Latest news with #DeBartola
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Johnstown mayoral candidates King, DeBartola bring opposing views to Central Park effort
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Whether to spend millions of dollars remodeling and modernizing Johnstown's Central Park is a question that exemplifies the city's differing political opinions, including for candidates in this year's mayoral race. Deputy Mayor the Rev. Sylvia King, the Democratic nominee, is part of the establishment that has promoted the project that will include installing new sidewalks, a pavilion for entertainment, monuments walkway, greenery and infrastructure upgrades. King recently voted in favor of a motion approving a final plan for the park that passed Johnstown City Council by a 6-1 vote. Republican Party mayoral candidate John DeBartola, who considers himself a political outsider, has used his platform on Revitalize Johnstown and in public forums to oppose the plan. The project, which is expected to cost between $6 million and $8 million, is being funded by American Rescue Plan Act money for COVID-19 pandemic relief. City Council approved putting the funds toward the park project from among the $30.7 million it received in ARPA money that it was awarded in 2021. 'The vast majority of the public opposes spending $8 million to completely redesign Central Park,' DeBartola said. 'The city could have used that money to remove blight in neighborhoods, build a new police station, or support a grocery store downtown. … It's a shame city leaders prioritized Central Park over the police, fire department or our neighborhoods.' DeBartola added: 'All the public wants is honest and fair leadership. The way the city has handled the Central Park project shows they have neither.' King pointed out that the city used ARPA funds in numerous ways, including programs for home repairs, home purchases, sewer assistance, stormwater upgrades, community neighborhood development, nonprofit assistance, food insecurity and the Frank J. Pasquerilla Conference Center. The money is also linked to the $8 million in the U.S. Department of Transportation's Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development grant (formerly Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) for a streetscape in the Main Street corridor. 'The ARPA funds were used as leverage to complement the RAISE grant,' King said. 'Because they are leveraged funds, they are tied to specific projects which were outlined in the RAISE grant application – and therefore cannot be reallocated for other uses. The use of ARPA funds to invest in infrastructure projects supports the revitalization of downtown.' King said the proposed changes will, in her opinion, make Central Park 'more interactive' for visitors and easier for people using mobility aids to navigate, while helping boost the economy. 'Being able to invest in the infrastructure of the city is paramount,' King said. 'The changes being made will stimulate and motivate our local economy. Hopefully it will spark more entrepreneurship initiatives. There will be inconveniences along the way. We ask for your patience during these upgrades.' The RAISE (now BUILD) grant was awarded in 2021. 'After 4 years, the RAISE grant seems to be inching along,' DeBartola wrote in an email. 'The problem is that in those 4 years, the cost of building materials has skyrocketed. The inability to execute the grant has caused us to lose millions due to inflation.'
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
King wins Democratic nod for Johnstown mayor, will face GOP's DeBartola in fall
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Deputy Mayor the Rev. Sylvia King and self-described community watchdog John DeBartola are now set to face off in the general election to become the City of Johnstown's next mayor. DeBartola ran unopposed in the Republican primary Tuesday. King defeated fellow Councilwoman Laura Huchel for the Democratic nomination. She got 630 votes, or approximately 59% of those cast, compared to 418 for Huchel, according to unofficial results posted by the Cambria County Election Office. 2025 Primary Election | Johnstown Republican Mayoral candidate John DeBartola talks with Melanie Shiley, Judge of Elections at Seventeenth Ward No. 3 polling place, at Walnut Grove Church of the Brethren on Bedford Street in Johnstown on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. 'I'm honored,' King said. 'I'm grateful. My stomach is in knots, but of course I'm very happy. I'm very happy because I feel privileged and I thank God for this awesome opportunity that has been afforded to me. I know that I still have to go on to win in November. I'm praying, of course, for success there, but this was the first hurdle that I needed to overcome.' King, a Kernville resident, is involved in multiple nonprofit organizations, along with being a community development officer at AmeriServ Financial Bank and pastor at Christ Centered Community Church. 'These things have prepared me to be able to be in this position of servant leadership,' King said. DeBartola garnered 501 votes, with 71 going to write-ins. He is a social worker, Keystone Alliance/Gaylife Newsletter president and leader in the Revitalize Johnstown online community who frequently runs for elected office, challenges government officials at public meetings and publishes information gained through Right-to-Know requests. PHOTO GALLERY | 2025 Primary Election | Johnstown DeBartola has recently been objecting to council's plan to use American Rescue Plan Act money to remake Central Park. 'It's a shame that for 2 years people have voiced concerns of spending $8 million on Central Park when our area has so many other more important issues,' DeBartola said in a written statement. 'Now city council claims they were misguided by the former city manager. Council needs to listen to the public. Johnstown can only rise again when the people elect community leaders that are incorruptible and honest and transparent in their actions involving the operations of our city.' DeBartola has an ongoing lawsuit against the city, alleging his rights were violated when he was not given the legally allotted time to speak during courtesy of the floor at a Johnstown Planning Commission meeting. He is suing all council members, including King, for $1 million apiece.
