Tag: Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Construction Weekly Recap – Top Stories for Week Ending July 18, 2025

This week’s biggest construction news stories.

​Here are the top construction news ​stories across Pennsylvania ​for the week ending July 18, 2025:

  1. GE Vernova Invests $80 Million in Charleroi Facility Expansion
    GE Vernova is investing $80 million to expand its grid solutions factory in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, creating 250 new jobs. This investment aims to modernize the electric grid by increasing production of high-voltage switchgear products, essential for the U.S. power infrastructure. The expansion supports growing energy demands and reinforces Pennsylvania’s role in advancing national grid reliability.​ READ MORE
  2. P​ennDOT Highlights 57 New Transportation Projects in Pittsburgh Region
    The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced 57 new transportation improvement projects set to begin in 2025 in the Pittsburgh region, covering Allegheny, Beaver, and Lawrence counties. These projects will improve 551 miles of roadway and 43 bridges, aligning with Governor Shapiro’s vision for a safe and efficient transportation network. Motorists are urged to exercise caution in work zones.​ READ MORE
  3. $90+ Billion Investment Set to Boost PA Construction JobsCompanies like Blackstone, Google, Amazon, and CoreWeave have announced over $90 billion in AI and energy infrastructure investments across Pennsylvania. Thousands of construction jobs are expected as the state becomes a key hub for digital and energy innovation.​  READ MORE

Stay safe, stay informed, and keep building Pennsylvania strong.

KCA Magazine Insights Article, Spring 2023

With the NFL Draft upon us, I thought it was an appropriate time to share my attempt to answer the important question that Pennsylvanians ponder: Can a Pittsburgh sports fan like and respect a Philadelphia athlete? Below is the response. This article appears in the Spring 2023 edition of the Keystone Contractor Magazine, to view the entire issue please visit: https://issuu.com/atlasmarketing/docs/the_keystone_magazine_spring_2023_final_issuu_0420?utm_medium=email&utm_source=sharpspring&sslid=MzcxtzQwMjE1MbcwAwA&sseid=MzI1MTUzNzOyNAAA&jobid=8e832794-eea0-4ecd-80ef-31f10ccb9ec3

Insights from the Executive Director

In my life, no two days are the same. I might find myself walking a jobsite talking to the superintendent one day and maybe the next day I’m meeting with a senator to promote workforce recruitment initiatives, then following that I might be speaking to high school seniors about careers in construction. But the one constant, regardless of whom I’m with, it seems like we always spend some time talking about sports. Full disclosure, I’m a sports junkie.  

I see a lot of similarities in business and in sports: strategizing to chase success; overcoming challenges; working as a team. And I think in both sports and business, one can apply lessons learned from one to the other.

In this year’s Super Bowl, there are a few examples that can be applied to construction. The Philadelphia Eagles had one heck of a season and came up a little short in the end. But what can learn from them? One major takeaway for me is that they have a strong leader. Jalen Hurts is one impressive individual. And yes, a Pittsburgh Steelers fan can be impressed by a Philadelphia athlete.

Through Jalen Hurts’ actions and words, he showed how to be accountable for your actions and he placed an emphasis on having a strong culture. He played a lights out, awesome game, with the exception of one play (I won’t rub salt in Eagle fans wounds and discuss the play – you know the play I’m referring to). His response after the game:

“I always hold myself to a very high standard in everything I do. Obviously, I try to control things I can. I touch the ball on every play. I want to protect it. It hurt us. You never know what play it will be. I don’t do this to be loved. I don’t do this to be hated. I don’t do this to seek anybody else’s approval. I do it for all the guys in the locker room. I do it for all the time we invested in this.”

Jalen Hurts demonstrated how a person who is accountable for his actions speaks. This football star realizes and embraces the benefits of a strong culture.  

