Republican Jeremy Shaffer won the seat for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing District 28, which includes the North Allegheny communities of Marshall Township and Bradford Woods.
He beat challenger Democrat Bill Petula, 23,041 to 17,303, according to the Allegheny County Board of Elections’ latest data on the general election.
“It is a great honor to be entrusted by the voters to serve our area in the state House. I am committed to working hard for all our residents to make our community and state even better,” he said.
The Pine resident has been married to his wife, Stacey, a physician, for 21 years. They have five children.
Shaffer believes there are common goals that both parties can support.
“There are many areas of state government ideal for bipartisan solutions, including having better roads and bridges, top-notch schools, safe communities, lower taxes, economic development and a clean environment,” he said.
“I also hope to find a bipartisan majority to work for good government policies including increased transparency, campaign finance and ethics reforms, downsizing our bloated state legislature, implementing term limits, and improving redistricting. There are many good people in both parties in state government, but they are working in a broken system that needs modernization and reform to yield the best results.”
He called Western Pennsylvania one of the best places in the world to live.
“We have a workforce second to none, great schools and universities, top-notch health care, natural resources all around and below us, outdoor activities and so much more. Yet our region continues to slowly lose population due to high taxes and a regulatory environment that drives people and businesses away,” Shaffer said.
“We need to make our region and state more competitive and allow it to thrive. One of the largest immediate threats is the proposed 46.5% property tax increase in Allegheny County. I will work at the state level to find systemic solutions to stop the endless march of higher and higher local property taxes.”
When he’s not working, he is attending his children’s swim and track meets, basketball games and musical performances. Or the Shaffer family can be found biking, running or hiking the trails in North Park, along the rivers or the rail trails in the region. Family vacations usually include a national park or lake.
“Our area and Western Pennsylvania have so many great parks and trails to enjoy in all seasons. When I was younger I volunteered for the National Park Service and also enjoy doing long bike rides from 100 miles to (more than) 1,000 miles,” he said.
Shaffer has a doctorate in philosophy in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. He formerly was a Ross Township commissioner, serving as board president, and was a board member for both the Northland Public Library Foundation and Northern Tier Library Board.
Along with coaching youth sports, Shaffer is a past church elder and a deacon.
