6 candidates seeking 4 seats on Aspinwall council
Six candidates will compete for four open seats on Aspinwall council in the Nov. 2 general election.
Democratic incumbents — Marcia Cooper, Jeff Harris and Lara Voytko — along with newcomer Mary Hancock, will take on Republican newcomers James Bonant and Sharon Donnick.
Voytko, Hancock, Bonant And Donnick did not respond to questions posed by the Tribune-Review.
Here are the other candidates’ responses:
Marcia L. Cooper
Political party: Democrat
Age: 59
Education: Bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College, law degree from the University of Pittsburgh.
Occupation: Assistant County Solicitor, Allegheny County Law Department.
If elected, what are two short-term goals?
“The first goal is to see the borough’s participation in the LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion) program,” Cooper said. “LEAD seeks to reorient police response to substance abuse and mental health issues by employing alternative interventions such as a licensed social worker.
“As a borough, we have begun this process and it is my hope that within six months we will be fully engaged with our neighboring communities.”
Cooper’s second goal would be to continue increasing diversity within our police and public safety departments.
“Recently we hired our first full-time female officer,” Cooper said. “It is my hope to continue these efforts as we strive to make public safety representative of all our residents.”
If elected, what is one long-term goal?
”It is my hope to see the implementation of the new comprehensive plan for the borough,” Cooper said. “Over the past several years, considerable effort has been made by council, with community input, into developing a long-term strategy and needs assessment for the community.
“I believe this work, and the adoption of the comprehensive plan, will make Aspinwall an even more livable community moving into the future.”
How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process?
“My door, phone and email are always open to community input,” Cooper said.
“I would also like to see us, as a borough, have a remote option for attendance at council meetings. During the pandemic I was told by many residents that they liked the ability to attend meetings remotely and were more likely to attend because it was convenient and didn’t require childcare.”
Jeff Harris
Political party: Democratic Party
Age: 52
Education: Bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech.
Occupation: Program Manager, BNY Mellon.
If elected, what are two short-term goals?
“It is imperative that we keep the safety of our residents in the forefront,” Harris said. “One near-term goal is to move forward with the recommendations in the Freeport Road safety study, starting with improved visibility of our pedestrian crossings which (could include) painted lines, signs and lighting.
”Such improvements are even more prudent with the Highland Park Bridge/Rt. 28 project driving more traffic in and around our borough.”
A second priority for Harris, as chairperson of the parks and property committee, would be to focus on improvements to Fireman’s Park with the completion of a new walking trail, upgrade of playground equipment and improvements to the pavilion, leveraging available grants and funding where possible, he said.
”I would like our committee to collaborate with the Aspinwall Shade Tree Commission to create and implement a plan for growing and maintaining the tree canopy of the park,” Harris said.
“This would entail trimming and removing some of what is currently there and replacing with appropriate selections for the park.”
If elected, what is one long-term goal?
“If I were to pick one long-term goal, as a member of the planning and zoning committee, it would be to complete the Aspinwall comprehensive plan through collaboration with fellow council members, the borough manager and staff, and the broader community,” Harris said.
“This is long overdue, considering our last comprehensive plan was completed sometime in the 80’s. For this plan to be successful and actionable, it requires strong resident engagement throughout the process,” Harris said. “I encourage all residents of Aspinwall to take an active role in workshops, surveys and any other public sessions to ensure their voice is heard. This is a fun, exciting journey to see what residents think as we create an updated vision for our business district, our parks and other amenities that make Aspinwall one of the region’s most desirable neighborhoods.”
How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process?
“The first stop for residents to be involved in the decision-making process is to attend our regular council meetings to stay abreast of what is going on, attend workshops when they occur and any other events that may be of interest to them,” Harris said.
“We have rather open discussions during council meetings and always welcome engagement from the public.” Additionally, Harris said, the borough manager and staff post to borough social media forums and communicate timely messages through the Savvy Citizen app and other means.
”No need to change much of what we already have, we just need to constantly evolve in our messaging and improve where we can,” Harris said.
“As for reaching me directly, I welcome emails to my borough account, or stop me on the street or ask to meet with me. I am more than happy to make time to listen to any resident’s concerns or suggestions on what we can do better.”
Tawnya Panizzi is a TribLive reporter. She joined the Trib in 1997. She can be reached at tpanizzi@triblive.com.
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