The Impacts of an Inefficient, Cumbersome Law

The following article first appeared in the Keystone Contractor Magazine’s Spring 2023 edition. To view the entire issue visit: https://issuu.com/atlasmarketing/docs/the_keystone_magazine_spring_2023_final_issuu_0420?utm_medium=email&utm_source=sharpspring&sslid=MzcxtzQwMjE1MbcwAwA&sseid=MzI1MTUzNzOyNAAA&jobid=8e832794-eea0-4ecd-80ef-31f10ccb9ec3

The Impacts of an Inefficient, Cumbersome Law

The Separations Act – Wasting Tax Dollars Since May 1, 1913

By Jon O’Brien

President Theodore Roosevelt was among the admirers of Pennsylvania’s new Capitol building at the dedication ceremony on Oct. 4, 1906.

“This is the handsomest State Capitol I ever saw,” the president said as he entered.

While it was a magnificent building, the project was way over budget – three times more than the legislature allocated.

The subsequent investigation resulted in a law that, while well-intended at the time to protect taxpayers from fraud, is no longer relevant today. Instead, it is costing taxpayers money because it requires inefficient construction methods on public projects.

That $7.7 million Capitol overrun – the equivalent of more than $211 million today – triggered a probe that revealed grafting. Capitol architect Joseph Huston, superintendent of construction James Shumaker, general contractor John Sanderson, state Auditor William Snyder and state Treasurer William Matheus were sentenced to prison.

With little financial stewardship, each convicted individual had profited tremendously. But this sort of illegal activity wasn’t just happening at the Capitol project – it was the norm on public projects at the time.

Fast forward to 1913. Public outrage over the scandal remained. There was pressure on public officials to do something. Republican Gov. John Tener, a former congressman and major league baseball player, signed the Separations Act.

It mandated multiple prime contractors on all public construction projects. The thought was that the more eyes there were on the project, the less likely that there could be collusion for fraud.

Perhaps 110 years ago, enacting the Separations Act made sense due to the circumstances at the time. Other states imposed similar rules.

But in this day and age, every cent can be easily tracked. Every other state has done away with their laws because they recognized they were outdated and that providing options in construction delivery methods is the most-efficient way to spend tax dollars on construction.

Pennsylvania continues to cling to its law. Here’s how that is hurting taxpayers by driving up the price of constructing public buildings.

Requiring multiple prime contractors – one for HVAC, one for electrical, one for plumbing and one for general trades – means the owner must bid out and manage four separate contracts.

The primes are not contractually connected and this impedes communication with each other. This lack of contractual relationship also hurts the communication between the architect and the primes.  Each prime contractor and the architect are directly contracted with the project owner – like a school district, municipality or other government entity – and because of that all communication runs through the project owner.

The lack of a single point of contact from the construction team creates a nightmare of a scenario for the owner. It’s inefficient and cumbersome.

Most problematic is it eliminates the possibility of collaboration during pre-construction,  which is a more-efficient method of construction. If early collaboration were allowed between the project architect and a single construction manager, projects would proceed more smoothly. Hurdles could be anticipated and resolved in advance. Without collaboration, expertise from the construction team is sparse, if at all, during the design phase.

Legislation has been proposed several times in recent years that would do away with or amend the Separations Act.

During a legislative budget hearing in 2017, state Secretary of General Services Curt Topper testified that the Separations Act “requires that we do business less efficiently than we could otherwise do business.”

He said the old law “effectively sets up a situation where it is much more difficult to design a project, to bid a project and to manage a project. So, I’d love to see us address that problem.”

Yet the law remains on the books.

Its inefficiency is well-documented.

From 2000 to 2010, public education projects could opt out of the Separations Act through the Education Empowerment Act that was enacted during Gov. Tom Ridge’s administration. Seventy school districts applied for the waiver during that period, an indication of the unpopularity of the Separations Act.

The Allegheny Conference reviewed some of those projects and issued a report concluding that savings of between $8,000 to $2.5 million were achieved on school construction projects that used a single prime contractor instead of multiple primes.

