Del Sardo Looking to Join Whitehall Council

The Baldwin-Whitehall area will see .

One of those positions is council member, of which three four-year seats will soon be open. While three Republicans are safe bets to secure their party's nominations for those Whitehall council seats, four citizens are contending on the Democratic side.

Three of those Democrats——have formed a committee and are campaigning together, while the fourth—Helen Del Sardo—is running on her own.

Recently, Del Sardo conducted an interview with the Baldwin-Whitehall Patch to answer questions about her past and her plans.

Brief Biography

Del Sardo, 57, has lived on Mooreridge Drive in Whitehall since 1996, having moved there from nearby Brentwood Borough. She was born in Boston but grew up in West Mifflin and graduated from West Mifflin Area High School-South in 1972 before earning a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Duquesne University in 1976. Del Sardo has worked for University of Pittsburgh Medical Center since 1988 and is an associate director of physician services for UPMC.

Q&A

- Baldwin-Whitehall Patch: What makes Whitehall Borough attractive to new homebuyers and businesses? What does Whitehall offer that makes it a better place to live and run a company than other municipalities?

Helen Del Sardo: I can tell you what made it attractive for (my family) as to why we wanted to move in here. I think it's a beautiful community. I think they have a lot to offer in terms of the schools, the facilities that they have here. I was very impressed with , , all of that. I think it's  a well-maintained community, and it feels like people take pride in their neighborhoods. And I think that makes it very attractive ... I think the property values are great. I think 's great. Those are the things I think that make it attractive for young families to come into a community.

- BWP: What qualifies you to be a Whitehall council member?

HD: What I believe qualifies me to be a Whitehall council member is the background that I have, my degree in political science. When I lived in Brentwood, I was a member of the planning commission there and actually had to resign from that position because we (my family) w(as) moving into Whitehall. I've always been interested in politics. I have been at UPMC for 23 years, started as a budget analyst, so I have a background in finance and operations. Prior to coming to UPMC, I was a budget analyst for the (Allegheny) County commissioners. I worked in their budget office and was responsible for preparation of the operating budget for all of Allegheny County. And from there, I went to the county controller's office. I worked for (former County Controller) Frank Lucchino, in his office, as a budget analyst, so what we did there was put together the proposed budget that would then present to commissioners for final ratification. In my current position, I manage front-desk operations for all of the physician offices throughout the physician division—all specialty doctors, all of the PCP (primary care physician) offices. I'm responsible for setting policy and procedure as well as the benchmarks that those offices need to meet in terms of revenue-cycle indicators and making sure that we're meeting our AR (accounts receivable) goals. So, I have a lot of experience in that area, which I think lends itself very well to making sure a council member understands budgeting, knows how to run operations and can be fiscally astute.

- BWP: What made you want to run for a spot on the Whitehall Council?

HD: I'll be honest with you; it's something that I've been interested in for some time. I'm a member of the Democratic committee in Whitehall, and I was actually approached, when I first became a member, to run for council, which was a little over a year ago. It wasn't something that I could do at the time. My mom was very ill at the time—actually, it'll just be a year at the end of this month that she ended up passing away—but I love politics. I feel that it's something that I was raised with, and what I have tried to instill in my son is that you give back to your community. I like being a part of that. I feel like I have things to offer to this community based on my experience as a citizen here.

- BWP: What would you make your No. 1 priority as a Whitehall council member?

HD: I think we need to really make sure that we keep Whitehall as a progressive community. It needs to be financially sound, and I think we really, really need to figure out how we work hand-in-hand with the state knowing that there are budget cuts coming. So, we really need to be aligned and working in tandem with our state legislators because I think that will affect not just Whitehall but every community across the state of Pennsylvania.

- BWP: What is the Whitehall Council currently doing that you would like it to continue to do or to stop doing? And why?

HD: One of the things that I know that they have been involved in that I think we should continue to (support) is that (Route) 51 corridor (overlay district). I think that really needs attention, and I think that they are trying very hard. It crosses through several communities—Brentwood, Whitehall—and I think we need to make that attractive for businesses to come in there. And I think that's a good thing, and I think that we need to continue to (pursue) that.

- BWP: How would affect Whitehall? Is an increase in property taxes something that you would consider? Would you support an increase?

HD: I would have to look at every option available. I know what it's like to be a homeowner. I know what it's like to have to deal with a property-tax increase. I have a child in college that we are paying college tuition (for). My parents are no longer living, but I know what it's like for them to be on a fixed income and have that happen to them. So, I think you need to look at every single alternative before you ever do that (raise taxes).

- BWP: What are your feelings on Marcellus Shale drilling in Whitehall? Allowing? Banning? Restricting? And why?

HD: I think it needs to be restricted. I am someone who is very conscious about the environment, the effect that we have on it, because we're going to pass this on to our children. And so, I think we need to be very careful about what we do with Marcellus Shale drilling.

- BWP: Should the Whitehall Council support the idea of an "overlay district" on Route 51?

HD: Yes, I believe that. (See previous responses.)

- BWP: Can Whitehall improve the way that it involves its  with the borough community?

HD: I think we need to do that. I really think we need to do that. How we do that I don't know. I've been very active with (my church). My husband and I are members of Saint Sylvester Parish (in Brentwood), and we have been since we were married. My husband actually went to school there, so he's been in that parish for well over 50 years. And one of the things that we've been involved in through Saint Sylvester's is working with different refugee families. In fact, my husband and I would go up to the , and there were families that we would go and pick up every Sunday and take to church ... One of the things that makes this country great and I believe makes every community great is the diversity that exists in that community.