Betsy Monroe is a lifelong Democrat who has finally had enough of watching Harrisburg’s disfunction from the sidelines.
As a supervisor and healthcare analyst, she has worked for more than a decade to make healthcare better and more affordable for 100,000 senior citizens across PA. And as a married mother of three, Betsy understands what our schools, communities and working families need to succeed.
With our committed volunteers and your financial support, we can elect Betsy Monroe to be our state representative. She’s spent a decade fighting for better and more affordable coverage, and now Betsy’s ready to bring that fight to Harrisburg!

Betsy Monroe (Elizabeth Monroe) is an experienced professional who has worked in the Pittsburgh healthcare industry for more than ten years. She works every day to make health insurance more affordable for over a hundred thousand older Pennsylvanians.

Betsy is also a married mother of three teenagers, two in the local public school district and one a recent grad. Service to her community has always been a big part of Betsy’s life, including serving as PTO treasurer for her children’s schools for five years, leading a Girl Scout troop and volunteering for trail maintenance. More recently she served for five years as Assistant Scoutmaster with the local Boy Scout troop.

Participating in the 2017 Women’s March on Washington was a turning point, inspiring her with a new degree of determination to stop politics as usual. She started with letters and phone calls to her representatives supporting issues including women’s health and fair redistricting, but couldn’t see enough impact from those efforts. So she decided to take bolder action.

It’s time for the Republican’s hold on House District 30 to end. This district has been painted red for decades and it’s time to turn it blue. Betsy is the candidate to do so. Why? Because we need a representative who believes in democracy and in a government that serves the people, not just the majority party. Because our community deserves a representative who will fight to protect the health and wellbeing of our families rather than pandering to big business. And because we need a representative who understands that protecting women’s reproductive rights is ethical, lifesaving, and necessary.

Byron Timmins has a distinguished career in leadership, business management, and community activism. He has the experience, and more importantly, the Common Sense we desperately need in Harrisburg.

Byron is running for State Representative in Pennsylvania’s 46th District to restore our once vibrant middle class, increase educational and career opportunities, and protect working families. Byron grew up outside of Columbus, where he learned the value of hard work and integrity from his attorney father and school nurse mother.

Determined to make a difference in the lives of others, Byron worked his way through Miami University (Ohio) and, upon graduation, was recruited into the buying program of Kaufmann’s Department Stores. Kaufmann’s was a pillar of our community, and he was proud to work there. Unfortunately, after September 11th, the economy took a momentous downturn. May Company, Kaufmann’s parent company, decided to close their buying office in Pittsburgh and 1,200 people (our friends, our family, our neighbors) lost their jobs. Byron was one of them. Following his time at Kaufmann’s, Byron worked ten years for the Nautica apparel company, rising through the ranks to become the Senior Manager of the Retail Coordinator Program for the United States and Canada. After yet another downsizing campaign, Byron’s position was cut. Subsequently, he accepted a position as a merchandiser with Acosta, where he continues to work today.

He knows what it feels like to be unemployed; the stress, and the uncertainty, of not knowing how you’ll pay your bills. We saw it with Kaufmann’s, but our region has also experienced economic insecurity following downsizing at US Airways and U.S. Steel. These issues are personal for Byron, and that’s why he will fight tirelessly to preserve our existing jobs, while attracting investment for burgeoning industries.

On a personal level, Byron is a devoted husband and father who loves his community. He lives in Cecil Township with his wife, Astrid, and their son, Dane. He has served as a volunteer with the Canon-McMillan Parent Council, where he worked to improve educational opportunities for students. Prior to that, he volunteered with the Muse Elementary Parent Faculty Association. He coaches Dek Hockey, as hockey, teamwork, and encouraging our youth are passions of his.

Education is an emphasis for Byron, and he has witnessed firsthand the troubling effects of school funding crises emanating from Harrisburg’s inability to craft an equitable budget. That is why he supports NO BUDGET/NO PAY legislation! If you’re not doing your job, you shouldn’t get paid. It’s common sense. He is a champion for organized labor, and will always support collective bargaining rights, prevailing wages, and increased workplace safety provisions. He will proudly stand alongside Leader Dermody as the Democrats take back the House and move Pennsylvania forward.

