A vote last week by Westmoreland County commissioners to award an architectural contract without seeking any other proposals was the last straw for Penn Township Commissioner George Dunbar.
Dunbar, 46, announced Monday he would run as a Republican for a seat on the county's board of commissioners.
"That was just the last thing for me," Dunbar said of the county commissioners' vote last week to hire a Monroeville firm to evaluate office space at the courthouse. The contract included no caps on spending.
"I know there has to be competitive bids. That's enough for me. I can do better than this," Dunbar said.
Dunbar becomes the third Republican to announce his candidacy. Kim Ward, a Hempfield Township supervisor, and Mike Reese, chief of staff to outgoing Commissioner Phil Light, have previously said they would run.
Light announced in December that he would not run for a four-year term. He was appointed two years ago to replace Terry Marolt after his death.
Republicans have not held a majority on the board of commissioners for the last half-century.
Westmoreland County GOP leaders are considering endorsing candidates prior to this year's primary to avoid a potentially messy contested election. Dunbar said he would seek the party's endorsement and would run in concert with another chosen Republican candidate.
"If I'm not endorsed, I'll have to sit down and figure out where to go," Dunbar said.
Dunbar met last week with GOP leadership prior to his campaign bid.
Republican Party Chairman Perry Christopher, in an e-mail sent yesterday afternoon, praised a potential Ward-Dunbar ticket, although he stopped short of an outright endorsement.
"Together, Kim Ward and George Dunbar would make a great team in reforming Westmoreland County government. With their different areas of expertise, Ward and Dunbar would complement each other very, very well," Christopher said
Dunbar, a self-employed certified public accountant, is relatively new to politics. He staged a successful write-in vote during the Republican primary for township commissioner in 2005, then went on to a surprising victory in the fall general election.
He has served little more than a year in office at the township level.
"I feel like I can make a difference. Spending accountability is what I understand, and I feel a need for the county government to reach out to local governments," Dunbar said.
Democratic incumbents Tom Balya and Tom Ceraso have said they will run again, Balya for his fourth term and Ceraso for his third. Unity Township Supervisor Mike O'Barto has announced that he will challenge the incumbents in the Democratic primary.
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