Kennett Consolidated School District did one project with a single prime and one with multiple primes per the Separations Act. The single prime project was finished two months ahead of schedule and $300,000 under budget. The multiple prime project came in over budget. This is just one the many examples to show that the Separations Act is costly to taxpayers.

There is a long line of organizations, trade unions and governments that are lobbying for modernization of the Separations Act.

They include: Pennsylvania Chamber of Business & Industry, National Federation of Independent Businesses PA Chapter, Pennsylvania School Board Association, Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools, Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials, PA Association of Rural and Small Schools, Green Building Alliance, Green Building United, U.S. Green Building Council Central PA, Keystone Contractors Association, Master Builders’ Association of Western Pennsylvania, National Utility Contractors Association Pennsylvania chapter, Association for Responsible and Ethical Procurement, Carpenter Contractor Trust, Construction Legislative Council of Western Pennsylvania, Design-Build Institute of America, General Contractors Association of Pennsylvania, General Building Contractors Association, Cement Masons Local 526, Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters and Laborers’ District Council of Western Pennsylvania.

Many public owners want to modernize the Separations Act and a few of the more vocal ones include: Philadelphia School District, Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, Peters Township School District, Cumberland Valley School District and Community College of Allegheny County.

Jon O’Brien is Executive Director of both the Keystone Contractors Association and the General Contractors Association of Pennsylvania. He can be reached at 717-731-6272 and Jon@KeystoneContractors.com.

Life Lessons Are All Around

Recently I was driving with one of my daughters and as we went through the construction road project she says, “dad do you know that guy?” She was asking about the flagger who was directing traffic as we entered the construction zone.

I told her I did not know that individual and how I wave to all flaggers. She responded with, “yeah I know you wave all the time, but that guy smiled when he waved back, and it looked like he knows you.”

After we drove through the jobsite, I went on to explain why I wave to the flaggers: Try putting yourself in someone else’s shoes in life. If you have a job where you see people all day long, would you rather see people who look at you, appreciate your role and give you a friendly smile? Or would you rather encounter people all day long that ignore you?

Every job is important and serves a purpose, that’s why employers pay workers for their efforts. Using the construction flagger as an example, can imagine life without the flaggers – it would be chaos without them, and I appreciate the order and safety they bring to our roadways.  

I didn’t expect to have this discussion with my daughter as we drove to her cheer practice, but I’m glad we took advantage of the moment. Life lessons are all around, just look for the signs and make the most when the opportunity arises.

A Veterans Day Message from the Keystone Contractors Association

This Veterans Day let’s all step up our appreciation for our country’s heroes. It’s a nice gesture when we see a Veteran to say ‘Thank you for your service’ but it doesn’t have to end with that. Ask the Veteran how they’re doing or how they’re day is going or if they’re looking for a civilian career.

As you may know Veterans have one of the highest suicide rates in the country. In the recently released 2022 National Veterans Suicide Prevention Annual Report by the Veteran Affairs, it was reported that in 2020 (the most recent data) 6,146 Veterans took their life. Suicide is now the 12th leading cause of death in America and it continues to hit the Veteran population hard. According to the recent VA report, Pennsylvania was the fifth highest on the list with 240 Veteran Suicides. Our state’s annual number has dropped every year since 2017 when we lost 294 Veterans, but at 240 we have lots of work to do and we’re not moving fast enough as we strive to reach zero.

Finances and lack of purpose could be two reasons why one might contemplate this fatal decision. The construction industry offers family-sustaining careers in both professional and labor positions. Construction professionals take pride in building Pennsylvania and with the strong work ethic Veterans are equipped to be successful in this industry.

This year the KCA, in partnership with our labor allies, went to great lengths to educate organizations and individuals who work with Veterans as they transition from the military to civilian life. The Carpenters and Laborers unions have been excellent stewards of the industry and together we worked with both to talk about the benefits of working in this industry, the type of positions and guidance for entering. We are not done either. For the remainder of this year and for the foreseeable future we plan to continue this outreach. If you are interested in learning how you and your organization can get involved, please let the KCA know.

