Westmoreland County Democratic political activist, labor activist, to be honored

Westmoreland County Democratic political activist and labor activist will be honored at the Woman of the Year Award Dinner on May 16 at Giannilli’s II on Route 30 in Unity.

Harriet Ellenberger of Norvelt, Mt. Pleasant Township, is president of the Women of Westmoreland, which sponsors the annual award dinner. The Woman of Westmoreland is a division of the National Federation of Democratic Women.

State Sen. Pam Iovino, D-Mt. Lebanon, will be the keynote speaker at the program, which begins at 6 p.m. Iovino recently won a special election in the 37th District.

Ellenberger will be recognized for her involvement in organized labor. Her late husband, Jim, was the business manager of the Painters Local 409 and active in the labor movement. She became financial secretary to the Westmoreland County Labor Council and has served as an officer and political director for 20 plus years.

She was president of Labor United, which organizes the Labor Day Celebration, a two-day event at Northmoreland Park. She serves on the Citizens Advisory Board of the Westmoreland County Parks Department.

Ellenberger, mother of three children, was elected to the Democratic State Committee and was the Westmoreland County Democratic vice chair.

She served eight years as president of the League of Women Voters of Westmoreland County. She and Janet Erhart founded the Women of Westmoreland Chapter of the Pennsylvania Federation of Democratic Women in 2008. As regional director of the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Federation of Democratic Women, she founded two new chapters in Somerset and Fayette counties last year.