State Rep. Nick Kotik, D-Coraopolis, formally announced Monday what had been an open secret since last year: He will not seek re-election in House District 45. On the same day, his legislative aide, Anita Astorino Kulik, announced her bid to replace him, with Mr. Kotik’s blessing and that of other party leaders.
“I’ve had my fun for 14 years,” said Mr. Kotik, a Democrat who took office in 2003. And while he said he was proud of supporting redevelopment efforts in communities including McKees Rocks and Carnegie, “I got kind of tired because of the scene up here. We have parties of two extremes. I consider myself a centrist, someone who tries to build consensus.”
As a more conservative “Blue Dog” Democrat, Mr. Kotik has sometimes flummoxed governors of his own party. In October, for example, he joined with other more conservative Western Pennsylvania Democrats who opposed Gov. Tom Wolf’s tax-hike proposals.
“As much as I like the governor, his agenda would be more doable if there were a party split of about five votes in the House,” Mr. Kotik said. But Republicans have an edge of more than 30 seats, which Mr. Kotik said made proposed budget priorities “a steep climb.”
Ms. Kulik “is very smart, very good on the issues,” he said. “And she’s female, which we have a dearth of in the Legislature. She’ll be an independent voice, which is what the district wants.”
In addition to serving as Mr. Kotik’s legislative assistant, Ms. Kulik, an attorney, is a township commissioner in Kennedy. Her campaign is co-chaired by Allegheny County Treasurer John Weinstein; state Sen. Wayne Fontana, D-Brookline; and county Councilman Mike Finnerty, according to a statement her campaign issued today.
The 45th District covers areas west of Pittsburgh, including Scott, Carnegie, Neville, Coraopolis, McKees Rocks, Robinson and
Emsworth.
In her own statement, Ms. Kulik pledged: “As the child of two teachers, I will fight to make sure our schools are funded properly and that our seniors have the services they need.”
Chris Potter: cpotter@post-gazette.com.
First Published: January 12, 2016, 5:00 a.m.
