Date set for special election for Butler County Rep. Stephenie Scialabba's state House seat

A special election to fill the seat of Republican state Rep. Stephenie Scialabba has been set for August after Ms. Scialabba, who represents the state House's 12th District in Butler County, resigned at the end of last month.

On Wednesday, state House Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, set the date for the special election for Aug. 18.

The late summer date will leave the district - which spans Zelienople, Mars, Cranberry and Evans City - without a vote until at least Sept. 28, the earliest that a replacement could be voted in. That's currently the first session day on the House calendar following the special election.

This will also leave Ms. Scialabba's seat empty past the July deadline for the House and Senate to come up with an annual budget. Democrats currently narrowly control the House by a three-person margin.

Leslie Osche, Butler County commissioner and a member of the county board of elections, said she was disappointed that residents in the 12th District, which includes about 52,000 voters, will be unrepresented while Ms. Scialabba's seat remains vacant.

"Where do you point the finger? I'm not sure, but for one of the fastest growing areas in Western Pennsylvania to go unrepresented for that length of time is unacceptable," she said.

"Of course, the county will do what is necessary to conduct a special election, and our election director is waiting on further direction and information from the state on what the timeline for that will look like."

Ms. Osche said the state will be reimbursing the county for costs associated with the special election. It will take place just a few months before the general election in November, which will also include a contest for the House's 12th District seat.

"Regardless of who's paying for it, because it's all coming out of all our pockets, the amount of money that it's going to require to conduct a special election for someone to sit in a seat for three months is also concerning." Ms. Osche said.

Next month, two Republicans, Ethan Nicholas and Scott Timko, will face off in a primary election for the seat.

Democrat Brandon Dukes is running unopposed in the primary.

District 12 has been a stronghold for the GOP for decades. Republican Daryl Metcalfe, Ms. Scialabba's predecessor, held the seat for more than 20 years after taking office in 1998.

While in office, Ms. Scialabba served as chair of the Pennsylvania Artificial Intelligence Opportunity Task Force and co-sponsored legislation introduced last year to offer tax credits to encourage AI companies to operate in the state.

She also introduced legislation to protect Pennsylvanians' data online.

Ms. Scialabba announced her resignation late last month. Although she did not specify exactly why she was stepping down, she suggested that she planned to spend more time with her child.

"Politics and public service are the hardest on families," she said, addressing her resignation on the House floor. "To be a good parent and effective legislator isn't an either-or proposition. My son, Teddy, came with me to Harrisburg as a 1-year-old little man. … He became my why, the reason why I do this."

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