Republican emerges to run against State Rep. Bud Cook in 49th District 2020 primary
No one mentioned his name in formal remarks at a well-attended gathering in a Monongahela winery, but state Rep. Bud Cook was definitely the elephant in the room as an intra-party challenger, Tony Bottino Jr., announced his candidacy for the 49th Legislative District.
Bottino, 52, of Carroll Township, president of the Monongahela Area Chamber of Commerce, has the backing of some prominent Washington County GOP members who attended his campaign kickoff at the Ripepi Winery and Vineyard.
A graduate of Mon Valley Catholic High School and Penn State University who majored in economics, Bottino is an insurance agent and financial adviser who plans to run in the April 28, 2020, Republican primary for the 49th Legislative District seat currently held by Bud Cook, 63, of West Pike Run Township.
The district covers parts of Fayette and Washington counties and Cook has not yet announced whether he will run for a third, two-year term.
The position pays a base salary of $87,180.
In a presidential primary, President Donald Trump, who garnered a tremendous amount of support in the area in 2016, may be running unopposed in Pennsylvania or face only token opposition.
Will Republicans bother to turn out for the April primary? 鈥淚 think a lot of people in the Republican Party will be watching this race,鈥� said commissioner-elect Nick Sherman of the Canonsburg area. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be interesting to see what happens. I think we are going to see a turnout and, inevitably, we are going to let the people of this district decide.鈥�
Bottino recalled growing up in a prosperous Mon Valley that later lost mills and the jobs they provided. 鈥淭he towns just weren鈥檛 what they were before,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e tried to change the attitude of the area. We got good people involved. We have an opportunity here to change the trajectory of our future, to make a difference,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he only way to do this is together. We have to bring people together, put aside partisan politics and bring people together for the common goal.鈥�
State Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-Carroll) said she tried to recruit Bottino to run for the seat as state Rep. Peter J. Daley, a Democrat, was retiring in 2016.
She credited Bottino, in large part, with what she called 鈥渁n unbelievable transformation in the past 10 years in Monongahela,鈥� a city that recently observed its 250th anniversary.
Washington County Commission chairman-elect Diana Irey Vaughan called Bottino someone 鈥渨e believe will work with all elected officials, someone who truly understands what business needs in this area, someone who has all the qualities of a great public servant.鈥�
Laura Hough, Washington County prothonotary-elect who is wrapping up her term as a West Pike Run Township supervisor, campaigned on Cook鈥檚 behalf in 2016 and was also a staffer after he was elected.
鈥淎s I got to know him better, I left his office. Let鈥檚 just say it wasn鈥檛 a pleasant experience,鈥� she said as an aside after addressing the crowd. 鈥淭here were issues in that office, but I鈥檓 not at liberty to say yet.
鈥淚鈥檓 happy someone of Tony鈥檚 caliber has stepped up. He has a wife and children, and with his charisma, he鈥檚 able to walk up to people and talk to them.鈥�
Bottino and his wife, Tara, are the parents of five children. Anthony Bottino III will be his father鈥檚 campaign manager.
Cook defeated Democrat Steve Toprani a year ago by a mere 11 votes out of nearly 20,000 cast. The incumbent lost in the Washington County part of the district 51% to 48%, but prevailed in Fayette County.
In the not-too-distant past when Washington County politics was dominated by Democrats, more than one Republican in a legislative primary race was very unusual.
In April, Cook proposed legislation to eliminate public projects funded by the local share of gambling revenue from The Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Washington County, replacing it with allocations to school districts to apply to individuals鈥� property tax relief. At last check, the proposal had no co-sponsors.
Bartolotta, who has been a member of the committee evaluating applications for the Local Share Account for the past three years, said she wanted to see the local share evaluation process from the inside.
鈥淚f we have issues (with a proposal), we discuss it,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a good system. Is it perfect? I can鈥檛 think of anything that鈥檚 absolutely perfect.鈥