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Local Government Leader Honored Posthumously with Highest Award from Pennsylvania Township Association
The late Virgil Puskarich, former executive director of the Pennsylvania Local Government Commission, was posthumously awarded the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors’ Founder’s Award at the 82nd Annual State Convention in Hershey in April. Named for the association’s founder, H.A. “Cappy” Thomson, the award recognizes individuals or groups whose outstanding efforts on behalf of local governments have resulted in significant benefits to townships. The honor is presented only when there is someone deserving of it. Past recipients have included Gov. Tom Ridge, Gov. Dick Thornburgh, Gov. Robert Casey, Lt. Gov. Mark Schweiker, and the late Sen. John Heinz. Puskarich also was awarded this honor in 1997. Puskarich, who passed away on January 4 of this year, was considered an expert in local government issues and operations, as well as an educator and a dedicated public servant. He left behind a local government legacy that affected every township of the second class in Pennsylvania. A former mayor of Bentleyville Borough in Washington County, Puskarich joined the staff of the Local Government Commission in 1971 and became executive director soon afterward. The commission, created in 1935, is a bipartisan agency that offers research assistance to the General Assembly and proposes legislation to help local governments provide services more effectively and efficiently. Puskarich led the commission through more than three decades of service and growth, and, in 1995, was instrumental in rewriting the Second Class Township Code and securing its passage in the legislature. In presenting the Founder’s Award to Virgil’s wife Marilyn and his two daughters, Donna Mindek, president of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, said that the PSATS board of directors often faces a difficult decision when determining who — if anyone — will receive the Founder’s Award. “This year,” she said, “the decision was an easy one. Virgil Puskarich set the highest standards for himself during his life. He truly led by example. For that, we thank him, and we honor him with this award.” Also present for the award ceremony were Pennsylvania state Sen. Robert Thompson, who is chairman of the Local Government Commission, and Michael Gasbarre, who was recently chosen by the commission to succeed Puskarich as its new executive director. The Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors represents Pennsylvania’s 1,456 townships of the second class and is committed to preserving and strengthening township government and securing greater visibility and involvement for townships in the state and federal political arenas. Townships of the second class represent more residents – 5.1 million Pennsylvanians – than any other type of political subdivision in the commonwealth. #### For more information, contact: Michael P. Gasbarre Note: This news release and a downloadable photo of the award presentation also are posted at www.psats.org. Click on “Press Releases” under “News/Media Relations” on the left side of the home page.
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