Brentwood council race has 8 hopefuls running for 4 seats
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Eight candidates appear on the ballot for Brentwood council, vying for four open seats.
According to the Allegheny County Office of Elections’ unofficial candidate list, incumbents AJ Doyle and Robert Pasquantonio will square off against newcomers Melissa Lenigan, Karen L. McWilliams, Stephen J. Thomas, Nicole M. Novak, Chris Fargotstein and Eugene J. Werner, Jr., each seeking one of the open four-year seats.
Here’s a look at the candidates and their responses to questions posed by the South Hills Record for the upcoming election.
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AJ Doyle
Age: 45
Political party: Republican
Education: Bachelor of Science, IT management
Occupation: IT systems engineer
If elected, what are two short-term goals? My focus this term is to foster economic growth in Brentwood by incentivizing property owners in our business districts to update their properties to attract more business to our community. We’ve seen several businesses leave Brentwood because of the condition of the building they were in; I pledge to change that.
My second short-term goal is expanding our open streets program to an open sidewalk program – currently, any utility projects in the borough where the street is opened, the full street from sidewalk to sidewalk must be replaced. Under my proposal, we would expand that to include sidewalks, which would lower capital improvement costs overall and keep our borough taxes where they are. I have never voted to increase taxes and I never will – in fact, the sale of our sanitary sewer system will ensure that the borough will not increase taxes for at least the next 10 years!
If elected, what is one long-term goal? One long-term goal has been and continues to be to strengthen the relationship between the borough and our emergency services and to help provide for the long-term future of these services to ensure the safety of Brentwood and its residents. I am currently working with the Brentwood Volunteer Fire Company to establish a 10-year capital improvement plan similar to what the borough has in place to budget for both major and minor equipment purchases and working with Brentwood Emergency Medical Services to find a permanent home.
How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? In my first term, I created a program called Coffee with a Councilman, a monthly meeting open to any Brentwood residents at which I recap what happened at our last meetings and what we have upcoming in order to increase our transparency. I’ve also had guests ranging from local business owners to members of our school board, volunteer committees, the chief of police, mayor and our state representative. I also led the charge to live stream our monthly council meetings, which have been streaming since January of this year, to increase transparency even further and to improve accountability.
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Chris Fargotstein
Age: 30
Political party: Republican
Education: Graduated from Brentwood High School in 2009. After graduation, attended Duquesne University, before joining the Army. I deployed in 2015-16 in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
Occupation: Account manager for HUB International. I am also a a PIAA and NCAA football referee.
If elected, what are two short-term goals? I would like to add more recreation areas, focusing on the hollow area in Brentwood. “The Hollow” is a large unused space that could host a great trail for rec activities.
Additionally, I would love to help the volunteer local fire department find funding. Brentwood Fire has been struggling for some time and many of these guys just want usable and safe equipment.
If elected, what is one long-term goal? We need to revitalize the Brentwood business district. We have four separate areas in Brentwood that can host new businesses. But we are often overlooked for areas in town that are seen as “up-and-coming” while the buildings we have sit vacant. Attracting new businesses may take some time, but that would be my goal.
How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? The best part of Brentwood is a small town feel right outside of the city. Being from Brentwood, I know a lot of the members of the community already. But for those that I do not know, I plan on having a direct email for local residents to communicate with me directly. My wife also runs a Facebook page that you can message as well.
Melissa Lenigan
Age: 45
Political party: Democrat
Education: Bachelors of Arts in communications, John Carroll University, 1998
Occupation: Senior integrated marketing specialist – Audacy Inc, KDKA-AM, 93.7 The Fan, Y108 and Star 100.7
If elected, what are two short-term goals? Work with the fire department and EMS to assure that they have the necessary support and/or funding from the borough. These two departments are essential in our borough and need our help. The EMS will soon lose its home. We need to work to find them a place in our borough so that they can continue to stay here.
The borough was granted funds through the Covid Relief Plan. We need to find out how best to use this funding. Look at the relief plans stipulations and use those funds for projects that need immediate attention and relief. These funds may be used for things currently in the budget, which could open up funds in the budget and be accessible for projects.
If elected, what is one long-term goal? Business development is necessary for the future of Brentwood. We need to attract local restaurants and businesses to the many empty storefronts and buildings – work with Echo Realty in filling empty storefronts in Brentwood Town Center. This project will take time, but it is possible to revitalize the business district. We need to work with development groups and show them why their businesses will thrive in Brentwood. The potential is there and possible.
