5 incumbents, 2 newcomers find victory in Allegheny Valley School Board race

Voters in the Allegheny Valley School District appear to like how the district currently functions.

Seven of the nine school board seats were up for grabs in Tuesday’s election, and five incumbents were able to hold on to board seats, according to unofficial yet complete results from the Allegheny County Elections Department.

In the race for five four-year terms, incumbents Paula Jean Moretti, Amy Sarno, Kathleen J. Haas and Glenna Renaldi and newcomer Nicole Paulovich won. James Schiemer finished sixth.

Moretti led with 2,039 votes, or 18.99%; Sarno had 1,896, or 17.66%; Paulovich had 1,851, or 17.24%; Haas had 1,773, or 16.51%; and Renaldi had 1,713, or 15.96%. Schiemer had 1,360, or 12.67%.

Moretti, Sarno, Paulovich and Renaldi are registered Democrats; Haas and Schiemer are registered Republicans.

In a race for a two-year term, incumbent Democrat Nino Pollino muscled out incumbent Republican Colleen Crumb, with Pollino notching 1,767 votes, or 57.35%, to Crumb’s 1,306, or 42.39%.

And in a separate race for a two-year term, Mary Ellen Ecker was unopposed.

Moretti, 67, of Springdale is retired after working as a secretary in the district for 30 years. She has been a school board member for four years.

Sarno, 40, of Springdale was appointed to fill a vacancy on the board last year. She is a teacher at Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School.

Paulovich, 43, of Springdale works for an early childhood advocacy organization in Squirrel Hill.

Haas, 79, of Springdale Township is a lifelong resident of the area and is employed as a bus driver for W.L. Roenigk. She has been on the school board for 12 years.

Renaldi, 72, of Springdale is a retired X-ray technician and has been on the school board for 24 years.

Pollino, 64, of Cheswick is a retired financial planner and has been a school board member off and on for a total of 24 years. Pollino filled a vacancy on the school board this summer.