Contested races on the ballot in all three wards for Franklin Park Council

All three wards will have contested races for Franklin Park Council on the Nov. 7 ballot.

Incumbent Democrat Jiang Li, from Ward 1, will face off against Republican Douglas Kush.

In Ward 2, Laura E Czekaj, a Democrat, is running against Republican Mark Butterfiled.

Incumbent Democrat Brian Malkin is running against Timothy J. Ireland in Ward 3.

Winners will be elected to a four-year term.

Candidates were asked to provide written responses to these questions posed by the North Allegheny Journal:

Ward 1

Jiang Li

Age: 50

Political party: Democrat

Education: Central South University of China, Bachelor of Arts; Central South University of China, Xiangya Medical School MD/Ph.D.

Elected or political experience: In 2019, elected to a four-year term for Franklin Park Council.

What is the town’s most pressing need?

As a longtime resident of Franklin Park, I believe our community faces major challenges: chiefly, overdevelopment and mismanagement of stormwater-related issues. Overdevelopment has had a tremendous negative impact upon the environment, destroying countless ecosystems and species. Regarding stormwater management, the borough has not prioritized the issue and has always been reactive to issues now occurring regularly. It has placed a financial strain on the borough and its residents.

How would you solve it?

First, we need to update our outdated ordinances that have put us in this position. These are changes that I have long championed, which also hold developers accountable. I believe we need to plan, analyze, and design the overall stormwater management program to meet today’s standards. This can be done by implementing best practices, seeing how neighboring communities have solved this and listening to experts to solve the issue for the long term.

What skills do you bring to the council?

Having been a member of council for nearly four years, I have first-hand experience with the problems and challenges facing our borough, including gaining a deep understanding of how the borough is addressing these issues. We’ve made some progress — updated ordinances, glass recycling, increased transparency — but I continue to respond to concerns and issues raised by our residents. I’ve always considered it my responsibility to step up and help the residents of Franklin Park.

Douglas Kush

Age: 41

Political party: Republican

Education: Graduate of North Allegheny High School; Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Arts, accounting, West Virginia University

Political experience: First time running for office.

What is the Borough’s most pressing need?

I’ve found that most residents are happy with how the borough is running. One concern is that we should have strong financial leadership on the council.

How would you solve it?

As one of our current council members with extensive financial experience is retiring, I am confident that I will be able to fill the gap upon his departure.

What skills do you bring to the council

I am a Certified Public Accountant. I bring 18-plus years of experience as an accountant to non-profit and private organizations. I have been an auditor as well as vice president of finance.

Ward 2

Laura E. Czekaj

Age: 41

Political Party: Democrat

Education: Oklahoma State University, Bachelor of Arts, journalism; Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law JD; Certificate in Law and Public Policy

Elected or political experience: I serve on Franklin Park’s Zoning Hearing Board and have previously served as an Inspector of Elections.

What is the town’s most pressing need?

We need to address development and update our ordinances to reflect Franklin Park’s needs. Development has wide-reaching effects on our community, and we need to consider development projects carefully and take a long view. We need to consider the effects of clear-cutting land, which in turn affects water runoff, deer and other wildlife populations, and traffic.

How would you solve it?

We should be looking to update our ordinances regarding development in a way that preserves the resources and character of Franklin Park. We have the opportunity to learn from other municipalities and see what has worked well and what has not. We should prioritize items we know Franklin Park residents care about. From public input for the comprehensive plan, we know that green space growth and conservation and trail connectivity are priorities for residents. Working with other members of council, I hope to update Franklin Park’s ordinances to reflect these priorities.

What skills do you bring to council?

I am an attorney and have worked in government, including other legislative bodies. I have a strong understanding of the borough’s processes and how to effectively create and update ordinances. My time on the zoning hearing board has given me a broad understanding of existing zoning ordinances and the opportunity to hear what issues residents are facing regarding zoning.

Mark Butterfield

Age: 63

Political party: Republican

Education: Bachelor of Science, mechanical engineering, Purdue University

Political experience: First run for public office

What is the borough’s most pressing need?

Franklin Park Borough is one of the best run boroughs in Allegheny County. As I have visited the various neighborhoods, the vast majority of voters I have talked to are happy with our community. Therefore, our biggest need is to elect experienced professionals instead of political activists in order to maintain our level of excellence. Franklin Park’s achievements have come from hard work and not from social experimentation or pitting neighbor against neighbor.

How would you solve it?

As an experienced professional, I will reject the politics of division and extreme. From my years of experience serving the needs of customers and making timely decisions, I am ready to listen to all sides of each issue, discern what best serves the needs of Franklin Park and have the courage to follow through and do what is best and right.

What skills do you bring to council

As a resident who has really enjoyed living in this community of great neighbors, I will use my 40 years of experience to communicate thoughtfully and use my technical skills to properly evaluate borough projects to ensure efficient execution at a favorable cost.

Ward 3

Brian Samuel Malkin

Age: 57

Political Party: Democrat

Education: Washington & Jefferson College, Bachelor of Arts in mathematics/ computer science and philosophy. University of Pittsburgh School of Law, JD, 1993.

Political experience: In 2019, I was elected to a four-year term to Franklin Park Council. I have served multiple times on the board of elections and as judge of elections.

What is the town’s most pressing need?

There is not one need, but many. We need to comprehensively address outdated planning and land-use ordinances. Because of stormwater issues, we need to fund long overdue maintenance on aging infrastructure over the next 10 years. We need to aggressively meet the projected budgetary shortfalls.

How would you solve it?

As the chair of the council’s Land Use and Planning Committee, I have worked effectively and efficiently to try to update the most impactful ordinances for our community. We have banned tar-based driveway sealants, increased the tree buffer size between state highways and developments and updated stormwater and road opening ordinances. Each of these measures has alleviated the financial burden on the borough. We plan to apply for government grants and aggressively pursue all available funding.

What skills do you bring to council?

I am a 30-year lawyer and began serving the community over 10 years ago on the Environmental Advisory Council, which I eventually chaired for five years. I then served on Franklin Park Borough’s Zoning and Appeals Board, eventually serving as chair. Working on the advisory committees and my last four years working on council gave me substantial knowledge to successfully guide the borough through the next four years.

Timothy Ireland

Age: 46

Political party: Republican

Education: Did not provide

Political experience: This is my first time running for elected office, having only previously volunteered in local races for other candidates.

What is the borough’s most pressing need?

The borough is great place to live and raise families, with amazing charm, low crime, great access to the city, and a low tax burden. This has attracted a lot of new residents and created incentives for developers to build dense new housing developments and multi-unit complexes. This is changing the character of our community for the worse, due to loss of green spaces and increased traffic. The borough has simultaneously been unable to fully address infrastructure shortfalls, such as investment in high speed cellular coverage.

How would you solve it?

I would work to revise building code and permitting processes to ensure that future development preserves the integrity and character of the community and includes carve outs and investments for public areas and green spaces. I would pragmatically seek ways to attract investment from the private sector to further the public good and address critical needs without issuing bonds and raising taxes.

What skills do you bring to council?

As a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and a small business owner, I have 25-plus years of hands-on problem solving within diverse teams. I am a principled, passionate, and pragmatic leader who can challenge ideas and build consensus.