Petrosky, Banaszak announce candidacies for district judge seat
The children of two well-known Washington County figures have each announced their candidacies for the district judge’s seat being vacated by Jay Weller.
Jay Banaszak, a 45-year-old North Strabane resident, is the son of John Banaszak, a former member of the Pittsburgh Steelers and a former head coach for the Washington & Jefferson College football squad; and Dawn Petrosky, a 51-year-old East Washington resident, is the daughter of onetime Washington County commissioner Metro Petrosky.
Both will be running in the Democratic and Republican primary elections on May 21.
Banaszak has been a judicial liaison for the Greenbriar Treatment Center. He works with law-enforcement officials and advises judges on cases where treatment could be a viable option. He also deals with agencies that handle such issues as retail theft, underage drinking, bullying, anger management and domestic violence.
A graduate of Peters Township High School and St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Banaszak has a business-teaching certification from Robert Morris University. He has been a youth coach in the area, and coached women’s basketball at Point Park University and St. Francis University in Loretto.
Petrosky is a councilwoman in East Washington, and has previously worked as the press secretary for the state’s Commission on Crime and Delinquency and the Liquor Control Board. Petrosky has advised law firms, attorneys and elected officials on strategic communications, and started the FLEX Project, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that encourages women to pursue public service, specifically in the judicial realm.
District 27-3-05 covers East Washington, Strabane, Eighty Four, Pancake, Laboratory, Manifold and North Strabane and South Strabane townships.
Weller retired as a district judge Jan. 4.