John Ameno (with wife)

John Ameno, from the Johnstown, PA office is more than just American Mining's Loss Control Inspector. He's also a city councilman for his hometown of Apollo, PA. Here are some questions we asked him about his time as a councilman, along with his answers.

How large is Apollo? 1,675 people. It once was around 5,000, but the economics through the years have changed. Just for reference, Apollo is about 50 miles from Johnstown. Since I'm out of the office all but one day a week, that's not a bad commute. In fact, I just got back from New Mexico just after midnight last night.

How long have you been a councilman? 3 years at the end of this year. It's been rewarding and I plan to run again at the end of my term. We've created a new redevelopment plan for the town, including revitalizing the downtown area. We've helped bring a new Victorian-style gazebo to the town park. Several couples have even gotten married in it since we installed it this past September.

Is this the first time you've been an elected official? Definately. Three years ago, 4-5 days before the election, several of us from the town got together and started talking about the direction of our town. We decided we didn't like how things were going, so we decided to run at the last minute. We were elected on a write-in campaign (stickers, actually). Four of us ran together and we were all elected on a write in campaign. It was time for a change.

Scene from Apollo, PA

What's the thing you've worked on while in office that you are most proud of? The plan for town renewal is the thing that we're most proud of. It has taken a lot of work to get this plan together. It will help to guide the town for years to come. We've done a lot to get people excited about Apollo--our state senator and state representatives are in favor of our new plan. County Commissioners have categorized our town as a priority. My biggest goal was to get others involved in making Apollo a better place to live.

What do you think your community needs most to be a better place? Implementing the redevelopment plan. We need revenue to do that. We are working on writing grants and the state is working on completing a new bridge across the Kiskiminetas River. The old bridge was built in 1937 as a temporary bridge, but we've had it since then. The new bridge and some of the cleanup we've done in the community has helped to make the gateways to our city more appealing. We are also working on creating a biking/hiking trail along the river for the citizens of Apollo and to encourage tourism.

What have you learned from working with American Mining that helps you in public office? What I bring from American Mining is the idea of being able to work with people and understanding how to work together.

What have you learned as a councilman that helps you with your work at AMIC? Learning to be more patient. It is different working with people you've known since childhood. Understanding the mix of people and how to cooperate is critical to being an effective councilman--and it's important to the work at AMIC too.

How much time do you devote to being a councilman? Sometimes I read a lot. But I really rely on the people around me to help me condense the things that matter most. I attend several meetings a month. Things should be easier now that we understand what direction we're going in. Creating the plan took a lot of time. Of course, completing each item in the plan will have a lot of effort too, though.

So, when are you running for governor! I'm just a small town guy. I only wanted to be a councilman because we wanted to improve Apollo. I've lived here my whole life. We were just upset with the way things had been heading for the last few years and we just want to make our community better. Apollo will be 200 years old in 2016. We are working to make it the best place to live and raise a family.