Rep. Jesse White wins re-election in 46th District with 64% of the vote
Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to help on Election Day. Your efforts paid off in a big way!
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Jesse greets supporters at the annual Houston Pumpkin Festival Parade on October 11
White in the 46th: A young reformer deserves a second term
Monday, October 13, 2008
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Voters in the 46th District sent Democrat Jesse White to the state House in 2006, and in the past two years he has proved that he understands why they elected him and what they want him to do.
Mr. White, a 30-year-old lawyer from Cecil, entered the Capitol in a surge of 55 new members, many of them selected in the fallout over legislators' short-lived 2005 attempt to raise their pay in the middle of a July night.
He puts his accomplishments in two categories: changes made in Harrisburg and those implemented in his district, which includes McDonald, Oakdale and South Fayette in Allegheny County; 18 municipalities in northern and western Washington County; and Hanover and Frankfort Springs in Beaver County.
He correctly points out that the freshman class of 2006 was a driving force for changes that included abolishing late-night sessions and making legislative votes available online. He voted in favor of the Pennsylvania Access to Basic Care plan, which would have extended health coverage to thousands of citizens, and says he will push the measure again if re-elected because it failed in the Senate after adoption by the House.
At home, Mr. White opened three small district offices rather than one large one to make it easier for people who need state services to get them, a smart step in the 400-square-mile district. He keeps his constituents informed by writing a blog and contributing a column to a community newspaper.
Mr. White was out ahead of many Democratic colleagues in August when he called for House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese to step down from leadership, and he favors the use of state programs to encourage smart development and job creation. While we part company with Mr. White on some issues -- his opposition to gun-control measures, his support for term limits on lawmakers and his position that all property taxes can be replaced by other state levies -- his Republican challenger offers little in the way of realistic remedies.
Frank Yuvan, 26, of Canton owns a comic-book store in Washington, Pa., and works at martial arts schools in that city and in McMurray. Earnest and direct, he shares Mr. White's views on guns but has very different ideas about where state government should be spending money.
He believes that too much goes to incentives for businesses, which he repeatedly described as "corporate welfare" during a joint interview with Mr. White and Post-Gazette editorial board members. For example, Mr. Yuvan says he would have opposed the state providing $30 million to PNC Financial Services Group to support construction of the $200 million Three PNC Plaza project now being built Downtown, even if that might have risked job losses had the bank moved employees elsewhere.
He believes eliminating such economic development spending, as well as fat in the state's budget, will save enough money to pay for state roads and bridges and to fund education at a higher rate so property taxes can be reduced. We think that's beyond unlikely.
Voters in the district sent a clear thinker to Harrisburg two years ago, and Mr. White's support for further reform is genuine and unapologetic, evidenced by a story he shared during the interview. He said a fellow legislator, unhappy with some of the changes, told him, "This place just isn't nearly as much fun as it used to be."
Legislators aren't sent to Harrisburg to have fun, and Mr. White understands that. Because he is willing to get down to business, Jesse White deserves the Post-Gazette's endorsement for a second term.
White calls on House majority leader to resign leadership position
HARRISBURG, Aug. 6 - State Rep. Jesse White, D-Washington/Allegheny/Beaver, issued the following statement calling for state Rep. Bill DeWeese to step down from his position as House Majority Leader in response to the ongoing “Bonusgate” scandal:
In November 2006, the voters of the 46th Legislative District honored me with the substantial and serious task of representing their interests while changing the culture inside the state Capitol. As the end of my first term draws near, a conflict between those objectives has arisen.
I was sent to Harrisburg to fix a broken property tax system, help provide health care for those who need it most and create sustainable jobs to keep young people in our region. Unfortunately, the ongoing investigation into illegal acts allegedly committed by some members and staffers of the House Democratic Caucus prior to my election has become a serious distraction that has severely limited our ability to act on these important issues.
After reviewing the presentments set forth by the Attorney General, it has become clear to me that in order to honor the promise I made to my constituents to truly reform the culture of Harrisburg, a change in leadership is required. Therefore, I am respectfully urging Representative Bill DeWeese to immediately step aside as Majority Leader of the House Democratic Caucus.
The legislative accomplishments and unabashed energy that Representative DeWeese has brought to Harrisburg for over three decades cannot be questioned, as well as his leadership in enacting important legislative reform laws that have changed how the House operates. However, I simply cannot reconcile the fact that although Bill DeWeese has not been charged with any crime and has fully cooperated with the Attorney General in the investigation, a systematic, inexcusable and indefensible violation of the public trust occurred on his watch. Leaders must be held accountable for the actions of those who serve under them.
I was not a member of the legislature during the time these illegal acts allegedly took place; therefore, I have no factual basis to make a determination of the guilt or innocence of anyone involved. I sincerely hope that once the Attorney General has completed his investigation and all of the facts are revealed, most of those accused will be judged innocent. But with so much of our legislative agenda still before us, the people of Pennsylvania cannot wait for that day to arrive, and the Democratic Caucus can no longer remain functional under this cloud of uncertainty hovering over its current leader.
Rep. DeWeese has previously said he would step aside as Majority Leader if he ever became a distraction. Regrettably, that day has arrived, and it is time for him to honor his promise so we can move forward to do the people’s business.
As a lifelong Democrat, it pains me to publicly question the leadership of my own party, but I feel as though failing to speak up under these extraordinary circumstances would be an unforgivable exercise in hypocrisy. Not only would I be breaking a solemn promise to the people I represent to bring about true change to the culture of Harrisburg, but I would also be ignoring what I know in my heart and mind to be the right thing to do.
