Before Ryan Douglass left his first career as a professional baseball player in 2005, state Rep. Tom Petrone, D-Crafton, was helping him shift into his next career in Harrisburg. Petrone is preparing to leave office and Douglass' attempt to move from Petrone staffer to Petrone successor comes with a fight.
Douglass, 29, of Crafton is in a three-way Democratic primary race for nomination to the state House of Representatives seat in District 27, which includes Pittsburgh's western neighborhoods, Crafton, Dormont, Ingram and seven suburbs along the Ohio River.
The other contenders are Pittsburgh Councilman Dan Deasy, 41, of Westwood and John Paul Jones, 43, of Westwood, an attorney.
Deasy, who was a city Department of Public Works foreman before winning election to council in May 2005, has the endorsement of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee.
Jones worked for three years in state government before resigning to start his campaign.
The candidates have similar policy platforms, each prioritizing education funding and property tax reforms. All say they want investment in community revitalization as well.
Deasy and Jones have health care second on their agendas, saying the state needs to make it more affordable by eliminating wasteful spending.
Douglass wants to continue the services offered in Petrone's local offices, and said his primary strength is the working relationships he has in local communities and Harrisburg.
"To go there by yourself not knowing too much would be very difficult," he said. "It would be difficult to get things done in the beginning -- and with only two-year terms, you need to get things done quickly."
The candidates' backgrounds show big contrasts.
Douglass played minor league baseball for eight years before joining Petrone's staff. Deasy spent 16 years in the city's Public Works Department and is completing his first term on City Council. Both have taken courses at the University of Pittsburgh but neither received a degree.
Jones most recently worked as a legislative liaison and special assistant for the Pennsylvania Department of General Services. He said he was willing to give up that job, for a potential pay cut of about $12,000, to fill a void in leadership and coordinate redevelopment throughout the district's communities.
"Over the years, this area has gone downhill and we've had leadership that has not addressed it," Jones said. "We need someone to take care of the area, someone who's not wedded to past failures ... to bring about a renaissance."
Deasy, the only candidate who has served in an elected office, is campaigning on his three years of representing City Council District 2, which largely overlaps the legislative district. He said he helped bring in $1 million in federal grant money and helped reopen the West End police station. That has led one business, Pittsburgh Mailing, to consider moving about 300 jobs into the district, he said.
"I don't think there's anybody who has a better working relationship with officials than I do," Deasy said. "We planted the seeds to turn some neighborhoods around, and a lot of the surrounding neighborhoods can benefit from these programs."
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