3 candidates vie for state Rep. Jeff Pyle’s seat in special election

Three candidates will vie for the seat of former state Rep. Jeff Pyle, R-Ford City, in a special election being held in the 2021 municipal primary election on Tuesday, May 18.

Pyle, in his ninth term, stepped down in March for health reasons.

The winner of the special election will fill his seat immediately and serve until the end of 2022.

The state’s 60th House District covers parts of Armstrong, Butler and Indiana counties.

Running for her former boss’ job

Pyle’s chief of staff, Abby Major, 36, of Ford City, is running to replace her former boss. She served Pyle for over a decade, including eight years as his chief of staff.

A Republican, Major has not been elected to a public office before. Major is an Iraq war veteran who served as an Army intelligence analyst.

Major holds a bachelor’s degree in mortuary science and is a state-licensed funeral director who works part time for Curran Funeral Homes.

Major said she brings to the table the know-how to be an effective state representative, able to give the time, energy and effort needed.

The most important issues facing the district, Major said, are reopening the economy, getting everybody back to work, and stopping a proposed income tax hike.

“The governor has been heavy-handed with the mask mandates, and I want to get everybody back to normal,” she said.

The lack of workers filling open positions is worrisome, she said.

“We have to provide incentives to get people back to work and off of unemployment,” Major said.

She would like the state to reform the unemployment system, providing the necessary relief to those who lost their jobs but not paying people more than what they normally earn.

Whoever wins Pyle’s seat is walking into the budget negotiations immediately, she said. Major wants to stop the governor’s proposed personal income tax hike.

An experienced Democrat

Democratic candidate Frank Prazenica, 74, served as superintendent at South Butler School District and an acting superintendent of Leechburg Area School District. He also has been on the Freeport Area School District board for 14 years. He is president of the board of the Armstrong and Indiana Intermediate Unit (ARIN).

Prazenica has served as a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves. He earned a number of academic degrees, including a Ph.D. in education administration from the University of Pittsburgh.

Prazenica looks at filling Pyle’s seat as an “opportunity of a lifetime.”

For Prazenica, the two most important issues are to avoid tax increases and press for community initiatives to encourage job growth, job training and more funding for K-12 education.

He wants the community and business leaders to spark job and education opportunities. He is optimistic that the region’s community colleges will “give many children opportunities.”

Prazenica said he has landed many grants over the years serving in education.

A young Libertarian

Andrew Hreha, 22, of North Apollo, is the Libertarian candidate seeking Pyle’s seat. He recently graduated from Waynesburg University with a degree in communications. He is currently interning for the Pittsburgh Pirates and seeking a full-time job.

Although the Libertarian Party draws less than 3% of the electorate in most counties, Hreha is undaunted to lay out his ideas. He helped to reestablish the Armstrong County affiliate of the Libertarian Party last year.

Hreha launched his campaign in an underclassmen dormitory at Waynesburg University during the covid-19 quarantine.

“The strongest aspect of our campaign is a message of confidence, not a message of fear,” he said.

The biggest issue for the district is economic opportunity, he said.

“Businesses have been drastically hurt by covid-19 restrictions,” he said. The plan is to provide more people with economic opportunities including entrepreneurs to start new businesses.

“We need to peel back state obstructions on small business,” he said.