Mar 7, 2023 3 min read

Sandy Sabot of North Franklin Township announced her intention to seek the Democratic nomination for Washington County prothonotary.

“Dignity, Respect, Integrity, Values, and Excellence (DRIVE) is what I will bring back to the Washington County Prothonotary’s office,” Sabot said in her announcement.

A retired 19-year county employee from Child Care Information Services, Sabot decided to run for the position because she was “tired of reading about the lack of respect and integrity in the county’s row offices.

“So I decided to step up and work to make the county government better,” she said. “Whether someone is Democrat, Republican or independent doesn’t matter. All elected officials are to work together to get things done for the people they serve.”

Sabot was elected to the Washington County Democratic Committee for her North Franklin-2 precinct in 2018 and is serving in her second term. She also served on the Pennsylvania State Democratic Committee from 2018 to 2022. She is proud to have marched in the first Women’s March in January 2017 in Washington, D.C.

Sabot’s overall communications experience will be vital in the prothonotary’s office, where civil court issues are addressed. Her first position, after graduating from Point Park University with a B.A. in journalism and communications, was as a legal proofreader for Eckert, Seamans, Cherin and Mellott in Pittsburgh for six years.

She moved to Washington in October 1985 when she married Bob Sabot. In 1990, the Sabots moved to North Franklin where her husband is chairman of the township’s board of supervisors. The Sabots became parents in 1996 with the adoption of their son.

Sabot took her communications’ skills to work with Transitional Employment Consultants (TEC), assisting clients with disabilities in finding employment. Later she matched volunteers with agencies while serving as the United Way’s Volunteer Resource Center Director, and then at the county where she worked in Resource and Referral/case management with CCIS.

“I worked with parents needing information about local services and subsidies for child care,” she said.

She freelanced in news and features for the Observer-Reporter for more than 30 years. She also wrote a column about Washington County nonprofit services and programs for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Sabot did news reporting on WJPA radio, and hosted radio talks shows about community services and county programs for 15 years.

She joined Fourth Presbyterian Church in June 1986 and later taught Sunday School for 20 years. Sabot sings in the choir, is a member of the Ladies Aid, and serves as her church’s Clerk of Session. She is a member of the board of Resurrection Power, a nonprofit agency that operates four recovery homes for those dealing with addiction. Past board service includes the Mental Health Association, the League of Women Voters, the Greater Washington County Food Bank, and the Washington Symphony Orchestra.

Sabot also worked part time for about eight years for the Washington Symphony handling publicity, and for the past six years working part time in public relations for the Washington School District.