It’s time to reduce partisanship in Pa. government
To the Times:
As the father of three wonderful girls, I’m concerned about the level of divisiveness and the breakdown of civil discourse in our society. Individuals who have opposing views are routinely shouted down and chased out of public spaces. Speech laced with language of violence directed at political opponents has become commonplace, feeding into the hatred. This has had disastrous consequences, such as the shooting of a Republican congressman last summer and, more recently, pipe bombs being mailed to prominent Democrats.
It needs to stop.
As a freshman legislator in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, my job in the Legislature is to represent local residents and ensure government is truly working for the people. I have consistently worked in a bipartisan basis to do what is right for my constituents, not party leadership.
Recognizing that many residents are concerned about access to health care and rising costs, I joined Democratic legislators in co-sponsoring a bill that prevents insurance companies from denying coverage to individuals because of pre-existing conditions. I’ve supported legislation to provide transparency on drug pricing so consumers can comparison shop for the lowest cost on their prescriptions. This transparency will introduce competition, allowing the free market to work and drive down costs. I’ve also supported efforts to increase the use of telemedicine to both improve access to treatment and reduce costs.
I believe very strongly that we need to be better stewards of our environment. In my view, our environment is a legacy we are leaving our children and grandchildren. That is why I have supported clean air and water by opposing efforts to rollback state regulations of the oil and gas industry to 1980s levels. I introduced legislation to increase investment in energy efficiency technologies, benefitting our environment and reducing energy costs for consumers. I supported legislation to make the solar industry more competitive, spur new investment in renewable energy sources, and invest in projects that preserve open space. I earned a 92 percent score from the Sierra Club and other environmental groups based on my record in the legislature.
Due to my concern about public safety and impacts on our environment, I have been outspoken about the construction of the Mariner East 2 pipeline. I was the first member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to call for a moratorium on construction in July 2017 due to safety concerns. I’ve repeatedly called for intervention by Gov. Tom Wolf, as well as two state departments that he oversees: the Department of Environmental Protection and the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. Because significant flaws in state law related to eminent domain, pipeline siting, and oversight of pipelines rendered Pennsylvania municipalities powerless to stop the pipeline, I’ve joined both Republicans and Democrats to introduce and cosponsor legislation to fix state law.
I’ve demonstrated my bipartisan approach in other ways as well. In response to concerns about gun violence, I’ve backed common-sense gun laws that help get guns out of the hands of people who pose a threat to themselves and others. I’m proud to be endorsed by both Delaware County United for Sensible Gun Policy and the Delaware County Fraternal Order of Police. I’ve also earned the support of the Pennsylvania State Education Association because of my support for teachers. That includes working to ensure they have the tools and resources they need by increasing state funding for public school education and new school safety measures.
My work to support both small businesses and working families earned me the endorsement of both the Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce and local trade unions.
I’m doing my part to address the partisanship and political divide. But I think we need to take it a step further through redistricting and election reform. We need a citizens commission on redistricting that draws fair and balanced legislative districts in terms of Republican and Democratic registration. Competitive seats means will result in the election of individuals who will work with the other party.
In addition, I have introduced legislation that would open up our primary elections to independent voters for the first time. Candidates that play to the conservative or liberal base that traditionally vote in primary elections and are typically less willing to compromise. By allowing independents to choose to vote in either the Republican or Democratic Primary, I believe we can help elect more individuals who are willing to move our state and country forward rather than engage in partisanship.
I’m doing what I can to stop the extremism and partisanship. I hope voters will support my efforts to continue to do so by supporting my re-election to the state House of Representatives on November 6th.