Candidate who lost bid for Jefferson Hills seat selected to fill board vacancy

The past month has been a whirlwind for Melissa Girman Steffey.

After losing the recent municipal election for a seat on Jefferson Hills borough council by one vote, an end-of-the-year vacancy revived Steffey’s chance to serve the community she loves in that role.

She was sworn in Dec. 9 to fill a two-year term on council through a vacancy created when longtime council President Chris King resigned. King had served on Jefferson Hills Borough council for at least a decade, according to borough Manager John Stinner. King resigned Dec. 4, giving no reason for leaving, Stinner said.

For Steffey, who has always believed that “you work hard for what you achieve,” the last month has turned her into a “firm believer” that “things happen for a reason.”

The Nov. 5 election in Jefferson Hills was highly contested for three open seats on borough council. Six newcomers — three Democrats and three Republicans, including Steffey — were on the ballot.

On election night, Steffey went to bed ahead in the polls for the third seat on borough council, only to wake up at 3 a.m. and see she was tied with Democratic candidate Keith Reynolds. Democrats Karen Bucy and Nicole Ruscitto were the top vote getters and secured seats on borough council.

A required recount at the county level for every race — called the return board process — resolved the tie, putting Reynolds ahead by one vote for the third seat.

On Nov. 26, Allegheny County Elections Division certified the results, declaring Reynolds the victor.

Steffey, a nine-year member of the Jefferson Hills recreation board, said she didn’t know about the vacancy until she attended the Dec. 4 meeting as a member of the recreation board. There, it was announced that King had resigned. Letters of interest were being accepted through that week.

“A light bulb went off,” Steffey said, noting others encouraged her to put in a letter. “I’m not going to let go of all of the hard work that the committee did for the election.”

Two people submitted letters of interest by the deadline, Stinner said. Council members selected Steffey for the role. She was sworn in Dec. 9.

Reynolds, Bucy and Ruscitto will be sworn in for four-year terms at council’s reorganization meeting at 6 p.m. Jan. 6.

Steffey, who ran on a platform to build better infrastructure in Jefferson Hills, said she has a lot of goals for the community.

She wants to show off the beauty of the borough, but also “clean it up a bit.”

“Giving it that sparkle,” she said.

Another priority is to see Gill Hall Fire Company reopened, but either under new leadership, with a merger, or with more volunteer firefighters joining the company and carrying certification so they can enter a building during a fire.

In the next two years, Steffey said, she plans to “prove to the community that I belong in this seat in order for their voices to be heard.”

She wants to bring back the camaraderie among council members.

“I live my life by two words,” she said. “Everything I do, I do with grit and grace.”