Democrat Angela Girol, incumbent Republican Andrew Kuzma vie for solid red seat in the 39th State House District

Republican state Rep. Andrew Kuzma is gearing up for his first reelection challenge as longtime teacher and union representative Angela Girol looks to reclaim Pennsylvania’s 39th House District for Democrats after more than a decade of losses.

The district covers Elizabeth, Elizabeth Township, Forward Township, Jefferson Hills, Pleasant Hills, South Park Township and West Elizabeth in Allegheny County.

In Washington County, it encompasses part of Carroll Township and all of Finleyville, Monongahela, New Eagle and Union Township.

Both candidates were uncontested in the primaries.

Girol, 51, of South Park has been an elementary school teacher at Elizabeth Forward Elementary School for more than 17 years and a South Park School Board member for the last four.

In 2021, she received the Educator of the Year Award from Instructure, the developer and publisher of online classroom software Canvas, for her adaptations to hybrid learning.

Her experiences in the classroom have shaped her priorities, she said, with more dollars and resources for schools near the top of her list.

She also played up her personal ties to labor, racking up a handful of teacher and labor union endorsements.

Kuzma, 28, of Elizabeth Township is nearing the end of his first term in the legislature, which he won by a convincing margin in 2022 against veteran and former union operative Richard Self.

Prior to winning state office, he served two terms as an Elizabeth Township commissioner, including one as chair.

Besides his political duties, Kuzma works as an attorney at his own firm in Elizabeth Borough, where he specializes in elder law, personal injury, municipal law, and civil litigation — experience he called indispensable to his ability to parse legislation as a state representative.

The race has attracted little money compared to some other state representative contests, with Girol raising $18,000 this year compared to $12,000 for Kuzma.

On the issues

Economic development — and in some cases redevelopment — is top of mind for Kuzma in a district that includes the Mitchell Power Plant in Union Township and borders what’s left of Century III Mall in West Mifflin, a national shopping destination turned nuisance.

He took partial credit for getting the mall demolition underway in March, and wants to keep up pressure, along with the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office, to make sure the take down is completed after years of broken promises by ownership.

The Mon Valley has been thrust into the national limelight lately as political drama unfolds over the possible sale of U.S. Steel to Tokyo-based Nippon Steel. Whether the sale gets through is a decision for federal lawmakers and regulators, but Kuzma said “we need to do whatever it possibly takes to make sure the steel making industry and the jobs they’re associated with stay here as long as possible.” His district does not contain any parts of the Mon Valley Works, though many of its workers live in the 39th district.

To him, keeping jobs means supporting the acquisition on three conditions: Nippon makes binding commitments to stay in the area, Allegheny County agrees to issue an air quality permit and the United Steelworkers union gives its approval.

Economic growth has been a theme of Girol’s campaign as well, specifically through policies to attract high-paying jobs to the district that don’t require a college degree. While not naming any specific policies, she said she aligns with Democrat state Reps. Dan Frankel, Emily Kinkead and others on the issue.

“I’m just really hoping to amplify that when I’m in Harrisburg and let people know these opportunities are out there and we can bring some high paying jobs to the district,” she said. “The district right now, a lot of people feel like they haven’t really been heard or seen and we want to change that narrative for them.”

Girol had the most to say about education, where she has seen a mental health decline among students, families and teachers post-covid — a common refrain from professionals in the field.

“It’s almost like those of us who went through all of those things have PTSD from what happened and we’re trying to recover,” she said.

An environment of fear from attacks on schools, prompting ALICE Training and other preparedness drills, has further affected mental health, she said.

Her solution is not just more funding for personnel and resources, but more equitable funding between districts. She hopes to push for this as a member of the Legislature’s education committee.

Reproductive rights are another important issue for Girol. Abortion tends to dominate the discussion, she noted, but preserving access to contraception and IVF treatment is just as important.

“I’ve had the freedom to do that and I can’t imagine my daughters are going to grow up not having a choice about what to do with their body,” she said.

As for Kuzma, part of his pitch to voters is continuing the work he started in his first term through bringing home grants — which he said go disproportionally to the Philadelphia and Harrisburg areas — and pushing through his proposed ban on what some call “gas station heroin.”

This opioid-like substance, also known as tianeptine, is often falsely marketed and sold in gas stations and online as a dietary supplement, and can cause those who ingest it to become critically ill.

He also views himself as a legislative watchdog of sorts, a product of his legal experience.

“I have an uncanny ability at discovering and killing bad bills and bad pieces of legislation,” he said.