Cranberry Fire Company President Announces Campaign for Supervisor

Another Republican candidate has announced his intention to run for Cranberry’s Board of Supervisors when Dave Root’s term expires at the end of the year.

Bruce Hezlep, president of the Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company, and a longtime township resident, said that after thinking about it for years, the time was right to take his volunteerism to the next level. 

“I have really been involved in the community for about 10 years volunteering," he said. "I’m looking to continue to contribute to the community in a different fashion."

Hezlep is the second person to announce his intention to run on the GOP ticket in the May primary election. Seneca Valley School Board member Eric Gordon last week also said he would seek the Republican nomination.

The winner of the spring primary election will move on to the general election in November to face the Democratic contender—if there is one.

Root, the only Democrat on Cranberry’s Board of Supervisors, said he is undecided if he will run again when his term expires Dec. 31. 2013. He added he also is exploring other ways to serve the community.

Hezlep, who moved to the area about 20 years ago, lives in Cranberry with his wife, Karen, son, Nathan, 11, and daughter, Anna, 9. 

A graduate of Grove City College, Hezlep has worked in business for 24 years, including time spent in accounting and as an information technology consultant for several software companies.

He currently works in the information technology department at L.B. Foster in Greentree and said his business experience would aid him in overseeing Cranberry Township’s finances.

“I’m familiar with how business operates and I want to continue to be very prudent with taxpayer money,” he said.

Hezlep began serving on the fire company’s board of directors in 2006 and became president of the company in 2009.

Through the years, he has won several department awards, including Rookie of the Year and the President’s and Chief’s awards. Firefighters also have selected him as the Company Member of the Year three times.

He said major accomplishments during his administration include constructing the 9/11 memorial in front of the Route 19 fire station and building a new public safety classroom.

In 2012, firefighters also kicked off their first CTVFC Golf Classic. Going forward, half of the proceeds from the annual event will benefit the fire company, Hezlep said. The other half will be donated to the Cranberry Township Community Chest’s current project of the year. 

As president, Hezlep said he works closely Cranberry officials, including on the township’s annual budget. He gave credit to the township’s support of the company for helping firefighters recruit and retain members.

“In this role I truly understand the importance of the role of township supervisor,” Hezlep said in a statement. “Many people assume that all the good things in our community just happen.

In reality, it takes hard work and commitment to a plan, and just three supervisors vote one way or another can drastically change the whole direction of how Cranberry Township operates.”

Hezlep said he also supports the Cranberry Plan, a comprehensive map of the township’s growth through 2030.

“My wife and I chose to move to Cranberry nineteen years ago because we believed the township was on the right path then, and I think we are on the right path for continued success,” he said. “If elected, I will make sure we continue to proceed in the right direction set by the master plan.”

Hezlep said he plans to campaign on his record of volunteerism and leadership in the community.

Besides being a firefighter, Hezlep also is an assistant scoutmaster of a Cranberry Boy Scout Troop and a member of the Sunrise Rotary Club of Cranberry Township.

“As a community volunteer who serves as the president of the fire company, I am 100 percent prepared to respond to emergency calls in the middle of the night leaving my family, my home, and my warm bed to assist my fellow citizens,” he said. “It is an awesome responsibility that I take very seriously.”

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