VOICE of theVALLEY SPRING
AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE DAILY ITEM AND THE DANVILLE NEWS
S T E N D E R : G E T T I N G
2024
G O V E R N ME N T R I G H T
I mp ressi on s, O bserv ati on s, an d F ru strati on s by Bob Garrett
D u ring a rec ent h ou r- l ong c onv ersation, R ep resentativ e M ik e S tender ( R - 1 0 8 th ) and I sp ent a l ot of tim e tal k ing abou t h is p redec essor, PA S enator L ynda S c h l eg el Cu l v er ( R - 2 7 th ) . S tender said, “ L ynda seem s to k now ev eryone, h as a deep w el l of k now l edg e on nearl y al l th e c u rrent l eg isl ation m ov ing in H arrisbu rg , and sh e is v ery g enerou s and p atient in sh aring h er institu tional k now l edg e. ” “ H ec k , w e ev en c ol l aborate on ou r c al endars to insu re th at at l east one of u s c an attend eac h of th e ev ents in ou r v al l ey,” h e added. Ou r c onv ersation rang ed ro e rs e we e o l eg isl ation th at h e c o- sp onsored j u st days ag o. M ik e w as sw orn into th e 1 0 8 th D istric t seat on J u ne 4 th of l ast year. “ Bec au se I w as el ec ted in w h at’ s k now n as a ‘ S p ec ial ,’ I g ot started in m y new p osition, on el ec tion nig h t, w h ic h was May ” e ar e . W h en ask ed w h at h is big g est
im p ression w as now th at h e’ s ro o s rs a v ersary serv ing in th e l eg isl atu re, R ep . S tender im m ediatel y su g g ested th at h ad to be th e p erc ep tion of neg ativ ity in p ol itic s. W ith a year ‘ u nder h is bel t’ h e su g g ested th at “ neg ativ ity in ou r v al l ey w h en it c om es to l oc al c om m u nities and th e th ing s th at o a ee e o a s are e ting done h as been nil . I n th e p ast year I ’ v e g otten to v isit ev ery M ontou r or N orth u m berl and Cou nty m u nic ip al ity in m y distric t and h av e yet to ru n into th e k ind of neg ativ e
p ol itic s th at seem so p erv asiv e in th e m ass m edia. ” “ I t’ s tru l y been a h u m bl ing ex p erienc e to rep resent eac h - and- ev ery c onstitu ent du ring m y sh ort tim e serv ing in H arrisbu rg . I ’ m so g ratef u l or e r o e e s or and v otes,” h e added. A s f ar as f ru strations g o, M ik e p ointed ou t th at th e R ep u bl ic ans are in a raz or- th in m inority in th e PA H ou e f or th e rs e e a es. e on th is h e saw a sil v er l ining , “ I m ay not g et l eg isl ation p assed w ith m y nam e on it,
bu t by bu il ding c oal itions, I ’ m al ready h av ing su c c ess g etting im p ortant th ing s done f or m y distric t by w ork ing ac ross
th e aisl e. ” H e did adm it th at “ … th e sil l iness of th e al l eg ed l eak ing H ou se Ch am ber roof Pl eas e s ee STENDER, Page 9