3 Republicans to face off in state House District 12 primary race
Development, taxes, business, local policy and state policy are all topics on the minds of the three Republican candidates who will face off in the upcoming State House 12th District primary election May 17.
Candidates Scott Timko of Cranberry Township, Gregg Semel of Zelienople and Stephenie Scialabba will be competing for the seat previously held by Republican state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, who announced his retirement earlier this year. In the fall, the Republican candidate will face Democrat Robert Vigue of Valencia, who is running unopposed in the primary.
After the 2022 redistricting of state legislative boundaries, the 12th District consists of Adams, Cranberry and Jackson townships; and Callery, Evans City, Harmony, Mars, Seven Fields, Valencia and Zelienople boroughs.
Jackson Township is new to the district, along with Evans City, Harmony and Zelienople boroughs.
Timko, a resident of Cranberry for the past 23 years, plans to take a closer look at growth in the district if elected. He said growth “is good,” but that he is wary of “unplanned, unrestrained growth in Cranberry.”
“It’s turned it into a crowded place to live,” he said. “New business is good, new restaurants is good, new people is good, but our quality of life is suffering with traffic and roadblocks. I’m trying to get some assistance and working with the local government to get a handle on the growth this area is experiencing so that we can do it in a planned, productive way.”
Timko was an Air Force pilot, who was commissioned in 1988 and served until 2000. He is a Gulf War air veteran and served in Bosnia, Rwanda and Haiti. He has been flying commercially since 2000.
“After having a life of service in the military, it’s just kind of my passion,” Timko said. “I like to fix problems. We have some issues that need to be fixed locally, statewide and federally.”
He cited being a longstanding member of the community as one of his strengths.
“I’ve lived in the district for a long time; I’m not a newcomer to the district,” he said. “I’m a small business owner — we’ve owned and operated two restaurants in the district. (My wife and I) have a history of serving the community, being involved in the community, and we’re well known in the community.”
Timko emphasized that he supports limits on term length.
“I’m someone who’s closing on 60 years old, and I support term limits,” he said. “I am clearly not in this to be a career politician.”
Semel, who has served on the Zelienople Borough Council since 2014 and who lives in the borough, also brought up his small business experience as a positive point to his candidacy.
“I have had 32-plus years of business experience and am starting my ninth year in local government,” he said. “Those two experiences, I really feel, have helped shape my character.”
When it comes to local issues, Semel specified that different regions of the district sometimes have different priorities.
“There are some pockets that are frustrated with congested traffic because of residential growth,” he said. “I would say that improved traffic flow would be key for some areas. When I visited the Mars Borough Council, they were very interested in a vision they have to refurbish or revitalize their main street corridor. When I visited Evans City, their issues probably would be different but similar; they have congested traffic because they have a little bit of a traffic challenge at different times of the day.”
Semel said that many of the constituents he has talked to want “less government.”
“Nobody wants taxes raised, that’s for sure, and everybody wants a balanced budget, and certainly they would like Harrisburg to spend its taxpayer money wisely,” he said. “I think having somebody overseeing that and scrutinizing that is truly what the voters are looking for in terms of a delegate to represent this district.”
He also said he supports term limits.
“I’ve had a great career, and as a result, I’m not looking for another one,” he said. “I think our country needs fewer career politicians. I believe we need elective officials that use common sense in problem solving.”
Scialabba, who moved to Cranberry in 2018 with her husband, cited a variety of issues as being important for the future of the state of Pennsylvania. She described herself as a fourth-generation Butler County resident.
“I think we need to address election integrity, we need to find a way to boost our economy, and keep our retention of business as well as of people, and that ties into the development of our natural resources,” she said.
A cybersecurity and data privacy lawyer, Scialabba, who practices law at Eckert Seamans, emphasized her legal experience as helpful in running for office.
“The legislators, we’re primarily tasked with drafting, amending, considering and repealing laws,” she said. “When constitutionality issues are arising, there’s no one better (able) to understand than a lawyer.”
Scialabba said two recent events in her life — the birth of her first child and the death of her mother — inspired her to run for office.
“(My mother) dedicated her life to public service. When she died, I wasn’t just reflecting on her life, but also on mine, and also people in general, and how fast life goes and what’s really important,” she said. “With this open seat, I thought, you’re never going to make the world a better place by waiting to make the world a better place.”
