MILFORD, PA — Christa Caceres didn’t necessarily go into 2023 expecting to be in the running for a seat on the Pike County Board of Commissioners. Through the spring primary, the two Democratic candidates were sitting commissioner Anthony Waldron and Habitat for Humanity New York City CEO Karen Haycox.

After Haycox made the decision to withdraw ahead of the General Election in November, the Pike County Democratic Committee approached Caceres and asked if she’d be willing to take Haycox’s place.

“I gave it a lot of thought. Thought about what I could bring to the county, thought about what I’ve seen and experienced over my almost 20 years living here,” she said. “While this was all kind of unexpected and happened suddenly… I’m happy that I’m on this ballot and I look forward to doing a fantastic job for the residents of Pike County.”

Background in Pike and government

Caceres—who refers to herself as a “common-sense, middle-of-the-road Democrat”—lives with her husband and son in Lehman Township. Since her nomination, party leadership has made the point that, if elected, Caceres would be just the second Lehman Township commissioner in more than 100 years. Caceres has also campaigned on the fact that she would be the only candidate with a child in the public school system.

She currently serves on the boards of directors of the Greater Pike Community Foundation, Pocono Mountains United Way and the Pocono Mountains Chamber of Commerce. Caceres also oversees 150 employees and a $5 million budget as vice president of the Saw Creeks Estates Community Association—the largest homeowners association in the county.

The bid for commissioners is not her first foray into government and politics. Caceres spent about five years working for Rep. Matt Cartwright (PA-08) as a senior constituent advocate, and earlier this year, Gov. Josh Shapiro appointed her vice chair of the Governor’s Advisory Council on African-American Affairs.

She sought her party’s nomination in 2018 to run against incumbent Rosemary

Brown for a seat in the PA House, but was eclipsed by Democratic candidate Adam Rodriguez.

Priorities for Pike County

Transportation is at the top of Caceres’s issues of concern.

“In this county, you essentially are a prisoner of your own home if you don’t have transportation,” she said. “When you’re looking at a county with almost 25 percent of its residents being 65 and older… we should be doing our very best to figure out if, how and when we can expand the current rideshare system, or even explore some small countywide bus system.”

On local job opportunities, Caceres said the county is too dependent on hospitality and retail, citing a statistic from the Pike County Economic Development Authority (EDA), which reports that retail work accounts for more than a quarter of all jobs in Pike County. That’s more than double the rate of retail jobs nationwide, which is just under 10 percent.

It’s a similar story with hospitality. Nationwide, the industry accounts for just less than nine percent of all jobs; in Pike it accounts for more than 21 percent.

“The county is too reliant upon hospitality and retail jobs, and that I’ve known since I’ve moved here,” Caceres said, “which is why I have had to travel upwards of two hours each way for a decent day’s pay.”

She said one of the three commissioners ought to be tasked with making sure that the EDA is being as “thorough and as proactive as possible in recruiting outside companies that will come in and really bank on Pike County and its workforce.”

Pike’s lack of a hospital and urgent care facility and the current commissioners’ ongoing efforts to bring these services to the county have been well documented by the River Reporter and other local outlets. Caceres, however, said she approaches the issue with a different perspective.
“Like thousands of woman in the county before me, I had to give birth to my son outside county lines. Not because I wanted to, but because we have no hospital,” she said. “At bare minimum, we deserve a woman’s health center with OBGYN access… we should not have to travel so far and wide into other states and locales to be serviced.”

Stance on warehouse debate

During a “coffee with your congressman” event held by Cartwright, Caceres recalls sitting alongside the representative as residents expressed their opposition to a warehouse—which she said in a recent My View (River Reporter, September 28-October 4) is “really a distribution center, promising 24-7 truck traffic, air pollution and noise”—proposed to be constructed in Milford.

After digging into the issue, Caceres has also come out against the project, which she argued could pollute a nearby aquifer that supplies drinking and bathing water to residents.
“I understand the township point of view, that they’re trying to provide tax money and income and jobs, and I’m assuming the county EDA is thinking the same thing,” she said. “It is far too close to an aquifer that would deliver life-saving water to the residents of Milford Borough.”
She added that she would not oppose bringing a distribution or fulfillment center elsewhere in the county, as long as it did not pose such risks.

Election day

Municipal elections tend to garner notably smaller turnouts than presidential and congressional elections. However, Caceres said she’s confident in those who will be at the polls this year.
“The folks who actually vote consistently in municipal elections, they know how high the stakes are,” Caceres said.

On Tuesday, November 7, Caceres will be appearing on the ballot along with the sitting commissioners, Waldron—also a Democrat—and Matthew Osterberg and Ron Schmalzle—both Republicans. Voters will be asked to choose two candidates. The three highest-grossing candidates will make up the newest board.

Stay tuned for future election coverage at www.riverreporter.com/news.