3 candidates look to fill 2 seats on Penn Hills Council

According to the Allegheny County Office of Elections’ official candidate list, there are two Democrats and one Republican running for two four-year seats in Penn Hills.

Here are the candidates and their responses to election questions posed by TribLive:

Ian T. Cartwright

Age: 47

Political party affiliation: Democrat

Education: Michigan State University, history

Occupation: I own and run a small project management consultancy, specializing in IT education, organizing trade shows and growing professional associations.

Community involvement/volunteer work: Penn Hills Democratic Committee, treasurer and committee member, Ward 4, District 4 (Churchill Valley); Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority Customer Affairs Council, secretary; Allegheny Land Trust, steward at Churchill Valley Greenway. I am also active in animal control and litter eradication efforts here in Penn Hills.

Years residing in district/municipality: Four

What is the biggest issue facing Penn Hills and how do you plan to address it?

I’ve spoken throughout this campaign about the need to protect Penn Hills from outside interests and internal politics that threaten our stability — from out-of-town private equity firms buying single-family homes and turning them into rentals, to unchecked litter and animal control problems, to the constant pressure to raise property taxes.

All these issues connect to one goal: keeping local control of our community and attracting new homeowners who want to put down roots here.

Penn Hills has 17,000 single-family homes but no central business district; we are a true bedroom community. Our character should be shaped by the families that live here — not distant hedge fund managers chasing profits, not rising taxes and not quality-of-life issues that are left unaddressed.

If elected, I’ll keep these priorities front and center to ensure the future of Penn Hills.

What should voters know about you?

I am not a lawyer. I am not an economist. I am not an urban planner. I am a project manager of 20 years’ experience with a background in strategic planning. My job is to work within a team to identify goals, outline a strategy, define tactics, control the budget and to work closely with subject matter experts in (an) effort to put that plan into practice. I firmly believe this approach can help bring greater structure, efficiency and insight to the governance of Penn Hills.

Kimberly “Kim” Refosco

Age: 45

Political party affiliation: Democrat

Education: B.A., University of Pittsburgh, Spanish/political science; master’s degree, education

Occupation: Education

Community involvement/volunteer work: Served on the Penn Hills Democrat Committee for five years; outside of the classroom and Democrat committee, serves as a community leader for several nonprofit outdoor organizations and partners with businesses to help remove the barriers that can prevent people from accessing and enjoying the outdoors (Venture Outdoors, Outdoor Afro, Backyard Nature)

Years residing in district: 20

What is the biggest issue facing Penn Hills and how do you plan to address it?

My objective as council is to foster and promote pride in the community by being inviting to new businesses and new home buyers, collaborating with the school board to achieve the best learning environments, keeping our streets safe while providing opportunities for our youth and seniors to stay engaged, and to stay diligent with our spending for utilities and infrastructure. This begins with fostering pride in the community, beautification and clean up, and listening to resident needs.

What should voters know about you?

I have been a resident for 20 years, raising my children in Penn Hills youth sports, library programs, youth groups and parks. If elected, I want to ensure all residents get to also experience the best of Penn Hills. In my free time, you will find me fishing, meeting friends or being walked by my golden retriever, Fitzgerald.

Stephen Zelahy

Age: 33

Political party affiliation: Republican

Education: I took courses toward business management at CCAC on and off since pre-covid. The covid shutdowns really dampened my educational progress, but I still will pick up a class here and there if I can.

Occupation: Office administrator

Community involvement/volunteer work: Volunteered for many functions as my kids were involved in the Penn Hills Midget Football Association, mostly cooking for games and events. At that time, I also started a petition to upgrade our local parks, and I’ve actually seen some funding go toward them and I’m excited to see what all comes to fruition.

Years residing in municipality: 30

What is the biggest issue facing Penn Hills and how do you plan to address it?

I’ve heard many complaints about blight, both commercial and residential, and we need to find a way to encourage the commercial revival and the revival of good stewardship among some of the current residents. I’ve also heard plenty on the desire to reduce taxes, and some people are even petitioning for a concession from Penn Hills. These are issues that I’m sure solutions will be created for that can work for all parties.

What should voters know about you?

I’m really just your average neighbor that’s able and willing if I’m so called upon for the duty. I’m a happy husband of 13 years and a father of three lively kids. What I want voters to know is, I don’t have any higher aspirations and I’m not coming in with any personal vendettas. I think there’s a lot of opportunities for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in our town. Yes, we got some rough edges, but we all do. Not one of us is perfect, but when the yearly deficit is upward to a million dollars and there’s only so much saved, then the clock starts ticking. We (have) got to brainstorm and find a way to minimize the deficit and continue to invest into our beautiful town.