Marcia Hahn

The other night at a Nazareth Chamber of Commerce function I kissed a Republican and quite frankly I liked it.

I have voted for Republicans before. This may be a surprise to some but there comes a time when good government matters more than party. I can’t imagine a time that I would ever vote for a Republican for President but I have voted for Republicans for Governor and I may have voted for John Heinz for the Senate but I am not quite sure my memory serves me correctly.

I never voted for Bob Casey Sr. The year he was elected Governor I voted for Billy Scranton (in the primary I helped lead the Rendell campaign in the area) and when he was re-elected I voted for Barbara Hafer. It did not stop from attending the inauguration parties but I never voted for the man.

I voted for Bob Casey Jr only once but my other choice was Little Ricky Santorum. In all other Bob Casey Jr elections I could not vote for the Republican so I would write in Artquest President Jeff Parks. In 2006 I knew I had to vote against Santorum and did not want to risk the chance that my vote would allow that moron to stay in office so I held my nose and for the first time voted for a Casey. I am glad I did. Bob Casey Jr has turned out to be an admirable Senator and someone I will actively support in 2012.

2009 was an awful year for Northampton County Democrats; we lost control of County Council. Of the contested races I only had 3 winners and two of them were Republicans, Judge Michael Koury was the only Democrat to win. My other winners were County Council Woman Peg Ferraro; who I have been a supporter of for many years and Judge Craig Dally, a former State Representative. Peg is someone who has been able to transcend parties and work for what is best for the county. Craig Dally has been a Republican who thrived and succeeded in a district that should have been represented by a Democrat and when he ran for judge his Democratic State House Colleagues supported him.

Judge Dally was succeeded in the State House by former aide Marcia Hahn. I have gotten to know Rep. Hahn over the past few years and if lived in her district not only would I vote for her but I would be out campaigning for her. I may not agree with her on some of the broader political issues and her Republican philosophies may often oppose my views of the world but I really like her.

Rep. Hahn is committed to constituent services; she is committed to working with her Democratic colleagues for what is best for the region and she is committed to making government more open, more transparent and more about the people.

The State House opens every daily session with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, Rep. Hahn makes a point to attend each opening because she believes it is an important symbol and she believes it is the right message to send. There are times when she finds herself there with few other Representatives but it is important to her to honor the traditions. This helps her to keep focused on the reasons she ran for office in the first place. Locally there have been other staffers who have succeeded their bosses in office and have become imperious and cocky, Marcia Hahn is determined to not allow that to happen to her and I am convinced she will remain accessible and constituent focused no matter how long she chooses to stay in office.

The people of the 138th District are lucky to have Marcia Hahn as their State Representative; she is smart, she has great sense of humor, she is warm and personable, she has a firm grasp of the issues and she really cares about the people she represents. She is the embodiment of what a Representative should be. Charlie Dent should use Marcia Hahn as a role model to find his way back home.

Rep. Hahn has captured both the Republican and Democratic nominations for office and she deserves it. If I lived in the Slate Belt I would be proud and honored to cast a vote for Marcia Hahn.