Primary 2013 - North Hills School District, Ross Township, and West View

The School Board in North Hills is a hot race with 10 candidates vying for 4 seats. The democratic nomination for tax collector is a 3 way race.

Ross Township

Commissioner, Ward 2
Republican -- Jeff Meyer
Democrat -- Stephen Korbel

Commissioner, Ward 4
Democrat -- Lana Mazur

Commissioner, Ward 6
Democrat -- David Mikec Sr.

Commissioner, Ward 8
Republican -- Jeremy Shaffer
Democrat -- Walter Salachup

Tax CollectorIncumbent Donna Carey stepped away from the work in June of 2011, deputizing Jordan Tax Service to handle tax collections for the township and the North Hills School District.

Republican  - Clifford Bright
Democrat - Jerry O'Brien, George Roderus, and Stephanie Conners-Maguire.

West View

Mayor
Democrat -- J.R. Henry

Council (4)
Democrats -- William Aguglia. Bryan Kircher, John Koerts, Robert Schellhaas

North Hills School District (4)

Republican and Democrat -- Matthew Sean Edinger Sr., Thomas Kelly, Louis Krummert III, Joe Muha, Annette Giovengo Nolish, Jason Pirring, Kathy Reid, Sharon Schrim, Helen Spade, Michael Yeomans

Ross Township Democrat Running for Allegheny County Council

Glad to see someone is going to take on the extremely Republican/Tea Partier Matt Drozd.

From the North Hills Patch:

Daniel A. McClain Jr. has announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the District 1 seat on Allegheny County Council.

District 1 is currently represented by Republican Matt Drozd. The district is comprised of Aleppo, Ben Avon, Coraopolis, Emsworth, Findlay, Glen Osborne, Glenfield, Haysville, Kilbuck, Moon, North Fayette, Ross, and West View.

"To be a great county means safe neighborhoods, affordable and quality housing, reliable public transit options, sustainable infrastructure funding, and economic development that provide quality jobs at living wages," said McClain. In a statement, he indicated that his campaign would seek to inspire a public conversation on critical issues and viable solutions that "especially reflect the views and wishes of residents in County Council District 1."

McClain, 34, grew up in the North Hills and was a 1996 graduate of Avonworth High School. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Statistics from Penn State University in 2000 and his M.B.A. degree from Robert Morris University in 2006. He currently serves his community as the Treasurer of Girty’s Run Joint Sewer Authority Board and the Vice Chair of the Ross Township Democratic Committee.

McClain was hired by U. S. Steel Corporation in 1999 as a management associate and advanced through a series of increasingly responsible roles before relocating to the Republic of Serbia in 2008 to serve as Director - Transaction Processing Center where he was responsible for accounts payable, account receivable, and payroll transactions at U. S. Steel’s Serbia facility. He returned to Pittsburgh when he assumed his most recent position, Manager - Internal Audit in 2009.

"My private sector experiences, along with my firm grounding in our community have taught me that we have so much to be proud of in District 1 and throughout Allegheny County," he said. "I intend for my campaign to focus on solutions to our problems and a serious and informed dialogue about the challenge of working together to ensure future economic development and job creation so that all of our residents and communities share in our revitalization."

Steve Korbel Announces Candidacy for the Ross Township Board of Commissioners Ward 2

From the Steve Korbel campaign:

Rep. Adam Ravenstahl crushes Mark Purcell for Democratic Endorsement

PA State House (20th District)

Adam Ravenstahl 111 (84.09%)
Mark Purcell 21 (15.91%)

Wow. I think those numbers speak for themselves. That is a huge victory for the Ravenstahl campaign. I have been told that Purcell sent two negative mailers against Ravenstahl. I don't have a copy of them, but I have been told that Purcell called out 7 Allegheny County Democratic Chairs, State Rep. Dom Costa, and State Rep. Frank Dermody for being 'self-serving.' This is a bold move since so many Democratic Committee members have good relationships with their committee chairs. Plus it would tough to go to Harrisburg and serve with the majority leader after you called him 'self-serving.'

To take a whipping like this on endorsement day and add in the fact that Purcell has been rejected by the votes of the 20th district in the 2006 and 2010 Primary, this has to just be demoralizing to a campaign.

On another note, I was contacted by Dave Schuilenburg the other day saying that he is running for the 20th State House seat. Mr. Schuilenburg ran for the City Council Special Election to fill Luke Ravenstahl's council seat as an independent against Darlene Harris. Schuilenburg ran for the Democratic endorsement as a Democrat in the 2007 Primary against Darlene Harris. According to my sources, Darlene Harris was Mayor Ravenstahl's pick to fill his council seat back in 2006. (Funny how that relationship has changed in a few years). Schuilenburg than ran against Harris as a Independent in the General Election and got 25% of the vote. A very impressive number for an independent running against a Democrat.

