Keep Etna in House District 21
Etna borough is currently in danger of being redistricted into District 33, which would be a huge mistake. As a municipality in District 21, