Lebanon County’s longest-serving county commissioner will run for another term in office.
County Commissioner Jo Ellen Litz announced last week that she plans to announce Tuesday morning, Jan. 10, her candidacy for a sixth consecutive four-year term as county commissioner, and her seventh overall.
Litz was first elected for a term that ran from 1996 to 1999, then held the office starting in 2004 until the present, serving as the lone minority party commissioner since then. (Pennsylvania law requires that county commissions have minority party representation.)
Joining Litz on the ticket is Cindy Barry Dubbs, who has served on the Lebanon County Democratic Committee since 2018, according to a campaign press release. Dubbs’ resume includes experience teaching elementary school at Northern Lebanon School District, co-managing the aquatic program at the Lebanon Valley Family YMCA, and working at San Giorgio Macaroni as a programmer in the accounting department. Dubbs is a graduate of Lebanon Valley College.
In a press release, Dubbs said she is passionate about public education; safe, fair, and secure elections; environmental protection; and senior programs.
Dubbs and Litz will formally announce their candidacy in a press conference Tuesday at the Lebanon County Democratic Headquarters. According to the release, the press conference will also be streamed live on Facebook.
In the 2019 election, Litz ran against Fran Rassouli for the Democratic seat, with a final vote tally of 9,641 to 7,814. Both Republican candidates exceeded 13,500 votes in that election.
Litz is a well-known figure to many Lebanon Countians due both to her long-serving tenure as a commissioner and her prolific online presence, which counts at least 8,000 followers across her Facebook profiles. Litz said that among her goals for a potential 2023-26 term are completing a new comprehensive plan to develop a balance by guiding growth and preserving farmland; completing the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail; and getting Lebanon County included in the upcoming semiquincentennial celebration in Philadelphia.
Litz said that among her most notable accomplishments over the past few years were preserving the 20,000th acre of farmland in Lebanon County, expanding the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail, and beginning construction of the new $40 million county 911 Center.
Read More: Lebanon County reaches landmark: 20,000 acres preserved in perpetuity
Litz’s press release also mentions her leading “through the COVID pandemic by voting to end a lawsuit allowing $12.8 million in CARES (Act) funds to flow to businesses and nonprofits in Lebanon County.” The late Commissioner Bill Ames was the only dissenting vote in that settlement decision. Notably, Litz was herself the only dissenting vote on the go-yellow decision which had ultimately given the opening for the costly lawsuit between Gov. Tom Wolf and Lebanon County.
Read More: Gov. Wolf, county commissioners announce settlement of CARES Act suit
Litz holds an associate degree from Lebanon Valley College and a bachelor’s degree from Kennedy Western University.
As for the GOP, Commissioners Bob Phillips and Mike Kuhn previously announced re-election bids. Phillips will run with Swatara Township supervisor Bill Bering. To LebTown’s knowledge at present, no other candidates have yet announced their intention to seek the office.
Read More: Phillips will run with Bill Bering Jr. in bid for commissioner; Kuhn also to run again
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An earlier version of this article stated that Litz would be serving her eighth term. It would in fact be her seventh term. We sincerely regret the error.