How to Run For Local Office

How to Run for Local Office

This guide was compiled by members of Swissvale Community Action Committee as a free resource.

Thinking about running for local office in Swissvale?
If you are considering running for local office, one of the first things to determine is your eligibility. The answer is likely to be yes if you’re
a registered voter and you’ve lived in the borough for at least a year and plan on continuing to live in Swissvale while in office.

Which offices could I run for and what should I know before I decide?

Office Term Minimum Age Eligibility Election Cycle
Council Member (7) (Years)
18 Registered elector*/1 year 3 in 2019, 2023, 2027...
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resident of borough 4 in 2021, 2025, 2029...

Mayor (1) 4 18 Registered elector/1 year 2021, 2025, 2029...
resident of borough

Tax Collector (1) 4 18 Registered elector/1 year 2021, 2025, 2029...
resident of borough

School Board Director (3) 4 18 1 year resident of school 2 in 2019, 2023, 2027...

district region** 1 in 2021, 2025, 2029...

Judge of Elections (11) 4 18 Registered elector of 2021, 2025, 2029...

borough district***

Majority + Minority 4 18 Registered elector of 2021, 2025, 2029...

Inspector of Elections (22) borough district

Committee People (22) 4 18 Registered elector of party in 2022, 2026, 2030...
(1 male + 1 female/borough borough district
district)

*Registered elector means you are registered to vote in your district. See map on Page 8.
**The WHSD encompasses 12 municipalities and is broken into 3 regions of 4 municipalities each with 3 Directors elected
from each region. Swissvale is in Region 2 along with Braddock, Rankin, and Edgewood. Though this guide is designed for
Swissvale, residents of any Region 2 Borough may run for Region 2 School Director seats.
***Swissvale is comprised of 11 districts. Judge of Elections, Inspector of Elections, and Party Committee Members serve
their specific district and must be elected by members of that district, while other offices serve the borough at large.

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About the Offices

Office Description

Council Members The Borough Council is the legislative body in the borough system. They make most decisions about borough
Mayor business at public monthly council meetings. There are a total of seven (7) council members. Within the council,
a President and Vice President are elected at the first council meeting of the year. Members are appointed
to committees (i.e. Finance, Police, Fire, Public Works, etc,) by the Council President. Members hire and fire
borough personnel and set compensation for employees. The council provides municipal services, sets the
annual tax rate, and establishes the budget. A training program is available through the Local Government
Academy.

The mayor administers oaths of office for new borough council members, presides over the annual mandatory
organization meeting, and can vote to break ties in council. The mayor can declare an emergency and take
special actions during that time. The mayor cannot vote on the hiring or firing of police personnel. The mayor
administers the police department. The mayor may take part in council discussions and signs the ordinances
that they approve. A mayor is able to perform marriages.

Tax Collector The local tax collector is the municipal officer designated to collect municipal and school real estate and
personal taxes levied under the municipal codes and in most cases county real estate and personal taxes.

School Director A “School Board” is the legislative body of school directors, who are each individually elected. Each board
consists of nine members who serve four-year terms of office. School boards deal with many issues involving
taxes, labor, administration and general education policy. A training program is available through the Department
of Education.

Judge of Elections Judge of Elections is responsible for running the local polling places for the primary election and general
election (i.e. two days per year). There is detailed manual available about all day-of-elections duties, but
the main responsibilities are picking up the voter registration binder and other paperwork, verifying the voter
machines, swearing in poll workers and organizing poll worker activity on election days. After polling places
close, the Judge of Elections tallies the votes and posts the official returns. If this office is not filled by an
elected official (i.e. if no one runs), a volunteer poll worker will act in these roles.

Majority + Minority The Inspector of Elections assists the Judge of Elections. The candidate who receives the most votes becomes

Inspector of the Majority Inspector, and the first runner up becomes the Minority Inspector. Each inspector is assisted by

Elections a clerk (one of the volunteer poll workers). If this office is not filled by an elected official (i.e. if no one runs), a
volunteer poll worker will act in these roles.

Committee People In Swissvale, registered Democrats can run to become members of the Swissvale Democratic Committee.
Swissvale currently has no organized Republican presence. Committees endorse political candidates within

their party and represent party interests in their community, including voter registration and informing voters

about elections.

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Common Questions

Is this relevant to everyone interested in running for office?
No. While some of the information in this guide may be applicable to other municipalities, it is designed to speak specifically to folks in the
borough of Swissvale, Pennsylvania and the Woodland Hills School District. A municipality is any county, city, borough, incorporated town
or township. Basically, it’s a defined political subdivision unit in Pennsylvania. Municipalities other than counties are generally located
within a county (but not always.)
Boroughs are defined, incorporated political subdivisions, and tend to be smaller than cities. Most of the 959 boroughs in Pennsylvania,
for example, have populations under 5,000, though there are exceptions (Swissvale is one of them!)
For an explainer on PA municipal structures and how they differ, check out the Resources on page 6.

