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 years Salary: $106,422 Vote for ONE.
County
Allegheny
Occupation
Chief Trial Deputy, Allegheny County District Attorney's Office
Education
Juris Doctor, Bachelor of Science in Journalism - University of Kansas
Qualifications
Criminal Prosecutor, Coach, Father, and Life-long Public Servant
My top priorities are to invest in our community, promote public safety, and address the mental health crisis. I will advocate for a plan to provide public transit options, rebuild and repair our roads and bridges, and invest in local businesses to create good-paying jobs. As it relates to public safety, I will be a strong advocate for proper funding for our first responders to ensure they have the training and resources necessary to do their jobs safely. I will prioritize access to mental health services in schools so that students can receive early intervention to help prevent the escalation of mental health problems, reduce the severity, and ultimately improve overall outcomes.
I believe we need to continue to protect access to vote-by-mail. Expanding access and opportunities to vote makes voting much more accessible especially in rural and elderly communities. We need to continue to invest in updates and funding to ensure that local election boards have the resources, technology, and staffing they need so that they can facilitate safe and secure elections. I would be in favor of making in-person voting more accessible on Election Day at the polls by passing legislation to make Election Day a state holiday in Pennsylvania.
I would support legislation that increases oversight and reassess charter school funding to ensure responsible use of taxpayer dollars. I would support legislation that addresses funding inequities to ensure that all schools, regardless of socioeconomic status, have access to the appropriate resources. Any legislation to address the school funding system should also be done in collaboration with educators, school boards, and school administrators. A key piece of public education funding should also include early childhood education. Investing in early education can have long-lasting benefits for children. As such, I would sponsor legislation that expands access to high-quality early childhood education programs.
We need to protect access to abortion care and women’s reproductive rights. I would not support any changes that seek to limit or further restrict access to abortion in Pennsylvania. I would support legislation that seeks to strengthen the protections on abortion access and protects the right to privacy when making healthcare decisions with your doctor.
County
Allegheny
Occupation
Entrepreneur / Engineer
Education
Carnegie Mellon - Ph.D. and Masters Degree Electrical and Computer Engineering; MBA UNC Chapel Hill; Bachelor's Computer Engineering Tulane University
Qualifications
Township Commissioner; Small Business Owner and job creator; Northern Tier Library Board Member; Northland Library Foundation Board Member; Youth Basketball and Soccer coach; Father of 5; Volunteer in various outdoor and environmental groups
Pennsylvania’s financial situation is approaching what is commonly called a “fiscal cliff.” The governor’s current budget proposes massive spending increases in various programs, relying in large part on the state’s fiscal reserves, known as its “Rainy Day Fund.” Placing one-time revenues into budget lines that require recurring funds every year is irresponsible. The only other option would be to burden Pennsylvania citizens with increased taxes and the economic decline that comes with reduced competitiveness. Despite our amazing strengths (people, schools, cultural, outdoor, etc.) Our region continues to be one of the only metropolitan areas in the country to lose population. We need to attract and retain jobs not drive them away.
Key to functioning democracy is having all parties have trust in the election process no matter the outcome. Implementing common sense reforms such as Voter ID are ways to improve trust in the system. It is also important to support our local elections officials and workers who toil long hours with limited pay and provide them the tools they need to run efficient and safe elections. Ensuring that we have clear rules that apply uniformly across Pennsylvania is something that the legislature and Governor must work together to ensure. It is unacceptable to have different counties apply conflicting guidelines when counting ballots as has been done in the past.
I will work hard to defend our excellent school districts in the 28th District: Deer Lakes, Hampton, North Allegheny, and Pine-Richland. Our high performing schools typically spend far less per student than poorly performing districts. We should not punish districts that are doing well but empower parents and reform districts that are failing. Throwing massive amounts of new money into broken systems like Philadelphia without real reforms will not solve the problem. The clearest answer to rectifying unequal funding to is have the school funding dollars follow the student, empower parents, and have accountability on failing schools. I will fight hard to ensure that money from our school districts doesn’t get siphoned off to Philadelphia.
I would favor clearly defined regulations and broad policies to encourage a culture of life, including support for parents dealing with unwanted pregnancies. This would include an end to the lax enforcement of child support laws which have allowed too many fathers to abandon their obligation to provide for their children.
