2 Democrat newcomers elected to Penn Hills council
Penn Hills council will remain all-Democrat after Alan Waldron and Shawn Kerestus (a Democrat who was cross-filed on the ballot) outpaced Republican Clayton Walker in the Nov. 7 general election.
According to unofficial election tallies, Waldron received 44% of the vote (6,850), followed by Kerestus with 37% (5,703) and Walker with 18% (2,788).
Both newcomers to council, the winners leveraged their endorsements from the Penn Hills Democratic Committee to oust incumbent Mark Brodnicki in the primary. Deputy Mayor Frank Pecora did not seek reelection in his current role, instead unsuccessfully challenging Mayor Pauline Calabrese.
Waldron said his victory is the result of “endless hours of effort” to reshape the Penn Hills Democratic Committee to endorse candidates “who better reflect today’s Penn Hills.”
“My primary goal is to make government more accessible,” Waldron said. “Seriously, only two of our current council members have email addresses [posted online] and that’s simply unacceptable.”
Kerestus also cited the importance of being available to residents, but added that he’ll focus on maintaining a balanced budget, cooperating with the school board and exploring deer management strategies.
Kerestus and Waldron serve as the president and vice president of the Penn Hills Community Development Corporation, respectively. Both said they’ll step down from these appointments at the end of the year.
Jack Troy is a TribLive reporter covering the Freeport Area and Kiski Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on Penn Hills municipal affairs. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in January 2024 after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh. He can be reached at jtroy@triblive.com.
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