Former Brentwood councilwoman challenging state Rep. Jessica Benham for Democratic nomination

Former Brentwood Councilwoman Stephanie Fox is challenging first-term state Rep. Jessica Benham for the Democratic nomination in the 36th State House District.

The district encompasses Brentwood, Mount Oliver and several Pittsburgh neighborhoods, including Brookline, Beechview, Bon Air, Carrick, Overbrook, Mt. Washington, Arlington, the South Side Flats and the South Side Slopes.

Benham, of the South Side Slopes, became the first openly LGBTQ+ woman and first openly autistic person to serve in Pennsylvania’s General Assembly after being elected in 2020.

Fox, who serves as director of operations for the Pittsburgh-based nonprofit Center for Victims, previously served for seven and a half years on Brentwood’s borough council.

Benham said she has helped bring more than $3.4 million in funding to the district during her first term, including money for streetscape improvements, parks, support for first responders and anti-gun violence programs.

“We saw so many people struggle over the course of the pandemic, even more than before,” Benham said. “My office has helped thousands of people try to resolve problems with their unemployment.”

Benham said she’s working on legislation that would require government departments to stress-test their systems to ensure they can handle increased use in times of crisis.

Among other priorities for her next term, Benham said she wants to include finding additional funding for education and small businesses struggling to recover from the pandemic and advocate for policy changes and investments in public safety.

Benham said stories and concerns she’s heard from constituents have helped guide her in crafting legislation, including a measure she proposed to offer tuition waivers for state universities to those who are in kinship care, in which children are raised by relatives or in some cases close family friends.

“It’s their stories that continue to motivate me,” she said of her constituents. “That’s what I take to Harrisburg. Sometimes those stories impact the legislation I propose.”

Although not currently in public office, Fox said she still hears from the community she served as a councilwoman. Born and raised in Brentwood, Fox said she has close ties to the communities she would represent in the state House.

“This is my community. I’ve served here before,” she said. “I’m also a true fighter, and an advocate for a living. I know my community needs people like me to stand up.”

Fox said her work with Center for Victims has given her the opportunity to work on legislation in Harrisburg before and, through that work, she has developed relationships with legislators on both sides of the aisle. She said she’s worked on legislation related to issues such as sexual assault, domestic violence, criminal justice and mental health. She also worked on efforts to bring Marsy’s Law, a victims’ rights amendment, to Pennsylvania.

Fox said she formerly was a victim of domestic violence herself.

If elected, she said her top priorities would be bringing additional funding to the district for priorities such as education, roads, good housing and local businesses.

“I want my residents safe, healthy and thriving, and I want people to stay here,” Fox said.