Wayne County Commissioner

There are four candidates vying for three positions as Wayne County Commissioner. There are two candidates on the Democratic ticket: Jocelyn Cramer and Michael Dougherty, and two on the Republican ticket: Brian Smith and James Shook.

Jocelyn Cramer (D)

Wayne County Commissioner Jocelyn Cramer was appointed to Pennsylvania's Local Government Advisory Committee.

I love being a Wayne County Commissioner, working with the incredible employees who run the programs and services that take care of our community.  

I’ve had 25-plus years of business management experience in the finance, medical and nonprofit sectors. I’ve volunteered with several environmental nonprofits. I was recently appointed by Gov. Shapiro to the Local Government Advisory Committee, chaired by Lt. Gov. Austin Davis (only 1 commissioner from the state is selected).

Wayne County is a great place to live, raise a family, start a business, etc., but we must protect the rural character and safety of our community. Almost everyone loves someone struggling with an addiction, a mental health crisis or both. Services are lacking here. Families don’t get or can’t afford the help they need. Recent statistics indicate that over 30 percent of our workforce is reduced because of these challenges. Unacceptable. We are pursuing a Recovery-To-Work Ecosystem, with co-mingled addiction and behavioral health services, and with skills-based training and career development. I want to help complete this grant-funded project so people will have treatment options in their communities, will return healthier and happier to their families, will strengthen our workforce, and reduce dependency on other government programs. 

Michael Dougherty (D)

Brian Smith (R)(C)

Brian Smith, at left

My name is Brian Smith and I am a Republican candidate for Wayne County Commissioner. I am running for reelection because I feel that my life experience and my work experience give me a common-sense approach to the everyday job of being a County Commissioner.

As I was working my way through college, I worked at Moore Business Forms and Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips. After college I worked at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia as an electrical engineering technician on nuclear subs. I came back home in 1983 and worked at Wayne Memorial Hospital as a Biomed Technician, Rickard Enterprises as a laborer on a mason crew; I was a Dairy Farmer for 37 years and a school bus driver for Wayne Highlands School district for 36 years. 

I have a great wife, Amy (Rickard) Smith, six children and 16 grandchildren. We now have beef cattle and horses on the farm. I am very vested in our county.

When I first ran for commissioner, I felt my work history and my life experience allow me the ability to represent a huge cross-section of the people in this county. I still feel the same way.

The biggest issue we have going forward is continuing to balance our quality of life and the cost of living that we all struggle with. I promise to do my best to control our costs at the county as I always have done. We will continue to work with Wayne Economic Development Corporation (WEDCO), the Wayne Pike Workforce Alliance and our Legislators to keep  Wayne County a great place to live, work, raise a family and retire.

James Shook (R)(C)