This is the 499th post I’ve written for this site since I was first elected in 2006. Of all of them, this is probably the most difficult to write, because this is the last post I will be writing as the State Representative for the 46th District of Pennsylvania- at least for the foreseeable future.
My staff and I couldn’t always help everyone, but we always tried to listen and do what we could, and we sent people somewhere else for assistance only as a last resort. You may not know this, but we kept track of nearly every phone call, email, letter and office visit from constituents. When I looked at the numbers, I was blown away.
And who can forget being crushed by a 93 year-old woman at Wii Bowling? (it happened).
Since opening our doors on December 1, 2006, we logged 5,482 letters, 5,235 emails, 11,420 phone calls and thousands of other requests for a grand total of 42,480 different constituent service contacts. That number doesn’t even include all of the face-to-face conversations, the visits to the senior centers and schools and the hundreds of personal interactions per week we had with people throughout the community in places like the grocery store and post office. Those are some of the moments I will miss the most.
Election Night 2006
You have all watched me grow up over the last eight years. When I was elected, not only did I have a younger face including a head full of hair, but I was also filled with energy and an honest desire to help people. As time passed, I learned how to channel that energy into action and get results.
We helped literally thousands of people get desperately needed public water and sewer lines at either reduced cost or no cost at all. We brought over $73 million in grants and low-interest loans into the district, much of which ended up going our municipalities and their residents directly.
The day we were able to hand refund checks for $3,000 to thousands of residents for sewage tap-ins was one of the best memories I will carry with me.
Could I be combative at times? Sure. I never tried to hide my personality or my willingness to fight for what I believed in. Politics is a rough game, often controlled by a select few behind the scenes; when I challenged the Good Old Boys network, there was quite a bit of pushback. Whether it was a municipal authority, law firms trying to force a property tax reassessment, the Department of Environmental Protection or certain bad actors in the oil and gas industry, I always put the good of my constituents ahead of my own political consequences.
This voter registration form signed by Jason Ortitay must be explained.
As I close down my district offices and dig up old memories, I realize I will miss the people I represented most of all. As frustrating as it was at times, I thrived on the responsibility of helping real people with real problems, and I took that responsibility very seriously. Rather than focusing on the enemies I made, I will remember all of the friends I made instead. There were times I was simply left speechless by the acts of kindness and compassion I witnessed. Although politics can undoubtedly bring out the worst in people, I am happy to say that every once in a while, they can bring out the very best.
My legislative staff did amazing work for the people of the 46th District. I couldn’t have asked to work with better people.
So I leave my post with a heavy heart and far too much work left to be done. On behalf of my both my staff (Nick Gerek, Jeanne Vega, Debbie Sakovich, Deb Colosimo, Camilla Cionni and Dominic Lemmon) and my wife Eileen and son Atticus, I want to thank you all for your friendship, your kindness and your support. Wherever life takes me in the future, I will never forget the people I met and the lessons I learned over these past eight years. The ups and downs, the good times and the bad, all made me the man I am today, and I’m damn grateful for the experience.
It has been an honor and a privilege to serve you, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Because of you all, my life will never be the same. Will our paths cross again in a similar fashion? You never know; stranger things have been known to happen. I won’t say “goodbye”; instead I’ll just say “until we meet again”.
After all, decisions are made by those who show up.
Scridb filter