I applaud the campaigns that Roy, Karl and Gloria ran. We all fought hard and with passion because we all know the issues that exist in this district and that they were too important not to address.

I am humbled that the voters have chosen me, and I hope we can all agree that the next step is to to ensure that the 103rd remains not just a Democratic seat, but a Democratic seat that has a presence and impact in the State Capital.

Last, but not least, I want to thank my team and supporters who worked so hard over the past weeks and months to help me. However, as I have said to them, a victory tonight doesn’t mean we are done. Over the next 6 ½ months, I will continue to tour the district and share my views on how we can address education, municipal finance reform and economic development and a host of other issues The campaigning starts back up tomorrow, but tonight, we celebrate after 5 months of hard, hard work!!

I would like to thank ABC 27 for the opportunity and on their ongoing commitment to helping the voters of Central Pennsylvania make the most informed choice for the April 24th Primary.

State Rep. Ronald Buxton has been dropping hints privately to close friends and family in recent months about his future in the House of Representatives, but now he is ready to go public.

Buxton, who has been the voice of Harrisburg in the state House for two decades, has decided to call it quits when his term expires next year.

“It has been a tremendous honor to serve the citizens of the 103rd legislative district for the past 20 years,” the Democratic lawmaker said. “Working together, we have accomplished much to improve the Harrisburg area for the better.”

His announcement comes on the heels of state Sen. Jeffrey Piccola’s announcement last month that he is stepping down next year. Piccola, R-Dauphin County, has represented the 15th Senatorial District since 1995. Buxton has been in the House since 1993.

Corky Goldstein, former Harrisburg city solicitor and a lifelong city resident, said Buxton, like Piccola, served the people of Harrisburg well.

But he added, “There are many good men and women who are thinking of running. I think fresh ideas and other people coming in is a positive. … Fresh blood, I believe can be very exciting.”

This change in Harrisburg’s representation in the Legislature comes as the city is entering the uncharted waters of having its financial management fall under the purview of a state-appointed receiver. But Buxton dismissed that as a reason to stick around.

“I really expect the state’s involvement with the city to be well under way and established by the time I officially leave office,” Buxton said.

It was dissatisfaction with Buxton’s representation as well as Piccola’s during the discussion of the state takeover law that prompted Harrisburg City Councilwoman Patty Kim to announce last month that she was going to run for the 103rd House seat regardless of whether Buxton was in the race.

“We had no leadership in the state Legislature,” Kim said at the time of her announcement. “What I saw under Rep. Buxton and his friends, including Sen. Piccola, was working against our interests. We need to have support in the state capital.”

Reached Wednesday, Kim wished Buxton well with his plans.

“My course was set when I announced my candidacy three weeks ago and it will not change. I’ve knocked on 846 doors to date and I will continue to connect with as many people in the district as possible to share my passion to serve them in the state Legislature,” Kim said in an email.

In the past decade, Buxton won re-election in his heavily Democratic district in the face of several controversial votes. They included a vote in favor of a 50 percent pension boost for lawmakers in 2001 and a “yes” vote on the double-digit, middle-of-the-night legislative pay raise in 2005.

He came under criticism in 2007 for going on all-expense-paid retreats to high-priced resorts through his former membership on the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency’s board of directors.

The following year, he faced scrutiny when a grand jury report shone a light on Buxton using his clout to get his son a lucrative contract for information technology services with the House Democrats that became part of the attorney general’s so-called “Bonusgate” investigation.

Those recent controversies nearly caught up with him in 2008, when Karl Singleton nearly upset him in the Democratic primary. Buxton won by 74 votes out of more than 11,000 votes cast, earning him the moniker “Landslide Ron” among some of his House colleagues.

In the House, Buxton said his proudest accomplishment was a short-lived law that blocked Internet service providers from allowing child pornographic content to be viewed in Pennsylvania. A federal court threw out the law, saying it could not be enforced without blocking protected speech.

“For the 18 months that law was in effect, we were told by the state attorney general at the time that they were able to block over 700 child pornography sites coming into people’s living rooms in Pennsylvania,” Buxton said.

Other legislative high points for him included his first bill signed into law that banned low-level alcoholic drinks from being sold at neighborhood grocery stores. Another was his effort last year to stop Piccola’s push to continue the Education Empowerment Act so Harrisburg School District could return the district oversight to the elected school board.

