Former commissioner’s widow joins South Fayette board to ‘carry on where he left off’
There are many different reasons why people run for public office.
Some care about the community and the people they will serve, while other have a few issues they are passionate about.
Rebecca Sray decided to run for a spot on the South Fayette Board of Commissioners in 2017 to pick up where her late husband, Tom Sray, left off. Rebecca Sray, a Democrat, defeated Republican Kelly Fritz by 6 percent in the November municipal election.
“Hopefully I have the same priorities like he did and do the job how he did it,” she said. “I want to carry on where he left off.”
Tom Sray, a South Fayette commissioner for 20 years, died in January 2016 of pneumonia after being paralyzed since 1991 following a construction fall. In 2014, the township building was dedicated to him as the Thomas J. Sray Municipal Building.
“He had a good rapport with people. He was very well respected in the township,” she said. “I’m hoping that I have the same respect from people as he did.”
Sray, 59, is a lifelong South Fayette resident. After she graduated from South Fayette High School in 1976, Sray starting working at the Bridgeville Trust Company. After taking a break to be a stay-at-home mother for a few years, Sray started working at the South Fayette Municipal Authority as a clerk and has worked there as the office manager for the last 15 years.
Sray said she wasn’t interested in being a commissioner until the Democratic committee asked her to run for the open commissioner spot, which was left vacant after Jessica Cardillo moved out of the township last year.
“I’ve been around it in the political aspect of my life for a while,” she said. “I never really gave it a thought, but I just decided I can try. I have common sense, and I’ve got a good knowledge of the township being born and raised here and living here my whole life. I have a good idea of what goes on in the township.”
Sray is admittedly biased about the community, which was also a reason she wanted to be a commissioner.
“I like the school district, I like the layout of the township itself and I like the people,” she said. “A lot of the people I graduated with have stayed in the township because of the people. It’s a nice, friendly, safe neighborhood. Plus, there’s a lot of potential here. That’s what’s kept me here. I have a lot of respect for the people in the township. It’s a very nice community.”
Sray said she will be committed to serving the people who elected her and listening to what they think.
“It’s their township. You’ve got to do things that they want, within reason,” Sray said. “I want to govern the way that the people would want me to and listen to people and listen to their concerns. I’ll do my best to listen to everybody and do my best to do what’s right. I do appreciate the opportunity to do this job.”
With four experienced commissioners already on the board, Sray is happy she will be able to get to work quickly.
“I am excited to start to work. This is a really good board with smart people and a good working relationship between them,” she said. “Of course we’ll disagree on some things, but we are all there for the same reason: to make South Fayette a better township.”