Steel Valley hosts Meet the Candidates Night as part of May community meeting

  • Posted May 11, 2023
A man stands at a podium in an auditorium while speaking to a seated audience.

With the Pennsylvania Primary Election fast approaching, the Steel Valley School District hosted a Meet the Candidates Night as part of its monthly community meeting on Wednesday, May 10 inside the high school auditorium.

Organized by Christine Scott, the event gave candidates running in local elections a chance to introduce themselves to voters and to talk about their platforms. The night featured candidates who are running to fill a Steel Valley School District Board of Directors seat or who are running to be a member of the Homestead, Munhall or West Homestead borough councils, as well as magisterial district judge candidate Patrick D. Campbell. All board and council candidates who are officially listed on the May 16 primary ballot were extended an invitation to speak. Write-in candidates were allowed to attend and meet with the audience.

A woman speaks from a podium in an auditorium

For the Steel Valley School District Board of Directors race, five seats are open. Three candidates filed to appear on the ballot – incumbents James Bulger, David Colasante and Daniel Rojtas. Bulger and Colasante shared their platforms with the attendees on Wednesday. Campbell followed the board candidates and spoke about his background.

David Colasante speaks from a podium in an auditorium

Jim Bulger speaks from a podium in an auditorium

Judge Patrick Campbell speaks from a podium in an auditorium

All six candidates for the three open seats on the Munhall Borough Council were in attendance. James M. Barca, Timothy Eads, John Kevin Ondo, Phillip Ostrowski, Bernie Shields and Kami Stulginskas all had the opportunity to talk about their ideas and share more about their backgrounds.

James Barca speaks to an audience from a podium in an auditorium

Timothy Eads speaks to an audience from a podium in an auditorium

John Kevin Ondo speaks to an audience from a podium in an auditorium

Phillip Ostrowski speaks at a podium in an auditorium

Bernie Shields speaks at a podium in an auditorium

Kami Stulginskas speaks at a podium in an auditorium.

The four candidates for the three seats in the Homestead Borough Council election – Connie D. Burwell, Lloyd Cunningham, Donald Dais and Henry A. White – did not attend. There are three seats up for election on the West Homestead Borough Council, but only write-in candidates are on the ballot.

Prior to the audience hearing from the various candidates in attendance, Steel Valley senior Bre Francis spoke about her vision for a new opportunity for Steel Valley High School students. Francis has proposed a Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council, where students would be able to serve as liaisons between their home boroughs and the school district. They would have front row seats to learning how local government operates and how to get involved within their communities. It would also be an opportunity for students to leverage their voices, all while earning the crucial volunteer hours that senior students at Steel Valley need in order to graduate.

A young woman stands at a podium in an auditorium and addresses the seated audience.

The program would involve multiple students to serve as representatives for each borough. Francis said that the hope is with enough support from the district and all three boroughs that the program would be able to be launched in time for the start of the 2023-24 school year.

The next community meeting will be Wednesday, June 14 in the high school library. The district is also hosting its first CommUNITY Day on Saturday, May 20 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the high school campus. The event will feature school activities and clubs, programs and community organizations from the three boroughs, food and more. The district invites everyone to join in on a celebration of the end of the school year and to learn more about school and community programs.