Exceptions/Corrections House 44, 45, 46, 20
LEGAL EXCEPTIONS AND REQUEST TO TESTIFY COLLECTIVE TESTIMONY OF STATE REPRESENTATIVES GAYDOS (44), ORTITAY(46), KULIK (45), KINKEAD (20) We are four State House Representatives respectively representing adjoining 44th, 45th, 46th and 20th House legislative districts here in Allegheny county. Representative Ortitay and I are Republican. Representatives Kulik and Kinkead are Democrats. And, we are here on behalf of our respective constituents demonstrating the spirit of the bipartisan collaborative process intended to be put forth by Commissioner Nordenberg to present our collective community “corrections and exceptions” to the LRC proposed maps. A couple of things that we have learned and agree upon being state Representatives is that our communities are not always defined by government boundaries and that communities should be the ones to define their government and not the other way around. Communities can be defined by roads, bridges and common travel routes. And, rivers or counties are not always convenient boundaries either. Communities can mean shared public services like water, sewer, police, fire and school districts. Or simply where people live, work, play, or worship together. We are here to focus on what unites us, not what divides us. Keeping communities of interest together under consistent representation makes for better communities and enables state representatives to be better advocates, stewards and champions for our communities. This is not a Republican issue or a Democrat issue. This is a community issue and we are here to collectively present our exceptions and show our bipartisan collaboration on a collective map for Districts 44,45,46, 20 (Each Representative will briefly describe communities of interest and present the specific exceptions and corrections based on issues of keeping communities of interest and school districts together, locations of community centers, reducing splits, proportionality, acceptable deviation and our historic collaboration on regional projects of interest to support our constituents.) 1. Representative Jason Ortitay Our proposed map keeps South Fayette together with communities of greater interest to the South in Washington County. 2. Representative Anita Kulik Reduces split communities of Carnegie and Stowe. Puts Moon Twp’s Community center back together with the community it serves. 3. Representative Emily Kinkead Puts suburban north boroughs in Avonworth School district together in district with Ohio Township where there is more common interest. Restores consistency in representation to minority communities in a largely city district rather than suburban district. 4. Representative Valerie Gaydos Keeps all of 11 Municipalities and Boroughs of Quaker Valley together with the Community of Common Interest in Moon Twp and puts Moon Twp’s Community center back together with the community it serves. Therefore we respectively submit the proposed changes and proposed map and wish to testify in person. https://davesredistricting.org/maps#viewmap::ab78f986-7c3b-4396-80b3-c4bb7d7cadfb Thank you for allowing us to present our comments. Through the additional process and changes, I am sure that we can get to a map we all agree is in the best interest of our communities of Pennsylvania and not partisan politics. Ortitay (BLUE) 46 ALLEGHENY County. South Fayette Oakdale Cecil Robinson McDonald Midway Mt. Pleasant Canonsburg Chartiers Houston Kulik (YELLOW) 45 ALLEGHENY County Kilbuck Emsworth Ben Avon Neville Coraopolis Robinson Kennedy McKees Rocks Pennsbury Collier Bridgeville Carnegie Kinkead (LIGHT BLUE) 46 Part of ALLEGHENY County CITY of Pittsburgh (PART, Ward 27 [PART, Divisions 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07 and 08]) PART, Ward 26 [PART, Divisions 12, 13, 14, 15, 05, and 06 Ross Avalon Bellevue West View. Gaydos (RED) 44 North Fayette (all) Findlay (all) Moon (all) Crescent Sewickley Sewickley Heights Sewickley Hills Edgeworth Leet Leetsdale Glen Osborne Aleppo Bell Acres Glenfield Haysville