Op-ed Archives

Redistricting Reform Collapse Reinforces Need for Voter Initiative & Referendum

September 24, 2018

To say I was disappointed with the outcome of legislative efforts to end gerrymandering once and for all would be an understatement. The bill (Senate Bill 22) that I authored and grassroots organizations championed was “Harrisburged.”

Op Ed: Supreme Court Decision Throwing Out the Congressional Maps Is a Good Start

January 29, 2018

Since my first experience with map drawing back in 2001, it was apparent that partisanship plays too large a role in our redistricting effort. The recent decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court discarding the congressional maps merely serves to reaffirm this...

Choosing the Safety of our Kids over the Rights of Sex Offenders

July 23, 2013

Recently, in Lancaster County, a 5-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped from her front yard. She was heroically rescued by two teenage boys who discovered her in the backseat of a car driven by suspect Harold Leroy Herr. The boys pursued the vehicle on bicycles until Herr released the girl and sped away.