Meet the Commissioners

Dean Horst

Chairman, First Term (2024-2027)

Dean Horst is a proud native of Franklin County and a graduate of Shalom Christian Academy. After completing high school, he served in the Marine Corps from 1990-1994 and was deployed to the Middle East where he served in Operation Desert Storm alongside loyal, courageous and dedicated men and women. Serving his country and fellow Americans has always been his honor. It was during his service that he learned the importance of loyalty, honor, teamwork and leadership, which became the foundation of his leadership today.

Dean is a family man and a devoted father who values family life and conservative family values in Franklin County. He has been married to his loving wife, Loretta, for more than 30 years, and together, they have two married children who are starting their own families. They work together with Horizon Empower the Orphaned to uplift and change the lives of orphans in East Africa and Central America.

Dean’s leadership skills and experiences have made him a successful business owner for the past 12 years. He has led and managed his team of employees by implementing creative strategies that fostered growth, making his business one of the best in the tri-state region. Dean’s hard work and determination have taught him the importance of facing challenges, learning from failures and celebrating successes. He aims to use this knowledge to help the citizens of Franklin County and make it one of the best counties in Pennsylvania.

As commissioner, Dean serves on the following boards and committees:

• Franklin County Election Board
• Franklin County Retirement Board
• Franklin County Salary Board
• Franklin County Prison Board
• Franklin County Soil Conservation District Board
• Franklin County Library System Board
• Franklin/Fulton Drug & Alcohol Advisory Board
• Local Emergency Planning Committee
• Criminal Justice Advisory Board
• Tuscarora Managed Care Alliance
• Franklin County Metropolitan Planning Organization
• Franklin County Area Development Corporation Board

John Flannery

Vice Chair, Second term (2024-2027)

John Flannery was newly elected as Franklin County Commissioner in 2019. John grew up in the north end of Hagerstown, Maryland, and is a 1987 graduate of North Hagerstown High School. He met his future wife, Ame, from Greencastle and they married in 1994. The couple has resided in the Greencastle and Mercersburg area since their marriage.

John worked in manufacturing for almost 20 years, starting out as a laborer and working his way into a role as vice president of operations. He and his wife decided to risk everything to become entrepreneurs in 2005, opening their first business, Flannery’s Tavern, in Mercersburg. Since then, they have started three other businesses: Flannery’s Investment Group, The Dressing Room, and The John Allison Public House.

John’s community involvement includes serving as chairman of the Franklin County Housing Authority, chairman of the Tuscarora Area Chamber of Commerce, and as a member of the Greencastle-Antrim Chamber of Commerce and the Tuscarora Education Foundation. He founded several events, including Flannery’s Pub Run and Mercersburg and Greencastle Craft Beer and Wine Festivals, raising funds for area non-profit organizations and individuals in need. The John Allison Public House continues to support local groups by donating 15% of all Sunday sales to various local Franklin County non-profit organizations. John is a firm believer in community support and stands by the motto that “we cannot expect our community to support us unless we are willing to support our community.”

John has pledged to be transparent, fiscally responsible, and to serve the people of Franklin County for no more than two terms.

John is a proud parent to one son, who lives with his wife and daughters in Leeland, North Carolina. He is also a committed member of the National Rifle Association and Republican Party.

As commissioner, John serves on the following boards and committees:

• Franklin County Election Board
• Franklin County Retirement Board
• Franklin County Salary Board
• Franklin County Prison Board
• Children and Youth Advisory Board
• Local Emergency Planning Committee
• Tuscarora Managed Care Alliance
• Franklin County Penn State University Cooperative Extension Board
• Hagerstown Eastern Region Metropolitan Planning Organization
• Franklin County Metropolitan Planning Organization
• Franklin County Visitors Bureau
• Franklin County Housing Authority
• Franklin County Area Development Corporation Board

Robert Ziobrowski

Secretary, Fifth term (2024-2027)

Robert “Bob” Ziobrowski has served as a Franklin County Commissioner since 2008. Bob is a 1969 graduate of Chambersburg Area Senior High School. He majored in political science at Brown University and earned a Bachelor’s degree in business and economics from Wilson College.

As a real estate appraiser for over 30 years, Bob also worked for the Franklin County Industrial Development Corporation and the Letterkenny Industrial Development Authority. His community involvement includes serving on the Chambersburg Area School District Board of Directors for eight years (president,1994-95) and the Chambersburg Hospital Board of Directors for nine years (chairman, 2006). He is active in the Franklin County Democratic Party and serves as a precinct committeeman.

Bob is secretary of the Franklin County Board of Commissioners and board representative to the Franklin County Council of Governments (chair, 2011-22) and the eight-county Southcentral PA Workforce Investment Board (chair, 2010-present). Additionally, he serves on the Assessment and Taxation Committee of the County Commissioners Association of PA.

He is the parent of two grown sons and currently resides in Chambersburg. An active bicyclist, he rides several thousand miles each year throughout beautiful Franklin County.

As commissioner, Bob serves on the following boards and committees:

• • Franklin County Election Board

• • Franklin County Retirement Board

• • Franklin County Salary Board

• • Franklin County Prison Board

• • Local Emergency Planning Committee

• • Council of Governments

• • South Central Workforce Investment Board

• • Tuscarora Managed Care Alliance

• • Franklin County Metropolitan Planning Organization

• • Penn State Mont Alto Advisory Board

• • Franklin County Area Development Corporation Board