How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? My goal is to be accessible and transparent to all constituents. One of the benefits of social media is to relay information instantly. I plan to use these platforms to help spread information. I also want to encourage constituents to attend the monthly council meetings. If they cannot attend in person, I am going to push the meetings to be available via Zoom. Decisions happen all the time. I want to make sure the constituents are aware and have the opportunity to voice their opinions. I will make sure to let the community know of important decisions or votes that will take place. Everyone’s voice is important and should be heard.
Karen McWilliams
Age: 59
Political party: Democrat
Education: Brentwood High School with some higher education courses
Occupation: Administrative assistant to the director of the psychology clinic, Duquesne University
If elected, what are two short-term goals? Improve customer service and responsiveness to borough residents. Resident needs and inquiries must come first. Borough government must be more accessible to residents. I will insist that borough positions are filled by borough residents to ensure that a sense of community respect is ingrained in every public interaction. During my tenure as the borough sewage clerk, I took pride in being attentive to my fellow borough residents and made friendly and caring customer service my top priority.
Ordinances and codes must be more resident-friendly. I will revisit borough codes and how they are enforced. Enforcement must be fairly and consistently applied across the borough, with the aim of preserving the hidden gem Brentwood is, while serving the needs of borough residents.
If elected, what is one long-term goal? Work to reduce the cost of sewage and trash bills for borough residents to make them more affordable. If the ownership of the sewage system changes hands, I would hope to be able to work along with them to look at ways to make the bills more comparable to neighboring communities.
How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? I will be available to residents via phone/email with an open-door policy to discuss issues/concerns freely, no matter how small. I will take each issue seriously and work them through to resolution.
Growing up in Brentwood and raising my family here, I have witnessed the close-knit, hardworking and proud community we once were. I want to cultivate this sense of community pride for the future so that newer residents will also come to appreciate our hidden treasure.
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Nicole M. Novak
Age: 32
Political party: Republican
Education: Bachelor of Science in mathematics from California University of Pennsylvania
Occupation: Project manager at FedEx Ground
If elected, what are two short-term goals? Two of my short-term goals will be to encourage transparency between borough leaders and community residents and provide an open platform in which borough residents can voice concerns/issues and ensure follow-up action is taken.
If elected, what is one long-term goal? My long-term goal is to attract and retain the economic development of small businesses to benefit community members.
How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? I plan to utilize social media platforms and improve the borough website to provide visibility on the decisions affecting the community.
I will ensure all meeting minutes and agenda topics are clearly communicated and kept current for residence.
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Robert Pasquantonio
Age: 67
Political party: Democrat
Education: Doctorate of Education
Occupation: Retired
If elected, what are two short-term goals? To continue to support the residents and businesses of Brentwood. To maximize our resources.
If elected, what is one long-term goal? To continue to help to develop an interactive and supportive community.
How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? I encourage my constituents to be involved in the process of government while being able to express their concerns in a manner that allows their views and opinions to be taken into consideration during the decision-making process.
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Stephen J. Thomas
Age: 58
Political party: Democrat
Education: Graduated from Brentwood High School in 1981; two years of communications at California State College (California University of Pennsylvania)
Occupation: Port Authority bus driver in my 23rd year
If elected, what are two short-term goals? Two of my primary short-term goals are to restore the faith the people of Brentwood have in their elected officials by bridging the gap of communication so they are better informed. Secondly, I believe that Brentwood is a hidden gem in the South Hills and I want to keep us heading in the right direction with the decisions we (the council) will make.
If elected, what is one long-term goal? A long-term goal for Brentwood is to help our tax revenue by getting more businesses on Brownsville, in the Towne Center and on Route 51.
How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? I would love to see the return of “coffee with council members,” encourage more participation with council meetings, offer quarterly zoom QAs and possibly newsletters. We need to be better with communication, especially during this pandemic.
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Eugene J. Werner Jr.
Age: 34
Political party: Republican
Education: Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and Bachelor of Arts in mathematics
Occupation: Senior project engineer
If elected, what are two short-term goals? The first short-term goal would be to learn how current businesses operate within the borough and incentivize additional small businesses and sit-down restaurants to come and stay in Brentwood, and a second short-term goal would be to enhance communication/advertisement of events within the borough and across neighboring communities.
If elected, what is one long-term goal? My long-term goal would be to develop the “hollow” into a safe and enjoyable green space for all members of the community as well as visitors from outside.
How do you plan to communicate with constituents and involve them in the decision-making process? I will be open with constituents and plan to hold in-person forums at a common meeting place to discuss any pertinent topics.