Sharon Guidi is an experienced educator, devoted parent, and active community volunteer. As a lifelong South Hills resident, Sharon raised two daughters in Peters Township with her late husband, Lew Guidi, the former All-American athlete and legendary wrestling coach. She holds a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Carlow University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Physical Education from the University of Pittsburgh. She has been an educator in both public and parochial schools throughout the 40th District and is currently supervising student teachers at the University of Pittsburgh.

Byron Timmins is running for Pennsylvania State Representative in the 46th District. Byron lives in Cecil Township with his wife, Astrid, and their son, Dane. As he has been out meeting people across the district, many people ask him WHY he would want to go into politics. They say he seems like a nice guy! Well, like many of you, Byron is frustrated with the lack of common sense in Harrisburg! He’s tired of politicians taking care of themselves and not us, their constituents. They are supposed to be public servants. Their job is to serve the public! But instead, they are serving big corporations, special interests, and themselves. Jason Ortitay is not representing the people of the 46th. He is serving himself and the House Republican leadership. We need to return this seat to the people of the 46th! When elected, Byron will represent ALL the people and communities of the 46th. He will be out in the district listening and available to the people. That is why, when elected, Byron will hold town halls in each of the municipalities in the district so people can have their voices heard!

Byron’s story is probably not that different than many of yours. His background is in retail. Byron was recruited out of Miami University by Kaufmann’s Department Stores into their buying program. Kaufmann’s was a real institution in our community and he was proud to work there. Unfortunately, after September 11th, the economy took a downturn. May Company, Kaufmann’s parent company, decided to close the buying office in Pittsburgh and 1200 people (our friends, our family, our neighbors) lost their jobs. Byron was one of them! He knows what it feels like to be unemployed; the stress, the uncertainty! We saw it with Kaufmann’s, but we have also seen it with US Airways and with U.S. Steel. That’s why Byron will fight to keep jobs here and he will fight to bring new jobs here!

Byron’s passions are kids and education. That’s why he has been active in our community volunteering his time as a dek hockey coach in South Fayette and assistant coach in the Canon Mac Youth Baseball Association. He served as Treasurer of the Muse Elementary Parent Faculty Association and most recently as the Recording Secretary of the Canon-McMillan Parent Council. Byron has seen how Harrisburg not passing a budget on time affects school districts. That is why he supports NO BUDGET/NO PAY! If you’re not doing your job, you shouldn’t get paid! It’s common sense! Byron believes we need to ensure fair school funding by reducing the reliance on property taxes. It hurts our seniors and discourages young people from home ownership.

We can do better. We must do better. And with your help, we WILL do better! Help Byron return common sense to Harrisburg!

Sara-Summer Oliphant was raised in the South Hills of Pittsburgh – the daughter of a Bethel Park principal and a child development professor at the University of Pittsburgh. She was fortunate to hail from a large family, being the third of six children. Sara-Summer graduated from Mt. Lebanon in 1996 before continuing her education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa as a scholarship athlete. After experiencing health issues, Sara-Summer took time off of school, eventually landing back in Pittsburgh at Point Park University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications.

While attending Point Park, Sara-Summer met her husband, Joe. Joe currently works as a principal at a local Catholic high school. They are the proud parents of five busy and beautiful children, two dogs, two cats, and foster kittens. ​

Sara-Summer has made motherhood her full-time career while working a variety of part-time jobs to help support her family. These have included work as a freelance writer for multiple publications, Build-a-Bear Workshop, and secretarial work. These jobs have allowed her to champion a variety of causes.
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In 2010 and 2015, Sara-Summer went bald with St. Baldrick’s. St. Baldrick’s Foundation raises money for pediatric cancer research by collecting pledges from participants who shave their heads. Additionally, in 2011, Sara-Summer helped organize a memorial run for a local mom killed by a driver under the influence.

Sara-Summer has served on the South Park Metro basketball board, volunteers for Pittsburgh CAT, is active in the PTO, participates yearly as a family in Amen to Action packing meals for the homeless, and is a proud member of VFW Post 6664.

Working towards a better future, a future that is better for us all. Good day I am Heather Kass, and I’m running for State House of Representatives for the 36th District in the upcoming April primary. I am true Pittsburgher for life, after being raised by blue collar parents on the South Side Slopes, I graduated David B. Oliver Law Magnet program in 1989. I have been a member of the South Hills all my life. I am married to my best friend, and I have 2 adult children. We raised our children with a strong believe in respect, honesty, and love of family. This also comes from our Christian core believes that we strive to live every day.
After becoming a mother, I returned to school at Western School of Health and Business where I earned an Associate’s degrees in Certified Medical Assistant and a second Associates degree in Certified Nursing Assistant. I have worked within the medical field for over 26 years and have loved every new journey I took. I have earned my Certified Practical Coder license which is nationally recognized. At the age of 47, I decided return to school for my Bachelor’s Degree, and realized I had to start from the beginning which is a challenge I embrace.
Having served as a committee member on the 29th Ward Democratic board for a period of 2 years I believe I have gained a deeper understanding of the specific issues that affect our district. I now feel that the time has come for me to seek elected office. I want to bring positive solutions and fresh ideas to the State Legislation by running for State Representative of the 36th District.
There are several key issues that will be the focus of my campaign: affordable quality healthcare, equitable access to Jobs, and facing the emergent need of Combating the Opioid Crisis. I believe there are workable solutions available within our party to create plans, plans that will provide forward thinking resolutions to these issues. One of my goals, achieved by collectively working on these issues, would be to work together, devoid of partisan rhetoric, and only focused on the people we serve.
In order to serve the people of the 36th district, I must conduct an honest, yet aggressive campaign. Workers’ right with employers have taken a backseat this is why I support our strong Unions to preserve the working peoples claim to quality and safe jobs with livable wages. I want to be that person, one born and raised here, vested in the district, vested in its future, and prepared to fight the fight for our communities at the same level. It is for these reasons I have decided to offer the voters of the 36th District, a fresh perspective, a new voice for change, and the real choice in the 2020 election.
I plan to run a grassroots campaign, one that all will understand. In order for me to run a successful campaign, I will stay true to my core beliefs, ask the tough questions, be transparent with my goals and mission. Make no mistake, there are serious issues facing our community, some issues I did not fully understand before beginning this journey. I have taken time to attend community meetings, meetings that reveal the issues our citizen’s face, and have taken their time come to these meetings to give those concerns voice. One thing I have learned, and two for certain, the members of our community have serious pressing concerns, and their voices must be heard.