State House Elections - 20th District *UPDATED*

Here is the new map of the 20th State House Distinct. The green parts are the old district and the aqua blue line is the outline of the new district.

First off I have to apologize for the size of that map. Because of the huge...umm...phaulls shaped new 20th district I had to zoom out to get the entire district on my screen. At first glance it looks like half of the district is new with the added municipalities of Bellevue, Avalon, Ben Avon, Emsworth, Neville Township, and Coraopolis.

However, looking up the population numbers of those towns there isn't that many people added to the new 20th District. The population of the district is still mostly in the incumbents, State Rep. Adam Ravenstahl, base.This is a strong Democratic seat with the Northside and Lawrenceville parts of the city. Generally the North Boros vote for Democrats along with Coraopolis.

Again this is a seat that any real challenger would have to come in the Primary.One challenger has mentioned to me that they are planning on running for this seat. Mark Purcell has expressed interest in running for the 20th District...again. Mark Purcell has essentially run for this seat 3 times. He lost in 2006 against Don Walko. He lost in 2010 when attempting to be appointed as the candidate for the special election and he lost in 2010 in the primary to Adam Ravenstahl by 15% in a 4 way race. Purcell also lost to Matt Drozd by 43 votes in an County Council election that I wished he would have been able to pull off.

In a district that hasn't changed much population and didn't add any more of Purcell's base, this looks to be an easy race for Ravenstahl who beat Purcell by 15% last time in a 4 way primary election.

Incumbent: Adam Ravenstahl (Democrat)

*UPDATED*Possible Challengers:

Mark Purcell (Democrat)

Melissa Haluszczak (Republican) (h/t politicspa)

Kathy Coder (Republican) (h/t politicspa)

I think even a well funded Republican would have a hard time winning this seat in a Presidential year. Especially a tea party organizer like Haluszczak

State House Elections - 21st District *UPDATED*

Here is the new map of the 21st State House Distinct. The green parts are the old district and the aqua blue line is the outline of the new district.



The 21st District had to add some population to it and also was facing other city Representatives that had to expand out because of population loss. Overall this district looks pretty good for the incumbent, Rep. Dom Costa. It adds more of Ross Township to the 21st, but Rep. Costa's base is in Bloomfield, Morningside, and the North river towns of Millvale, Etna, and Sharpsburg. Also added to the Democratic city base is part of Lawrenceville.

This should be a very solid Democratic seat and the only real election would be in the spring primary. From what I hear Dom Costa is popular with every faction of the city Democratic Party. If anyone decides to run against him and make it a race, it would have to be someone from Ross Township. It would be an uphill battle because he has represented most of Ross Township since 2008.

I also should mention that the State House GOP tried to force Dom Costa and Adam Ravenstahl to face each other by putting them both in the 21st District (h/t Early Returns). However, the backlash of the greedy power grab that created 2 Allegheny County seats with no incumbents living in them must have forced House Republican leadership to split the district between Costa and Ravenstahl.

Incumbent: Dom Costa (Democrat)

Possible Challengers: Matt Drozd (h/t politicspa)

Another tough seat in a Presidential year for a Republican, especially one that not a moderate in any way.

North Hills muncipality elections

Council Member; Borough of Bradford Woods (3 Elected)
• Gary F. Price, Republican
• Robert S. Stryker, Republican
• Linda J. Philpott, Democratic
• Paul E. Pongrace, III, Republican

Council Member; Borough of Etna; Ward 1 (2 Elected)
• Karen Tomaszewski, Democratic
• Terry A. Huston, Democratic

Council Member; Borough of Etna; Ward 2; 2 Year Term (1 Elected)
• Edward V. Burke, III, Republican

Council Member; Borough of Etna; Ward 2; 4 Year Term (1 Elected)
• Carol Kristoff, Democratic

Council Member; Borough of Etna; Ward 3 (1 Elected)
• David Vinski, Democratic

Council Member; Borough of Fox Chapel (3 Elected)
• James M. Royston, Republican
• Jay S. Troutman, Republican
• Ann R. Meyer, Republican

Council Member; Borough of Franklin Park; Ward 1 (1 Elected)
• Laura A. Coombs, Republican, Democratic

Council Member; Borough of Franklin Park; Ward 2 (1 Elected)
• Richard H. Hartman, Republican, Democratic

