Following each of their re-elections, Bucks County’s three commissioners were sworn in last week, as were four county row officers.
Democrat Diane Ellis-Marseglia, first elected in 2007, was named chairwoman of the board, while fellow Democrat, Bob Harvie, serving as a commissioner since 2019, was named vice chair.
Harvie was chairman last year. Passing the gavel between the majority members is tradition.
Republican Gene DiGirolamo, who also became a commissioner in 2019, took his oath of office and will remain the board’s secretary.
Kristian Ballerini was sworn in for another term as the county’s Treasurer, as was Register of Wills/Clerk of Orphans Court, Linda Bobrin, newly elected Coroner Patti Campi, and Clerk of Courts Eileen Hartnett Albillar.
Marseglia took the opportunity to say she wants to ensure the county continues its success implementing mental health and substance use disorder programs.
“I also want to make sure that our co-responders program and our community relationships with police officers are institutionalized,” she said.
Environmental issues, climate change and attainable housing are also priorities, added Marseglia.
Harvie, too, said he supports those priorities and stressed that the role of government is to tackle difficult problems, even when solutions may not always be popular.
“This country was not built or sustained by people who shied away from those challenges,” he said. “We didn’t win a revolution with that attitude. We didn’t save this nation in the Civil War with that attitude.”
Minority board member DiGirolamo called for continued bipartisanship during his second term.
“We’re not always going to agree,” said the commissioner, “but when we don’t agree we can do it respectfully and look for compromise, and look for solutions to the problem.”
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