Balanced Budget without Raising Property Taxes
Faced with a $13 million county budget deficit in his first year in office, Corey O'Brien worked to reduce county expenditures, shrink the budget and streamline the county workforce, all while preserving core government services. Because of Corey’s willingness to make the difficult financial decisions, the county's budget was balanced without raising property taxes.
Corey has also helped spearhead an initiative to encourage Lackawanna County's 40 municipalities to share government services to reduce the burden on taxpayers and make government better and more efficient. Since the inception of this initiative, municipalities have begun to save money on insurance premiums and will soon use their joint purchasing power to drive down government spending. This initiative has also served as an important "idea incubator" for local officials.
Brought Ethics Reform and Transparency to Government
On his first day in office, Corey voted to implement a Code of Ethics, bringing long-awaited ethics reform and a gift ban to Lackawanna County. In addition, Corey was one of the guiding voices that made government more open and transparent by posting jobs online and bidding contracts.
Encouraged Energy Independence
Corey promoted energy efficiency in county government from the use of energy efficient light bulbs to replacement of the county's fleet of vehicles with hybrids. He also supported replacing all of the mass transit system buses with energy efficient hybrid buses by 2013. Corey was instrumental in making Lackawanna County only the second county in Pennsylvania to be listed as a Cool County, which signifies that the county is committed to significantly reducing its carbon footprint.
Fighting for Working Families
Corey voted to support the Employee Free Choice Act, which requires companies to enter project labor agreements for all county construction projects, fought to keep jobs in the county by promoting the local labor force in building The Commonwealth Medical College and implemented fair share to ensure that the county's backbone, its workforce, would be protected and strengthened by requiring union dues be taken out of employee paychecks.
Increased Opportunities & Support for Children
Corey worked hard to start the Boundless Playground initiative in Lackawanna County. Boundless Playgrounds are universal access playgrounds. The county is investing designated recreation funds to establish Boundless Playgrounds throughout the county to level the playing field between special needs and able-bodied children by breaking down barriers and building friendships through play.
Promoted Bi-Partisanship
Corey has worked closely with his Democratic and Republican colleagues to promote bipartisan initiatives, such as encouraging the municipal sharing of government services, expanding recreational opportunities for county residents and making government more efficient through the use of technology and energy savings.
Inspired Dunmore Community Center
As an 18-year old Dunmore High School senior, Corey successfully lobbied for a $600,000 federal appropriation to build a community center in Dunmore. Today, residents of Dunmore enjoy a $4.5 million state-of-the-art community center that mirrors Corey's early vision of providing residents with a multi-generational community center.
