County public safety director retires, top deputy promoted

Commissioners promoted Scott Stepanovich, 39, of Greensburg, top deputy since 2017, to be the department’s new director.

By RICH CHOLODOFSKY
|TribLive

Roland “Bud” Mertz provided a steady hand as the world plunged into pandemic-fueled panic in early 2020.

Mertz, as head of Westmoreland County’s Department of Public Safety, took control over the local response in the early days of the virus’ outbreak.

Throughout the next year, he served as the point man to ensure locals in need were safe and later had access to a potentially life-saving vaccine.

Mertz, 67, of Greensburg officially retired Feb. 6 and was honored Thursday for his 12 years at the helm of the department that oversees the county’s public safety apparatus and 911 dispatching services.

“I’m going to be a grandpop and travel, but I’m also going to stick around to support the new administrator,” Mertz said. “I’ll do whatever I can to support them.”

Commissioners promoted Scott Stepanovich, 39, of Greensburg, Mertz’s top deputy since 2017, to be the department’s new director, overseeing a nearly $16 million budget. His salary wasn’t available.

Stepanovich said he knows he has big shoes to fill.

“The whole department looks up to Bud. There is a real good feeling of what he has left us here, and we intend to continue with that,” Stepanovich said.

Mertz took over a department in 2014 that, over the previous two years, had seen substantial turnover following the ouster of one director and the sudden resignation of another.

The former Greensburg city councilman was no stranger to the county’s emergency management efforts.

A former Greensburg firefighter, he worked 25 years as a communications officer for the state police and served a five-year stint with the state’s Department of Homeland Security. Mertz also served in several high-level administrative roles with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency before taking over public safety operations in Westmoreland County.

“I’m proud of what we’ve been able to do in the last 12 years; we were able to build a new public safety network. I’m most proud of the relationships we built throughout the years, and we’ve been able to improve the reputation of the department,” Mertz said.

Commissioners honored Mertz with a proclamation commemorating his work as public safety director. They said Mertz brought more than just his administrative expertise to the job.

Commissioner Sean Kertes recounted how it was Mertz who was the first to comfort him as emergency crews and first responders were on scene when his wife unexpectedly died at home in early 2023.

“He was there for me on that tragic, terrible day that you obviously don’t want to relive. So, I want to personally tell everybody here today what that meant to me and who you are — what kind of character of a person you are, that you were there. I’m sure other people in this room, other people in this county can talk about your personality and who you are as a person,” Kertes said.

Commissioner Doug Chew said Mertz met with him before taking office in 2019 to tour the county’s 911 operations.

“Ever since that day, there wasn’t a single day I went to bed in Westmoreland County worried about public safety or how 911 was going to operate. You have assembled a truly remarkable team, and I’m glad that they’re there to succeed and continue this process after you retire,” Chew said.

Commissioner Ted Kopas, who first pushed to hire Mertz as the county’s public safety director in 2010 and was finally able to accomplish that two years later, said the county owes him a debt of gratitude for his efforts over the last dozen years.

“You are leaving behind a super-strong team that is more than capable of not just picking up what you have done but building upon that,” Kopas said.

Mertz is retiring from his role with the county but said he will remain active in the public safety community. He will continue to serve with the Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department and will be taking over as board president of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Greensburg.

“My God, you might as well just bury me if I can’t do anything,” Mertz said.