Republican Carbon County Commissioner Tom J. Gerhard of Weatherly is seeking his second four-year term in office.

Before being elected, he was a self-employed roofing contractor for Tom Gerhard & Sons Roofing for 32 years. He has been employed part-time by Motor Transportation Company, Hazleton, as a coach driver for almost 14 years. Gerhard was a Packer Township supervisor for 12 years and chairman for seven.Gerhard is a member of the Carbon County Extension Board; Carbon County Chamber of Commerce; the Lehighton Drug and Alcohol Task Force; Shepherd House Board, Lehighton; Carbon County Prison Board chairman; Carbon County Salary Board and Carbon County Safety Committee chairman. He is a member of the Weatherly Hillclimb Association, Weatherly Area Community Library, and serves on the Joe Andreuzzi Packer Township Community Park board. Appointed by former Gov. Tom Corbett, Gerhard serves on the Carbon County Records Committee (2012-2016), and is a member of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, serving on the Farmland Preservation Committee.Accomplishments cited by Gerhard and Commissioners' Chairman Wayne E. Nothstein are that the district attorney initiated a drug tip line and hired a part-time detective to concentrate on drug problems; the prison board recommended hiring a drug and alcohol treatment counselor, with services paid through the prison commissary fund at no cost to the taxpayers; the Packerton Yard property has been placed on the market; the animal shelter has reduced its operating budget.Appointed by the Bishop of the Allentown Diocese, Gerhard served as a member of the advisory board at Marian Catholic High School and president of the Men of Marian for almost 15 years. He is a fourth degree Knight of Columbus, Council 12105 St. Nicholas, Weatherly; served on the finance board at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish; and is a member of the Hazle Azalea Fellowship Lodge 327 and a Thirty-Second Degree Mason in the Valley of Allentown Consistory.Gerhard has been married for 35 years to the former Sue Ann Raynock. They have two daughters, Jennifer Ann and Kathleen Marie, and are members of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Weatherly, where he serves as lector.Visit the Gerhard-Nothstein team on Facebook at Gerhard Nothstein Commissioners.