Friday, July 7, 2006

Elect McIlvaine Smith for 156th seat

Daily Local News

I am running to be the next state representative in the 156th Legislative District because I want to restore integrity and trust to state government. As a small business owner for 28 years, former elected official, community leader, wife, mother, grandmother and lifelong resident, I pledge to use all of my experience to bring back good government to the state house.

What is good government? It's acting responsibly. It's putting citizens' needs above political interests. It’s aggressively fighting the “closed door” politics of self-interest while building coalitions of support to solve the challenges of our great commonwealth.

I firmly believe that government was created “by the people, for the people” in order to achieve “the greatest good for the greatest number.” That means it should provide opportunity, security, individual freedom, and progress. Good government is effective and responsive to the people it serves. That means it should support:

1) Affordable access to health care for all Pennsylvanians. Currently, uninsured people must seek health care in emergency rooms for non-emergency services. That shifts the cost to the rest of us. We need to recognize this injustice and fix the problem.

2) Increased state funding for public education to ensure our children receive the best education possible. With reduced state allocations and unfunded federal

3) A cleaner, healthier environment so our families can enjoy a high quality of life. Pennsylvania is accountable for 1% of the world's pollution. We must investigate potential sources of renewable energies to encourage environmental conservation.

These are the bedrock principles I will keep in mind in Harrisburg. Working with like-minded members of the state legislature, I will be a citizen advocate for responsible decision-making on key issues.

As in all political races, I urge voters to focus on the issues and to think about what is their vision for our district and who will best support that vision. As Jimmy Stewart said in the movie “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” “Great principles don’t get lost once they come to light. They’re right here; you just have to see them again!”

When I get to Harrisburg, I promise to make sure our shared and, yes, great principles come to light once again.

BARBARA McILVAINE SMITH
West Chester

The writer is the Chester County Democratic Committee’s nominee for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives 156th District seat up for election in November.