Though the legislative pay raise approved in the middle of the night in July 2005 has been rescinded, the issue looms large in the race for state representative in the 27th District, where a political newcomer is challenging a 13-term incumbent.

William Ogden, 45, a Republican from Crafton who won a borough council seat in November, said he was asked shortly after he beat the incumbent council president to consider a run against state Rep. Thomas Petrone, 69, a Democrat from Crafton Heights who was elected in 1980.

Mr. Ogden has been a personal trainer since 1992 and owner of Bill Ogden's Weight Room. He is a former Army police officer who has a degree from Carlynton High School and has earned some credits at Community College of Allegheny County.

Mr. Petrone is a veteran who graduated from the former Crafton High School. He said he received a theater arts scholarship to Carnegie Mellon University, but instead of finishing college, he enlisted in the Navy.

Mr. Ogden said people in the district were upset with the manner in which Mr. Petrone voted for and accepted the pay raise.

"I have no problem with an employee asking for a pay raise," Mr. Ogden said. "But why it was done in the middle of the night when we were all asleep is what I have a problem with."

Mr. Petrone has said he argued against the pay raise behind closed doors before it passed, then voted for it and donated most of the money he got to the families of two servicemen who were killed in Iraq. He later voted to rescind it and is now paying back what he received in installments.

During a meeting with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial board, Mr. Petrone said voting in favor of the pay raise "was wrong."

Mr. Ogden said he would like to see property taxes reduced. He said the high number of sheriff's sales in the area proved that a new taxation system to support schools and municipalities has to be established.

He would eliminate school property taxes and make up for it with gambling revenues and small increases in the state sales tax, expanded to food and clothing, and income taxes. Senior citizens would get a sales tax break.

Mr. Petrone said he had been working on the issue in the Legislature and that increases would be needed in the sales and income taxes. If the sales tax is expanded to other items, he said, he would lower the rate.

Mr. Ogden said he hoped to be a more responsive legislator than the incumbent and "give the people more of a voice."

Mr. Petrone said he had a solid record of serving constituents and estimated he had brought in "millions of dollars in state funding" during his 26 years in office.

Recently, he said, he and a colleague were able to get a request for $2 million to repair the Dormont swimming pool into the state budget.

"I have worked hard and represented my district with dedication and perspiration for all these years. I think I have kept my commitments to constituents," Mr. Petrone said.

Mr. Petrone is minority chairman of the House Urban Affairs Committee and, during his tenure with the committee, he helped pass legislation that created the county's Regional Asset District and the state's Keystone Opportunity Zone program. He boasts of his support for projects such as the Pittsburgh International Airport, the new David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Heinz Field, PNC Park and the renovation of the Fort Pitt Bridge and Tunnel.

Mr. Petrone said another issue he is involved with was the landslide on Ohio River Boulevard, which was the result of earth-moving work in preparation for the construction of a Wal-Mart.

Both candidates are concerned about blight in the district.

Mr. Ogden said he would work to clean up areas where property is owned by what he called "slum landlords."

"They need to be held accountable and they need to keep things up to code," he said.

To that end, Mr. Petrone said, he sponsored legislation that would allow the immediate towing of any vehicle with a registration or inspection sticker that's been expired for more than 90 days. The bill also would require any report of an abandoned vehicle to be investigated within five days and, if found to be in violation, removed within 10 days.

The bill was approved by the House in June, but the Senate hasn't acted on it.

Both men said they favored term limits for legislators and reducing the size of the Legislature.

Mr. Ogden said 12 years should be the limit on legislative terms and that the Legislature should be cut by 30 percent from its size of 50 senators and 203 representatives.

Mr. Petrone said he believed term limits should be set during a constitutional convention. He said the Legislature could be cut in half.

During the meeting with the editorial board, Mr. Petrone said he supported a woman's right to choose abortion and would vote against any law to make that illegal. Mr. Ogden said he was against abortion and would vote to make it illegal with the only exception being to save the life of the mother.

On a statewide ban on smoking in public places, Mr. Petrone said he would vote in favor and Mr. Ogden said he would support only a ban that provided grandfather clauses for some businesses.

Mr. Petrone said the Legislature should provide additional appropriations for the financially troubled city of Pittsburgh and that he was a firm supporter of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl. Mr. Ogden said he would support only helping to clean up blighted areas of the city.

The 27th District includes neighborhoods in Pittsburgh's West End, Avalon, Ben Avon, Crafton, Dormont, Emsworth, Glenfield, Ingram, Neville and parts of McKees Rocks and Stowe.