In closing, this Veterans Day saying ‘Thank you for your service’ is appreciated, but remember you never know what a person is going through by simply looking at them and giving a passerby message. A little conversation can go a long way and can be the best way to show your appreciation.

Construction Opioid Awareness Week Starts Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the start of Construction Opioid Awareness Week. 

Working with our industry partners, we developed five videos and toolbox talk materials on five important topics for this year’s awareness week. A daily email will be delivered first thing in the morning each day to the KCA’s safety email list. If you are not on this list and would like access to the videos, please let us know by sending an email to Jon@KeystoneContractors.com. 

The theme to this year’s week is: return to the basics. We started this opioid awareness week in 2017, and the construction industry, much like society in general, was trending in the right direction concerning opioids, addiction and general wellness, but then 2020 came. During the past two years we have seen an increase in addiction and suicide rates and it appears to be a good time to return the basics. We picked five video topics that may appear elementary like pain management and employee assistance programs, but we feel these topics need emphasis to get us trending back in the right direction. 

Additionally, for the first year of Construction Opioid Awareness Week in 2017, we sent construction companies across the state “Opioids – Warn Me” stickers to be placed on medical and pharmacy cards. What may appear to be such a simple, basic message was just the opposite – it was extremely powerful to have an authority figurehead from a company (the person who signs the front of the check, executive, superintendent, etc.) personally distribute these stickers to their workers letting them know that they are an important part of this company. Please do not hesitate to contact the KCA if you would like more of these stickers for your company.

Lastly, please feel free to share any feedback or photos from your company participating in this year’s Construction Opioid Awareness Week.

Pennsylvania’s Rising College Tuition Isn’t Helped by Outdated Construction Law

Recently Penn State University announced they approved a tuition increase for incoming students, joining Temple University and University of Pittsburgh. As families continue moving from a pandemic towards normalcy, I am sure the last thing they wanted, or expected, was to see the price tag of education to increase for their students.

A lot of costs go into the background of the high costs of college. Facilities management and maintenance are one important component. If construction procurement reform had been put in place, to put us in line with the rest of the country, I wonder if this tuition increase could have been avoided. As one of the last few states requiring the use of multiple prime contractors on each public construction project, and enforcing it more strictly than other states, Pennsylvania is stuck with an archaic business practice. Referred to in Pennsylvania as the Separations Act, this requirement was enacted in 1913.

So, what exactly is the Separations Act? And why should students at state-related universities care?

In essence, the Separations Act forces the public owner, like the state-related universities, to serve as the general contractor for a project and each of the multiple primes contracts directly to the public owner. Without a single entity directing the project and with plenty of finger-pointing, this is an inefficient contract delivery method fraught with problems such as delays and claims, which are the norms and culprits leading to public projects being over-budget.

This multiple prime delivery system is virtually nonexistence in the federal, private, residential, and commercial markets – and in fact when the state-related universities spend their own money for construction projects, they very rarely use multiple prime delivery because they want their money spent efficiently. Yet the state-related universities are forced by state law to use the multiple prime delivery system when it is building projects funded by the state.

On average, a multiple prime delivered project costs 10% more. For that reason it makes sense for these schools to avoid this process when spending money from alums and other contributors. One would think our legislature would have that same sentiment about taxpayers that these colleges have for their donors.  

It’s time to modernize the Separations Act by affording our public sector a list of proven delivery methods to select from. Construction is not a one-size fits all industry and there is no perfect delivery method. A construction client’s priorities (i.e., cost, quality, time, safety, etc.) vary from project to project and the customer should be allowed the opportunity to select the most appropriate delivery method for a particular project on a case-by-case basis. Senate Bill 823 of 2020 provided those options.

By no means am I saying that modernizing the Separations Act is the be-all end-all solution to stop tuition inflation, but when Pennsylvania knowingly operates inefficiently while my neighbors see a tuition increase at our fine state-related institutions, I feel inclined to speak up. Now is the ideal time to address inefficiencies in our procurement process on behalf of current and future college students.

