About Tim
Sen. Tim Solobay was elected to the Pennsylvania Senate in November 2010 after serving six terms in the state House of Representatives.
A lifelong resident of Canonsburg, he earned a bachelor’s degree in management from California Coastal University in Santa Ana, Calif., and is a graduate of Washington Hospital School of Radiologic Technology.
Prior to becoming a state legislator, Solobay served as state constable in Canonsburg from 1982 to 1998. He worked as a radiographer at Canonsburg Hospital, and was the CAT and MRI department supervisor at Washington Hospital.
In the House, Solobay was vice chairman of the Southwest Democratic Caucus, which was formed to concentrate on issues important to residents of Washington and surrounding counties, and find ways to spur economic growth in the region. He was also the House Democratic member of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Advisory Board, which deals with the safety and security of residents in the face of natural or manmade emergencies.
Elected to the Senate in 2010, Solobay has continued his focus on the region’s economy as the expansion of natural gas extraction presented both opportunity and challenges.
He has brought together local business officials and key members of the legislature to strike a balance between economic expansion and regulatory concerns.
Continuing his experience in emergency management, Solobay was appointed Democratic chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee and as the Senate’s appointee to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. He is also a member of the Pennsylvania Mining and Reclamation Advisory Board and the Adult Basic and Literacy Education Inter-agency Coordinating Committee
In 2012, Solobay was appointed to the Senate Appropriations Committee along with the
Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee and the Transportation Committee.
Active in his community, Solobay has been a member of the Canonsburg Volunteer Fire Department since 1978, served as chief for four years, and is currently assistant chief. One project he is particularly proud of is being the initial chairman of Washington County’s “Children’s Fire Safety House” project.
Solobay serves on many local boards, including the Community Action Southwest Board, the, Western Career and Technology Center Board, Mon Valley Career and Technology Center Board, Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta Board; Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame Washington/Greene Chapter Advisory Board, Southwestern Pennsylvania Area Agency on Aging Board, and the California University of Pennsylvania Social Work Board of Advisors.
Additionally, he has been an emergency medical technician and an instructor for the EMT program. He continues to teach CPR and automatic external defibrillator (AED) for the American Heart Association.
Solobay is a member of Canonsburg’s United Presbyterian Church, where he has served as a deacon and elder. He is involved in the local Masonic orders and has received his 33rd degree. He is married to Karen Hoholak Solobay, who is the director of nursing at TriState Surgery Center in Washington. They have a son, Justin, who is married to former Michelle Gostic; a daughter, Kristen, who is married to Jason Urso; and two granddaughters, Ava Jane and Sarah Elizabeth.
