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Dave Mattei / 137th District
I want to thank Dave Mattei for taking time for the interview. The magazine constantly tries to learn more about candidates / our government / elections. Dave did a great job on providing information about the state level of government in addition to the interview.
Special Thanks to Jennifer Newland for setting up the interview.
Special Thanks to Jennifer Newland for setting up the interview.
Interview
It can be confusing to figure out the districts, can be confusing. Wanted to start off this interview by using locations vs. numbers. Added bonus! Dave answered a question I had not asked yet.
What towns fall under the 137th district?
Dave: Mike, first of all, thanks for the interview. I really appreciate it today. It is a pleasure to meet you. The 137th district runs from Palmer township (Southern end) to Bangor and Rosetto.
A lot of people think of state level of government dealing with areas like roads / schools / budgets. There are a lot of areas the state government affects their everyday lives. Am I correct?
Dave: Yes, you are correct. There are so many areas the city of Harrisburg does that affects our everyday lives. Every rule and law in the state comes out of Harrisburg. Examples: property tax issue / state gaming / our veterans.
The state provides a lot of funds and assistance for our veterans. A lot of the assistance comes from the federal government. Some of it does come from the state level.
State representatives represent their people, ALL their people. We may not agree with our constituents. We have to represent them. It is important to listen to people, not talk. That is really the main job. To bring the information back to Harrisburg. That is main job, to represent your people on the street.
You just mentioned something, on the local level last year, I tried to stress. I realize as you get up to the state level and beyond, this becomes increasingly more difficult. How important do you think it is, for all politicians, to maintain a presence on the street level? (examples: having staff volunteers take public transportation / walk the streets).
Dave: I do! My plan is to have 2 separate offices and staff those offices full time. There will always be someone in those offices to answer questions. My goal is to have town hall meetings. Not just during the campaign, but after also. So I can bring back some honest opinions and feeling from my constituents.
Basically, "I am going to meet you half way. You can come to me. I am also going to come to you?"
Dave: Absolutely. I am a community guy. I am on the board at the Nazareth Chamber of Commerce. I live on Main St. and community is very important. I understand different communities feel differently about the topics. We have to be able to listen more than talk.
Obvious question (you want to know a little about their background, right?): Why did you get into politics? Especially in this (lack of a better term), interesting, political scene; to phrase it very politely.
Dave: It all started with my best friend who is 72 years old. He is paying about 10k in property taxes. He has been retired for quite awhile and lives alone. Eventually, he is going to just run out of money. It seems unfair that the elderly, in every community in PA, are getting pushed out of their homes. Being forced to sell their homes because they cannot afford the property taxes / mortgages / etc.
We are talking about the generation that joined the military and defended this country.
Can't we find some relief to help them through these last few years of their life? I think we can! I see my friend, who has done well in life. At some point, he is going to be forced to sell the home. It is not because of a mortgage. It is because of property taxes. He is not alone. There is a house on every street in state like that. It has to stop.
What are some of your ideas and solutions? One of the first thing the government does is raise taxes. Would it be possible to do broad spectrum cuts (balance between multiple programs equally) vs. raise taxes?
Dave: Absolutely. First off, we will not cut education any farther. It has been butchered in this state. They are cutting school taxes left and right. School systems are not getting the proper amount of tax money. That is a big problem. Who ends up paying? The homeowner. That has to stop. There is money in Harrisburg and they have to send the money to the schools in the proper way. Currently, we have in the legislature, 21 more Republicans than Democrats.
I am running as a Democrat. Until there is an equal balance, parties are not going to talk to each other. They do not have to talk to each other due to the imbalance.
Important Note: At this point, I (Michael Phoenix) mentioned personal opinion about a personal opinion. This part is not included to the potential of being biased in the interview. The topic was concerning the 2 party system. Nothing controversial, just personal opinion as a registered voter. I do feel the need to include Dave's response. Due to his approach being different.
