Nick Sherman, Commissioner, Washington County

Nick Sherman, commissioner of Washington County, spoke with Invest: about responsibly fostering the county’s growth as a neighbor to Pittsburgh. “We are making sure we are holding the line on spending and not overextending ourselves, while still aggressively moving forward with economic development,” said Sherman.

What changes over the past year impacted Washington County and in what ways?

Washington County is blowing up, and as someone born and raised here, I’m very proud of the region. We’re like the little brother to Pittsburgh, where the south suburbs meet rural Southwestern Pennsylvania. We’ve got great malls, shopping experiences, high-end grocery stores, and all the other amenities you’d need. But just two miles in the other direction, you’re in rolling farm country. We have excellent schools and low taxes. Allegheny County, by comparison, has much higher taxes, and they’re slated to rise another 47%, with an additional 10% increase proposed. We have no plans to raise taxes in the near future as we’re finding more revenue through oil and gas taxes. We also have a casino with a horse track that generates about $13 million in shared revenue each year.

We are making sure we are holding the line on spending and not overextending ourselves, while still aggressively moving forward with economic development. 

How have you reshaped resident participation and transparency in county government?

We have started video and audio live streaming to Facebook, which gives residents the ability to see what we are doing. On our county website, residents can view past meetings. We also give people the opportunity to ask questions and added nightly meetings for residents unable to come to typical morning meetings. We are seeing increased participation in our evening meetings, including many young people eager to learn about government. We give the residents access to everything we’re doing, and I even encourage residents to call my cell phone. We meet with developers, congressmen, and U.S. and state senators to make sure we are getting our piece of the pie here in Washington County.

How are county initiatives improving community revitalization and public safety?

Police officers expressed concern about their poorly functioning radio systems, so we did a feasibility study and discovered that we were the worst county in the state of Pennsylvania for communication. 

We launched a $35 million initiative to replace the old system with a new Motorola I-Core system that works in conjunction with Southern Allegheny, Westmoreland, and Green counties. It also allows us to give resources to neighboring counties. While before, only 30% of Washington County had coverage for fire, EMS, and police, the new system will have 95% coverage, as mandated by federal regulations.

Another area of focus is blight mitigation. You can judge a society by how well they are doing teardowns and rebuilds. Washington County and the city of Pittsburgh built the steel that built America and won World War II. But with dilapidated coal companies and steel factories in Monongahela Valley, we have to build up these places so people can relocate here. Throughout the Rust Belt region and in the city of Washington, we’re identifying capital that investors are interested in. We’ve allocated $5.9 million to tear down an old shopping mall for an investor to build a Costco, a grocery store, a Starbucks, and a Home Depot. It’s an example of shaking the rust off to get properties rebuilt for new economic development.

How is Washington County ensuring stronger digital resilience moving forward?

Cybersecurity is paramount. Three weeks into my second term, we were hacked by a bad actor based in Russia, locking down everything. It was a trial by fire, but we were able to learn where our vulnerabilities were. We overhauled our cybersecurity and hired two different firms. While this costs money, it’s important to protect peoples’ personal information. Three-fourths of the county budget is human services and helping people that need assistance. When you are handling human services issues, there is very sensitive information at stake. Working with these firms and educating our staff are vital components. Whether you are a hospital, government agency, or a utility, nobody is immune to cyber threats. We are getting help at the federal level to provide the security and help that we need.

What do you believe makes the county an ideal place to live and do business?

We are an ideal location for transportation. Depending on the traffic, I am about 25 minutes to downtown Pittsburgh. The proximity is better than many places, even in Allegheny County. Interstates 70 and 79 both run directly through Washington County. 

Our cost of living is cheaper here as well. You may spend more money on a house, but our taxes are much lower while still having very good schools. We have four seasons throughout the year, with warm summers and snowy winters. The fall is the best time of the year, when the leaves change colors and we see tourists coming to harvest festivals.

How is Washington County collaborating with local institutions, training providers, and employers to align talent pipelines with current and future job market needs?

We work closely with the Southwest Workforce Development Board to see where we may have projected shortages. We float on natural gas and have the ability to double production at a moment’s notice, including building new pipelines. We don’t have the electrical capacity that we once had, and microgrids are trying to pop up everywhere. We have the LNG here to power microgrids. These two opportunities will be huge for us, and we need to ensure we have a workforce to handle that. 

Working with local unions is essential to build these utilities. Electricians, boilermakers, millwrights, and welders must be talented, precise workers to build these utilities. We have two fantastic higher learning institutions in W&J University and California University of Pennsylvania. Another issue is housing, as we have an influx of population and need to accommodate the growth. We also need to develop infrastructure such as sewer and water lines. But before that, we have to ensure houses are built responsibly and that developers aren’t just throwing houses up anywhere. Feasibility studies are needed to understand the impacts on schools, roads, sewage, and water. 

What are your top priorities for Washington County?

Charging ahead with growth as quickly as we are. Our county airport has a waiting list for private jets, which can attract people with capital and money to the county. We are building 30 T-hangars at the airport to support future growth. Hospitals and healthcare are also paramount to economic development. Washington Hospital, a smaller hospital, was acquired by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and they are committing $300 million in investment. The Allegheny Health Network is also building a new hospital in Washington County, and we are working with the Monongahela Valley Hospital, which was just acquired by Penn Highlands Hospital group. They are investing several million dollars in capital. 

We are getting capital tax increases to build more homes, so the townships will see more tax revenue, which will contribute to better schools and a thriving Washington County.