It’s OK to Ask For Help: Addiction Stories from the Construction Industry

NOTE: The following article was featured in the recent National Safety Council’s Family Safety & Health. It was written in the Fall of 2020 collaboratively between Jon O’Brien, Executive Director of the KCA, and Howard Bernstein, President of Penn Installations.

In October of 2016, Jon O’Brien started at the Keystone Contractors Association, which is based in Harrisburg, PA and has member companies spread around the state. After this relocation, the first thing he did was to schedule a tour of the state, visiting current members to learn more about them – their history, strengths, weaknesses, challenges, etc. The same issue kept popping up in conversations: opioid abuse is hurting the industry and communities.

After reporting the results of the statewide tour to the KCA Board, KCA leadership knew they had to do something. Mr. O’Brien did some research to see if concentrated efforts were underway in construction to tackle this opioid epidemic. Sure, there were ads to warn against opioid abuse from the government and healthcare systems, but he did not find channels that spoke directly to construction workers. Since he did not have much luck, in the summer of 2017 the KCA worked with industry allies in state to create the Construction Opioids Awareness Week.

This recognition week is the last full week of July and for it we arm construction employers with lots of resources to discuss pain medication use/abuse with their employees. It’s hard to gauge the success of a movement like this, but one indicator that the KCA believes is crucial for success is if we get the construction industry talking about the issue. Conversation is key to building a construction industry in Pennsylvania where people feel comfortable enough to seek help, with that in mind here are some perspectives from labor and management:  

Labor: Meeting-Makers Make It, Mark’s Story

Mark St Cyr’s story: His sobriety date was December 28, 2007. But his story began way before then and it’s all part of the plan per Mark: “God puts the toughest people through the toughest situations to help others.” As a young boy, he was molested by his uncle after his uncle returned from the Vietnam War; in high school Mark smoked weed and drank alcohol too; as a young man he became addicted to opioids; in 1986 he had a fire in his home that severely burned his wife and over 30% of his one daughter’s body.  Mark’s a tough person, but that’s only half of it – helping others is the other half.

On that December day back in 2007, Mark’s world changed and because of his life’s experiences up until that date, he is now able to change the lives of others too. “Because I drank alcohol so much at a young age, I was emotionally immature, and I was unable to talk and connect with others. Being sober changed all that and at meetings I’m able to tell my story. By sharing, others are able to relate as they have been through similar situations.” Some examples: Diane had a burnt child and listening to Mark was inspirational; Sean and Jesse shared similar experiences as Mark growing up and Mark’s story is able to help them. Jesse has relapsed twice over the past 12 years but has been clean for the past two years with the help of the sharing sessions. As Mark says: “Meeting makers, make it!”

Over the past few years, Mark and his team of supporters started a non-profit organization in Washington County, PA called Club Serenity, Inc. This organization currently operates a recovery home for women and a second home for men is coming soon. “We’re able to remove people from their environment and place them in a home with like-minded people. It’s working,” said Mark.  

Management: ‘We’re There to Assist’: Howard Bernstein Shares What He’s Learned

Having grown up working summers in construction, Howard Bernstein saw his share of drug and alcohol issues as a young man but now as a husband, father and employer, he looks through a far different lens and he feels powerless over the growing problems we face with addiction. In trying to assist people in both the field and office, he has learned the cliché often about not being able to help addicts until they seek help themselves. Although self-awareness or interventions may occasionally lead someone towards recovery, it is sadly more often that legal troubles, divorce and/or job loss lead to the “Rock bottom” needed to seek help.

