Washington County

Commissioner J. Bracken Burns, Sr.

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Bracken Burns has been associated with Washington County government since 1971. Prior to his election to the Board of Commissioners in 1995, Bracken was the director of the Washington County Emergency Services Department.

Since taking office in January of 1996, Commissioner Burns has been a full-time commissioner. A brief list of his accomplishments includes:
  • Spearheaded construction of the 50 bed Alzheimers' Unit at the Washington County Health Center.
  • Initiated the Furlough in to Service (FITS) Program that utilizes non-violent prisoners to perform work details for municipal, civic, and non-profit organizations. Since the inception of the program, more than 1,200 clients have provided 80,000 man-hours of labor, valued at nearly $640,000, have been provided to the county.
  • Led the effort that resulted in Conrail donating 17.3 miles of railroad right-of-way and $100,000 toward the development of The Panhandle Trail.
  • Rallied 7,457 county residents to volunteer over 22,000 hours of labor for beautification and clean-up projects.
  • Developed an Attendant Care Training Program to aid elderly and disabled citizens.
  • Led historic preservation efforts to restore and utilize the old jail as a county office building.


Commissioner Burns has been honored to represent Washington County in a number of positions at the regional and state level including:
  • Chairman of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Corporation's (SPC) Board of Directors
  • Chairman of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania's (CCAP) Board of Directors
  • Immediate past president of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania's (CCAP)
  • Vice Chairman of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania's (CCAP) Sustainable Communities Task Force
  • Chairman of the County Commissioners of Pennsylvania's (CCAP) Community and Economic Development Committee
  • Pennsylvania Enhanced 9-1-1 Emergency Services Advisory Committee


Commissioner Burns is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, has attended The Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at The University of Pittsburgh, and was a fellowship recipient and graduate of the Rural Affairs Leadership Program at Penn State University.

While serving the county for more than 21 years in the emergency services field, Bracken acquired more than 2000 hours of emergency services training and numerous certifications including EMT, paramedic, and state and national certified emergency manager.

Bracken's extensive community involvement includes 30 years membership in the Washington Kiwanis Club (President 1987), founding member and past president of the Washington Communities Health & Wellness Partnership, and board member at Little lake Theater and the Mental Health Association.

Bracken has appeared in more than 60 plays throughout Washington County and has been in several movies including the recently released "Reversal."

Recent honors include:
  • 2003 Friend of 4-H Award
  • Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Armstrong Distiguished Alumni
  • 2005 Mental Health Association's President's Award
  • 2004-2005 Honoray Chairman of the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk