Two names familiar to city voters are on the ballot for open seats in the state House, and Dom Costa and Dan Deasy are likely to win because they face little opposition.

In the 21st District, where Rep. Lisa Bennington decided not to run for a second term, Mr. Costa, 57, of Stanton Heights, is the Democratic nominee. His opponents are Dan Mahon, 48, of Bloomfield, who is running as an independent, and Green Party candidate Jonah Yon McAllister-Erickson.

Mr. Costa spent most of his career as a Pittsburgh police officer. After being wounded during a 2002 standoff with an armed man in Homewood, he became public safety director in Penn Hills, only to return as chief after the late Bob O'Connor was elected mayor. He retired last year.

He supports expanding the reach of the state sales tax to certain nontaxable items to reduce school districts' reliance on property taxes. He favors tolling Interstate 80 to fund road and bridge work and says that large sport utility vehicles should be paying truck rates, rather than lower car rates, on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Mr. Mahon, an electrician at West Penn Hospital, said too much money is being spent on schools, he didn't look into the I-80 tolling proposal because it is off the table now and he was not familiar with the Nordenberg report to merge city and county governments. Mr. McAllister-Erickson provided no information to the newspaper.

If the Democrat wins, he will become the third Costa sitting in the Legislature, with distant relatives Paul already in the House and Jay in the Senate. The 21st District includes the city neighborhoods of Bloomfield, Garfield, Friendship, Morningside, Shadyside and Stanton Heights, plus Etna, Millvale, Sharpsburg and parts of Reserve, Ross and Shaler.

Although Dom Costa was not our pick in the primary, he wins the Post-Gazette's endorsement for Nov. 4 because he is well informed.

In the 27th District, where Tom Petrone is retiring after 28 years, the Democratic nominee is Dan Deasy, 42, of Westwood. A former Pittsburgh public works supervisor, Mr. Deasy has been a member of City Council since 2005. During an editorial board interview, he was thoughtful and knowledgeable on state issues.

He favors cutting the Legislature's expenses by 20 percent and would agree to reducing its size as long as it meant savings. Like other Democratic House candidates, he believes the prospects for tolling I-80 to raise funds for bridge and highway repair will be revisited after a change in administration in Washington and says he would have voted for the toll plan.

Frank J. Liberatore, a Reform Party candidate, has run for this seat before. The retired construction engineer, 81, from Ingram did not participate in an interview, but his information to the Post-Gazette Voter Guide said he would raise the cigarette tax and use gambling revenues to support roads and bridges. He would cut the size of the Legislature and try to provide more local police.

The district includes West End neighborhoods plus Avalon, Ben Avon, Crafton, Dormont, Emsworth, Glenfield, Ingram, Neville and parts of McKees Rocks and Stowe.

Dan Deasy clearly wants to serve and demonstrates a better grasp of issues, so he has our endorsement.