What he has learned is that “Getting help” can mean many things, from counseling, to outpatient rehab, to intensive inpatient rehab. Out of pocket expense, income lost, and embarrassment have all been barriers to taking these steps and there can be a wide difference in the experience and success rate of various professional programs. Even the best programs have success rates that can seem defeating, but relapse need not be seen as a failure and is more often than naught part of most people’s recovery. There is no one size fits all but just as with our carpenters, the more tools that one has in their tool bag, the better prepared they can be to meet each day’s challenges. Additional tools for recovery include the support of friends, family and co-workers (many of whom may have been hurt by the addict and may be wary of helping), support groups, an experienced sponsor, recurring counseling and finding positive outlets for the time that was spent previously using. Vivitrol is an injectable form of Naltrexone which lasts for a month and has been a game changer for many addicts and alcoholics who say that it reduces their cravings and can be one more tool.

Hopefully, employers can create an environment where those needing help know that we are there to assist them as the cost of not doing so could never be measured in dollars alone.

Helpful Resources:

Construction Opioids Awareness Week: https://keystonecontractors.com/Opioid-Awareness/

Club Serenity Inc.: https://www.clubserenityinc.com/

Happy Anniversary!?!? Pennsylvania Begins Its 108th Year Overspending on Public Construction

Next time you drive by a public-school building under construction, know that our state is intentionally spending 10% more on that project because of an archaic law that only exists in Pennsylvania.

On May 1, 1913, Governor John Tener put his signature on legislation to enact the Pennsylvania Separations Act.  Tener assumed our state’s top office as we were coming off of a construction scandal involving the Pennsylvania State Capitol.  State Treasurer William Berry had found that there had been an unappropriated cost for our state capitol’s construction of over $7.7 million ($211,282,599 today).  Mr. Berry found many questionable charges, which led to the conviction of the building architect and the former State Treasurer.  Due to today’s technology, every cent that is spent is easily tracked.

At the time, in 1913, a Separations Act-type law was the norm in America.  However, it is not the norm today as every other state, the federal government and the private sector enjoy options in construction delivery.  Yet Pennsylvania remains the lone holdout that mandates the Separations Act which requires the use of multiple prime delivery.

Supporters of the Separations Act like to debate the statement that Pennsylvania is the only state left with this cumbersome contracting requirement and they believe there are two other states joining us.  They feel that North Dakota and New York join us.  These two states have chipped away at their multiple prime mandate, allowing flexibility in public contracting methods depending on the type of project.  But regardless of whether Pennsylvania is the only state or one of three states, it’s a pretty weak defense to keep a law on the books that wastes tax dollars.

So, what is the Separations Act and multiple prime delivery? And why should taxpayers care?

The Separations Act requires that public entities, like a school district, solicit and receive at least four separate bids for one construction project.  This is referred to as the multiple prime delivery method.  Let that sink in – four separate companies tasked with building one project.  This multiple prime delivery method requires the public entity to hold and manage the multiple contracts, making the public entity responsible for coordination of contracts.  Consequently, the public entity increases its contractual liability exposure and is forced to be involved in contractual disputes among the primes.

Without one company in charge of the construction project, the multiple prime requirement is cumbersome and sets the stage for adversarial relationships amongst the prime contractors, resulting in a drastic rise in change orders and claims on multiple prime delivered projects.  Additionally, without one contractor guiding the project, there are multiple project schedules, and this lack of collaboration eliminates the prospect of early completion.  In the private sector, like the healthcare industry, it’s typical to read in the newspaper that the new hospital was built under budget and ahead of schedule – wouldn’t it be nice to afford the public sector similar contracting options that others benefit from?

There is draft legislation that would bring Pennsylvania inline with the rest of the country when it comes to project delivery for public construction, but most importantly it would save tax dollars.  This legislation would allow the public entity to choose between four different delivery systems: Design-Bid-Build Multiple Prime (current mandate), Design-Bid-Build Single Prime, Construction Management At Risk, and Design Build.  To the non-construction professional these terms might be foreign to you.  While there are thousands of resources that explain the various delivery systems (and I don’t mind pointing people in the right direction if requested), I’ll try to keep the explanation simple: each of the listed delivery systems have a different entry point to have the construction team join the design team.  Due to design and construction teams joining forces at different times, depending on the selected delivery system, the systems vary in collaboration as illustrated here:

Now I’ve been told that the Separations Act is a tough issue for the general public to understand.  Personally, I thought an issue that saves tax dollars is something the masses can get behind.  But perhaps I can use an analogy that may help:

  • Can you imagine if the Philadelphia Eagles had four head coaches?  This lack of leadership would result in chaos on the field with players unsure who to listen to.
  • Or what if the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra had four principal conductors?  The crowd would need aspirin and earplugs if the orchestra were to receive four different directions.

