Sen. Solobay was born and raised in southwestern Pennsylvania, and remembers the days when a teenager could get a job in a mill, raise a family and retire. And he remember the days after the steel mills closed, crippling our communities and forcing our young people to leave the area to find work.
"My community service was forged by those changes and is driven by the insistence that we must learn from the past. Energy exploration has given this region a new chance at prosperity and long-term economic stability."
Bipartisan Cooperation is Key
Senator Solobay knows that to ensure job growth and environmental health, balance is required. "Putting politics aside and crossing party lines to encourage industry, while at the same time protecting our precious natural resources is the best strategy to make sure that we make this opportunity last into future generations. I stood with Gov. Corbett to help create a plan that would attract Shell Energy to Beaver County, but I opposed the governor's cuts to education and job training programs."
Experience is Vital
More than 30 years of volunteer community service and participation in thousands of community meetings and events has helped Sen. Solobay create a network of dedicated local officials, volunteers and community activists.
With state budgets strained, these partnerships have been critical at applying for and receiving millions of dollars in state investments for job creation in our region.
"The most important projects are the ones that restore closed-down steel mills and industrial sites into modern manufacturing complexes with updated infrastructure. These projects, like Alta Vista and Starpointe, improve the environment and attract employers."