Candidate for
State Representative; District 103; Democratic Party

Brooks Mountcastle has lived and worked in Harrisburg for 14 years. He was raised by two loving parents in Elverson, Pa. The youngest of four, he was taught the importance of honesty, helping others and hard work. His mother, a registered nurse, held various positions, primarily in developmental disabilities for 16 years. His father, a 35 year member of the union, helped to support the family with a career in the insurance sales industry. Brooks currently lives in the midtown section of Harrisburg with his wife, Becky.

Brooks has invested the past 20 years of his life working on consumer advocacy rights and environmental concerns in the Greater Harrisburg area, in the state, and nationally. In many of these pursuits, Brooks was "on the ground floor" of many issues before they gained much attention. He has often worked collaboratively with others from opposing viewpoints to bring about improvements in the environment and the quality of life for many.

In 1996, Brooks Mountcastle relocated to Harrisburg to work as a Policy Analyst for Clean Air Council on electric deregulation, a program that broke the monopoly stranglehold on electric generation by allowing consumers to pick their electric supplier. In this position, Brooks worked on advocating for policies that would bring cleaner, renewable energy to consumers and educating consumers about the impacts of electric generation. In addition, Brooks contributed to the environmentalists' testimony on customer information - the premise that consumers have the right to know what is in their food, they should also know how their electric power is generated and what harmful pollutants may be produced by using certain fuels to generate electricity.

In 2000, Brooks went to work for the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission as a Consumer Information Specialist, where he reviewed utility consumer education material ensuring it was understandable to consumers and that utilities were following established policies and regulations. He also monitored wind energy development; prepared presentations and speeches for Commissioners; and assisted with early reviews of utilities' Demand Side Response Programs - programs that would eventually allow consumers the ability to control their electric use by smart meters.

In 2003, Brooks returned to Clean Air Council as its Harrisburg Director, directing a tobacco smoke pollution program in three central PA counties, focusing on restaurant inspections and educating day care providers and parents about the dangers of tobacco smoke. Under his direction, the Clean Air Council worked with several counties on smoke-free restaurant programs, which lead to early and voluntary adoption of smoke-free restaurants. Five years later, Pennsylvania enacted a smoking ban in most indoor facilities. When he was not working on smoking issues and "dirty power" plant issues, he was campaigning against the Harrisburg Incinerator by speaking at Harrisburg City Council meetings and going door to door warning residents about: the public health dangers of the Incinerator, environmental justice issues, and how Harrisburg City was pursuing flawed economics, which would eventually be proven correct as evidenced by the mounting $288 million debt and the city's declining bond status.

After learning about overfishing in our nation's waters, Brooks went to work for Marine Fish Conservation Network (Network) as its Mid-Atlantic Representative, outreaching to Congress, media, and grassroots organizations, leading to the passage of federal legislation in December 2006, finally ending overfishing in the United States. After five years with the Network, Brooks joined Food and Water Watch (FWW), a national consumer organization fighting corporate control of food and water resources. In his capacity as a Campaign Organizer, Brooks is working with FWW to pressure Congress to hold hearings and investigate BP Atlantis, the world's deepest oil and natural gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico.

Brooks believes strongly in supporting his community and serves on the Midtown Square Action Council. He volunteers at Council events and church-sponsored activities.

Brooks earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Studies from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and a Master's Degree in Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School.