Staley Announces Clerk of Courts Bid

Marcus Mercante Staley said a little change might do the clerk of courts office good, and that if elected to the county seat, he’d work to add a fresh perspective.

“It has been occupied by the same person since 1983,” he said, adding that it leads to a stagnant, group-think mentality. “The past practices and ideas become the present and future.”

Staley, 31, of North Strabane Township, is a lifelong Washington County resident and graduate of Bethlehem-Center Senior High School and California University of Pennsylvania, where he earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice, a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in social science and criminal justice.

And he said his formal education and work experience will allow him to “bring new ideas and innovations to the office that will not only save taxpayers money, but will allow (it) to run more efficiently.”

Staley is currently a behavioral specialist consultant and mental health specialist – and owns the B.A. Staley Healthcare Agency Inc. Until recently, he also worked as a private detective.

In May he was elected as a North Strabane Township Republican committeeman.

“I am not a candidate who is a political insider. I am not part of the political machine of back-room politics, which works on maintaining control of a public office for a particular party for decades,” Staley said. “I am the candidate who will bring new ideas to an outdated public office, which will benefit all of the residents of Washington County.”