Rowley, Sterner good men
The Constitution specifies that everyone is entitled to representation in Congress. Unfortunately, the citizens of the 13th district have decided, for all practical purposes, to forego this constitutional right. Many inhabitants of the 13th district, including those living in Adams County, have decided to forego representation in the state senate as well.
For sure, there are people occupying these positions: congressman John Joyce and state senator Doug Mastriano. The point is, in the classic sense of what legislators do – some combination of representing the interests of the district or considering public policy issues – Joyce and Mastriano are two of the weakest legislators serving in any legislative body.
Don’t take my word for it, check out their own web sites. What major issues is Congressman Joyce proudest of? Well, other than “defending the president against the sham impeachment inquiry,” we have such weighty issues as hosting an arts contest winner and traveling to Normandy, voting against a “job killing minimum wage bill,’ voting against climate change legislation, and supporting Trump’s job-killing tariffs. Even for a freshman in the minority, that’s an incredibly slender record.
What is his record of advocacy for the district? What has he done to promote and protect the park? Tourism? The fruit belt? To promote economic development in the county?
State Senator Mastriano has a higher profile but equally slender accomplishments. He gained headlines for his advocacy of “open up now” and “don’t wear masks” policies and revels in his newfound Facebook Live stardom. But we didn’t elect him to pose for selfies with neo-Confederates. We elected him to represent the district in the state senate. What’s his record of accomplishment? Well, he got a law passed to make it easier to get a “veteran” designation on your driver’s license and he’s sponsoring legislation to protect Confederate monuments and mandate a moment of silence on 9/11. Not the sort of thing that’s going to improve anyone’s quality of life.
Adams County faces many challenges and its residents deserve representatives in Washington and Harrisburg who will work hard to address agriculture, immigration, the park, tourism, economic development. In particular, we deserve representatives who recognize they represent all the residents of their district. Todd Rowley (running against Joyce) and Rich Sterner (running against Mastriano), are good men who will listen to everyone and work hard to represent every constituent, not just the ones who voted for them.
Leon Reed,
Gettysburg