Candidate for
State Senator; District 24

Hello. My name is Bill Wallace and I am a candidate for the 24th District of the Pennsylvania State Senate.

Let's be perfectly honest. This district is a gerrymandered mess, stretching across four counties. It is made up of distinct communities, each with a unique personality and a unique set of challenges, but we also have much in common. We have a desire for common sense and consumer-focused solutions. We need simple, thoughtful legislation, free of back-room deals and lobbyist influences. Schools need to be properly funded, libraries should stay open and parks and open spaces need to be expanded, upgraded and improved.

Taxpayers need relief. The recent electric rate hikes are unacceptable and health care is getting less and less affordable. We all want a State Senator who understands the residents of the district and will take our concerns to Harrisburg.

As your next State Senator I will look to understand the differences among our communities, embrace our diversity, understand the challenges we face and take our concerns to Harrisburg to demand real solutions. We need to fix the mistakes of the past and stop the vicious cycle of bad government.

I have a unique perspective with which to represent this district, with a lifetime of experience in the four-county region. I graduated from Perkiomen Valley High School in 1974. I attended Montgomery County College, graduating in 1977. I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with a teaching certificate from Penn State in 1980. I later achieved a Master's Degree in education from Gratz College in 2002.

Professionally, I settled into Upper Bucks County's Richland Township after securing my teaching position in the Pennridge School District. Previously, I held a series of long-term substitute positions, one of which was in Souderton's Salford Hills Elementary, part of the 24th. I referee wrestling and have coached wrestling, soccer, baseball and volleyball in both community and scholastic leagues. I have been a volunteer environmental educator at Hawk Mountain and Mariton Nature Preserve.

I met my wife, Diane, in 1994. At the time, she was living in Macungie, part of the 24th. We celebrated the birth of our son, Erik, in 1997. We Moved to Williams Township in 2001. Erik attended Williams Elementary and is an honor student at Wilson's Phillip Lauer Middle School. He has wrestled and plays baseball and soccer. He is also learning to play the guitar.

As a life-long Democrat, I have been deeply involved in government in my community, while serving as Committee person in Richland and Williams Townships. I was elected chairperson of the 145th Democratic Committee in Upper Bucks in 1994. Currently, I chair the Ways and Means Committee of the Easton Area Democratic Committee.

I have a wealth of experience in this district, numerous professional and personal contacts and an in-depth understanding of the region's needs and potential for growth. I am running for State Senate because residents are fed up with Harrisburg red tape, horse malarkey and gridlock. I am not a political insider, but rather a highly educated professional, with an appreciation and understanding of ordinary issues and everyday problems.

As your next State Senator, I will stand for good government. I will be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Budget impasses should never happen. As your State Senator, I will not accept a paycheck if Pennsylvania does not have a budget and I will propose legislation that no legislator be paid as long as there is a budget impasse.

Partisan bickering has no place in today's government. Education, protecting our environment, maintaining constituent services, maintaining our roads and infrastructure, cleaning up pollution and preserving our open spaces are not partisan issues. They are common-sense issues that require common-sense solutions.

As your State Senator, I will need your ideas to help solve many of the large challenges we face. That is why I will staff four offices, one in each county. I will maintain regular hours to provide quality constituent services and to listen to your concerns. It will be equally important that we have regular town hall meetings in the district to listen to residents' concerns and ideas.

I plan to be an insistent, non-partisan voice for the people in this district. A voice of common sense. If you elect me as your State Senator I will fight to make sure that you are heard in Harrisburg.

Sincerely,

Bill Wallace