Published Tuesday, April 27, 1999 The candidates for the Democratic nomination for mayor of Farrell are: William A. Morocco, 52, of 1129 Negley St.
Keith T. Smith, 33, of 312 Federal St.
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Voters grumble this time of year as political ads for state- and county-wide candidates begin to jam the television airwaves, ambushing them as they watch "Friends" or "NYPD Blue." But local candidates aren't usually seen on the small screen.
Keith T. Smith is entering uncharted territory by running TV ads for his mayoral campaign in Farrell. Although he works for two television stations -- WKBN and WYFX -- Smith said he paid "a lot" for the ads. He said they were made possible by campaign donations.
"I think it's a metaphor to the whole race in Farrell," Smith said of the ads. "For years we did things a certain way. We need new ideas."
William A. Morocco, Smith's opponent for the Democratic nomination, said the ads remind him of Marshall McLuhan's comment that with TV, "the medium is the message." Morocco said the novelty of the ads is probably capturing people's attention and he conceded they might sway some voters. But the city councilman is not sure they're necessary for a small town race.
The winner of the primary will almost surely be elected mayor in November, since the city has an overwhelming Democratic majority and no Republicans are running.
Farrell is in the midst of a couple of potentially far-reaching initiatives: land around Broadway Avenue is in a tax-free Keystone Opportunity Zone for 12 years, and the city is participating with Sharon and Hermitage in a merger-consolidation study.
Both men have plans to deal with the zone and the possibility of facing increased demands for services while tax proceeds are flat or increase only slightly because of the abatements.
Morocco said as mayor he would act as a "welcome wagon" to new businesses and maintain a relationship with them.
"We want a fair shake with our residents lining up for jobs," he said. "I hope to believe there's going to be some sort of employer loyalty."
Smith said he favors approaching new businesses with specific ideas in which they can help improve the quality of life in Farrell, such as with recreation.
Smith said he would not try to bully companies into hiring Farrell people, but he would offer to help them attract employees. "We have very qualified people. Let us help you attract these people and reach these people. It's wrong to say, 'Give us this because we gave you that.' "
While the city is undergoing the merger-consolidation study with Sharon and Hermitage, Smith would like the city officials to pursue shared-service arrangements on their own. He said the city should approach Wheatland about joining its fire and road departments and noted the municipalities already share a school and police department. The state favors sharing services, which would help the communities in seeking state money.
Smith added he does not favor making the fire department an all-volunteer organization. The city needs paid firefighters on duty because they can respond quicker than volunteers, he said.
The candidates agree the Southwest Mercer County Regional Police Commission does a great job but does not have adequate resources.
Morocco supports a proposal aimed at the Idaho Street area, one of the city's highest crime sections: buying out existing businesses and clearing the area, hopefully allaying the fears of residents so they won't move away.
"I don't see another solution," he said. "We don't have the manpower and the criminal justice power to clear it."
Smith said he doesn't think making Idaho open space would solve anything. It would just push the problem elsewhere, he said. "Let's figure out what we can do to control it and make it better," he said.
Instead, the city should be putting its full support behind organizations with plans to improve Idaho.
Smith said he would push for more police foot patrols and community activities involving police. Federal grant money is available for police-community activities, he said.
The city is obliged to replace the recreation land lost when the former Farrell City Park was sold for development, but neither candidate thinks the city should try to build one park to replace it. They favor building small parks throughout the city.
The city will need state money but should be able to contribute some money for play equipment in areas that are already cleared, Morocco said.
Smith said he would like to see the city and school district talk to each other more and discuss ways to improve the city. The most recent school-city effort was to apply for state recreation money, but Smith said that wasn't really a joint effort. Smith said he would be able to use his experience in writing grant applications, which he did while coordinator of minority affairs at Penn State's Shenango Campus.
Smith would be a newcomer if elected mayor. But, Smith said, joining council would be no different than when he joined the school board.
