings. Just check with the department heads. They dread it."

Carpenter has said an increase in taxes is a strong possibility, as the commissioners are again facing a shortfall, this one $6.2 million, with a projected $7 million to $8 million in the reserve.

A fiscal conservative, Carpenter has also worked to be a conservationist in the face of development. He has led the commissioners' fight to save farmland and is close to fulfilling their pledge to preserve 10,000 acres, making Lebanon County one of the leaders in the state.

A decorated Vietnam veteran, Carpenter said this is no time for voters to turn their backs on experience like his.

"I think if you view the four candidates you will see that I certainly have the most experience," he said. "And I do think experience matters. I've been in office 32 consecutive years. I've been through tough times and good times, and I've kept a pretty level head. ... I think people would be smart to return me to office."

Should Jo Ellen Litz be elected, it would be her second term as a commissioner, having served from 1995 to 1999 with Swanger and Carpenter. Arnold thwarted her bid for re-election, defeating her by fewer than 800 votes.

Litz, a resident of Union Township, said she has put her four years away from the board to good use. She sold her automotive-body-shop business and now manages it and other commercial rental properties. She also earned a bachelor's degree in leadership and management from an online university.

Now, Litz, 51, is anxious to get back in the game of governing Lebanon County.

"Look at my record," she said. "It is one that spans decades. I'm not a flash in the pan."

As demonstrated by her work as president of the Swatara Creek Watershed Association, one of Litz's primary concerns is the environment and the impact of development.

Litz said she favors maintaining the county's aggressive approach to preserving farmlands. The county's 10,000-acre goal should be reached in the next two years with the help of a $2 million bond the commissioners issued this year to create enough funds for purchase of development easements from willing land owners.

"I think we have the best land in the country," Litz said. "I don't know if we can preserve too much farmland. As things develop, we have less and less farms. We had 1,000 farms, or near it, several years ago, and each year that number dwindles."

Litz said she does not fault the current commissioners for using $12 million from the reserve to balance the budget the past two years.

"I suppose it was better to do that than borrowing money or raising taxes," she said. "Those were the only three alternatives."

Larry Stohler said he does not see the county's budget dilemma the same way. He suggested cutting costs as another alternative for balancing the budget.

The 58-year-old Lebanon resident retired in 1999, but he said his 27 years working as an administrator at the state Department of Health taught him how to make tough spending cuts.

"I would have a hard time not having a truly balanced budget," he said. "Not being wealthy, I don't like spending money you don't have. I would have taken a more frugal approach. I would have put a freeze on nonessential hiring and lowered the amount of employees through attrition."

Stohler also takes a more conservative approach when it comes to the pace of spending county funds for farmland preservation. He is critical of the commissioners' decision to borrow money to purchase farmland easements.

"Philosophically, I'd like to see as much farmland preserved as possible, but how do you pay for it is the thing," he said. "If you don't have the funds, I wouldn't go into debt to buy farmland. That is what the reserve-fund money is for."

That doesn't mean the Eagle Scout and longtime scouting volunteer favors uncontrolled development.

"There is a fine line trying to balance development and maintain the agricultural makeup of the county," Stohler said. "I like to see planned growth from existing areas of development, like the city. I like to see Lebanon redeveloped both as an industrial and commerce center. We already have the infrastructure there."

Stohler has never been elected to public office, although he ran for state representative a year ago. He served in Vietnam as a nurse and has been a volunteer firefighter for more than four decades. He has a master's degree in public administration, and he has worked as a Realtor since retiring from the state.

"I've been in public service my whole life, and I'd like to put my education and my talents to work for the county," Stohler said.

Steve Keefer has a wealth of governing experience. At age 21, following in father Tom's footsteps, he was elected to Jonestown's borough council, where he served 11 years before resigning in May when he and his family moved to Fredericksburg.

Keefer, now 33, said rumors that his attendance rate at council meetings was around 40 percent are laughable. It was closer to 90 percent, he said, a claim supported by others who served with him.

Beyond council, Keefer has worked for eight years on Rep. Mike Veon's (D-Beaver) staff as a communications coordinator.

This is a "critical period in history" for Lebanon County, he said, a time when new ideas are needed.

"We have to be very careful how we plan for the future," he said. "If we are not careful, we are going to have a logjam on our roads, our infrastructure will not be able to keep up, and we will use vital farmland in an inefficient manner."

Past commissioners could have prepared the county better, Keefer said, particularly in regard to reassessing property values.

"If anybody tells you reassessment is not going to rear its ugly head sometime in the future, then they are being dishonest." he said. "I don't want to see anyone's taxes increased. I'm hearing that two-thirds of people would benefit, or at least break even. My whole point is creating a fair tax structure."

To correct a perceived disconnection between the public and elected officials, Keefer proposes creating what he calls a Community Congress, residents who would advise the commissioners.

The bad news for Lebanon County voters Tuesday is that they can vote for only two candidates for county commissioner, a fact that defies logic since three will be elected.

The good news is that there's no wrong answer. All four candidates have solid qualifications and would make fine county commissioners.

So what's a voter to do?

Here's how we see it:

That the first vote goes to Bill Carpenter is a no-brainer. A four-term incumbent and chairman of the current board, Mr. Carpenter has made public service his life's work because he cares about his Lebanon County neighbors. He has held elective office for more than three decades a career politician by any measure, but one who has shown a willingness to buck his Republican Party for a principle. A fiscal conservative who always has the taxpayer's best interest at heart, Mr. Carpenter knows the county inside and out, from top to bottom. He knows its strengths and its needs, probably better than any other living person. In a difficult time for county government a time when both his fellow commissioners have elected retirement we are fortunate indeed that Mr. Carpenter is willing to share his wisdom and experience for four more years.

