Bucks County Commissioners

By Alex and Rich

Map of Bucks County and its different Districts.

• Bucks County is a county located in Pennsylvania. The county seat is Doylestown.

• A 2004 U.S census estimate placed the population at 621,342, making it the fourth most populated county in PA (after Phili, Allegheny, and Montgomery counties) and the 95th most populous county in the United States.

• As of 2000, it is the 76th wealthiest county in the nation as measured by median family income.

• The commissioners are responsible for the adoption and administration of the county’s operating budget, along with the oversight of one of the largest workforces in the county( more than 2,600 employees)

• Commissioners’ departments include Community Service, Health and Human Services, Corrections, Emergency Services, Finance and Administration, Public Administration, and General Services.

Board of Commissioners• The county executive

government is run by a three-seat Board of Commissioners, two majority, and one minority.

• Commissioners are elected through at-large voting and serve four year terms. In cases of vacancy, a panel of county judges appoints members to fill seats.

• The current commissioners:• -Charles H. Martin ( R ) chairman• -James F. Cawley ( R ) vice-

chairman• -Diane M. Ellis-Marseglia (D)

• The current terms expire at the end of the year 2012

Current Commissioners

• Charles H. Martin- Commissioner chairman-He is a past member of the upper Southampton board of supervisors and served four terms as chairman.- He was appointed to the board of Bucks County Commissioners in 1995 and elected to four-year terms, most recently in 2007.

Current Commissioners

• James F. Cawley- Commissioner Vice-Chairman- Began his public service career as chief of staff to state Sen., Tommy Tomlinson, where he was responsible for the operations of the Harrisburg and Bucks County district offices.-appointed by a panel of Bucks County judges in Jan 2005. he was elected to a four-year term in Nov 2007.- Currently running for Lieutenant Governor.

Current Commissioners

• Diane M. Ellis- Marseglia- Commissioner- Began her public service in Middletown Twn. where she served on both the Neshaminy school board and the Middletown Twn. Board of supervisors.- she was elected to the Board of Commissioners in Nov 2007 and was sworn in in Jan 2008

Former Commissioners

• Mike Fitzpatrick- In 1994 Appointed Bucks County Commissioner.- In 2004 Elected to U.S House of Representatives.

Former Commissioners…

Andrew L. Warren

•(R) / (D)

•Middletown Township Supervisor

•1979 elected Board of Bucks County Commissioners.

•1995 Philadelphia PEN DOTT regional chief.

•2005 opposed U.S representative Patrick Murphy in Democratic primary

•2008 Executive Director, The PENJERDEL Council.

Former Commissioners..

•Mark Schweiker (R) -was the 44th governor of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 2001 to 2003.- 1979 elected supervisor of Middletown Twn.- 1987 elected Bucks County Commissioner- 1995 elected Lieutenant Governor- 2001 became Governor of Pennsylvania on Oct 2001, when his predecessor, Tom Ridge, resigned as Governor of PA to assume the role as Homeland Security.

• From 1987 to 2007, each of the new commissioners were initially appointed, not elected. They have been re-elected every time they ran, but all were initially appointed.

• The last commissioner who joined the board by election was Mark Schweiker in 1987. current commissioner Diane M. Ellis- Marseglia and Schweiker, are the only two people to be initially elected to the Bucks County Board of Commissioners in the last 24 years.

Politics and the Commissioners..Down the line---

• Charlie Martin was appointed in 1995 to fill out Andy Warrens term when Warren resigned to take a position at Penn DOT. Jim Cawley was appointed in 2004 to fill out Mike Fitzpatrick's term when he resigned after being elected to Congress.

• Mike Fitzpatrick was appointed in 1994 to fill out Mark Schweiker’s term when he was elected lieutenant governor.

THE END!