Nicole Zelen

Though I came up short by 32 votes, I accomplished my goals of expanding access to township meetings & running an honest campaign that I'm proud of. I made new friends and learned a lot, so this was a winning experience. Thanks to all who offered support during my first run for office!

Yesterday was my last canvass before Election Day! Thanks to everyone who volunteered their afternoons to chat with our District 1 neighbors. It's clear we share many of the same concerns, and I'm hopeful I'll get to work on solving these problems soon. See you tomorrow at the polls! #Vote 🗳️

A deer with a blue and white speech bubble saying "VOTE" - Supervisor candidate names below read "Zelen, Payne, Schmidt, Wiegand"

West Deer Township Supervisor candidates Josh Wiegand, Nicole Zelen, Bill Payne, and Mark Schmidt

1 week til #electionday! I’m grateful for the support of these life long community servants, committed to restoring trust in local government. These guys have proven that bipartisanship isn’t just a buzzword. I’m proud of our slate & its focus on facts & what we would offer the township if elected♥️🦌

Headline reads "West Deer voters will have choices in their election for township supervisors" by Haley Daugherty with a photo of Nicole Zelen

Great @triblive.bsky.social article on the West Deer Township Supervisor candidates!

Link to read: triblive.com/local/valley...

Titled "2025 West Deer Supervisor Candidates & where to vote for them Tuesday, November 4, 2025" The image shows West Deer Township's voting map, indicating 4 districts and highlighting which Supervisor candidates will be on the ballots in each district.

A graph, indicating all 4 West Deer districts. It reads: District 1 - if your polling place is St. Victor's or VFD #1, Vote Nicole Zelen & Mark Schmidt. District 2 - if your polling place is Church of the Nazarine, Vote Bill Payne & Mark Schmidt. District 3 - if your polling place is Municipal Building or Senior Center, Vote Mark Schmidt. District 4 - if your polling place is VFD #3, Vote Josh Wiegand & Mark Schmidt.

2 weeks til #ElectionDay! Voting in West Deer Township is complicated. I've designed a few graphics to help voters from all districts easily see which Supervisor candidates deserve their votes on #November4th. If elected, these candidates plan to work on making the process much less confusing!

YouTube video by West Deer Steve West Deer Township Supervisor Election 2025 | Candidate Interview: Nicole Zelen

Thanks to West Deer Steve for hosting this series! Providing candidates an opportunity to share their platforms & reach voters in an easily accessible format is a huge win for West Deer 👍

Thank you, Concerned Residents Of West Deer 👍

Mark Schmidt for West Deer Supervisor (At Large), Lissa Geiger-Shulman for Allegheny County Council (District 3), and Nicole Zelen for West Deer Supervisor (District 1)

I had a great time knocking doors with Mark Schmidt & @lissaforallegheny.bsky.social - canvassing has taught me that talking to strangers about local government isn’t as scary as I thought it would be! After all, a stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet ♥️🦌
Edited · 8m

West Deer Township Supervisor candidates Nicole Zelen, Bill Payne, Josh Wiegand, and Mark Schmidt; Judge Matt Rudzki for the PA Court of Common Pleas; Lissa Geiger-Shulman for Allegheny County Council; and Deer Lakes School Board candidates Jonathan Majernik, Jeremy Love, Kristi Minnick, and Darlene Lutty

Great meet & greet sponsored by the West Deer Democratic Committee on Monday night! It was inspiring listening to these candidates’ visions for the future & chatting with voters about what matters to them. I also got to meet @judgerudzki.bsky.social and learn more about the Court of Common Pleas 😊

Red, white, and blue yard sign reading "Schmidt, Zelen, Payne, Wiegand - West Deer Supervisors For The Future". There is a Union bug printed in the corner of the sign.

I’m proud to be on a #bipartisan slate with #Union-printed signs! I’ve realized that party affiliation is the least interesting thing about a candidate. How they show up & collaborate, support community organizations, & plan for the future has a much greater impact. 1 month until #ElectionDay!

Looking forward to chatting with some local candidates and neighbors in a week - hope to see you there! ☕😊

Nicole Zelen, Supervisor candidate; Jonathan Majernik, School Board Director; Larry Neidig, School Board President; and Lissa Geiger-Shulman, County Council candidate - at the Deer Lakes Homecoming Parade

The Deer Lakes Homecoming Parade

I had a great weekend celebrating #DeerLakes #homecoming and chatting with school board members, teachers, parents, and neighbors! 💚💛

YouTube video by NZ4WDsupervisor Meet the Candidate - Nicole Zelen

Check out my latest YouTube video! With just 2 months until #ElectionDay, I wanted to share a bit about my background & motivations to run for Supervisor 🦌❤️

Frazer Township's building inspector and West Deer Township Supervisor Candidate, Bill Payne, stands in front of the 436 citations he posted in the Pittsburgh Mills Mall

Check out this awesome WSJ article about Frazer Township suing Namdar Realty, owner of Pittsburgh Mills. I'm so impressed by the diligence of building inspector & West Deer District 2 Supervisor candidate, Bill Payne! His 436 citations helped Frazer win $12M 🤯 Read here: www.wsj.com/real-estate/...

