News
For Immediate Release
January 20, 2022
OSCHE SEEKS THIRD TERM AS COMMISSIONER
ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY ALONGSIDE COMMISSIONER GEYER
BUTLER, PA --County Commissioner Chairman, Leslie Osche will seek a third term as Commissioner. She and Commissioner Kimberly Geyer announced their intentions today to seek the Republican nomination in May. “I have been committed to building a welcoming, environment where business thrives and individuals and families connect in vibrant, safe communities,” says Osche. “We build on the resilience and honor the values those who have gone before us, our seniors and veterans, while mentoring the next generation of leaders and young people whose vision and innovation will continue to make us strong.”
Over the past eight years, Butler County has become the benchmark for PA Counties attributed to collaborative leadership and partnerships with municipalities and businesses in particular. Osche and Geyer are committed to conservative financial management and to improving access to services, working together with the County Controller, and other County Elected Row Offices who will also seek re-election in the coming year. Their efforts have grown the fund balance more than ten-fold in order to secure a stable future for taxpayers. They are committed to public safety working alongside the District Attorney and Sheriff along with our school districts and municipalities to record the second lowest crime rate in PA.
Recognizing Butler County was not receiving their fair share in transportation infrastructure funding, the Osche/Geyer team traveled to Washington DC to obtain federal dollars for infrastructure for Gateway 228, Freedom Road, Routes 356 and 68, building effective partnerships with at all levels of government. They led the development of the innovative Butler County Infrastructure Bank program that uses Act 13 natural gas drilling fees to offset interest on collective borrowings for municipalities and authorities, providing them with a turn-key service. For perhaps the first time in the County’s recent history, they secured the services of a consulting agency who has assisted the County, its municipalities, services and businesses in securing over $50 million in grant funds, most recently supporting Butler Technologies in its expansion efforts. They also worked with the Adams Municipal Water Authority to expand public water along the Route 8 corridor in Middlesex and Penn Townships and to the Pittsburgh Butler Regional Airport to enhance safety and allow for new development. They have supported additional grant funding and leadership to both Butler Township and Butler City toward the development of the Pullman Center Park and upcoming enhancements to the Hansen Avenue/Whitestown Road Intersection; along with stormwater management and Main Street improvements. They, along with the County Planning Team under the direction of Chief of Economic Development and Planning Mark Gordon, have advanced the AC Valley Business Park water/sewer project, saving some 500 jobs, along with securing over $4 million in Community Development Block Grant Funds for the Marion Township Sewer Project. The Board of Commissioners has been repeatedly hailed by the Southwest Butler County municipalities for their support of the Lower Connoquenessing Stormwater Planning Study and collaboration that prepared the partnering municipalities to deliver millions in stormwater management projects throughout the region.
In defending our freedom and values, Osche and Geyer challenged the Department of State and provided support and education to state and federal elected officials regarding election integrity. “I believe in the power of the people and in restoring election oversight to our locally elected judges and inspectors of elections, the people who voters trust in their own communities. Central count of mail-in ballots, removes that oversight and degrades the fabric of the community and the role of our citizens in the democratic process,” says Osche. “I am committed to working with our legislators to resolve voters’ concerns and interests across the majority of Counties in the Commonwealth.”
At the desperate request of business owners whose lives and businesses were impacted by the Governor’s random closures; the team succeeded in bringing legal action that prevented future damaging business interruptions. Osche led an effort in December of 2021 to provide relief to literally hundreds of hospitality employees left without income just two weeks before Christmas in 2020 and worked in collaboration with Butler Health System, County Emergency Services, the Area Agency on Aging and Center for Community Resources to make the COVID vaccination clinic a reality for seniors especially who were seeking the vaccine.
Osche also supports the recovery community and has been an advocate for mental health services in her role on the Human Services Committee of the County Commissioners Association. She worked to launch the “Empowerment Program” for Butler County with the help of leaders in recovery and BC3, designed to build emotional intelligence and soft skills for success in employment and life.
“We are proud to lead the Commonwealth in manufacturing here in Butler County and to have a strong agricultural community that we support in as many ways as possible,” says Osche. “Our partnership with the school districts is critical for our future and I am so excited about the bright future ahead for the City of Butler with the repurposing of the Middle School and the AK Steel Plant 2 site, the recent investment in the Penn Theater, and the growth of manufacturing in the City.”
Leslie also represents the County in regional collaboration, serving as Chairman of the Southwest PA Commission, leading transportation, economic development, and broadband efforts. She serves on the Boards of RIDC, the New Economy Board of Southwest PA and as Vice Chairman of the Tri-County Workforce Investment Board. As Commissioner she serves on the Community Development Corporation Board and represents the Commissioners on the Children and Youth, forging strong relationships with schools and police; Parks & Recreation, advancing the redesign and upgrades to Diamond Park; and the Aging Advisory Committee, leading the effort for the design, purchase and co-location of the Area Agency on Aging offices, Senior Resource Center, and Veterans Services on Duffy Road in Butler Township. She also serves on the Communications Council addressing issues related to the new County-wide radio system, emergency management and the EMS crisis. She completed three terms as Treasurer of the County Commissioners Association of PA and is on the Board of Fellows for the University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics. She is a member of Butler County Republican Women.
Osche’s career spans 30 years in non-profit leadership serving in executive roles with United Way of Butler County, Butler County Chamber of Commerce, St. Barnabas Health System, Lifesteps, Inc. and the Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh. She is a graduate of Butler High School and Duquesne University with a B.S. in Journalism and Honors English. She is a Paul Harris Fellow with the Rotary Club of Butler and is the recipient of Butler Health System Foundation’s Women of Legacy Award, the International Athena Award, the Distinguished Service Award for Butler County and the Soroptimist Woman of Distinction. She was active in Girl Scouting and has been an active member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Butler for 33 years.
“I am grounded in faith and guided by God and proud to be the daughter of a World War II veteran; wife of a retired steelworker and volunteer firefighter; mother of a law enforcement professional, a talented filmmaker/stage mechanic, and angel in heaven; and aunt to a beautiful and diverse family who salutes the flag of the United States of America,” says Osche. “I live and love to serve.” Osche and her husband James reside in Meridian.
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