Please Keep Mt Lebanon in the 37th Senate District
My name is Craig Grella. I am a resident and local elected official in Mt Lebanon. I appreciate the work the committee has done to make our maps fairer, however, I request the committee revisit the placement of Mt. Lebanon and keep our community within the bounds of the existing and future 37th Senate District. Demographically, we are very similar to our closest neighbors, Upper St Clair and Bethel Park. We share similar property types, median ages, and income levels. Geographically, we are also more similar to our southern neighbors; sharing the same suburban profile and several shopping and commercial districts. As municipalities, our elected officials have entered into various mutual aid agreements that have been beneficial to each of our communities and our area on the whole. We’ve also had the opportunity to coordinate with local developers on projects that serve our joint communities. Mt. Lebanon residents are very active in local civics; both in Mt Lebanon and within the existing and proposed 37th Senate Districts. We work very closely with our State Representative and State Senator and have worked hard to develop those relationships over the years, which are important to making sure Mt Lebanon’s interests are served in our State Government. For all these reasons, I believe Mt Lebanon should stay within the bounds of the proposed 37th Senate District and not be moved into the 42nd. I am available for questions and responses, and again, want to express my thanks to the committee for taking up this important work. Thank you. Craig Grella