BELLEFONTE -- Centre County's election board will decide tomorrow whether to let voters have a crack at putting in their two cents on whether Ray Gricar should become a full-time district attorney.

And if the non-binding advisory question is put on the ballot for May's primaries, "we will have changed the forum from the commissioners' office, where I didn't have a lot of luck, to the public," Gricar said.

When Commissioner Keith Bierly's motion to reclassify Gricar's position as full-time died before a vote Feb. 21, the district attorney vowed to seek additional outside employment.

Though he said Friday he had procured a second job, Gricar promised to wait until the voters' voice is heard before taking further action to reduce his hours.

Gricar's part-time post currently pays $40,000 annually. Under state law, if he were a full-time district attorney he would earn $1,000 less than a common pleas judge -- $79,000 in Centre County.

Commissioner Vicki Bumbarger, who had opposed Bierly's proposal on grounds it gives the state control of county money, proposed the ballot amendment Thursday as a compromise she said would let the public decide.

"When I voted the way I did (Feb. 21), I thought it was in the best interest of the public from the fiduciary point of view as the elected official who has been entrusted with their money," Bumbarger said.

She promised to vote with public response when the issue comes up again.

Bumbarger had also proposed using a purchase-of-services contract to compensate Gricar for additional hours logged, but some local attorneys said such an arrangement might be illegal.

The three-member election board that meets Tuesday is composed of Bierly, Commissioner John Saylor --who has opposed Gricar's proposal as being too expensive -- and Joyce Bell, who Bierly says is undecided.

Placing the question on May's ballot would cost less than $500.

Bierly said Gricar's efforts to go full-time are strengthened by his 57 percent margin victory last November over State College attorney Jeffrey Stover, who said the district attorney's office should remain part-time.

"He's already won it by two touchdowns, now we're telling him to go into sudden death overtime," Bierly said of Gricar.

Sixteen of Pennsylvania's 67 district attorneys are classified as full-time --a decision made by the individual counties.

Though Gricar said Friday he was "delighted that the people are going to have the chance to vote," supporters who have backed his two-year fight said they would continue backing him no matter how lengthy the road to success.

"If Ray has to jump through some more hoops, and those of us who supported him do as well, we'll try it," Bierly said.