Description of office: The General Assembly is the legislative branch of government in Pennsylvania. It is composed of two houses: the Senate is the upper house, and the House of Representatives is the lower house. A majority vote in both houses is necessary to pass a law. The PA House of Representatives consists of 203 members representing one district each, with an equal number of constituents. Representatives must be at least 21 years old, have been a citizen and a resident of the state four years and a resident of their respective districts one year before their election, and shall reside in their respective districts during their terms of service. The House develops budget packages, makes taxation decisions, allocates spending, and passes laws (including redistricting in collaboration with the Senate). The House also has the exclusive authority to impeach public officials. Representatives also serve on various policy committees that may propose legislation.Term: 2 yearsSalary: $113,591Vote for ONE.Note: On Democratic and Republican primary ballots, voters will also choose members of the State and County Committees. We do not list these candidates on Vote411. For information on these candidates, we suggest you contact your local Democratic or Republican Party committee.
County
Cumberland
Occupation
Program Manager at Penn State Dickinson Law
Education
Bachelor of Science, Albright College; Master of Divinity, Lancaster Theological Seminary
Qualifications
As a Program Manager at Penn State Dickinson Law School, I’ve led projects that help schools, workplaces, and communities break down barriers and create more fairness and opportunity. I’ve helped secure over $2 million in funding to expand education, training and community-building efforts that dir
The most pressing issues facing the residents of the 199th are related to affordability and a lack of access to the opportunities and information that can improve our quality of life. I would advocate for ways that we can lower costs for the middle class so that it can grow, including increasing the minimum wage. Repairs to our roads and local infrastructure keep our economy moving and also provide a means for people from the more rural parts of the district to access food and medical services that are stationed a distance away. Investments in workforce development, career readiness, and apprenticeship programs will also ensure that the pipeline for sustainable careers is filled with the best-equipped personnel.
Our fair and reliable election system is one of the cornerstones of democracy. Election fraud is a serious but extremely rare issue; I am more concerned about efforts to disenfranchise legitimate voters through documentary proof of citizenship bills that put an unfair burden on those with low incomes, people of color, and women to prove their voting status. I oppose such legislation and believe Pennsylvania’s only concern should be to enfranchise and engage with eligible voters to better substantiate the representative democracy we espouse.
When the legislature fails to pass a timely state budget, the citizens of the 199th and others in the Commonwealth pay the price. The incumbent has voted “no” on reasonable and fair state budget measures, which meant our schools were left waiting, our seniors got left behind, our farmers were cut off, and our veterans were ignored. These political games hurt the very people she was elected to represent. Our schools, seniors, farmers, and veterans deserve better, and I believe putting them first would ensure a fair budget passed in a timely manner. I also support a two-year budget model so that half our time each year isn’t tied up in maneuvering political purse strings.
I have been speaking with constituents in the 199th about data center development. This is a nuanced, complicated issue, as we must balance our support for new technology with the best interests of the people of the 199th–and especially our most vulnerable residents, including seniors and veterans, who are often impacted the most by issues related to water, energy, and land use. I would fully support exploratory measures that expand the access that residents have under the MPC so that residents have increased opportunities for engagement.
County
Cumberland
Occupation
Retired
Education
BA in Social Work from Kent State, Secondary Social Studies Teaching Certificate from Edinboro University.
Qualifications
I know what it's like to knock thousands of doors because I've done it. In 2024, I was one of only five Democratic State Assembly Candidates that made progress towards flipping a seat.
I am running to fight for an affordable future for everyone.
Pennsylvania, like the rest of the country, is in the midst of an affordability crisis. This is my concern. We need to drive costs down for working Pennsylvanians. To do that we need to understand and address the real causes of this crisis. We've got wages that don't keep up, along with rising housing costs. And we've got big, out-of-state corporations, driving our utility bills up with their data centers.
For too long our leaders have turned a blind eye to the struggles of working people. I won’t. We need to raise wages, while embracing a full-spectrum approach to the housing crisis. And we need a data center moratorium to protect the residents of the 199th from rising costs.
I am proud to be a member of the Democratic Party which has committed itself to protecting fair elections for all. Like many I am grateful to Josh Shapiro for his leadership on this issue. And look forward to working with him and Democratic party leaders to protect the rights of Pennsylvania voters.
I would also support legislation that would require each county to maintain many more mail-in ballot drop boxes.
Additionally, I support the efforts of Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt to investigate and eliminate common sources of error that have historically led to ballots being rejected. Things like redesigning ballots for clarity so as to avoid honest mistakes costing voters their voice.
The chief difficulty with the state budget process is not procedural but cultural. I have no doubt that there are myriad procedural changes that could be made to speed things along. But people talk about procedural changes because they feel like they can't do anything about the culture of partisanship and anger in Harrisburg. While I don't think there are easy answers to that culture there are answers, and I think we find our way to them by speaking honestly.
The single biggest thing deforming the budget process is money in politics. We can't talk honestly about provisioning for the working people of Pennsylvania if moneyed interests are whispering in everyone's ear. State level campaign finance reform would help the budget.
Yes, the state needs to enact a moratorium.
These are difficult questions because there are two emerging tendencies in state level data center regulation and it is dangerous to conflate them. One naturalizes the development of these facilities by assuming their inevitability. Regulations, whether in the name of community/environmental protection or economic growth, advance the data centers. Another tendency is attempting to protect and empower communities by fighting for a moratorium that would give communities time to figure out what they want. To allow them to enact zoning and land use policies that make sense for them.
I support the second tendency. A moratorium is a state regulation that doesn't interfere but empowers.
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