There are four candidates running in the Democratic Party primary to represent Whitemarsh Township as the state representative for the 148th district, which, in addition to Whitemarsh, includes Narberth and a portion of Lower Merion Township.

The four candidates are recently elected Whitemarsh Township Supervisor Megan Griffin-Shelley, former Narberth Mayor Andrea Deutsch, environmental lawyer and civil rights advocate Jason Landau Goodman, and Leo Solga, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.

The winner of the primary is likely to be the eventual winner in the general election, as there is no Republican candidate (note that a write-in candidate on the Republican side may qualify for the general election ballot).

We emailed the candidates on May 10th and asked all of them the same series of questions, which included a couple focused on Whitemarsh. Only one candidate, Leo Solga, responded.

Below are Solga’s responses (questions in bold). The answers are unedited.

Whitemarsh Township and many other municipalities have been dealing with how best to organize and fund their emergency services, especially firefighting. How best can the state assist municipalities in modernizing their emergency services?

To best help Whitemarsh and other municipalities in modernizing emergency services, the state should prioritize supporting organizational leadership and sustainable funding. Hiring a township Fire Chief to liaise between volunteer fire departments, independent companies, and Whitemarsh Township will ensure that Whitemarsh has coordinated responses to emergencies while still allowing local organizations to thrive. The state should also increase funding for emergency services through transformative grants that allow for Whitemarsh’s fire companies to modernize their facilities.

In recent years, Whitemarsh Township has conducted studies and adopted ordinances that are purposely meant to drive density in the Spring Mill section of the township. Do you feel this is wise?

I will ensure that the current residents of Whitemarsh have the current comfortability that they deserve, and that we maintain what its current residents love so much about the community. However, developing Spring Mill through prioritizing public transit, economic development, and public spaces can help address the growing housing crisis and bring new businesses, voices, and economic growth into the community. 

How do you think Pennsylvania’s state government should approach the issue of data centers?

Having studied the environmental impact of data center with a United Nations research team, I’ll say this – Pennsylvania’s state government should stand wholeheartedly against data centers. It is well-documented that data centers are environmental and public health hazards, and I will not support any efforts to put our communities in harms’ way. The state government should think long and hard before green lighting data center construction in the Commonwealth, especially given the lack of reliable data on energy and water usage. We shouldn’t sell out to the interests of large technology corporations. It’s not a good move for our economy, our planet, or our people.

Do you think it can be detrimental to a community for all municipal-level officials to be from one party?

I believe that good-faith discourse and discussion is central to a healthy democracy, regardless of party lines and affiliations. A functioning municipality is one that prioritizes listening and responding to community concerns over playing politics, both within parties and across partisan lines.

There is no direct land connection or bridge between the Whitemarsh section of the district and the Main Line section of the district. The Schuylkill River serves as the border. While Narberth and Lower Merion obviously have a lot in common, do you think the combination of those two communities with Whitemarsh makes sense as a state house district?

Narberth, Lower Merion, and Whitemarsh all have far more commonalities than differences. Though gerrymandering has continuously changed the layout of the 148th House District, I look forward to representing all three communities, with respect to everything that they have in common, but also the individual features that make each community unique. 

Whitemarsh, Lower Merion, and Narberth are all wealthy communities. Would you be willing to see Whitemarsh, Lower Merion, and Narberth residents pay more taxes for the benefit of less affluent school districts?

I support a progressive tax structure for the betterment of public education across the Commonwealth. However, this isn’t about raising everyone’s taxes; it’s about shifting the burden from property taxes onto ultra-wealthy individuals (making more than one million dollars a year in income) and corporations, closing corporate loopholes, and ensuring that what a child gets in the classroom is not determined by the assessed value of their neighbor’s home. As the only public school graduate in this race, I know first-hand how good public schools can do for a kid’s life, and I want that for every student in Pennsylvania.

If elected, at the conclusion of your four-year term, what is the one issue you hope to impact the most? And how?

At the conclusion of my term, I hope to impact reproductive freedom the most. I understand that Pennsylvania is not a safe state for legal abortion, and I will work to codify the right to an abortion into state law. Additionally, I will work to advance other aspects of reproductive health equity, by fighting for paid maternity leave, comprehensive sex education, and other interventions that are proven to support reproductive health and health equity. I understand that this issue is more about one simple right or law, but rather a broader landscape of reproductive health justice where women’s health is valued and fought for. 

Photo: Solga’s campaign