West Deer Township Canvass · Mobilize Knock Doors with Nicole & Lissa

Looking forward to knocking doors with @lissaforallegheny.bsky.social this coming weekend - sign up now to join us! www.mobilize.us/mobilize/eve...

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2025 - Nicole Zelen, West Deer Township, Pennsylvania Supervisor, District 1 — Jejune Magazine It is now three months away from the 2025 elections and more candidates are running for November races! Today we are profiling Nicole Zelen (she/her), a millennial who is passionate about transparent...

Thanks for the write up, @andrewfphotography.bsky.social for Jejune Magazine! 😊 Check out the full article here: www.jejunemagazine.com/home/nicole-...

Nicole Zelen paints a child's face at the West Deer Democratic Committee booth at Community Days

Nicole Zelen tossing out candy to the kids and riding in the back of the West Deer Democratic Committee truck in the Community Days parade

Mark Schmidt and Nicole Zelen waving and riding in the back of the West Deer Democratic Committee truck in the Community Days parade

Had a blast at West Deer Township Community Days this weekend - I got to ride in the parade on the West Deer Democratic Committee truck & chat with some of our youngest residents while painting faces at the booth! ❤️🦌

I hope everyone's been staying cool this summer! 😎 Fun fact about West Deer Township - we have 105 miles of roads and 0 traffic lights

We made it through the primary! It's never easy unseating an incumbent, but the results from the polls have me feeling hopeful 🤞 Looking forward to working with Concerned Residents of West Deer, @runforsomething.net and @sunrisemvmt.bsky.social in the months ahead!

I voted NZ n'at! 😆 See yinz at the polls!

Thank you for the endorsement, @runforsomething.net! I'm proud to be included in a list of 51 unapologetic, unconventional, and unstoppable candidates who are redefining what leadership looks like — starting from the ground up. 💪

directory.runforsomething.net/candidate/fc...

CROWD Primary Endorsement for West Deer Township Supervisor reads: We proudly endorse the following candidates, who exemplify CROWD’S values of transparency, fiscal responsibility, sensible protective zoning ordinances, and collaboration with residents in West Deer municipal governance - District 1: Caroline Hollibaugh (Republican), Nicole Zelen (Democrat) - District 2: Bill Payne (Republican) - District 4: Josh Wiegand (Democrat) - At Large: Mark Schmidt (Democrat)

Thank you for the endorsement, CROWD! It's so cool to see a bipartisan list of candidates sharing the same values! ❤️

My dad assembling campaign signs that read "Vote Nicole Zelen District 1 Supervisor" with the American Flag

My husband giving a thumbs up after installing my first yard sign!

#Sustainability, #upcycling, & #shoppinglocal are important to me! For my campaign signs, I chose Masonite over plastic & worked with a family-owned Pittsburgh printing business. My dad helped with assembly using recycled building materials. My husband helped with the mallet-swinging. ☺️ #grassroots

YouTube channel is Live! Check out my first campaign video: youtu.be/Ti2l4lWpO9Q?...

A map of West Deer Township's 4 new voting districts, color coded with candidates and polling locations listed per district

I edited our current voting map to make it easy for West Deer residents to see at a glance which supervisor candidates will be on their primary ballots.

Providing up to date voting information that is easy to find & interpret is one simple way to increase transparency in local government! 😊

1 week from today! This bipartisan event required candidates to complete a questionnaire, so responses can be printed and provided to attendees. Even candidates unable to attend can reach their constituents, & voters will have info to take home so they can make informed decisions at the polls.

Thank you for the endorsement @sunrisemvmt.bsky.social ❤️ I’m excited to collaborate with this grassroots organization of young people working to elect leaders who stand up for the health & wellbeing of our communities!

Last night, our Board of Supervisors agreed to implement live streaming for West Deer Township meetings! Thanks to everyone who joined me in advocating for live streaming since February - it's been humbling to see what we can do when we all come together! 😄

(2 of 2) This list shows a breakdown of what each community provides. I feel this data makes it clear that streaming & recording is a popular and simple way to increase accessibility and involvement in local government. I look forward to further discussing this at tonight's Supervisor meeting!