Council Member; Borough of Franklin Park; Ward 3 (1 Elected)
• James W. Lawrence, Republican
• Ash Marwah, Democratic

Council Member; Borough of West View (3 Elected)
• Donald E. Mikec, Democratic
• Barry G. Schell, Democratic
• M. Kimberly Steele, Democratic
• Alison Kilmartin, Republican

Controller; Township of Hampton (1 Elected)
• Jerry Speakman, Republican

Council Member; Township of Hampton (2 Elected)
• Joanne C.F. Hart, Democratic
• Sherry Neugebauer, Republican
• Gloria Newman, Democratic
• M. Richard Dunlap, Republican

Auditor; Township of Indiana (1 Elected)
• David M. Laux, Republican

Supervisor; Township of Indiana; District 1 (1 Elected)
• Paul Jorgensen, Republican

Supervisor; Township of Indiana; District 2 (1 Elected)
• Jeffrey D. Peck, Republican

Supervisor; Township of Indiana; District 3 (1 Elected)
• Darrin J. Krally, Republican

Supervisor; Township of Indiana; District 4 (1 Elected)
• Daniel Taylor, Republican

Auditor; Township of Marshall (1 Elected)
• Patricia L. Bolster, Democratic

Supervisor; Township of Marshall (1 Elected)
• Jason Bragunier, Republican, Democratic

Council Member; Township of McCandless; Ward 1 (1 Elected)
• Cynthia Potter, Republican

Council Member; Township of McCandless; Ward 3 (1 Elected)
• Roger Krey, Republican

Council Member; Township of McCandless; Ward 5 (1 Elected)
• D. Lamar Oliver, III, Republican, Democratic

Council Member; Township of McCandless; Ward 7 (1 Elected)
• William J. McKim, Republican, Democratic

Supervisor; Township of Pine (3 Elected)
• Ted Owen, Republican
• Frank J. Spagnolo, Republican
• Philip D. Henry, Republican

Supervisor At-Large; Township of Richland (1 Elected)
• Herbert C. Dankmyer, Republican
• Jeffrey Thomas Sarabok, Democratic

Supervisor; Township of Richland; District 1 (1 Elected)
• Raymond P. Kendrick, Republican

Supervisor; Township of Richland; District 3 (1 Elected)
• George Allen, Republican

Commissioner; Township of Ross; Ward 1 (1 Elected)
• Daniel L. DeMarco, Democratic
• Ann C. Harrold, Republican

Commissioner; Township of Ross; Ward 3 (1 Elected)
• John Sponcer, Republican
• Daniel P. Kinross, Democratic

Commissioner; Township of Ross; Ward 5 (1 Elected)
• William A. McKellar, Democratic
• Grace Stanko, Republican

Commissioner; Township of Ross; Ward 7 (1 Elected)
• Gerald R. O'Brien, Democratic

Commissioner; Township of Ross; Ward 9 (1 Elected)
• Grant Montgomery, Republican

Commissioner; Township of Shaler; Ward 1 (1 Elected)
• Edward Duss, Republican, Democratic

Commissioner; Township of Shaler; Ward 3 (1 Elected)
• David W. Shutter, Republican, Democratic

Commissioner; Township of Shaler; Ward 5 (1 Elected)
• Susan H. Fisher, Republican, Democratic

Commissioner; Township of Shaler; Ward 7(1 Elected)
• Bill Cross, Republican, Democratic

Auditor; Township of West Deer (1 Elected)
• Mary J. Vaerewyck, Republican

Auditor; Township of West Deer; 2 Year Term (1 Elected)
• Sarah Violet Bossart, Republican

Supervisor; Township of West Deer (4 Elected)
• Michael A. Sutter, Democratic
• Gerry Vaerewyck, Republican
• Richard W. DiSanti, Jr., Democratic
• Larewnce K. McManus, Republican
• James Smullin, Democratic
• Tracy Alan Adamik, Democratic
• Bronco Brnardic, Republican
• Richard W. Bossart, Jr., Republican

Is a local Republican using government for personal gain? Again?

Back in March, the North Hills Exposure blog pointed out that Ross Township Commissioner Grace Stanko could be in trouble for a violation of the Ethics Act. You can read more about this issue at the Tribune Review also.

A recent article was written at the North Hills Patch about a $142,500 federal grant that Ross Township received for the Perrysville business district. In the article Ross Township Commissioner Stanko is mentioned as lobbying for the grant. Why wouldn't she have asked for this grant? The printing business that her husband owns and prints for government materials for Ross Township will benefit from that federal grant.