On Pennsylvania public construction projects, we have four head coaches and four conductors all giving different orders.  There is no perfect construction delivery method, and our industry has evolved since the days of Governor Tener.  We have adapted delivery methods in response to the customer’s changing circumstances.

The customer should be afforded the opportunity to select the most appropriate delivery method for a particular project on a case-by-case basis as cost, quality, and time vary from project to project.  Flexibility to choose the most effective and efficient project contracting method will enable local public entities to control costs on building projects, which ultimately saves tax dollars.    

The Pennsylvania Races I’ll Be Tracking Election Day

Like most of the country I’ll be watching the presidential election this year, heck I watch it closely every four years. I hope it’s fair and, most of all, I hope after the winner is announced that the entire country gets behind and supports this individual. However, since my work is at the state level, this article is about races in the Pennsylvania legislature that I’ll be closely watching this year.

Here are the races that I find intriguing:

The Home Game

I’m a believer that citizens need to know who represents them and people should not blindly vote in elections. Get to know your elected officials and see how they vote on issues that affect your life. For the past few years, our family has lived in Dillsburg and here are our races:

Senate District 31 Race: Mike Regan, R (incumbent) v. Shanna Danielson, D

House District 92 Race: Dawn Keefer, R (incumbent) v. Doug Ross, D

As an advocate of businesses, especially small businesses, one factor I consider when gauging the performance of a legislator is how they treat businesses in their district and in turn how local businesses feel about their elected officials. I’ve yet to encounter a single business who is displeased by the two incumbents – Mike Regan and Dawn Keefer. Additionally, for Regan, I really like the effort he puts into helping our veterans – they served our country and he doesn’t forget about them as a Senator. As for Keefer, just ask her a question related to the state budget and tax dollar expenditures and get ready to hear a passionate and intelligent response.

As for their opponents, campaign staff from Danielson contacted me a few times the first week of August about the State Senate race (I think registered Independents get extra unwanted love come election time). The staff asked if I would accept a call from Shanna to hear directly from her about her priorities and I said “sure.” As of the publishing of this article, I never received that call. And for the House race, I have seen three Ross signs in Dillsburg and that is all that I know about this individual.

Will Flippers Get Flopped Out of Office

In September of 2020, a piece of legislation that allowed school districts to be in charge of attendance and safety protocols at sporting events passed in both the House and Senate with veto-proof numbers. Governor Wolf vetoed it. The Pennsylvania House tried to override the veto. 24 Representatives from the House flipped their votes and the House was unable to advance the override to the Senate. Nine of the 24 flippers have opponents in the General Election while the rest run unopposed. Of the nine, I’ll be watching these three:

House District 33 Race: Frank Dermody, D (incumbent) v. Carrie Delrosso, R

House District 143 Race: Wendy Ullman, D (incumbent) v. Wendy Labs, R

House District 163: Race Michael Zabel, D (incumbent) v. Michael McCollum, R

It’s tough to beat an incumbent. More info on these races:

I find the Dermody v. Delrosso race fascinating due to the labor support…for the Republican candidate. For a Democrat Leader in Harrisburg, it’s just kind of assumed that labor unions have your back, but not so much in this race. Delrosso has backing from numerous building trade unions like the Laborers District Council of Western PA, International Union of the Operating Engineers Local 66 and the Cement Masons Local Union 526.

