Leland, Howard vie for 167th seat

MALVERN » As November nears, the 167th Legislative District race in the Pennsylvania House of Representative brings two women vieing for the opportunity to represent their communities and regions.

Republican challenger Wendy Graham Leland is vying against freshman incumbent state Rep. Kristine Howard, a Democrat, on Election Day, Nov. 3, to win the 2020 race for the 167th Legislative District seat of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Both women are based in Chester County. Howard resides in Malvern and Leland lives in Charlestown.

“Voters should know who they are voting for as their representative, and not merely vote along party lines,” Leland said.

Leland is a veteran of the United States Army. She retired with the rank of Colonel. A native Pennsylvanian, Leland has called Charlestown Township home for the last 24 years. There, for six years, she served as the Judge of Elections where, Leland said, “I consistently urged voters to vote according to principle, not politics.”

“I believe that my neighbors in the 167th District deserve a representative who listens to them and who is a Channel of Communication to and from Harrisburg,” Leland said. She grew up in Butler.

This past spring on June 2, Howard defended her seat in the Democratic Party primary, defeating challenger Ginny Kerslake, a West Whiteland resident. Howard raised seven children in Malvern.

Howard won the 167th District seat in 2018 after defeating six-term Republican incumbent Rep. Duane Milne, a race she described as won “on a $15,000 budget supplemented by 14,000 doors knocked.”

“What has inspired me most may seem a bit counter-intuitive to some,” said Howard regarding her tenure thus far as a state representative for the 167th District. “The reality that the Republican majority in Harrisburg is fully and obediently under the control of right-wing ideologues who stand in the way of passing any meaningful legislation that could truly help improve the lives of Pennsylvania families, fires me up.”

Howard added, “We can’t even get votes on legislation that would increase the minimum wage, guarantee paid family leave to workers, enact common sense gun reforms, provide hazard pay to essential workers.”

“I believe in respectful political discourse,” Howard stated. “The unhinged rhetoric on social media from both the right and the left is not conducive to an environment fostering

the free exchange of ideas without prejudice or furthering the assumption of good faith.”

Leland enlisted in the U.S. Army when she was a high school 17-year-old student. She served for 32 years, retiring as a colonel in 2012.

“Service to my community has always been how I have led my life,” Leland said. “As the daughter of volunteer firefighters growing up, I witnessed my mom and dad serve our community. And as anyone who has ever been involved with a volunteer organization knows, it’s most often a family affair.”

While serving in the military, Leland commanded at every level and earned the Legion of Merit for her 32 years of service to America. “My husband is a retired Lieutenant Colonel combat veteran, and now our second daughter has picked up the torch and serves in Alaska as an active duty paratrooper,” she said, adding that her brother joined the Army in the mid-1980s and now a Two-Star General serving as the Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Washington, D.C. She added that her sister-in-law is a retired Army Captain.

“I know how to fight for the things that I believe in because I have spent my life in a proud family serving our nation,” Leland said. Leland is inspired to win. “If I am elected to be your representative for West Pikeland, Charlestown, West Whiteland, East Whiteland, Malvern Borough, Willistown, and Easttown, I pledge to you that I will never shutter my office doors. I will never fail to show up in Harrisburg for crucial votes and committee meetings, and I will never neglect to respond to phone calls, emails, or requests for assistance,” she said.

“If I am elected to be your representative, I will be one that all can be proud of,” Leland said, “one who listens with respect, collaborates with others because I am not a polarizing individual, and who will be a true channel of communication both to and from Harrisburg.”

Howard is also looking to win.

“I am inspired to win reelection, flip the House majority and begin building consensus on legislation and reforms that work for all Pennsylvanians,” Howard said.

If re-elected to a second term, Howard said her top three short-term goals would be to increase funding for foster families; provide hazard pay to essential workers; and reform the juvenile justice system.

“All of the goals can be accomplished by the end of 2021 if we can elect a majority that works in Harrisburg,” she said.

Leland also shared ideas on her top three goals if elected to serve Pennsylvanians as state representative for the 167th District.

“Prior to the global COVID-19 pandemic, my priority was focused on our infrastructure; bridges, roads, public works, utilities, transportation. All are in need of serious attention here in southeast Pennsylvania. And this has not changed. Our roads and bridges continue to need maintenance and repair. As a planning commissioner for the past 20 years, I have studied these crucial components in our communities,” Leland said.

Leland said Pennsylvania must have a comeback which provides lower taxes – not raising taxes – and incentivizes manufacturing and job creation, staying competitive with our neighboring states.

“I believe goals like creating a committee in the General Assembly to evaluate opportunities to develop new industries like advanced manufacturing are attainable and necessary,” Leland said. “Our tourism, personal care and hospitality sectors have suffered greatly, and these businesses must have immediate assistance before they shutter their doors for good.”

She described herself as a huge supporter of the trades, adding that college may not be the best next step for all high school graduates looking onward to careers. “This current generation of young people should understand the importance of the trades and manufacturing right here

in Pennsylvania,” said Leland.

“Before COVID-19 struck Pennsylvania and Governor Wolf confused everyone and the incumbent went into hiding, our region was flourishing,” Leland said. “Fast-forward to today. Seven months later.”

“I have made over 1,000 personal phone calls and knocked on almost 5,000 doors safely introducing myself to voters. But more important than me doing the talking, I have listened to what residents of our community have to say. The number one issue here in the 167th District is small businesses. And you can see it for yourself. Just walk into the food court at the Exton Mall. There are only two restaurants open for business: Chick Fil A and a cheesesteak place. I, myself, was let go from the Denver-based company I consulted to for over six years. My boss’s father started the company over 71 years ago, right after World War II.”

Leland continued, “Heartbreaking stories of the loss of a lifetime of labor and love are everywhere. And the only way to stop this hemorrhaging is to put on our masks, and get our businesses and restaurants open again. Since the spring, I have been a vocal opponent of the governor’s edicts, especially his closing the real estate and construction industries, his flawed nursing home policy, and outdoor recreation.”

“As a state representative I don’t see my voters as constituents,” Howard said. “I see them as friends, neighbors and members of the community I love and where I raised my children.”

She said her focus in the legislature has been on child welfare and family issues.

Howard is an attorney, her father was a probation officer, and her mother worked at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School.

“My work history managing a small legal aid clinic in New Mexico, providing legal reputation to foster children in Philadelphia and working as a child abuse investigator for Chester County has given me a solid foundation to make a difference on the issues central to my focus,” she said.