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Dan Grzybek

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Dan Grzybek
Image of Dan Grzybek
Allegheny County Council District 5
Tenure

2024 - Present

Term ends

2028

Years in position

1

Predecessor
Prior offices
Bethel Park School District, At-large

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 7, 2023

Education

Bachelor's

University of Pittsburgh, 2017

Graduate

Purdue University, 2023

Personal
Birthplace
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Religion
Atheist
Profession
Engineer
Contact

Dan Grzybek (Democratic Party) is a member of the Allegheny County Council in Pennsylvania, representing District 5. He assumed office on January 2, 2024. His current term ends on January 3, 2028.

Grzybek (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Allegheny County Council to represent District 5 in Pennsylvania. He won in the general election on November 7, 2023.

Grzybek completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Dan Grzybek was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from the University of Pittsburgh in 2017 and a master's degree in interdisciplinary engineering from Purdue University in 2023. His career experience includes working as an advanced engineer at Naval Nuclear Laboratory and utilities operations manager at US Steel Clairton.[1][2]

Elections

2023

See also: Municipal elections in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (2023)

General election

General election for Allegheny County Council District 5

Dan Grzybek defeated Mike Embrescia in the general election for Allegheny County Council District 5 on November 7, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Dan Grzybek
Dan Grzybek (D) Candidate Connection
 
57.1
 
20,674
Mike Embrescia (R)
 
42.8
 
15,475
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
27

Total votes: 36,176
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Allegheny County Council District 5

Dan Grzybek advanced from the Democratic primary for Allegheny County Council District 5 on May 16, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Dan Grzybek
Dan Grzybek Candidate Connection
 
98.9
 
12,788
 Other/Write-in votes
 
1.1
 
136

Total votes: 12,924
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Allegheny County Council District 5

Mike Embrescia advanced from the Republican primary for Allegheny County Council District 5 on May 16, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
Mike Embrescia
 
98.5
 
5,637
 Other/Write-in votes
 
1.5
 
83

Total votes: 5,720
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Endorsements

Grzybek received the following endorsements.

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Dan Grzybek completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Grzybek's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I am a lifelong resident of Allegheny County: having grown up in Hampton Township before attending college at the University of Pittsburgh where I majored in Chemical Engineering. Shortly after graduating from Pitt, my wife Cassie and I moved to Bethel Park where we live with their two rescue dogs. In addition to my Bachelors Degree, I am finishing up my Masters Degree in Engineering from Purdue University. I currently work as an Engineer on Nuclear Reactor Safety Systems for Naval Aircraft Carriers.

Over the past 5 years I have been heavily involved with the Bethel Park Democratic Committee, leading to my recent election as Vice Chair. In addition to this position, I was elected in 2020 as a member of the Bethel Park School Board, earning the most votes of the seven candidates who ran. On the board, I serve as the Finance Committee Chair, as well as a Board Representative for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

In addition to being a School Director, I have also volunteered as a Youth Mentor at the South Hills Interfaith Movement, serve as a judge for PA Junior Academy of Science competitions, teach students how to build underwater ROVs through the Navy’s Seaperch program, and filled in as an Emergency Substitute Teacher in Bethel Park during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Western PA has the 14th worst air quality in the country as it pertains to particulate matter, and Allegheny County is in the top 1% of counties for risk of cancer from industrial pollution. I'm committed to holding our worst polluters accountable to their Title V and Article XI air pollution limits to prevent them from continually sacrificing our health for profits.
  • Allegheny County has lost 50,000 jobs in the last 5 years, more than any other county in PA. I believe that, thanks to federal programs like the Inflation Reduction Act, CHIPS Act, and Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, we currently have a unique opportunity to bring good jobs to Allegheny County in areas like renewable energy and clean technology. County Council can incentivize such companies to come to Allegheny County through expanding our skilled workforce by increasing funding to jobs program and institutions like CCAC, whose West Hills Center has a fantastic career and technical education program.
  • The Allegheny County Jail has a death rate that is over twice the already far too high national average. Incarcerated individuals (~80% of which have not been convicted of a crime) do not receive vital medicine like insulin in a timely manner, are without heat when its freezing out, and are not receiving adequate nutrition. We are also wasting taxpayer dollars being embroiled in lawsuits and not appropriately enforcing our contracts. If elected, I will work to reform the ACJ.
1. Environment with a focus on air quality and climate change

2. Good, sustainable job growth
3. Social programs (housing, transportation, mental health services)
4. Civil rights - specifically LGBTQ+ rights, voting rights, reproductive rights, and criminal legal system reform
5. Worker/Union rights

6. Campaign finance reform
Above all, I think it's crucial for an elected official to constantly be accessible and transparent with their constituents. This is something that I've practiced during my time as a Bethel Park School Director and something I will continue on County Council. I believe an elected official must also utilize evidence-based decision making, exhibit a strong work ethic, lead with integrity, and collaborate with both fellow electeds and the community at large.
As I previously mentioned, I am very accessible to members of the Bethel Park community as a member of our School Board. I also am very effective in both written and oral communication: regularly posting summaries of our board meetings so that the public is able to stay up to date even if they don't have the time to watch meetings.

Additionally, I pride myself in having a data-centered decision process. Obviously this is crucial in my career as an Engineer on Nuclear Reactor Safety Systems. However, it has also proven invaluable in making decisions as a School Director.

Finally, I am extremely driven. I've managed to run this campaign while being promoted at my full-time job, effectively serving as a School Director, obtaining my Masters Degree in Engineering with highest honors, and participating in training to become a volunteer firefighter.
- Make the voices of those they represent heard.

- Draft legislation to improve the lives of those in Allegheny County.
- Research each vote thoroughly before making a decision.
- Analyze the yearly budget completely to ensure funds are being spent most effectively.
- Serve as a check on the County Executive.

- Communicate with constituents so they are aware of what is occurring on County Council and so they know what resources are available to them from the county.
I'd like to leave County Council with a legacy of helping make life easier for every day, working families in Allegheny County. I want my legacy to be one of fighting for safer air quality; family-sustaining jobs; more accessible and abundant transportation options; and a more fair and equitable real estate tax system.
My first job was as an umpire when I was 13. I stuck with it for about 10 years, umping levels from coach's pitch all the way to adult leagues. Being an ump taught me how to navigate and diffuse conflict, remain impartial, and stay composed during stressful situations.
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond

I really enjoy reading books that I can learn something from, but often the material ends up being too dry and dense to keep my attention. Eviction follows several families struggling to pay rent during the 2007-2008 financial crisis and expertly weaves storytelling into a discussion about poverty, housing insecurity, and economic inequality. Desmond is a Princeton sociologist who is able to combine the narratives of the families covered with evidence-based solutions to housing insecurity.
During high school into college I suffered significantly with depression. It's something that, at the time, I really didn't know how to talk about. Thankfully, I've really improved my mental health in recent years and am fully comfortable discussing it now. I've utilized that perspective to advocate for additional mental health services in the Bethel Park School District. I'm proud to say that we've doubled the number of social workers in the district and added a TEAMS (Therapeutic, Emotional, Avoidance, Monitoring, and Support) room where students can go during the school day if they're struggling with their mental health. I look forward to keeping this same focus on mental health as a member of County Council.
Allegheny County Democratic Committee, Sierra Club, Vote Pro Choice, Young Democrats of Allegheny County, Steel City Stonewall Democrats, PA Working Families Party, Food & Water Action, UNITE, Sunrise Movement PGH, 3.14 Action, Run for Something, Progressive Change Campaign Committee

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 10, 2023
  2. Ballotpedia staff, "Email communication with Dan Grzybek," August 24, 2023