4 candidates vying for 3 Sharpsburg council seats

Sharpsburg voters will see four Democratic candidates vying for their party’s nomination in the May 21 primary election.

There are no Republicans on the ballot.

Four residents are competing for three, four-year seats on council, according to the Allegheny County Elections Bureau. Barring a strong write-in campaign, the winners of the May primary will essentially be guaranteed a seat on council following November’s general election.

Candidates include incumbents Jon Jaso, Greg Domian and Larry Trozzo, and newcomer Adrianne Laing.

Trozzo, a two-term councilman, serves as the borough’s planning and zoning chair person. The retiree is an active member of the Sharpsburg Volunteer Fire Department.

He hopes to put his efforts toward seeing to fruition the proposed commercial/residential development, Riverfront 47.

Developers are seeking to turn a tract of the Allegheny River shoreline into housing, retail and industry.

“I’m glad to see it going through and hopefully we can make it something of a success for the borough,” Trozzo, 59, said.

“I’ve been here all my life and I want to see that project bring more properties to the borough.”

Laing, 44, a borough resident for 15 years, isn’t entirely new to local government.

She served several months on council in 2017 to fulfill a vacancy but now said she would like to expand on volunteer efforts with the District Association and Sharpsburg Environmental Advisory Council with a full turn on a law-making board.

“I am excited to bring my passion for listening to people, helping them and finding creative solutions to council,” she said.

Some of the issues Laing sees residents facing include blight, storm water management and flooding.

“I want to work with the fire department and police department to continue prioritizing multi-municipal cooperation to improve services for our community,” she said.

Jaso, 46, a 911 dispatcher for Allegheny County, was appointed to fill a council vacancy in January 2018. He is proud of voting to restrict fracking in the borough and wants to continue his efforts to make sure Sharpsburg reaps benefits from the proposed Riverfront 47 project.

“I’ve always felt a calling to public service,” said Jaso, a volunteer firefighter and council’s property chairperson. “Serving on council lets me take that to the next level, allowing me to work side by side with others that share my passion for improving the place we all call home.”

Domian, 64, a two-term councilman, said he is seeking his third run, quite simply because “I was born here and I have an inner drive to make Sharpsburg the best it can be.”

As council’s personnel chairperson, Domian said he is proud of hirings that include Police Chief Tom Stelitano and borough Manager Bill Rossey.

He dedicates much of his spare time to organizing activities that make the community a “more fun” place to live, including Open Streets Sharpsburg, which draws thousands of people to town the first Saturday of June to browse a shut-down-to-traffic Main Street.

“The borough has seen substantial growth over the past five years and it will continue,” he said. “The borough needs to take a proactive approach to stay one step ahead of these future changes.”