Local attorney challenging Barrar for 160th state House seat
KENNETT TOWNSHIP » Anton Andrew, a Kennett Township attorney, on Wednesday announced his intention to seek election to the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives in the 160th District. Andrew, a Democrat, seeks to unseat Republican incumbent Stephen Barrar, who has held the seat for the past 21 years.
Andrew said his decision to run was largely spurred by gerrymandering, the manipulation of boundaries of an electoral constituency to benefit a political party.
“When I fully understood the gerrymandering issue, that’s when I decided I could not sit on the fence any longer,” Andrew said. “I have spent my whole life trying to give people a voice, and I just got upset by the way (Barrar) and the (Republican) party in general have systematically disenfranchised me, whether by gerrymandering or anything else.”
Andrew said education funding and infrastructure are his top priorities.
“We need real solutions to the structural deficit in the state budget,” he said. “We need to properly fund our public schools without letting property taxes continue to skyrocket. We need to fix our ailing infrastructure, because continuing to push off needed improvements harms both our safety and quality of life. We need to address inadequate protection for our land, air and water that future generations will rely on. And we need to address the ongoing opioid addiction crisis with urgency, clarity, and honesty. There is no doubt that we need real leadership in Harrisburg on the issues that matter most.”
Andrew graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in political science, and has a degree in law from Hofstra University. Andrew plans to build on his more than 20-year career as a successful advocate and attorney, primarily serving poor and working class families. He has developed alternatives to incarceration for non-violent juvenile offenders. He has launched and led a successful incubator for small, minority, and women-owned businesses on the campus of the nation’s oldest Historically Black College or University.
He has served as an instructor and board chair at open connections, an educational resource center in Newtown Square. And he has served on the boards of several local and regional environmental organizations, including The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County and The Nature Conservancy.
Andrew said his philosophy is to treat people the way you want to be treated. He said his parents worked very hard and instilled in him a good work ethic.
“I will fight for our community, our children and all Pennsylvania taxpayers by not shrinking from the difficult decisions that need to be made to ensure our future. I will fight for the residents of the 160th District and our Commonwealth,” Andrew said
The 160th District covers parts of Chester and Delaware Counties. The district includes Kennett Square, Pennsbury, and Pocopson Townships in Chester County, as well as Chadds Ford, Concord, Bethel and part of Upper Chichester Townships in Delaware County.