For two decades Representative Paul Costa has been honored to serve his community as State Representative of PA’s 34th District. His focus has been on the hard, often overlooked, work that may not catch a lot of headlines but that keeps our community running. Whether it has been securing funding for local firefighters and EMS workers so they have the necessary tools to help save lives in the community or passing bills that encourage economic development by expanding the state’s Film Tax Credit to create local long-term jobs, what truly matters to him at the end of the day is whether his work has bettered the lives hard working people of the 34th District. In Harrisburg, he has fought for his community by making jobs and economic growth, education, public health and safety, infrastructure, and consumer convenience my priorities.

He brings substantial public service experience to the House having served on the Wilkins Township board of commissioners for three years, including one year as board president, and having worked for more than 20 years in the Allegheny County prothonotary’s office, ending his service as the deputy in charge of the family division.

Representative Costa currently serves as the Democratic Chairman of the House Liquor Control Committee. He also serves on the Rules Committee and Policy Committee. Costa is vice chairman of the Wilkins Township Democratic Committee. He was also elected by his peers to be the Chairman of the Allegheny County Democratic Delegation in 2011 to 2013.

Costa, a 1978 graduate of Taylor Allderdice High School, holds an associate’s degree from the Community College of Allegheny County, graduated with honors in accounting from Point Park College, and attended the Allegheny County Local Government Academy.

He is married to the former Kathleen Gallant. They have three children, Michael, Maria and Dante. He is one of six children of Louise Costa and the late Jay Costa Sr., who was Allegheny County treasurer. He is the brother of State Senator Jay Costa Jr.

ABOUT ROB RHODERICK
Providing Harrisburg with a Much-Needed Adjustment

Rob Rhoderick has the right combination of experience and integrity – professional, legislative and community-focused – and has demonstrated that he will be a leader in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

While putting himself through college, Rob Rhoderick worked as a warehouseman. As a member of Teamsters Local 205, Rob learned valuable lessons on the importance of workers’ rights and the stability that good paying jobs provide to our middle class families.

In 1997, Rob founded the Rhoderick Chiropractic Clinic, opening two Washington County offices. Currently his practice is situated on the border of Forward and Elizabeth townships in Allegheny County. As a small business owner, Rob has served as a leader in his community. He is the Past President of the Charleroi Rotary and a passionate advocate for local economic development initiatives. He has provided quality chiropractic services to thousands of patients in the Mon Valley including many of our valued seniors. Families have come to depend on his expertise, reliability, and gentle nature.

Interested in local government, Rob successfully ran for a position on the Allegheny County Democratic Committee, and is now the Chairman of the local Committee in Elizabeth Township. In 2011, Rob was elected to a two year term on the Elizabeth Forward School Board. As a School Director, Rob is committed to challenging the cutbacks that the state is forcing on public schools. Under his leadership, Elizabeth Forward has cultivated a STEM education program that is the envy of the region. He is dedicated to providing a quality education to all students while also keeping his promise not to raise school taxes.

A call to service also led Rob to accept an unpaid position as a Legislative Aid to State Representative Bill Kortz in 2009. In this capacity, Rob met with local leaders to promote policy issues and provide support from the state government. After several years of working alongside Rep. Kortz, Rob took a paid position as Rep. Kortz’s legislative assistant following the departure of his Chief of Staff. Rob recently resigned from Rep. Kortz’s office to seek the Democratic Nomination for State Representative in the 39th District.

Rob is a lifelong resident of the 39th District. He grew up in Forward Township, and is now raising his family in Elizabeth Township. Rob is an active sports enthusiast, and enjoys fishing and target shooting.

Experienced and Committed, Rob Rhoderick is dedicated to improving the lives of our families.

When searching for the definition of Southwestern Pennsylvania values, look no further than the career of State Representative Dom Costa. Dom has never strayed from his working class roots and his longstanding commitment to serving the community he loves. After his graduation from Penn Hills High School in 1970, Dom followed in his father’s footsteps and learned the plumbing trade through the Mon-Yough apprenticeship program. Rising through the ranks, Dom went on to earn distinction as a master plumber and subsequently open his own plumbing business. Dom understands the challenges facing young entrepreneurs, and has always been an advocate for both small business and organized labor, which enhances the middle class.