Dave: I am even asking Republican voters to consider me. I am not a full time politician. I have not been doing this for years. I am not guided by one party. I believe your philosophy of how you vote (vote for person vs. party) is similar to most Pennsylvanians.
At the point, we took a short break. That included a conversation not even closely related to politics. Besides, have to leave you on a cliffhanger for part 2 right????
What towns fall under the 137th district?
Dave: Mike, first of all, thanks for the interview. I really appreciate it today. It is a pleasure to meet you. The 137th district runs from Palmer township (Southern end) to Bangor and Rosetto.
A lot of people think of state level of government dealing with areas like roads / schools / budgets. There are a lot of areas the state government affects their everyday lives. Am I correct?
Dave: Yes, you are correct. There are so many areas the city of Harrisburg does that affects our everyday lives. Every rule and law in the state comes out of Harrisburg. Examples: property tax issue / state gaming / our veterans.
The state provides a lot of funds and assistance for our veterans. A lot of the assistance comes from the federal government. Some of it does come from the state level.
State representatives represent their people, ALL their people. We may not agree with our constituents. We have to represent them. It is important to listen to people, not talk. That is really the main job. To bring the information back to Harrisburg. That is main job, to represent your people on the street.
You just mentioned something, on the local level last year, I tried to stress. I realize as you get up to the state level and beyond, this becomes increasingly more difficult. How important do you think it is, for all politicians, to maintain a presence on the street level? (examples: having staff volunteers take public transportation / walk the streets).
Dave: I do! My plan is to have 2 separate offices and staff those offices full time. There will always be someone in those offices to answer questions. My goal is to have town hall meetings. Not just during the campaign, but after also. So I can bring back some honest opinions and feeling from my constituents.
Basically, "I am going to meet you half way. You can come to me. I am also going to come to you?"
Dave: Absolutely. I am a community guy. I am on the board at the Nazareth Chamber of Commerce. I live on Main St. and community is very important. I understand different communities feel differently about the topics. We have to be able to listen more than talk.
Obvious question (you want to know a little about their background, right?): Why did you get into politics? Especially in this (lack of a better term), interesting, political scene; to phrase it very politely.
Dave: It all started with my best friend who is 72 years old. He is paying about 10k in property taxes. He has been retired for quite awhile and lives alone. Eventually, he is going to just run out of money. It seems unfair that the elderly, in every community in PA, are getting pushed out of their homes. Being forced to sell their homes because they cannot afford the property taxes / mortgages / etc.
We are talking about the generation that joined the military and defended this country.
Can't we find some relief to help them through these last few years of their life? I think we can! I see my friend, who has done well in life. At some point, he is going to be forced to sell the home. It is not because of a mortgage. It is because of property taxes. He is not alone. There is a house on every street in state like that. It has to stop.
What are some of your ideas and solutions? One of the first thing the government does is raise taxes. Would it be possible to do broad spectrum cuts (balance between multiple programs equally) vs. raise taxes?
Dave: Absolutely. First off, we will not cut education any farther. It has been butchered in this state. They are cutting school taxes left and right. School systems are not getting the proper amount of tax money. That is a big problem. Who ends up paying? The homeowner. That has to stop. There is money in Harrisburg and they have to send the money to the schools in the proper way. Currently, we have in the legislature, 21 more Republicans than Democrats.
I am running as a Democrat. Until there is an equal balance, parties are not going to talk to each other. They do not have to talk to each other due to the imbalance.
Important Note: At this point, I (Michael Phoenix) mentioned personal opinion about a personal opinion. This part is not included to the potential of being biased in the interview. The topic was concerning the 2 party system. Nothing controversial, just personal opinion as a registered voter. I do feel the need to include Dave's response. Due to his approach being different.
Dave: I am even asking Republican voters to consider me. I am not a full time politician. I have not been doing this for years. I am not guided by one party. I believe your philosophy of how you vote (vote for person vs. party) is similar to most Pennsylvanians.
At the point, we took a short break. That included a conversation not even closely related to politics. Besides, have to leave you on a cliffhanger for part 2 right????
