Mary Jo Wise

Mary Jo Wise

Republican Party

Candidate, Allegheny County Council District 1

Elections and appointments

Next election

November 4, 2025

Personal

Birthplace

Greensburg, Pa.

Religion

Catholic

Profession

Administrative assistant

Contact

Campaign website

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Mary Jo Wise (Republican Party) is running for election to the Allegheny County Council to represent District 1 in Pennsylvania. She is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025. She advanced from the Republican primary on May 20, 2025.

Wise completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Mary Jo Wise was born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Her career experience includes working as an administrative assistant.

Elections

2025

See also: Municipal elections in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (2025)

General election

General election for Allegheny County Council District 1

Kathleen Madonna-Emmerling and Mary Jo Wise are running in the general election for Allegheny County Council District 1 on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
		Kathleen Madonna-Emmerling (D)
		Mary Jo Wise (R)

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Allegheny County Council District 1

Kathleen Madonna-Emmerling defeated Carl Villella in the Democratic primary for Allegheny County Council District 1 on May 20, 2025.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kathleen Madonna-Emmerling	76.2	7,464
		Carl Villella	23.4	2,293
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	41

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,798
= 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 1

Mary Jo Wise advanced from the Republican primary for Allegheny County Council District 1 on May 20, 2025.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mary Jo Wise	97.7	4,304
		Other/Write-in votes	2.3	100

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,404
= 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.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Mary Jo Wise completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Wise's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Mary Jo is a native of southwest, PA graduating from Greensburg-Salem High School. She went on to attend Clarion University of Pennsylvania, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Library Science. Mary Jo and her late husband of 26 years, Joseph Wise, lived in the DC area for 12 years. It was there that she found her love for government and public service and worked as a government contractor for both the federal and local government for a small private marketing and advertising firm. Mary Jo and Joe returned to Allegheny County in 2006. They made Moon Township their home. Mary Jo spent ten years as a stay-at-home mom, raising their son Christian. During that time, she volunteered at her church as an officer of Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) and later volunteered as the President of the Home School Association for her son’s elementary school. Upon returning to the workforce, Mary Jo decided to work in philanthropy. She now supports the President and CEO as an executive assistant at a local nonprofit. Mary Jo is the daughter of the late Josephine Hague and J. Kirk Hague. Both parents had careers in public education. Mary Jo’s father-in-law, the late Jack Wise, had an enormous impact on her love for public service as Jack had a successful career in local government first as a member of the Moon Township Board of Supervisors, a candidate for the Pennsylvania state legislature, and later chairman of the Redevelop

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Throughout Mary Jo’s tenure as a sitting Moon Township Supervisor, Mary Jo has worked extremely hard to provide constituents with local government leadership that is sensitive and responsive to their needs. Just as Mary Jo hears Moon residents currently, Mary Jo will listen to the needs of Allegheny County residents.
• Advocate for lowering taxes.
• Focus on solutions to local problems.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Government Operations, Education, Criminal Justice, Public Safety, Economic Affairs and Development, Employment/Jobs, Health Care.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Though not written as a political novel I would suggest Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin - as it addresses the theme of classism and sexism along with the lesson of not judging too quickly.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Resoluteness, empathy, accountability, reasonableness, fortitude, humbleness.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Resoluteness, empathy, accountability, reasonableness, fortitude, humbleness.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

- Approving and amending legislation submitted by either the County Executive or a Council member.

- Annually adopting a balanced county budget.

- Permitting use of county land.

- Levying taxes and fees.

- Confirming or rejecting appointments for county agencies and authorities.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I've lived through quite a few historical events. The first that I recall having a great impact was 9/11 as my late husband I were living in the DC Metro area. I was in my early 30s.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was in retail management. I held the job for over 10 years.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I am a widow. From the tragedy I have become more empathetic and more resolved.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes, insofar as understanding the operations and processes of policy-making at the governmental level. However, I would not discourage anyone with a passion for public service and an interest in how government impacts their daily lives to not run for office, regardless of their experience.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Full understanding of the public policy-making process, along with the ability to resolve issues and problems, and provide options and solutions involving a wide variety of people, places, and ideas.

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.

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Allegheny County Council District 1

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