Timko running for 12th District in state House
Scott Timko, a retired Air Force pilot and former local business owner from Cranberry Township, is seeking the Republican nomination to run to represent the 12th district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
The seat is up for grabs after two-term incumbent Stephenie Scialabba, R-12th, announced that she isn’t running for a third term in office.
Timko said he is running on a conservative platform based on supporting law enforcement to create safe communities, lowering taxes, reducing “red tape” that hampers businesses, promoting the use of natural gas and coal for energy and fiscal responsibility in Harrisburg.
“I’ve had a career of service. Its time to give back to the community that gave so much to me,” Timko said.
He said many people are concerned about school district property taxes, but other taxes, such as sales taxes, also impact residents and the economy.
“I want to talk about all of that,” Timko said. “The best thing for the economy is for people to keep as much of their money as possible.”
He said he supports school choice programs and cyber charter schools.
Timko said he and his wife Donna, who have lived in the township since 2000, used to own a Vocelli Pizza and J. Gumbo’s Cajun Restaurant, and he is familiar with state rules and regulations for small businesses.
The red tape is “mind numbing,” he said. Business owners spent a lot of time navigating rules, filing reports and having inspections, he said.
He said he and his wife sold both businesses. The pizza shop was profitable, but the COVID-19 business shut down imposed by then Gov. Tom Wolf “killed our restaurant,” he said.
State officials at the time told him that he could deliver food from the Cajun restaurant, but he said he couldn’t afford to hire delivery drivers. The officials then told him he could use food delivery services, such as Door Dash, but he said they take a percentage of the cost of the meal as a fee.
“That just crushes small businesses. That’s what happens when people make rules and regulations when they don’t know what their talking about,” Timko said.
He said he believes there is “massive waste in government spending” and the state government should be more fiscally responsible with tax dollars.
Pointing to the Pennsylvania Turnpike as an example, he said sections of the highway are constantly being removed and reconstructed, and tolls are expensive.
“I have a small plane. It’s almost cheaper for me to fly to Harrisburg than it is to drive on the turnpike,” Timko said.
Timko ran against Scialabba and another candidate when the 12th district position was open four years ago. He said it was a wonderful campaign, devoid of personal attacks.
He said Scialabba has done a great job in office and believes they are philosophically aligned.
He has also previously ran an unsuccessful campaign against longtime state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, who held the seat before Scialabba.
He said he grew up in Saxonburg and graduated from Knoch High School in 1983 before receiving an aeronautical engineering degree from Miami University, where he was in the Air Force ROTC. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1988 and served 12 years in active duty. He said he was decorated for his service during the Gulf War and other overseas operations. Since retiring, he said he has worked as a civilian pilot, instructor and test pilot.
“I trust voters to chose who best represent their values,” Timko said.
Also running for the Republican nomination is Ethan Nicholas, of Cranberry Township, and Mark Gardener, of Jackson Township. Brandon Dukes, of Cranberry Township, is running on the Democratic ticket.
