MONTE W. HOLLAND

MONTE HOLLAND, 68 12 Hemlock Road Monte Holland, Republican, is running for a four-year Boro council seat. Last August he was sworn in as an appointed council member. Born at home in DeKalb Junction, N. Y., he spent his early childhood on his family farm. Later he moved into Gouverneur, N.Y., a small town. In 1959 he graduated from Union College (N.Y.) with a bachelor degree in physics. He is a 1963 alumni of Northwestern University (Ill.), where he earned a Ph.D. in physics. He taught physics at the State University of New York at Buffalo for six years and Slippery Rock (PA) State college for 13 years. He retired from teaching to study theology at Candler School of Theology (Emory University), in Atlanta (GA), completing his masters in theology (M.Div.) in 1985. He is a member of the Western Pa. Conference of the United Methodist Church. He’s served at Emmanuel UMC in New Castle (five years); Jamestown and State Line UMCs in Jamestown (five years) and Wesley UMC in Connellsville (eight years). He retired in July 2003 and moved to LMB. Currently he is interim chaplain at Bethlen Communities in Ligonier. Monte has dealt with the administration of an academic department and has administered churches with budgets well in excess of the boro’s budget. He’s attended many boro council meetings since moving to LMB. His learned about building construction by helping build his parent’s retirement home, and then designing and building a hexagon shaped dwelling and a four-apartment building in Slippery Rock. Although new to politics, he said “I bring a willingness to learn about the issues and help find solutions to the problems we face. “I’m running because I care about LMB and want to be a part of dealing with the major issues ahead for us—including road maintenance (especially surface water control), our potable water supply and the sewage system. “I’m especially interested in the roads. I’m currently assigned to dealing with them, along with Daneen Kinsey and John Miller. “I also support efforts to open lines of communication to all members of the borough.” He notes that LMB is special because of its small size and the variety of people who live here. He appreciates the Laurel Mountain Park Association, which helps us get to know one another. In the next few years he envisions LMB gradually improving the road situation. “The council has already undertaken some significant repairs on Laurel Road, and will be doing improvements along White Oak this year,” he said. “We will be dealing with experts who will help us alleviate water problems that keep undermining road repairs. “Sometime in the next few years a sewage system will be put in—with the headaches involved. But it will decrease the surface contamination from our current septic systems.” In his “free” time he enjoys working on the computer, doing a website, following sports teams, helping his wife with genealogy, doing carpentry work and making repairs here and in Slippery Rock. Monte is married to Carolyn Cornell Holland. They have a daughter Sandra (Sandy) Smith and granddaughter, Jordan Smith, who live on Walnut Road. Their son Nolan and his wife Tammy Owings and their sons, Vince and Marcus, live in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

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JOHN MILLER

The primary election date is May 15, 2007. Four persons are running for four borough council vacancies. All are currently appointed members of borough council. The Laurel Mountain Borough/Laurel Mountain Park Newsletter will post bios of the candidates as they are received. JOHN MILLER* 13 Maple Road John Miller, 43, is running for a two-year term. He is registered Independent (conservative). Because there are fewer than ten Independent registered voters in Laurel Mountain Borough (the required number of party signers to file a petition to run for a borough council) he needs to have “write-in” votes to secure a slot in the November election. John is a relatively new LMB resident, having purchased his house and moved into the community in September 2005. He attended two years at Waynesburg College studying English communication and studied recording engineering at a trade school (1984-1985). For 23 years he was a self-employed audio engineer/freelance sound recordist in eastern Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. He’s done corporate, industrial and documentary filmmaking.  He’s recorded and produced “Venice” sound effects library—ambient backgrounds and sound effects of Venice, Italy. He presently owns Laurel Hill Recordings, which specializes in stereo ambient backgrounds and sound effects for the film and video industry and is a partner/producer of Woodland Marketing Management in Fairfield Township. His service on Laurel Mountain Borough’s council began quite by accident when he was asked to fill a vacancy. Although this is his first direct experience in local government, he said his life experience is beneficial to the position. “Working on a film crew, you end up learning a little bit about a lot of things,” John said about his qualifications. “Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to observe, first hand, a broad spectrum of the way things work in this country in business, industry, agriculture, politics, medicine, media, etc.  It may be kind of like watching ‘Jeopardy’ five hours a day for 20 years. The experiences have come in handy in other matters many times.”  As a member of the municipality committee with Daneen and Monte Holland John has “dug his heels,” working on the public sewage proposal and road maintenance. These are problems he expects to continue tackling if he is elected. “I would like to see the borough limit as much as possible our liability when it comes to water/sewer infrastructure,” he said. His five-year vision is having the public sewage system installed and having well-graded roads. “I will also oppose unnecessary ordinances.” John relishes the beautiful surroundings, fresh air, friendly neighbors and quiet he’s experienced since moving here. In his free time he enjoys kayaking, hiking and cross-country skiing. He is single. His cat, Tarzan, lives up to his name. *NOTE: John Miller is not related to Jeff Miller, borough council solicitor, or Craig Miller, tax collector.