Would I be compensated?
Compensation is minimal to none - the mayor and each council member are paid $2,500 per year. The tax collector receives a small
percentage commission for every bill they send out. School directors are not compensated. Judges of Elections and Majority and Minority
Inspectors of Elections, like poll-workers, are earn about $115 for their work on election day.

What if I have a criminal record?
The PA Constitution does not allow anyone with a conviction for an “infamous crime” to hold public office. This includes all felonies and
certain misdemeanors (but not all).

What kind of time commitment should I expect?
Each office will be different, but it is important to remember these offices are not intended to function as full-time jobs.
For borough council members, there are (2) meetings per month which each last 1-2 hours. Outside of those meetings, an active council
member should expect to commit approximately 5 hours per month, but each member can determine their own level of involvement.
For school directors, there are two official meetings per month which each last 2-3 hours. Additionally, there are monthly committee
meetings which school directors should plan to attend (each school director is the chair of at least one committee
and is a member of two to three), and depending on district activities and priorities, there may be additional special
topic meetings. An active school director should expect to commit approximately 10 to 15 hours per month.

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Getting on the Ballot

February 19 Preparing for the 2019 Primary
March 12 (Full elections calendar available from PA Department of State)
March 27
May 21 First day to circulate and file nomination petitions

Last day to circulate and file nomination petitions
Last day for withdrawal by candidates who filed nomination petitions

Primary Election

Step-by-Step

STEP 1: Between the dates of February 19 and March 12, collect signatures from at least 10 qualified voters who are
registered members of the political party for which nomination is sought in Swissvale - this is your nominating petition. (More than 10
signatures are recommended in the event that any are challenged.) Use the form provided by the County Board of Elections. Also, the
“circulator” (the person collecting signatures) must sign an affidavit for each page of signatures - this will be submitted along with the
petition. Nominating petitions have to be circulated by members of that political party (ex: a registered Democrat can’t collect signatures
for a candidate filing a Republican petition.)

School director candidates may cross-file, or file on both the Democratic and Republican tickets. Winning on both tickets
makes the candidate the de facto general election victor, meaning that he or she need not actively campaign after the primary
election. To appear on both tickets, a school director candidate must circulate petitions for each party separately, and the
petition circulator must be a registered member of that political party. School director candidates may collect petition signatures
from any municipality within their Region.

STEP 2: File your nominating petition with the County Board of Elections by March 12. Do not wait until the last day
to submit as nominating petitions do need to be notarized. If you were not aided by a political committee and you do not intend to
receive or expend more than $250 in a reporting period, you can file an affidavit with your nomination petition that excuses you from
filing financial reports. (You should still keep records of any expenses and contributions. You’re supposed to keep the records for three
years.) If you do intend on raising more than $250 or plan on authorizing a political committee to raise funds on your behalf, you’ll file a
Campaign Finance Report/Statement.

If you plan to run as a third party candidate (anything other than Democrat or Republican), you will submit nominating papers
instead of the nominating petition. The two forms are very similar, with a few significant differences. In 2019, the
papers must be circulated and filed between March 13 and August 1. Any voter, regardless of their political party
registration, can sign your nominating paper. Also, instead of requiring 10 signatures, third party candidates
must collect valid signatures equaling at least 2% of the largest vote cast for any candidate elected from the
same district/area.

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That’s it! You’re on the ballot. Now you have until May 21st to get people to vote for you.
Allegheny County Elections Division
County Office Building
542 Forbes Avenue, Room 604
Pittsburgh PA 15219
412-350-4500

Campaigning

Each candidate can decide for themselves how best to campaign and how much time and energy to spend between getting on the ballot
and election day. However, it is important to remember that your chance of getting elected improves with increased name recognition and,
especially if you are not already a well-known figure in your community, you may want to focus on introducing yourself to potential voters.
Common ways to do this include fliers, yard signs, knocking on doors, and participating in any “get to know the candidates” events. Make
sure your printed materials indicate who paid for them. This could refer to a PAC or other organization, but in smaller municipal elections,
it’s most commonly the candidate themselves. (Eg. Paid for by John Doe.) Social media can also be a useful tool. When you pick up your
forms to run at the County office, you will receive one voter list for Swissvale, for free. Candidates for school director can receive a copy
of voter information for all 4 municipalities in Region 2.

Especially for offices like mayor, borough council member, or school director, you may want to make a list of potential questions a voter
might ask you and your responses. If you are unfamiliar with certain issues that are important to voters, planning ahead allows you time
to do some research and speak to community members to get an understanding on why those issues are considered important.

Some candidates might find it helpful to enlist a few volunteers to help them during the campaigning process. Remember that running
for local election usually does not require a large group of volunteers, and a couple family members or friends will probably be sufficient.

