3 incumbents, 2 newcomers claim Greensburg Salem School Board seats

Frank Gazze topped a field of six candidates vying for five seats on the Greensburg Salem School Board Tuesday night with 19.4% of the votes cast with all precincts reporting.

He was followed by candidates Robin Beckadic-Savage, with 17.36%; Tyler Courtney, with 17.32% ; Brian Conway, with 17%; and Kacey Byrne-Houser, with 14.5%, according to unofficial results.

Justin Aion was trailing with 13.8% of the vote.

The field was evenly split among three incumbents — dual-party nominees Beckadic-Savage, 56, of Salem, Brian Conway, 48, of Greensburg, and Frank Gazze, 68, of Greensburg — and three newcomers: Republican nominee Aion, 41, of Southwest Greensburg; Democratic nominee Byrne-Houser, 39, of Southwest Greensburg; and Tyler Courtney, 55, of Greensburg, who was nominated by voters in both parties.

Aion, a data analyst and former teacher, said he believes he could provide the school board with the perspective of an educator who has worked during the covid-19 pandemic.

Beckadic-Savage, running for a third term on the board, is the owner of ShiftRight Transmissions and a legislative aide for state Rep. Jill Cooper. She said she wants to continue providing students with the best education while updating district facilities and remaining fiscally responsible.

Byrne-Houser is an administrative assistant in the physician assistant program at Carlow University. She volunteers as court-appointed special advocate for abused and neglected children. She said the district should improve on school library staffing and provide air conditioning in more classrooms, and she said board members should increase their community outreach.

Conway, who was seeking a second term, is a solutions architect for Kofax. He said he supports a conservative approach to district finances while preparing students for post-secondary education or employment.

Courtney, who served a single term as a Westmoreland County commissioner beginning in 2012, is self-employed in financial services and a former banking executive. He said he wants to bring his experience and a commonsense approach to the board as the district is challenged with the need to update aging facilities.

Gazze, who is completing his 18th year on the board, is retired as an account executive with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Press. He has called for judicious use of district resources, efforts to reengage students following the challenges of the pandemic and increased parental involvement.