Patty Kim is the middle daughter of Korean immigrants who came to the United States speaking very little English. Her father worked hard and eventually graduated from the University of Southern California with a graduate degree in Management. The family later moved to Washington DC where her father went to work for the U.S. Department of Defense and her mother opened a small flower shop. Patty grew up working in her mom’s flower shop, attending public schools and being active in her church youth groups.

In 1991, Patty was accepted to Boston College where she earned a bachelors degree in Mass Communications.

After graduation, Patty went to work as a production assistant, associate producer, and writer at two Washington DC stations before she was hired as an anchor/reporter in Hagerstown, Maryland. For two years she anchored the morning show for the NBC affiliate winning an award from the Maryland Department of Education for a report on innovative teaching programs. In 2000, Patty was hired at WHP-CBS 21 and moved to Harrisburg where she reported the top news stories of the day. Later, she moved to the mornings, reporting and anchoring extensively for the weekend and morning broadcasts. Patty married John Sider of Harrisburg in February of 2003 and in June of 2004, she gave birth to a baby girl, Brielle. Patty resigned her news reporter position at WHP-CBS 21 in the fall of 2004.

Determined to improve the city in which she was raising her daughter, Patty entered the 2005 Harrisburg City Council race. After knocking on over 500 doors and reaching out to thousands of city residents, Patty went on to receive the most votes in the Democratic primary in a field of eleven candidates. She was elected in the fall of 2005 and became the chair of Public Safety overseeing the Harrisburg Police and Fire Departments. Patty focused on both traditional and non-traditional approaches to crime including successfully funding additional patrol officer positions in three budgets and expanding summer programs for teens. In 2007, the same year her son Ryan was born, Patty became Chair of Public Works which oversees the infrastructure of the city. After providing critical support to the reform of the Harrisburg Authority, Patty pushed for increased transparency and worked with new Authority board as it began to restructure its dangerously overburdened finances.

In 2009, Patty was re-elected to a second term, again earning the most votes in the election. She was also elected by her colleagues as Vice-President of the City Council and appointed Chair of the Community and Economic Development Committee. As Chair she led the allocation of the federal Community Development Block Grant program where she made clearing blighted properties, youth programs and housing her priorities. She has also led a cooperative effort with the Dauphin County Commissioners to restart the Local Revitalization Tax Assistance Act to spur commercial investment and the expansion of the city’s tax base.

During the Harrisburg debt crisis that began in 2010, Patty worked hard to investigate the facts and understand the various proposals put forward. Refusing to posture at the expense of the citizens, Patty published an op-ed in the Harrisburg Patriot News clearly stating her position and has worked tirelessly to arrive at a fair resolution through consensus.

Throughout her terms as a Harrisburg City Councilwoman, Patty made accessibility and responsiveness to citizens a priority, publishing her home phone number on her cards and website and attending civic meetings all over the city. She has interceded on behalf of residents with city officials numerous times, getting street lights repaired, water mains fixed, elderly parking set-asides restored, neighborhood police patrols increased, potholes filled and flood debris cleared.

Patty Kim has a strong record of insisting Harrisburg City government be transparent, responsive, and frugal. She will bring the same focus and energy to state government as your representative in the Pennsylvania House.