6 candidates vie for 3 council seats in Franklin Park council race

There are contested elections in each of the ward races for Franklin Park council in the Nov. 2 General Election.

Uday Palled and Adam Szymkowiak are running for the Ward 1 seat; Anne Graziani and incumbent Luke Myslinski are seeking the Ward 2 seat, and Amanda Cross and incumbent Thomas C. Schwartzmier are vying for the Ward 3 seat.

Winners are elected to four-year terms.

Here are the candidates’ answers to questions from the North Allegheny Journal.

Ward 1

Uday Palled

Political party: Democrat

Age: 43

Education: Master of Business Administration

Occupation: Healthcare consultant

QA: If elected, what are two short-term goals?

Franklin Park is at a crossroads, and it is time for immediate action. The two goals that are of the utmost importance for me are addressing overdevelopment and increasing transparency. One way we can immediately address overdevelopment is to ensure that any active development programs adhere to all regulatory requirements, including, but not limited to the borough, county, and state-level rules. The current developments were authorized with the assistance of numerous waivers by the current council. Transparency is also critical. The borough residents need to be informed. The borough is severely lacking a multi-channeled approach in keeping its residents in the loop. For example, a large number of homeowners were not informed of a potential development that was slated to be approved within their immediate area, which would lead to substantial traffic and flooding issues.

If elected, what is one long-term goal?

I consider the strengthening and modernizing of the borough’s comprehensive plan to be critical for the long-term sustainability of Franklin Park. The current plan is severely overdue and was designed for a Franklin Park that no longer exists. The comprehensive plan can mitigate the unsustainable overdevelopment that is continuing to occur within the borough. The comprehensive plan, among other things, can ensure that residents do not bear the brunt of outdated infrastructure that leads to flooding, by ensuring modern storm water drainage is implemented by any developer. Franklin Park is full of residents with a diverse level of expertise that we can harness in developing a comprehensive plan that prepares us for the future.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process?

There is a level of transparency that is severely lacking with the current council. It is important to ensure Franklin Park residents have the ability to easily participate and have their voices and concerns heard with our borough. The most efficient and immediate manner to effect this change is to ensure all borough proceedings have an online participation option by default, and that the quality of the online interaction is the same as in-person. Secondly, I believe regular open forums for Franklin Park residents should occur, including a quarterly ward town hall.

Adam Szymkowiak

Political party: Republican

Age: 50

Education: Bachelor of Science, electrical engineering, The Pennsylvania State University; Master of Science, electrical engineering, The University of Virginia

Occupation: President CEO, IQ Machines

QA: If elected, what are two short-term goals?

As a council member, I will be committed to preserving the character of Franklin Park. In the short term, this means making sure that the new property developments currently underway near my home on Nicholson Road adhere to our community standards for noise, green space, sidewalks and traffic. I also plan to initiate a study investigating the feasibility of offering more options for the disposal of organic materials such as leaves from our neighborhoods.

If elected, what is one long-term goal?

In the long term, one of my priorities will be extending cell-phone coverage within the borough. As a degreed engineer and founder of a telecom company operating within the borough, I am uniquely qualified to help Franklin Park assess and implement technology-related improvements of this nature. Although others have noted the need for improving cell-phone reception within our community, I possess the qualifications and expertise to work with the major cell carriers to evaluate the best options for delivering improved cell service in Franklin Park, which will make a tangible difference in the lives of many residents. I look forward to working proactively with the panel that has already been appointed by the borough council to investigate and implement solutions related to this issue.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process?

I strongly believe that frequent in-person dialogue with members of the community is fundamental to understanding not only the issues that face Franklin Park but also to generate ideas for the best possible solutions and improvements that can be made. I will encourage friends, neighbors and community members to participate actively in the public meetings of the borough council to ensure that the council hears directly from residents. I will also regularly communicate ideas, policies and positions using social media.

Ward 2

Anne Graziani

Political party: Democrat

Age: 42

Education: Bachelor of Arts in communication arts, Allegheny College; Master of Business Administration, business management, Point Park University; Social Media Strategy — MIT Sloan Executive Program.

Occupation: Head of marketing, Sunrise Technologies

If elected, what are two short-term goals?

1. Focus on immediate, challenging developments currently underway to ensure more stringent standards are met, which will support the residents of Franklin Park in the best possible way. Our residents must come first.

2. Encourage the residents, who we were elected to represent, to share their concerns with us so that we can work transparently to solve these issues.

If elected, what is one long-term goal?