The ironic thing about Commissioner Stanko is that she is a proud Republican. So that same grant that she is happy about came from many federal officials that she doesn't support. (Dems: Obama/Altmire/Casey - Republican Toomey can get credit for this too as a federal official for Ross Township)

Isn't the GOP strongly against programs like this when our government is in debt? The grant itself came from HUD. Most Republicans want to get rid of HUD! I guess government spending is only wasteful to Republicans if these programs are benefiting someone other than themselves.

New North Pittsburgh Politics Contributor

As the municipal election of 2011 kicks off we have some exciting news here at the North Pittsburgh Politics blog. We now have a 'West View Ross Junior Correspondent.'

The Ross Renegade has just joined this blog as a occasional contributor. The Ross Renegade will focus on Ross Township, the North Hills School District, and other North Hills political topics.

I am glad to welcome another contributor to this blog. Together we will be able to cover more local government happenings in the North Hills.

Jane Orie attacks Dan Demarco for a property tax reduction

I went off the other day about Sen. Jane Orie attacking Dan Demarco for raising taxes $15 (or 150%) based on legislation that Orie voted for that raised most of her constituents taxes by 420%. Then little information was provided to me about this 'tax hike' from 2004. The legislation that Dan Demarco voted for to increase the Emergency Municipal Services tax (formerly the Occupational Privilege Tax, currently the Local Services Tax) included a Property Tax CUT for Ross Township Residents. So Dan Demarco voted to REDUCE the property tax from 2.0451 mills to 1.9671 mills. Here is the the PG article.

The PG gives some more detail on the Emergency & Municipal Services Tax, which is essentially a 'user fee', that affects about 22,000 workers in Ross of which 86% don’t even live in the Township but use Ross services. So Dan Demarco was looking out for the people he represented and Jane Orie wants you to think she is the one that will fight for us? I hope the voters see through her games.

Jane Orie: I was for the tax before I was against it.

Sen. Jane Orie has really outdone herself this time. In her most recent mailing she accused her opponent, Dan Demarco, of raising taxes by 150%. Local elected officials in Pennsylvania have very few taxes they can impose or raise. One would assume this 150% tax increase must be property taxes, but that would mean a major increase in property tax millage. Generally our citizens pay very small amounts of our property tax bill towards the municipality. Our school taxes are the largest chunk of our property tax bill. A little research on Ross Township’s property tax rate will find the 8th lowest property taxes (1.97 mils) in Allegheny County. That seems like a pretty impressive record for any elected official in Allegheny County.

So what tax is Jane Orie talking about? She is referencing the $52 Occupational Privilege/Emergency Municipal/Local Services Tax. In 2004 the state gave every municipality the option of raising the tax on citizens that worked in the municipality from $10 to $52. So Dan Demarco and Ross Township only raised the tax to $25. So Sen. Orie is telling us because of a $15 increase in taxes we should vote for her and Dan Demarco is just another tax and spend liberal. Jane Orie wants to scare us with facts and figures, but would we be as scared if she told us that Dan Demarco didn’t raise taxes as high as 110 other municipalities in Allegheny County did?

In order for Ross Township to have this option of raising this tax in 2004 on those that were employed in Ross Township, the state had to amend the local tax enabling law of 1965. So the State Legislature had to approve this new option allowing municipalities to raise this tax. Guess who supported and voted for this tax increase? Sen. Jane Orie. So using Jane Orie’s math, she approved a 420% tax increase in 2004, and now is trying to use that same legislation against her opponent.

I started to think back a few years and I remembered that this isn’t the first time Jane Orie has used legislation that she voted for against a political opponent. When first running for State Senate against a member of the Rooney family she attacked him because the Rooney’s accepted public funding for Heinz field and the implosion of Three Rivers Stadium. The kicker was she voted for the legislation that approved funding to be used for the stadiums and convention center.

Jane Orie, just another power hungry politician grasping at straws.

Not shocking, just frustrating

North Hills official rapped for remarks

I am not shocked by a public official saying something like this:

"If they are working in our stores THEY SHOULD SPEAK ENGLISH AT ALL TIMES!!!" Mrs. Reid wrote on Facebook.

Comments like these cross party lines. While many are frustrated by the display of ignorance of someone like North Hills School Board Member Kathy Reid, there are Glenn Beck fans all over our country that would rally behind Ms. Reid.

I hope that the voters in North Hills remember her comments in 4 years if she runs again. I personally don't want to be represented by someone that judges anyone because of the color of their skin, language they are speaking, or clothing that they are wearing. However, I am not a voter in the North Hills School District and I will let the voters there decide what kind of person they want to be represented by.