Ortitay hosts event to hear constituents’ concerns
State Rep. Jason Ortitay shares a laugh with Robert Mizwa.
State Rep. Jason Ortitay meets with constituents about their concerns and policy complaints.
Pensions and property taxes were subjects most on the minds of the over two dozen constituents of new state Rep. Jason Ortitay, R-South Fayette, who hosted open house sessions Monday at his two district offices in Burgettstown and South Fayette Township.
“This pension debt is the gorilla in the room, and it’s going to be angry if we let it untended for another decade like this Legislature has done,” said Robert Mizwa, 68, of Oakdale.
The retired Army major who was commissioned out of Washington & Jefferson College said he was exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam, and was called back to service in 2003 to serve in an armored division in Iraq.
“I get some benefits from the Veterans Administration, some from the state. I just wanted to make sure I’m keeping up on everything in case my health takes a turn,” he said.
Keeping up on everything is partly the mission for Ortitay in these open houses, as he enters his fourth month representing the 46th Legislative District. Some constituents didn’t get their concerns answered, but did have the representative promise to follow up with them. One of those was Bob Washington, who said he was frustrated with Act 60, which regulates seasonal unemployment. Under the law, workers who make 50.5 percent of their income in one quarter of the year are not eligible for unemployment benefits.
“I operate heavy equipment and it’s been difficult to find steady work with that field while staying loyal to a company,” the 47-year-old Morgan resident said. “But it’s nice to hear that Mr. Ortitay is ‘anti-right-to-work,’ and he doesn’t want to bust up unions.”
Others sought zoning clarifications, and still others just came by to chat and offer their support. But Carey Jelovich, a Bridgeville resident and policy wonk studied for nearly four hours, he said, so that he could dig into some issues.
“I thought it was going to be more like a town hall event … Ortitay said he’s going to do that in the future, so I hope so.”
Jelovich said he’s worried about issues like ever-increasing property taxes, public employee pensions and access to mental health care.
And others came with more nuanced and somber concerns. Pamela Gamble, a nurse who cares for elderly patients, had concerns about clarifying end-of-life health care laws so decisions dealing with comfort aren’t misconstrued as decisions to extend life.
Gamble’s father, Huck, president of Oakdale council and former state legislator, had his own issue to raise. “The Catholic schools need their own league outside the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association,” the 82-year-old said. “They get better recruitment than Pitt does. They get players from all over, even out of state. It’s not fair.”