To ensure that any development in Franklin Park serves the greater good of the residents who have already invested in our community by choosing to live here. These residents are my priority.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process?

We need to invite our constituents to bring their concerns to us and impress upon those we represent that we actually care enough to hear and respond to their concerns. We can do this in a variety of ways of engagement, including more community events, making ourselves available to our neighbors, and inviting our neighbors to be part of the solution by being vocal and trusting that their voices will be respectfully heard and meaningfully considered.

Luke Myslinski

Political party: Republican

Age: 42

Education: Bachelor of Arts, political science, University of Pittsburgh

Occupation: Vice president of operations, Justus ADR Services

If elected, what are two short-term goals?

I will continue to manage and regulate future development, holding developers strictly accountable to our laws and ordinances, while preserving Franklin Park’s character. Borough council addresses our infrastructure at every meeting, and our current focus is on stormwater management. We have addressed and are currently working on many stormwater infrastructure issues and continue to plan for future stormwater improvements throughout the borough.

If elected, what is one long-term goal?

We are currently working on a multi-municipal plan with Ohio Township, laying out our plans for the future. I serve on the steering committee for this endeavor, and my job as a public servant is to continue to build on Franklin Park’s excellent foundation and to make sure that current residents and future generations get to live in the No. 1 municipality in Pennsylvania (as rated two years in a row by USA Today) and one of the 10 safest communities in Pennsylvania (for several years running — currently ranked No. 8 for 2021).

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process?

All borough council and board and commission meetings are public, and Zoom options have been offered since early 2020. We update residents constantly through our website and email blasts and are hiring a communications professional to enhance our social media presence/information. I also utilize social media to get important information out to our residents and reach out to residents to involve them in the decision-making process.

Ward 3

Amanda Cross

Political party: Democrat

Age: 43

Education: doctorate in criminology from the University of Maryland.

Occupation: Assistant director of research and evaluation, Office of Child Development, University of Pittsburgh

QA: If elected, what are two short-term goals?

I have dedicated my career to working with government agencies and community-based organizations to build effective systems that support children and families. The skills I rely on at work — creative problem solving, compromise, budgeting and relationship building among diverse audiences – will guide me as a borough council member.

In office, I would first pursue these two goals: 1) Review of current and pending development projects to ensure current residents are being represented, and the local government is advocating for their best interests. 2) Work to improve our local government transparency. I would request that the technology advisory committee form, and the borough enact, a new communication strategy to upgrade and modernize outreach to residents.

If elected, what is one long-term goal?

My long-term goal is to harness the strategic planning process to preserve the unique character of Franklin Park. Our borough faces many growth-related challenges. We need to thoughtfully consider how we protect what makes Franklin Park special, while also ensuring the community continues to prosper. Luckily, we have a lot of terrific residents with all types of abilities and expertise. I want to mobilize this talent pool to help our local government make the best informed decisions that will benefit the whole community.

The current pace of residential expansion is threatening what makes our borough distinctive. We need our local government to be more proactive in steering development to preserve the “park” in Franklin Park — the elements of the borough that attracted many of us to make our homes here.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process?

I would advocate to hold accessible public meetings, meaning residents are welcome to attend in-person or virtually. Interested parties should always be able to attend borough council meetings and other borough leadership group meetings via video conferencing. I would also request that the borough government be more engaged with modern communication methods, such as social media and optional text alerts, so that residents have up-to-date information. Finally, I will be available to constituents. I pledge to give timely responses to everyone who reaches out to me with a concern about Franklin Park. As a council member, I will be a neighbor first and foremost.

Thomas C. Schwartzmier

Political party: Republican

Age: 69

Education: Graduate of North Allegheny High School; Bachelor of Science, civil engineering, University of Cincinnati; licensed professional engineer in Pennsylvania

Occupation: retired construction program manager

QA: If elected, what are two short-term goals?

1. Continue to improve the existing parks and recreational facilities in the borough and the development new facilities.

2. Preservation of green spaces.

If elected, what is one long-term goal?

Re-building the aging storm water infrastructure throughout the borough to better handle the increased rainfall and storm water run-off.

How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process?

All borough business is fully open to the public. Constituents are able to obtain information in many ways including the borough website, the semi-annual newsletter and by attending the council meetings in person or by Zoom. In addition, I often speak with constituents on the phone (my home and cell phone are published) or meet with them in person. I encourage all constituents to voice any concerns, provide their input and to actively participate in the decision-making process.