State representative not seeking re-election
State Rep. John Maher, R-Upper St. Clair, has announced that he will not seek re-election.
He has served the 40th District – which takes in Upper St. Clair, Peters Township and six wards of Bethel Park – since 1997, when he was elected to fill the term of the late Albert Pettit.
“Serving my neighbors has been the greatest honor of my life,” Maher stated in a press release.
“While I have no known opposition for re-election,” he said about this year’s race, “and this decision was very difficult, I wanted to make an announcement in time for credible candidates to emerge for the open seat. It is simply time for me to get on with my life’s work,” Maher explained.
As an initial step in that direction, Maher has accepted an appointment as a fellow at Cambridge University in England and looks forward to other private-sector opportunities as a certified public accountant.
As a legislator, Maher said that his primary focus has been on “enduring changes that will benefit Pennsylvania long after my service has ended.” He championed the first advances in 50 years in Pennsylvania’s right-to-know law and subsequently was awarded the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association’s Bill Northrop Award, named after the retired Observer Publishing Co. executive, for distinguished work supporting freedom of information.
Maher also authored legislation that set new ethical standards for lobbyists. He was the Republican nominee for state auditor general in 2012.
Maher was charged in July with driving under the influence of alcohol following a June 13 traffic stop in the Harrisburg suburb of East Pennsboro Township. He was admitted to the accelerated rehabilitative disposition program in Cumberland County for first-time offenders.