The second vote is a little more difficult because there isn't as much separating the remaining three candidates. However, we're suggesting a vote for either Steve Keefer or Larry Stohler, because we believe the team of Carpenter, Keefer and Stohler will do the best job for Lebanon County.

As a parent of two young boys, Mr. Keefer offers a perspective that has been missing for some time from the commissioners' chambers. He is also qualified to speak for business owners (he's been one); for municipal government (three terms on Jonestown's borough council); and on technology issues. As a Democrat trying to win election in a county where Republicans hold a 2-1 registration advantage, he has campaigned hard. In the process, he has shown that he is committed to meeting and listening to the people. He has also demonstrated that he is willing to say what he honestly believes rather than what he believes will win votes. We find that refreshing.

In many ways, Mr. Stohler offers a contrast to Mr. Keefer. A retiree, he is attempting to enter politics late in life but he's been campaigning for almost two years, having preceded his county commissioner run with a bid for the state House. He is a Republican, but by no means a political insider; we believe he will prove an independent voice even as a member of the majority party with Mr. Carpenter. When it comes to the issues of the day, Mr. Stohler's resume reads like a checklist for relevance: nurse, former administrator in the state Department of Health, lifetime volunteer firefighter, Realtor.

In endorsing a Carpenter/Keefer/Stohler board, we are passing over the fourth candidate, former Commissioner Jo Ellen Litz. We like Ms. Litz, and we have profound respect for the tireless work she has been doing for many years on behalf of environmental causes like the reclamation of the Swatara Creek. But it's our belief that she can most effectively continue to champion those causes as a pure volunteer, without reponsibility to voters.

By JOHN LATIMER, Staff Writer, Lebanon Daily News 11/7/03

Lebanon County commissioner Ed Arnold yesterday resorted to name-calling when he blasted some local Republican leaders -- including state Sen. David Brightbill -- who he said were involved in an attack ad against Democratic commissioner candidate Steve Keefer.

Arnold, who chose not to seek re-election, was Keefer's campaign chairman. He also was defeated last year in a bid to unseat Brightbill.

Arnold's comments were the latest fallout from a mailing sent last weekend by The Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania criticizing Keefer's attendance record as a Jonestown borough councilman and his statement that he would consider a countywide property reassessment.

The ad -- a direct-mail flier sent to Democrats and independent voters -- may have contributed to the outcome of Tuesday's election, in which Keefer came out on the losing end of a four-person race for three seats on the Board of Lebanon County Commissioners. He lost by 500 votes to the third-place vote-getter, fellow Democrat Jo Ellen Litz. Also elected were Republicans Larry Stohler and incumbent Chairman Bill Carpenter.

On Monday, Keefer and Arnold held a press conference to refute the mail piece's statements that Keefer wants to raise property taxes; that a reassessment would result in a 20 percent increase in the tax; and that Keefer had a poor attendance record as a member of Jonestown borough council.

On election night, Brightbill, Carpenter and political operative Mike Long defended the mailing against Keefer, who is seen by the GOP as an up-and-coming Democrat and a possible threat to Republican officeholders like Lebanon County state Rep. Peter Zug. Brightbill, Long, a county Republican committee member and a top aide to state Sen. Robert Jubelirer (R-Altoona), credited the mailing with Keefer's defeat.

Arnold began his statement at the end of yesterday's commissioners meeting in a measured tone, speaking in generalities about how dirty politics is one of the causes behind voter apathy.

"I don't think I will say much more, because I am a little too angry to really react in a manner in which my family has taught me," he said. "... One of the first races I was in, my mom said, 'Eddy, never mention names.' And I've always remembered that."

But Arnold went on to suggest that since the newly elected commissioners have all stated they are against the idea of reassessment, the county should look for ways to recoup $600,000 being spent on a "Computer Aided Mass Appraisal" system for the tax-assessment office.

Arnold's comments implied that Carpenter had misled the public by saying he was against reassessment while at the same time spending money to begin the process.

At that point, the meeting was calmly adjourned and Carpenter left the room.

With Carpenter gone, Arnold was pressed by reporters to clarify his comments. That is when his frustration over the attack ad against Keefer erupted. He claimed Carpenter was "lying" at an Oct. 27 candidates' forum when the commission chairman said he was against reassessment.

Reassessment "is something I've worked for quietly, and again, Commissioner (Rose Marie) Swanger and Commissioner Carpenter went along with it," said Arnold. "... We are ready to do a proper reval of the county, which we recognize has to be done. We haven't done one since 1968."

Contacted later, Carpenter said the money being spent to computerize the property tax records was a "long-overdue update." He acknowledged that it was a necessary step before reassessment, but emphasized it was not being done with reassessment in mind. He denied that there is a behind-the-scenes agreement among the commissioners to revalue county properties.

Arnold also pointed the finger at Brightbill for his complicity in the anti-Keefer ad.

"For a young man (Keefer) to be honest and have to have King David (a reference to Brightbill) come into the county and try to ruin his reputation because he is honest -- and we accept that?" he said.

Arnold ended by accusing Brightbill and Long of meddling with the commissioners' race to protect Zug by derailing Keefer's political future.

"Who authorized (the mailer)?" Arnold asked rhetorically as he stood up to leave. "Bill and Larry say they didn't. ... Read between the lines! Just because somebody might be a threat to Baby Huey (a reference to Zug) -- Judas Priest! Good luck to Lebanon County the next four years."

When informed of Arnold's remarks, Carpenter said the outburst was uncharacteristic and he did not take it personally.