A few weeks ago Wendy Ullman notoriously made national headlines when she jokingly said to Governor Wolf during a press conference that wearing a mask is ‘political theater’ and then laughter followed. It was a bad look for a politician.

For Michael Zabel, I found his comments on the House floor related to this legislation to be inappropriate in my opinion. Yes, COVID is real and yes COVID is scary, but our state has been impacted differently across the state and I don’t think we should have one rule to follow – science and data prove that rural areas have been hit less than Philadelphia yet a place like Elk County follows the same rules. By saying that people at high school sports to watch our kids is a “frivolous use of legislative resources” is a ….well I want to keep this article PG.

NOTE: Days after this article was written, the State House of Representatives attempted another veto override. This time it was in relations to capacity limits and mandates for restaurants and bars. The override of House Bill 2513 fell two votes short in the House because 12 Democrats flipped their vote; Mr. Zabel was once again one of the flippers.

Blue Targeting Some Senate Seats

It’s tough to beat an incumbent. Prior to the 2018 Elections, the Republicans had a healthy 18-seat lead in Pennsylvania’s upper chamber. After the 2018 Election, the Democrats picked up five seats to close the margin. Due to one sitting Senator allegedly questioning the direction of the Democrats in Harrisburg and switching to an Independent, the minority party now needs to flip four seats in 2020 to gain control. Here are four seats that Democrat politicos are talking about:

Senate District 15 Race: John DiSanto, R (incumbent) v. George Scott, D

Senate District 9 Race: Thomas Killion, R (incumbent) v. John Kane, D

Senate District 49 Race: Daniel Laughlin, R (incumbent) v. Julie Slomski, D

Senate District 13 Race: Scott Martin, R (incumbent) v. Janet Diaz, D 

I don’t think any of the incumbents have done anything to warrant a change and businesses in their district speak positively about each. But hey, it is 2020 and anything can happen, so I’ll be tracking the races.    

Other Important Senate Races

It’s tough to beat an incumbent. I keep hearing about the four seats listed directly above when it comes to flipping the Senate; however, this sentiment assumes all other incumbents win their race in the Senate. I don’t think Senate Districts 37 and 45 are slam dunks for the incumbents. While Pam Iovino has the upper hand and will be difficult to beat, this should be a competitive race. Not only do we have two veterans vying for this Senate seat, which I love to see, but since 1981 Republicans have held this seat for 35 of the past 39 years. As for District 45, with incumbent Brewster, a casual viewer might see it as an easy win for the Democrat, but in 2016 Trump performed way better than expected in this district and since Brewster has been running unopposed in the past, it’s unsure how things will play out in this race.

Senate District 37 Race: Pam Iovino, D (incumbent) v. Devlin Robinson, R

Senate District 45 Race: James Brewster, D (incumbent) v. Nicole Ziccarelli, R

The Metcalfe Watch

In 2002, as I was in the process of getting married and graduating from University of Pittsburgh,  I moved to Cranberry Township, PA (an area north of Pittsburgh). Shortly after moving there I called the offices of both the State Senator and Representative – I did this to get to know the people who represent me and it was not job related (I wasn’t hired in a government affairs position until a few years later). I never heard from the office of the Senator. As for the office of the Representative, they called to ask if I’d like to meet for a morning coffee and I said yes. I showed up not knowing what to expect and thinking maybe a staffer might show up to hand me a Metcalfe pen or sticker. I end up meeting with Daryl Metcalfe and it was an enjoyable conversation. I was impressed how he insisted on getting to know his constituents. A few years down the road, I started working in the union construction sector and every two years I hear this from Democrat supporters in Harrisburg: “this is the election that we finally get to take down Metcalfe.” But here we are, and Daryl is going for his 10th re-election term.

House District 12 Race: Race Daryl Metcalfe, R (incumbent) v. Daniel Smith, D

Tuesday, November 3 should be a fun night as results come in. I can’t wait. What races are you watching? I’d love to hear from you. To get in touch with me, email me at Jon@KeystoneContractors.com.