Prior to 2021, I had never heard of a county commissioner. Unfortunately, due to Commissioner Diane Marseglia’s unnecessary interference with our Health Department during COVID-19, I learned what role a county commissioner plays in county government.
Bucks County has three county commissioners. Currently, we have two Democrats (Diane Marseglia and Bob Harvie) and one Republican (Gene DiGirolamo) in charge of county government. A commissioner is the highest elected official in the county. Commissioners develop and adopt county laws on a wide variety of topics, such as public health, parks, solid waste management, roads and highways, zoning, and land use. One of the central roles commissioners perform in county management is overseeing the personnel system.
Our current commissioners were reelected in November. Since 2021, they have constantly used their positions to create political virtue-signaling headlines, and they like to pretend they have control of things they have no say over, which is embarrassing to their constituents and our county.
Their latest nonsense is suing oil companies for storms. Whatever your view on climate change, one thing we should all be able to agree on is county commissioners have no control over oil companies. Why would commissioners file a lawsuit suing an oil company in local Common Pleas Court? It makes no sense. This newly announced lawsuit was created in darkness, hidden from their constituents.
There was never a public meeting about it. There was never a public vote. It was all done in darkness. That’s their typical MO. Keep in mind all three commissioners drive cars that need gas. The three of them should lead by example and buy electric vehicles. Perhaps the oil companies should stop delivering gas to Bucks County in protest?
Another recent lawsuit filed in March 2023 for political purposes was when the commissioners decided to sue social media such as TikTok and YouTube. Their claim is social media and screen time are hurting children, which it may be, but a commissioner has zero control over social media. It’s just silly. If any Bucks County resident thinks the three commissioners did this to protect children, they are mistaken.
The three commissioners also decided to file an amicus brief in another lawsuit. This one is over the abortion pill. Once again, commissioners literally have no say in an abortion pill. All of these lawsuits are for headlines to help themselves. They couldn’t care less what the lawsuits cost because it’s not their money. It’s yours!
Our commissioners did sue two mothers, including me, to hide emails that they were awarded by the Office of Open Records in Pennsylvania. Those lawsuits are still in court. The commissioners illegally changed COVID-19 health guidance for schools on Aug. 23, 2021. That hurt not only children in Bucks but all over the state.
The entire state was paying attention to our health director, Dr. David Damsker, because our schools were on a path to open normally for children during the 2021-2022 school year. The three commissioners stopped that, and if they have a conscience, I hope this decision will stay with them for the rest of their lives. That decision, made for politics, hurt children immensely, as shown by post-epidemic test scores and learning loss.
Unfortunately, voters were unaware of this and made a horrible choice in November 2023. Now, Bucks County residents are stuck funding the legal bill for three out-of-control politicians who only care about themselves.
Please follow DVJournal on social media: Twitter@DVJournal or Facebook.com/DelawareValleyJournal
