2 political newcomers squaring off to fill vacant state House 28th District seat

Two candidates with no prior political experience and starkly different backgrounds are vying for the open state House seat created when Republican Mike Turzai resigned in June.

Democrat Emily Skopov of Marshall is facing off against Republican Rob Mercuri of Pine for the 28th District seat that Turzai held for 20 years. He was speaker of the House when he resigned to take a job as general counsel with Peoples, the Pittsburgh-based gas utility.

The district comprises McCandless, Pine, Marshall, Franklin Park and Bradford Woods. It has been in Republican hands since 1969.

The general election is Nov. 3. State representatives make $88,610 a year plus fringe benefits and a $177 per diem.

Emily Skopov

“I’m running to be the kind of representative that I and the other residents of the district have long been without,” she said. “Someone who is accessible, transparent and focused on representing people equally, fairly and with respect and concern.”

A native of Rockland County, N.Y., she earned a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and a master’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Before moving to the Pittsburgh area in 2010 with her husband and children, she worked for 15 years in Hollywood as a screenwriter, producer and director of a number of films and TV shows, including “Xena: Warrior Princess.”

She also is the founder of the nonprofit organization No Crayons Left Behind, which collects crayons from restaurants, schools, corporations and other groups to be donated as school supplies around the country.

Skopov said she is appealing to voters — especially Republicans and those who are undecided — to make their choice based on her positions rather than party affiliation or campaign ads.

“I‘m not what many people might think I am,” she said. “Don’t assume all Democrats are the same, because I certainly don’t think all Republicans are the same.”

Skopov said she is fiscally conservative, pragmatic and “not interested in foisting my ideals on the people who live in the district.”

She said it is important for voters in a heavily Republican district to know that she is not a liberal Democrat.

“I’m a capitalist — and absolutely not a socialist or an extreme liberal,” Skopov said. “And I’m not running to represent Gov. Wolf’s agenda or the policies of Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders or AOC (U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez),” Skopov said. “My focus will be on representing the best interests of the people living in the 28th District.”

Skopov said she also is not beholden to outside special interests.

“I believe we would have done much better at creating jobs if we didn’t have leadership in Harrisburg that are in the pockets of lobbyists and help some while hurting others,” she said.

Skopov said surveys and personal interactions she has had with residents have helped shape her priorities.

“People most often cite health care, jobs and the economy, and the environment as the most important things to them,” she said. “I think all of those things can be improved by having people in office who work in a bipartisan manner. People who can put their differences aside and help folks get back to work.”

Skopov thinks the key to job creation and fueling the economy is reducing the tax burden on small businesses and closing loopholes that allow large corporations to avoid paying their fair share of taxes.

On the issue of energy — specifically natural gas extraction, or fracking — Skopov, while she appreciates the financial benefits the industry provides, said she would like to see more attention paid to the safety aspects of drilling. She also would push for more control of the process at the municipal level.

Skopov said the main concern residents raise about health care is the cost — and whether, as a Democrat, she would seek to eliminate private health insurance.

“There’s a lot of people who have great health insurance, and I absolutely want them to be able to keep it,” she said. “But we still have to make more health care available for those who don’t have it.”

She said requiring insurers to cover preexisting conditions along with lower prescription prices, eliminating “surprise billing” and properly funding emergency medical services will be top priorities if she is elected.

In addition to the economy, energy and health care, Skopov has outlined her position on other priorities including public education, infrastructure and transportation, fiscal responsibility, gun violence and prevention and fair government.

Rob Mercuri

In his first bid for elected office, Mercuri, 38, of Pine, received 60.4% of the votes cast in the spring Republican primary to knock off Libby Blackburn, who picked up 22.2%, and Mike Heckmann, who got 17.4%.

Mercuri said his training and experience has given him the tools needed to represent the district.

“I’m somebody who is ready and equipped to lead,” he said. “I’ve got a background that includes military service and experience in financial services. I’m a small business owner, and my three children attend public school in the district.

“I’m someone who has a pulse on the needs of the district and can represent the people well,” he said. “I have credentials and skills that I’m ready to put to work for the people.”

A native of West Deer, Mercuri is a 2000 graduate of Deer Lakes High School. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point. After graduation in 2004, he served in the Army and was deployed to Iraq as a member of an military intelligence training unit.

He completed his military service as a captain and was awarded the Bronze Star medal. He attended night school classes at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and worked for two accounting firms in New York City before being recruited by Pittsburgh-based PNC, where he works as a senior vice president and financial risk manager.

He and his wife, Kelsey, operate a small pack-and-ship business in Wexford.

Mercuri said the most frequent concerns raised by residents in the district are the economy, education and public safety.

He said his top priority in Harrisburg will be a focus on fiscal restraint and helping small businesses, which he says are the “lifeblood” of many communities.

“As a small business owner, I understand what helps them grow — lower tax rates and fewer regulations,” he said. “This is especially critical as businesses struggle to recover from the covid-19 pandemic.”

Mercuri said he would push for a moratorium on the collection of payroll taxes to offer immediate relief to hard-hit businesses such as restaurants, which also could benefit from an increase in the indoor dining capacity limits enacted by the governor.

While Mercuri supports the benefits to the local economy derived from natural gas extraction, he says a balance is needed to ensure the environment is protected.

“The North Hills is blessed with incredible natural resources,” he said. “And the energy resources that we’ve also been blessed with are an incredible opportunity for continued growth to create family-sustaining jobs for decades to come.”

But the gains made by drilling cannot come at the expense of safety, he said.

“We have to do it responsibly and make sure we hold the energy companies accountable before any spills or accidents happen,” he said.

Also critical to many of the residents with whom he speaks is the need to maintain the quality of public education.

“We’re blessed with two wonderful school districts (North Allegheny and Pine-Richland) and my commitment is to fight for our schools to be fully funded so they continue to have the resources they need, which as we’ve seen over the past several month, have changed because of the covid-19 crisis.”

Mercuri said the state should also help students in failing districts by providing “some level of school choice for families that have a great need or want to pursue a private education.”

Public safety also ranks high among the issues of greatest concern for residents, Mercuri said.

“One important indicator about our society is how we treat those who serve our community,” he said. “As a military veteran, I value those who have raised their hand to serve and put their lives on the line every single day to make sure our families are safe.

“I believe showing respect to the officers who enforce the law should be our starting point,” he said.

In addition to the economy, education and public safety, Mercuri has outlined a number of other positions on his website including family values, fiscal responsibility, crisis leadership, government reform, health care and infrastructure.