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Politics & Government

Candidates Buckle Down in Race for Forest Hills Council

With the May 17 primary election approaching, Democrats seeking seats on the Forest Hills Borough Council are battling for recognition.

With the May primary a few days away, Democratic candidates vying for a seat on Forest Hills Borough Council are ramping up campaign efforts.

Three seats—those currently held by Bill Burleigh, Devon Wood and Steve Karas—will appear on the ballot. All three are running for election, along with Democratic challenger Harry R. White, Jr. Republican candidate Paul J. Palko is running unopposed in the primary.

Of the three council people, Karas, who was elected in 2007, is the only one coming out of a full term. Both Wood and Burleigh were appointed to fill vacancies in November 2009 and January 2010, respectively.

Karas, the borough property chairperson, who teaches in the physical therapy program at Chatham University; Wood, the operations and policy chairperson, who works in campus ministry and coordinates membership at Shadyside’s First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh; and Burleigh, the planning and zoning chairperson, who owns the small, technology business Data Consulting Solutions, Inc., are coordinating campaign efforts, using integrated campaign literature and canvassing together.

The council members said they’re committed to maintaining the services the borough offers residents, holding the line on property taxes and increasing the borough’s volunteer base.

“We mainly have the same priorities,” Karas said. “We’re all on the same page; we’re not single-issue candidates.”

While Karas has the most political experience of the three, Wood and Burleigh bring minority perspectives, Wood being the only female on council and Burleigh the only black representative.

For Karas, who said he routinely knocks on residents doors to chat while walking his dog, the primary campaign offers an opportunity—and an impetus—to hear residents’ concerns.

“Sometimes people are just surprised to see you at their door when there’s not an election,” Karas said.

Foremost in Karas’ agenda is representing his constituents fairly, he said. He hopes to continue building a close relationship between residents and their officials going forward.

“I listen to everyone’s opinion, because I think they’re valuable,” Karas said. “I feel pretty good about what we’ve been able to accomplish in the past four years.”

Wood, who was the last of the three to announce her election bid, agreed.

“I’m really hopeful about the direction Forest Hills is going in,” Wood said. “We’re at a challenging time, financially, but I feel that we’ve worked very hard not to raise taxes.”

While the councilors share similar thoughts on the increasing need for fiscal responsibility in local government, Burleigh said he crux of their campaign focuses on safety and cleanliness. (A slogan he drafted for their campaign reads: “We support a safe and healthy community,” Burleigh said).

Having served on council for a little more than a year, Burleigh said he has the most to gain from campaigning collectively.

“I’m the low guy on the food chain right now,” Burleigh said. “I’m fighting name recognition.”

But when it comes to political recognition, White appears to be the odd man out in the primary. Even with his limited time on council, Burleigh gains broader reach by campaigning with Wood and Karas—not to mention help from other council members and Mayor Marty O’Malley, whom Burleigh said offered him campaign support.

A locomotive engineer who has lived in the borough for 14 years, this year’s campaign is White’s first bid for office.

“I’d like to move on with the future of Forest Hills,” White said. “I’d be a new, fresh idea on the board.”

White said he thinks his experience in heading up work groups such as a safety committee, a critical incident response team, and a drug and alcohol program prepare him to work with council to benefit residents.

Among issues White would take up are reining in government costs and looking for ways to share services with neighboring municipalities, he said. But, he added, such initiatives would have to be well-considered and sustainable.

“I wouldn’t want to go in and tackle all of the issues at once,” White said, particularly with respect to regionalization. Warning against hasty decision making, White said his philosophy is “don’t stop negotiating until you get what you want.”

White’s decision to run for office stemmed from the realization that he plans to live in the borough long-term, he said, and as long as he’s a resident he wants to work to better the borough.

“I just want to do what’s best for my community and the residents around me,” White said.

While Democratic candidates are entering the intensive weeks of the primary season, Paul J. Palko, the lone Republican candidate for council, said he hasn’t begun campaigning for November’s general election.

Retired from military service, Palko said he spent roughly five and a half years in active duty with the Marines and another 30 in maintenance with the Air Force. He has lived in Forest Hills for 26 years and has volunteered with emergency medical services just as long.

Palko said he hopes his dedication to the community will win him a seat on council in November.

“I think a life in the service gives you a certain level of discipline and tends to lead you toward a more rigorous way of looking at things,” Palko said.

Palko said his goal is to provide residents with the services they need in the short term while keeping an eye on long-term viability.

Currently, all Forest Hills council members are Democrats, and unless an independent candidate emerges before the general election, Palko would be the only non-Democratic representative if he is elected. Asked if he thought being the lone Republican on council would be tough, Palko said he’s confident that he council members would focus only on serving their residents.

“I would hope at this level of politics, [partisanship] will not be a factor,” he said.

Palko said his election bid wasn’t a result of political ambition—he would be perfectly happy enjoying his retirement, raising his four-year-old son, and participating in the local VFW and Freemason’s Lodge, he said—but came at the urging of community members he knows who are active politically.

“I was raised by parents who were very active in the community,” Palko said. “I guess this will be another opportunity for me to serve the community, if people vote me in there.”

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