In 1977, Dom felt a calling to give more of himself to the community. He acted upon this by joining the East McKeesport Police Department. In 1979 he joined the Pittsburgh Police Department where his penchant for service and integrity allowed him the opportunity to rise through the department. He served as a sergeant of narcotics and vice, lieutenant of SWAT and was later promoted to the rank of Commander. In February 2002, Dom retired from police force after being shot in the line of duty during a standoff with an armed fugitive. In 2004, Dom served as public safety director of Penn Hills Municipality. In 2005, Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O’Connor implored Dom to return to the department an assume the role of Chief of Police. Dom accepted Mayor O’Connor’s request enthusiastically, served with integrity and ultimately retired at the end of 2006. In 2007 he decided to continue his public service by seeking elected office to fight passionately for the vision that both he and Mayor O’Connor shared.

In 2008, Dom was elected to represent Pennsylvania’s 21st Legislative District in Harrisburg. As a state representative, Dom Costa has spent nearly a decade as an ardent advocate for quality education, public safety, animal protection, prison reform, affordable housing and expanding mental health services. As a member of the H.O.P.E. (Heroin, Opioid Prevention and Education) Caucus since its inception, Dom works with his colleagues in the House and Senate, to find ways to ensure that everyone across the Commonwealth has access to high quality prevention and treatment of the disease of drug and alcohol addiction. After recognizing his commitment to his community and the ideals of the democratic party, Dom was selected by the other state reps in Allegheny County to lead the Allegheny County delegation.

A staunch proponent of unions, Representative Costa has fought against rolling back employee protections. As Democratic Chair of the Committee on Ethics, Representative Costa holds government accountable and safeguards the integrity of our fundamental democratic processes. Representative Costa resides in Pittsburgh’s Stanton Heights neighborhood with his wife Darlene and their two West Highland Terriers, Maverick and Bennie. Dom has raised three children, Tina, Julie and Scott. He is blessed to have two loving grandchildren in his life, Quinn and Liam. He strives to make friends and neighbors feel like family, and considers his constituents part of his extended family.

COMMITTEES & CAUCUSES:
Chairman, Allegheny County Democratic Delegation
Committee on Ethics, Democratic Chair
Policy Committee, Democratic Vice Chair
Gaming Oversight Committee
Insurance Committee, Democratic Vice Chair
Judiciary Committee
Professional Licensure Committee
Rules Committee
Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee
Hope Caucus
Intellectual Disabilities and Autism Caucus, Co-Chair
Law Enforcement Caucus, Co-Chair
Firefighter and EMS Caucus, Co-Chair
At Risk Children, Family, and Communities Caucus
Cancer Caucus
Career and Technical Education Caucus
Climate Caucus
Corrections Caucus
Early Childhood Education Caucus
Hunger Caucus
Mental Health Caucus
PA Animal Protection Caucus

Michele Knoll’s priorities are: jobs, education, fiscal responsibility, health care, the environment and women’s role in government. As an educator in elementary schools, preschools and university level, as well as serving as School Board Director some 20 years ago, she understand the needs of students and educators and the concerns of parents from academics to health care issues. She believes in advocating for families so that supports for both child and adult education will lead to future meaningful employment as this is critical for the future, overall welfare of our region. In line with employment, work should be done to build fiscal responsibility and balance the state budget, especially in the areas of health care and the environment. Michele is well informed about environmental issues and concerned that changes in Washington will affect states negatively. She feels it is essential that we adequately fund and staff the Department of Environmental Protection in the State of Pennsylvania, to protect our regions clean air and water for generations to come.

Michele is ready to tackle a host of issues, such as education, the environment, and Veterans Affairs. These are all issues that she is concerned that the current administration in Washington is in the process of dismantling with great prejudice. Being in Pennsylvania’s General Assembly will give her the ability to directly influence, for the good and welfare of the people, legislation that impacts Pennsylvania and the nation.