5 candidates vying for 3 council seats in Plum

Voters in Plum will have five people to choose from to fill three council seats in November.

Those seeking to vote a straight Democratic ticket will elect a Republican.

Three seats on the seven-member council are up for election this year. Two incumbents, Dave Vento and Dan Hadley, are not seeking reelection.

Democrats seeking election to the four-year terms are current Councilman Ryan Joseph Delaney and newcomer James Patrick McBride II.

The Republican candidates are Dave Majernik, Jerry Purcell and Steve Schlauch.

All five were uncontested in their respective parties for the May primary. With Democrats fielding only two candidates, Schlauch received enough write-in votes to also get on the general election ballot as a Democrat.

Delaney, who was first elected to council in 2019, did not respond to requests for comment.

McBride, 37, is an HVAC mechanic for UPMC Mercy hospital. He has lived in Plum for about 30 years. He said he wanted to run for council two years ago, but there was not enough room on the Democratic ticket; he instead ran unsuccessfully for constable.

“Council is where I feel I can help Plum the most,” he said. “I just want to be part of what helps Plum get better.”

McBride said he’d like to see things get done faster, such as resolving flooding at the borough’s baseball fields at Plum Creek Park.

“It just feels like some of these infrastructure projects take a long time,” he said. “I’d like to see things get done quicker.”

Schlauch, 40, has been chair of the Plum Borough Republican Committee since 2013. An Export native and resident of Plum since 2009, he served one term on the Plum School Board, losing his bid for reelection in 2019. In 2022, he ran for state representative in the 25th District, losing that race to Democrat Brandon Markosek.

Schlauch is an investment management operations senior analyst with Federated Hermes. In mounting his first campaign for borough council, he said his business finance background would be an asset to the borough as it was when he was on the school board.

“Plum has been a great community to me. I want to give back again and serve the people of Plum Borough,” he said, citing his leadership experience from his time on the school board. “I have the courage to make tough decisions under pressure and to do what’s right for the people no matter what.”

As a group, the Republican candidates share a platform that includes promoting and encouraging business development. Schlauch said disciplined spending and keeping taxes under control would promote a business-friendly environment.

“There’s a lot of working-class families out there living under tough times with high inflation,” Schlauch said.

They also want to continue providing “top notch” or quality public services, such as road maintenance and snow plowing, and public safety to residents.

Majernik, 77, is a retired software engineer. He served one term on borough council, elected in 2015 and lost reelection in 2019.

Originally from Munhall, he has lived in Plum for 31 years. He is a member of the borough’s Zoning Hearing Board and previously served on the borough’s Civil Service Commission, Plum Library Friends and Plum Vacancy Board, and was a founding member of the Plum Chamber of Commerce.

Majernik was chair of the borough Republican committee from 1998 to 2013. In 2013, he lost races for borough mayor and Allegheny County Council.

With the borough losing two valuable staff members in August’s Rustic Ridge house explosion, Manager Michael Thomas and community development Director Heather Oravitz, Majernik said Plum needs people who are able to work together and bring the community together.

“Having been involved in Plum government for a long time, I know how the government works. I have ideas and vision and experience that I can bring to the situation,” he said. “My experience and maturity can be helpful.”

Bringing more restaurants to Plum is among the business development goals shared by Majernik and Purcell. Majernik said he’d like to see such development in the Route 286 corridor, making Plum a destination like in Murrysville and Monroeville.

“There are certain places where business could exist. The 286 corridor is one of them,” Majernik said.

Purcell, 66, is running for his first elected office. He retired as a police officer in 2008 after serving 29 years with Penn Hills, including 25 years assigned to its K-9 division. He is an accredited senior master trainer with the North American Police Work Dog Association.

Purcell, who has lived in Plum since 2004, said he would bring a common sense approach to council.

“This is not something I plan on making a career out of,” he said. “I’m a team player, but I’m not a ‘yes man.’ ”

Purcell said he would keep a close eye on the borough’s public safety services — police, fire and emergency medical — which he said are good and he wants to maintain.

“I want to give the residents of Plum Borough a new face and new ideas,” he said. “I’d bring a common sense approach to local government.”