State Sen. Pittman hopes to tap into potential of Alle-Kiski Valley

Northwestern Westmoreland County might be fairly new territory for state Sen. Joe Pittman, but the Senate majority leader from Indiana County said it was easy to recognize the area’s potential when he began representing it after Pennsylvania’s latest redistricting.

“The opportunities here are for the taking,” said Pittman, R-White Township.

A longtime chief of staff for Sen. Don White, Pittman won a special election to the state Senate in 2019. A lifelong Indiana County resident, he is serving his first full term in the state Senate. He was elected as its majority leader in 2022.

He ran unopposed this fall to earn a second full term and retained his position as majority leader.

“I do have an opportunity to have a seat at the table on all big issues that come before us in Harrisburg,” Pittman said.

Pittman balances collaboration between his colleagues who elected him as majority leader and their needs with those of the constituents who elected him.

Following a redistricting in 2022, Pennsylvania’s 41st Senate District has included portions of the Alle-Kiski Valley, including Lower Burrell, New Kensington, Arnold and Allegheny Township. In addition to locations in Kittanning and Indiana, Pittman also operates an office at 2400 Leechburg Road, Suite 102, in New Kensington.

While the district stretches four counties — all of Armstrong and Indiana and parts of Jefferson and Westmoreland — common issues go beyond county or river boundaries.

Among his focuses in the A-K Valley are improving water, sewer and highway infrastructure. He said continuing relationships with local leaders is integral in collaborating on and understanding priorities in the area. That can give him a better grasp to advocate for funding locally during trips to Harrisburg.

Those types of projects are tough to fund solely on a local level because the costs often exceed what a municipality can budget for without overburdening residents with tax or rate increases, Lower Burrell Mayor Chris Fabry said.

“Working with representatives on the state level helps us tackle these projects in a much faster and more affordable manner,” Fabry said. “Support from Sen. Pittman and our state representatives has made a huge difference in our city with multiple grants awarded to Lower Burrell due to their help.”

In the Alle-Kiski Valley, Pittman is excited for the opportunities at places such as Rebuild in New Kensington and the Westmoreland Technical Park in Upper Burrell. Improvements to Route 28 better connected the region, Pittman said, and “the Allegheny River is an underutilized asset.”

Pittman said technical or vocational skills are in high demand, and he will work to encourage opportunities for young people to learn about them and also establish opportunities for them to work in those fields locally to stay in the region.

“I’m hopeful that this generation recognizes these opportunities, and (we) engage them to remain in the region,” Pittman said.

Having family-sustaining jobs available — and making sure the younger generation is aware of those opportunities — could combat population decline in the area and improve the quality of life for residents. Decreases in population have led to issues such as blight, services closing and higher taxation.

“I’m hoping the new economic opportunities that exist turn that tide,” he said.

Statewide, Pittman predicts transportation infrastructure to be a big topic of discussion in 2025. Gov. Josh Shapiro highlighted concerns with transit in the Philadelphia region, but Pittman notes that rural communities don’t have access to transit as much as urban areas.

“Transit conversations don’t mean the same thing to everybody in different areas of the commonwealth,” he said.

He said he works well with state Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, and state Reps. Jill Cooper, R-Murrysville, and Abby Major, R-Ford City, whose districts also cover portions of the Alle-Kiski Valley.

“Our offices work with each other all the time and try to deliver what we can to the people of this area,” Pittman said.

With a divided Pennsylvania government (Republicans control the Senate, while Democrats control the House and governor’s mansion), a little bit of give-and-take and compromise is required for bills to be successful in Harrisburg, Pittman said.

“I always say, a divided government is not dysfunctional government,” Pittman said.