A former state representative is returning to Elk County and the local politics that helped launch his career with a school board bid to be decided in the Nov. 3 general election.  

Dan Surra, former Democratic state representative for the 75th Legislative District encompassing Elk County and part of Clearfield County, is looking to retake a seat on the St. Marys Area School Board representing down-county portions of the district, including Jay Township and Benezette.

Surra, a Kersey native and former school teacher, held the same school board seat in the mid-to-late 1980’s, prior to being elected to the state House in 1990, a post he held through 2008.

His stint in the state capital included time spent on a House Education Committee, he said, adding that his motivation for running now is rooted in his desire to “get involved again.”  

Surra is running against two other candidates — Kathy Blake, a Democrat/Republican, and Jerry Zimmerman, a Republican — for two open seats on the board.

Asked if he thinks his association with state government, and all the dysfunction the public associates with it, will help or hurt him come Election Day, Surra said he’s more likely to be a fresh face for many hitting the polls.

“People don’t focus on politics,” he said. “The average person is worried about getting their kids on the school bus. And that’s not necessarily a good thing, but it is a reality.”

As for the responses to his candidacy, announced prior to the May primary, Surra said they’ve ranged from “You’d be great” to “You must be crazy.”  

Calls to Kathy Blake and Jerry Zimmerman were unsuccessful on Wednesday.