Tarentum incumbents Homa, Kerr retain council seats

Tarentum residents in the 1st Ward will be represented by two familiar faces on council.

Republican incumbents Lou Ann Homa and Ray Kerr were vying for two seats up for grabs, one a four-year term and the other a two-year term.

Homa captured the four-year term, winning with 210 votes to Kerr’s 129.

Kerr earned the two-year seat, beating Homa with 204 votes to her 125.

“This is actually the way we intended it to be,” Homa, 68, said.

They printed handed out leaflets at the polls asking that voters cast their vote in that manner.

Homa served previously on the steering committee for the multi-municipal comprehensive plan between the borough, Harrison and Brackenridge.

She is eager to continue the hard work of promoting local businesses, which Homa said is a job done mostly by word of mouth.

“I talk to people about all the businesses that have been a staple in Tarentum for years, along with the new businesses that have moved into town,” she said. “Many people that just drive across the Tarentum Bridge to get to Route 28 don’t realize what we have here.”

Homa said she uses social media to update residents on current events, emergency public works maintenance and other scheduled projects.

Kerr, 71, is a retired steelworker from Allegheny Ludlum who also worked throughout the area as a baseball coach.

He agreed with Homa that a focus on the business district should be a priority for council.

“By growing our business districts in East and West Tarentum, we will be able to strengthen and grow our tax base as well as attracting more families to our town,” Kerr said.