Chris Roland has lived in the 34th House District his entire life and is currently a Councilman in North Braddock Borough where he has served since 2009.

During his time on council, Chris has focused on improving the quality of life for the borough’s residents. He worked with elected officials at the state and county level to attract needed funds to improve North Braddock’s parks and roads. Chris also mows the baseball field where he grew up playing as a child.

Chris has worked for the Allegheny County Parks Department since 2012, becoming a Supervisor at Round Hill Park and Exhibit Farm in 2015. In 2016, he was awarded the Frank Lucchino Distinguished Service Award for efficiency, teamwork, cost savings initiatives, and productivity.

He received the Rotary International Paul Harris Fellowship Award in 2009 which is awarded to individuals who exemplify themselves through community-based projects. Chris also received the AMVETS Certificate of Appreciation by the National Commander in 2014 for his unwavering support for local veterans and securing the new name of PA Route 30 Bridge to
AMVETS Memorial Bridge, in North Braddock.

Chris is a graduate of Woodland Hills High School and attended Community College of Allegheny County. He resides in North Braddock with his dog Allegh.

I’m Emily Skopov and I’m running to represent the 28th legislative district of Pennsylvania because, like many of you, I expect more from our government, and I know our families deserve it.

A few years back, I noticed that my two kids and their friends, most not yet old enough to vote, were already pessimistic about our leaders, our institutions, and even our democracy. Like many adults, these kids had become cynical about our politicians, doubting that they were truly interested in working for the people. When I talked to other folks about engaging with representatives or our political process, a sense of “why bother?” was depressingly widespread.

People have lost faith that the values on which America was founded are being upheld by our government. Too many of the policies coming out of Washington, D.C. and Harrisburg don’t adequately solve the problems facing hard-working Pennsylvanians. Many feel defeated and hopeless about a system that seems corrupt and rigged.

As a parent, I couldn’t stand by and let my kids grow up feeling powerless and mistrustful. And I have always taught them that if you see something wrong, then do something about it. Instead of waiting for someone else to solve a problem, be that someone. Do your part. And that’s why to walk the walk, I had to run.

I grew up in a mostly working-class community. My mom was a public school teacher and my father is a small business owner. It was a tight-knit, family-focused community that taught me to think on my feet and always look out for your friends and neighbors. Most of all, it taught me the value of hard work, perseverance, and a passion for standing up for your beliefs. Because I was raised to always give one hundred percent, I was able to receive my bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and to earn my Masters Degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Being raised to jump in and lend a hand to anyone in need is how I came to start my non-profit. My husband Todd and I were out to dinner with our children to celebrate our son’s birthday when we learned that the crayons he’d received with his menu were going to be thrown out after we left, even though they hadn’t been used. Talking to the manager, I learned that crayons, which don’t biodegrade, were tossed in the trash by most restaurants. So perfectly good art supplies were filling landfills simply because no one had seen this problem as an opportunity.

Crayons are both an art supply and, for young kids, a required school supply. Unfortunately, they’re often unaffordable for families in poverty. So I began collecting crayons from restaurants and redistributing them to those in need. Today, the organization I founded, No Crayon Left Behind, collects crayons from our partner restaurants, as well as schools, civic organizations, corporations, individuals and more. We work with the disabled, the elderly, veterans and folks with special needs, social workers and law enforcement. In less than 10 years, we’ve gifted over one and a half million crayons and other supplies to schools and organizations both in the Pittsburgh area and around the world. We’ve even developed molds to make new crayons out of damaged and broken ones.

No Crayon Left Behind’s success is the result of my ability to find a fresh perspective, then apply common sense and hard work. It’s the result of reaching out to folks from all different backgrounds who were willing to collaborate, and who shared my desire to address a need and solve a problem. It is time for our elected leaders to do the same.

Chronically underfunded schools, credit downgrades and lack of the most basic anti-discrimination policy have made Pennsylvania less attractive to businesses, our legislators’ refusal to enact fair districting and simple voter registration measures have diminished our rights as citizens and damaged the power of our votes, and partisan gridlock prevents Harrisburg from passing basic and necessary health care measures. It’s time we elect people willing to put the interests of their constituents ahead of their own interests in gaining power and influence.

I’m running to help build a more fair and secure Commonwealth. I’m running because all young people deserve strong, quality public education; our business owners and our workers deserve equal opportunity and a healthy, modern economy; and our neighbors require affordable and effective health care options. But for any of this to happen, we need compassionate people in government who are dedicated to public service.

My husband and I are grateful to be able to raise our kids in Marshall Township. Like all those with whom we share this community, we’ve worked hard for the life that we have. We deserve a representative who works as hard – for us – as we do.

I am ready to serve.