Scialabba stepping down: What’s next to fill her seat?
In an address Tuesday on the floor of Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Rep. Stephenie Scialabba, R-12th, announced she will resign March 31.
Scialabba was first elected in 2022 and is serving her second term, which ends in January 2027. She had announced in February she would not seek third term in office, saying she was stepping aside to care for her son.
In her address Tuesday, Scialabba thanked her staff, said goodbye to her fellow House members and talked about her young son, Teddy.
She talked about how her son has grown into a boy and how he spent time with her in the state Capitol.
“He’s been my why — why I do this,” Scialabba said.
She said politics is hardest on families and there is a chasm between representation and parenting. She said she hopes a child care center is created in the Capitol building to make working in government more family friendly.
Voting for what’s best for the district is good advice for getting elected, she said, but during her time in office she has learned to view the state as a whole.
A native of Ebensburg in Cambria County who now lives in Cranberry Township, Scialabba said she is proud of her service and will leave with a clear conscious and no regrets.
The annual Family First Initiative she has held the last three years is the highlight of the year, she said. She will host her third annual event to connect families with resources and services from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, March 26, at the Cranberry Township Municipal Center, 2525 Rochester Road, Cranberry Township.
According to the Pennsylvania Election Code, the speaker of the House shall issue a writ for a special election within 10 days after the occurrence of a vacancy. The writ will schedule the special election on a date that will occur on or before the date of the first primary, municipal or general election occurring not less than 60 days after its issuance.
The special election will be open to both parties. The winner of the special election will serve the remainder of Scialabba’s term. The already-scheduled primary and general elections will decide who will serve the full two-year term beginning in January 2027, according to House Speaker Joanna McClinton’s office.
However, there is a possibility that a special election will not be held and the seat will remain vacant until it is filled through the scheduled election. The timeline for a vacancy beginning April 1 would require a special election be held by the end of the first full week of June. The already-scheduled primary election is May 19.
The 12th District encompasses Adams, Cranberry and Jackson townships; and Callery, Evans City, Harmony, Mars, Seven Fields, Valencia and Zelienople.
Scialabba serves on the education, judiciary, and communications and technology committees and is the Republican chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Government Information Technology and Communication.
She graduated from Bishop McCort High School in 2009, received two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Pittsburgh in 2012 and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2016.
She is an attorney in the Eckert Seamans law firm, where her practice is focused on global and domestic data privacy and cybersecurity.
