Jan. 05, 2022
By State Rep. Bud Cook (R-Washington/Fayette)
The citizens of this Commonwealth have the right to a government that is fair, accountable and transparent, and since I took office in 2016, my primary goal has been to ensure all of these. My secondary goal has always been to promote the Monongahela Valley, located in Southwest Pennsylvania, and work with local officials in the area for the betterment of this region.
With the stoke of a pen, former University of Pittsburgh Professor Mark Nordenberg, who chairs the Legislative Redistricting Commission (LRC), and his allies on the commission have split the Mon Valley right down the middle. My question is why? I speak for all in the 49th District when I say that there is no logical reason for this after all the work that has been done to unite us. I am calling on Nordenberg to publicly show how he and the Democrats on the commission settled on this map.
The proposed House district maps very clearly favor the Democrats. While the chair of the commission is supposed to be a nonpartisan voice, Nordenberg sided with Democrats at every turn in the map-drawing process. He was not appointed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which consists of five Democrats and two Republicans, to push his personal agenda and the goals of any single political party. He was appointed to be a voice of reason between the two parties.
The proposed maps set up a record-number of incumbent matchups, pitting 12 Republicans against each other and only two Democrats against each other. In order to ensure that the new districts are fair to the people of Pennsylvania, I am calling on Nordenberg to show how this map was drawn and give his reasonings behind it. It is the only way to earn the trust of our constituents.
I encourage you to visit my website at
RepBudCook.com for more information on the redistricting process. If you feel strongly about the proposed maps, you may submit your thoughts at
Redistricting.State.PA.US/Comment/.
Representative Bud Cook
49th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Michelle Swab
717.260.6325
mswab@pahousegop.com
RepBudCook.com /
Facebook.com/RepBudCook