Buxton said his departure from the Legislature next year doesn’t mean he will go away quietly.

“I plan to remain active in my community and will continue to speak out on those issues that I think are important, including any progress that’s being made under the state’s receivership of Harrisburg’s finances,” he said.
 

Heather Long is deputy editorial page editor. 255-8104 or hlong@patriot-news.com.

Thank you for allowing me to provide some input on the proposed redistricting. It is my pleasure to appear before you this afternoon.

My interest in this matter is not only based on my position as Vice-President of Harrisburg City Council – a role that has the responsibility to speak on behalf of the constituents of this community – but also as a citizen and registered voter in this area myself.

The preliminary reapportionment plan adopted on October 31st, proposes to change the boundaries for most – if not all – of the legislative districts across our Commonwealth, and many are questioning whether such a radical change – like what has been proposed – is required.

Many have tossed out the “G” word: Gerrymandering – a term that will soon be celebrating its 200th birthday next year. It is a word that was invented in Massachusetts, when their state legislature redrew the boundaries of districts to favor then-Governor Elbridge Gerry’s party. One of the new districts created was so long and miss-shapen that it looked like a salamander – hence the name Gerry – mander.

Governor Gerry’s strategy was to encompass most of the state’s Federalists, allowing them to win in that district while his party took control of all the other districts in the state. The point this term makes is that when gerrymandering takes place, decisions are not made by the electorate, but by politicians manipulating the electorate.

As a resident of Harrisburg, my interest is in the legislative districts that will overlay Harrisburg and Dauphin County.

• The 103rd House District was relatively unchanged with the exception of the Borough of Paxtang which was moved from the 104th into the 103rd district.

• However, as for the Senate district that our Capitol will fall under, it has been moved from Senator Piccola’s 15th district into Senator Folmer’s 48th District. I urge the commission to keep the 15th district intact as it currently stands with the city of Harrisburg included.

• The dramatic change to the 15th Senatorial District as a whole is quite perplexing and makes little sense. The district will wind its way through primarily rural portions of 5 counties and encompass:

o two mountain ranges,
o three state parks
o and measure about 170 miles from one end of the horseshoe to the other.

The decennial task of reapportionment is not about reconfiguring legislative districts in order to provide shelter to incumbents. Your duty as Commissioners is not to grant immunity idols. This feels more like the tv series Survivor, Redistricting Edition. This is about redrawing maps to achieve a fair, open, unbiased, non-partisan and apolitical outcome leading to fair elections. Partisan gerrymandering only serves to subvert our democratic system.

Some of the gross excesses contained in the Preliminary Map will do nothing else but fuel cynicism and skepticism about the democratic process, anger toward legislators who are perceived of placing their own interests above all else, voter apathy leading to low voter turnout, and rebellion against incumbent legislators who have been part of the decision making process:

Allow me to suggest a few improvements. While some of these suggestions may require Constitutional amendments to be implemented, it is a much fairer solution, and would in fact allow the PEOPLE to have a more significant role in this process:

1. More hearings prior to the issuance of Preliminary Maps – There were only two hearings in September, one in Allentown and another in Pittsburgh. Essentially, the voice of citizens in the “T” region of Pennsylvania was ignored. The General Assembly should require more regional hearings such that all areas of Pennsylvania can be heard.

2. The Preliminary Maps were released on October 31 and shortly after, the members casted their votes. This is grossly inadequate. This portion of the redistricting process should be more transparent and open to public participation. Perhaps a 7 – 9 day period before the maps are voted on.

3. Finally, it is worth questioning whether the time has come for a nonpartisan reform in the area of legislative reapportionment. A delegation of responsibility from elected officials to appointed commission members may ensure that political motivations and self-interest do not influence the redistricting process. Other states have independent redistricting commissions that completely exclude elected officials from the process. Perhaps something for Pennsylvania to consider.

As I leave you, in the context of your final deliberations, I would ask you to reflect upon the following words from the League of Women Voters:

Representative democracy depends on the voters freely choosing their representatives rather than politicians choosing their voters.

Thank you very much, Commission members, for the opportunity to provide input.