Your last opportunity to increase name recognition will take place on election day, starting when polls open at 7AM and ending when they
close at 8PM. It is not permitted to campaign inside of polling places (including dropping off or handing out materials), but you can place
signs or people at the entrance of any polling place. Swissvale includes 11 districts, but most polling places serve as the voting site for 2
districts. For school directors, the entirety of Region 2 contains 20 districts, with several polling places servings as the voting site for two
districts.

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Resources

While you definitely don’t need a PhD in political science to be a local elected official, it’s possible to teach yourself about local
government and arrive in office much better prepared than the average candidate and ready to begin your term.

In addition to the links below, attending council meetings/school board meetings/committee meetings is an important way to
learn about current issues facing the office you are seeking. This is useful both for campaigning purposes and in order to be
informed if and when you take office.

Local Government Academy Explainer: Cities, boroughs, and townships, oh my! Pa.
LGA is a nonpartisan resource for members of local municipalities clarified
government. They hold a “Newly Elected Officials Course,” SLATE: I Ran for Office and Won
which has been an important resource for many people in
our area. The course is not free, but most participants will Roles + Responsibilities of Council Members and Mayors
qualify for a scholarship or discount to help cover their
course tuition. Tax Collector’s Manual

“Elective Office in Local Government” PA Constitution
Governor’s Center for Local Government Services (2015)
PA Borough Code
“General Information about Running for Public Office”
Allegheny County Elections Division (2017)

“Roles & Responsibilities of Council Members and Mayors”
Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs

“Governing Resources”
Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs

“How to Run for School Board”
Pennsylvania School Boards Association

“Election Officers” (for Judge of Elections, Inspector of
Elections, and poll-workers)
Allegheny County Elections Division

“How to Run for Committee Person” (a Philadelphia manual
used by Pittsburgh committees)
Committee of Seventy

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SCAC Local Gov Events

The local elections that take place in May (the primary) and November (the general election) 2019 will shape Swissvale, the Woodland
Hills School District, and our entire region for years to come - now is your chance to get involved! The Swissvale Community Action
Committee (SCAC) believes that we, the people of Swissvale, have the power to create positive action and changes in our community,
through work both outside and within the political arena. That’s why SCAC is presenting a series of offerings to kick off the 2019 local
government election season.
Make your voice heard - whether that means sharing your concerns and ideas, running for a local office (yes, you!),
or supporting a candidate who shares your positions on the issues that matter to you.

Community Listening Session Thursday, January 10, 2019, 7 pm - 8:30 pm
Hosted by: Pittsburgh Mennonite Church, 2018 S Braddock Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15218
Community members are invited to share their opinions and concerns on borough issues during this interactive session. Feedback from
this event will be used to relay these issues to those running for and seated in borough and school district elected positions.

How to Run for Local Office Workshop Saturday, January 26, 2019, 1 pm - 3 pm
Hosted by: Carnegie Free Library of Swissvale Community Meeting Room (Senior Center - lower level),
7350 McClure Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15218
Discover what local offices will be up for election in 2019, the roles of each, the policies and procedures and deadlines for running, and
more. Resources, such as petition paperwork and more will be provided. Whether you’re just curious about the process, or committed to
running, this workshop is for you!

Running for Local Office: Potential Candidate and Supporter Mixer
Wednesday, February 13, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Pub in the Park, 7034 Blackhawk St, Pittsburgh, PA 15218
If you’re considering running for a local office, or want to meet and support the people who are, this mixer is for you. Join us for a happy
hour (or two) to get to know one another, share your positions on issues during an interactive program, and link up with like-minded
people who could support your campaign and more.

Meet the Candidates Forum Thursday, April 18, 7 pm - 8:30 pm
Pittsburgh Mennonite Church, 2018 S Braddock Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15218
Declared candidates for local office will be invited to share their positions on issues and community members to ask
questions of the candidates during this event, just a few weeks before the primary election.

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Swissvale Districts and Polling Places 8

Swissvale Districts/Wards2017
District/Ward 1
District/Ward 2
District/Ward 3
District/Ward 4
District/Ward 5
District/Ward 6
District/Ward 7
District/Ward 8
District/Ward 9
District/Ward 10
District/Ward 11

Swissvale Polling Places
District 1
Districts 2/3
Districts 4/5
Districts 7/8/9
Districts 6/10
District 11

The first edition of the How To Run For Local Office Guide was published on 1/4/2019 and represents
factual information about local offices, how to get on the ballot, and other resources as far as we know as
of that date.

While SCAC is not an endorsing organization, we may have the ability to make connections to individuals
and organizations who do endorse and/or are willing to provide guidance and support to you and your
campaign. Email [email protected] if interested.

Swissvale Community Action Committee (SCAC) is comprised of impassioned residents of the Borough
of Swissvale. The mission of SCAC is to connect Swissvalians to create a more equitable, resilient, and
sustainable community. To learn more or get involved, visit www.swissvale.org.

©2019 Samantha Laffey/Swissvale Community Action Committee. All Rights Reserved.

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