Westmoreland's clout in Harrisburg cut through redistricting

For the past decade, state Rep. George Dunbar’s 56th District local office has operated in a building just south of Clay Pike, near the Circleville Volunteer Fire Hall in North Huntingdon.

For a while last week it was unclear whether the veteran state lawmaker would be able keep his office there after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld redrawn maps for the state House and Senate districts.

The new maps shifted boundary lines and eliminated one Westmoreland County-based seat in the House.

“The first iteration of the map, it was in there. Then it was out. Now, we think it is there,” said Dunbar, a Republican from Penn Township who has represented the 56th District since 2011.

Dunbar’s district, as did most others throughout the county and state, saw its lines shift in the final version of the redrawn maps.

Dunbar’s local office is just two blocks from the new dividing line that shifts North Huntingdon’s 3rd Ward out of the 56th District and into the Mon Valley-based 58th District, represented by Republican Eric Davanzo.

Meanwhile, it’s back to the future for the city of Jeannette, which long had been part of the North Huntingdon-­Penn Township district until a decade ago, when it joined Monessen in a redrawn 58th District.

Jeannette, starting next year, will again be part of Dunbar’s 56th District.

“A lot of this is change solely for change’s sake,” Dunbar said. “I do understand the need to combine districts, but they didn’t have to make all these changes.”

The biggest change in Westmoreland is the radical moving of the 54th District, which will be shifted from Murrysville and moved across the state and into Montgomery County. Incumbent Rep. Bob Brooks, a Republican from Murrysville who has represented the district in the state House since 2018, announced last week he will not seek reelection.

Murrysville will become part of the 55th District, which is represented by Republican Jason Silvis, who is expected to seek a second term in office. Silvis’ district, now based in Derry, will shift north and west and will include parts of New Kensington and Lower Burrell in addition to Murrysville.

Hempfield: From four districts to one

Hempfield, the county’s largest municipality, is currently part of four state House districts. The final redrawn map consolidates the township into one district represented by Rep. Eric Nelson, R-Hempfield.

“I don’t think they were done fairly,” Davanzo said of the redrawn districts.

Details of the new boundary lines are listed on Pennsylvania’s redistricting website.

Westmoreland: From eight seats to six

In all, the redistricting means Westmoreland will have less representation in Harrisburg. Eight seats in the 203-member House currently include parts of the county. Under the new maps, county towns are included in six House districts.

Republicans now hold all of the county’s seats in the state House.

Analysts said Republicans retain significant voter registration edges in the county’s newly formed House seats. But the margins in some are a bit closer, giving Democrats optimism as candidates prepare campaigns for the upcoming election.

“The state House districts are definitely cleaner. I’d rather have a fair district than a gerrymandered district,” said Tara Yokopenic, chairwoman of the Westmoreland County Democratic Committee.

The county also will have less clout in the state Senate. Most of the county will continue to be represented by Republican Kim Ward, the majority leader in the Senate.

The northern portion of the county will be part of the Senate’s 42nd District represented by Rep. Joe Pittman, R-Indiana.

Scottdale remains part of the 32nd District based in Fayette County.

The McKeesport-based 45th District represented by Democrat Jim Brewster will no longer include part of Westmoreland County. New Kensington, Vandergrift and East Leechburg will be moved to Pittman’s district.

“In the grand scheme, we will continue to have conservative representation in Harrisburg,” said county GOP Chairman Bill Bretz. “At the end of the day, we’re going to have a few different faces, but our representation will be the same strong group the voters expect.”