Rebecca Calisti Tyburski announces run for Penn Township district judge seat
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Westmoreland County Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Calisti Tyburski announced she plans to run for the soon-to-be vacated district justice seat in Penn Township.
Tyburski, 44, lives in the township and has served as a county prosecutor since 2002, specializing in sexual and child abuse cases.
“I want to continue with my public service and give back to the Penn Township community. I’ve been active and love that community. It’s a great place to raise a family,” Tyburski said.
Tyburski, who was born and raised in Jeannette, earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Pittsburgh and graduated from the Duquesne University law school.
A registered Republican, Tyburski said she will cross file and run in both the Democratic and Republican primaries in May.
She wants to replace District Judge Helen Kistler, who has served three terms in office. Kistler announced in 2019 she will retire when her current term expires at the end of 2021.
County court officials sought last year to shutter the Penn Township and Mt. Pleasant district judge offices as part of a redistricting plan to eliminate two of the 17 district courts. Officials said the Penn Township court averaged the fewest number of new case filings among all 17 magistrate offices over the last four years.
After intense lobbying from Kistler and others, the state Supreme Court rejected the county’s plan and ordered that the Penn Township court remain open. The Mt. Pleasant district court office was closed after the retirement last year of Judge Roger Eckels.