Potter County Commissioner Paul Heimel was honored this week at the state level for his service at all levels of government and advocacy of several issues.

The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania awarded Heimel its 2017 Outstanding County Commissioner/Council Member of the Year Award at its recent conference.

Heimel attended the 2017 Annual Conference in Erie County, and the award ceremony “was the culmination of a busy and informative annual conference,” he said.

A statement from CCAP about the award read, “Heimel was acknowledged for his dedicated service to fellow commissioners and constituents at the local, state and national levels, as well as his leadership and advocacy for veterans, criminal justice, communications and other issues.”

Heimel is in his 10th year as commissioner. Prior to that, he served as a local newspaper reporter and editor for 20 years and a corporate communications director for the former Adelphia Communications Corp.

“This is the final stop of a three-part career, all of it spent in Potter County, and I think my background in local journalism and corporate management have served me well as a foundation to effectively represent Potter County,” Heimel said.

For Heimel, he does not take the award as a tribute to him personally, but rather a tribute to the commissioners as a whole for what they’ve achieved together.

“I consider it a recognition of what our three-member team has accomplished,” said Heimel. “Commissioners (Douglas) Morley and (Susan) Kefover have supported my efforts to become deeply involved in some of issues about which I am passionate. I’ve also been fortunate to establish relationships at the statewide and national levels to become better informed and more effective in advocating for Potter County.”

He gave a little background on that three-member team during his acceptance speech.

“Doug Morley, Susan Kefover and I were brought together by the voters of Potter County a decade ago. And we soon came to recognize each other’s strengths.

“Our distribution of responsibilities followed a natural progression. And what evolved from that was the proverbial ‘whole that’s bigger than the sum of its parts.’”

Heimel described some of his proudest moments in public service, which include “marshaling the forces to launch a successful campaign for increasing the state’s payments-in-lieu of-taxes for the hundreds of thousands of acres of state forest and park lands. That’s going to reduce the tax burden of property owners in many parts of the county. Seeing some of this county’s initiatives on veterans’ services, criminal justice reforms being held up as state and even national models. Launching an outreach service to keep constituents informed of issues affecting county government.”

Heimel continues to find news ways to goals as commissioner — ways to leave the county better than when he started.

“I’ve strived to be an effective rural advocate, which can be a daunting task when it comes to state and national politics, and it’s a mission I intend to continue for as long as I have the honor of serving Potter County,” he said. “I have numerous goals I plan to continue pursuing in the areas of criminal justice reform, advocacy for veterans, tax reform and holding our state and federal governments accountable when it comes to treating rural counties fairly.”

Heimel recognized the support that Potter County — and he — received over the years from one longtime Potter County official: Ferdy Gunzburger, “a man who lived, slept and breathed county government.”

“Ferdy was a central figure during the formative years in making CCAP the outstanding organization that it is today,” Heimel said. “And like my own grandfather did with him when Ferdy was fresh out of high school in the 1920s, he ‘passed it on’ by taking me under his wing as a personal friend and advisor during my early adulthood.”

In addition to serving as commissioner, Heimel is on the governing board of the First Presbyterian Church of Coudersport, and he is a volunteer with groups including the Austin Dam Memorial Association and the Potter County Historical Society in a public relations capacity.

“In prior years I’ve coached youth baseball, served as a director of the Coudersport Area Chamber of Commerce and handled public relations for the local tourist promotion agency,” he said.