2 square off for Mt. Pleasant Township supervisor

With the retirement of Jack Rutkowski, Mt. Pleasant Township voters will be sending a new face to the three-member board of supervisors this fall for the first time in years.

Two longtime township residents, Republican Alyn Hutter and Democrat Bill Pinskey, will square off on the Nov. 2 ballot for a nod to a six-year term on the board. The post pays $3,250 a year. But both of the candidates say if elected they will assume the post of roadmaster. Roadmasters, who supervise township road crews, are paid about $60,000 a year to maintain the transportation arteries that criss-cross the community of about 10,100 residents.

The new board will help steer the rural township as it prepares for Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement Project, a long-awaited project designed to provide upgrades to Route 981 between Route 819 and the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport.

Hutter, 38, easily defeated three opponents on the Republican primary ballot.

The Republican candidate, who works for Citizens Cable and as a self-employed electrician, lives on a 40-acre farm in Kecksburg and said he would bring a lifetime of experience in construction to the post.

Pinskey, 60, won the Democratic nomination, running unopposed.

The Democrat, who has been employed on the township road crew for two decades, said he brings a deep knowledge of the workings of the rural community and its citizens.

Both men have said they’d like to continue the philosophy the current board has advanced of keeping taxes low and maintaining the infrastructure that has been built over decades.

Pinskey said he’d like to focus on cleaning and sprucing up township parks to provide children with an inviting environment.

Hutter said he’d like to work on preserving and improving the township as new highway projects that could bring change are completed.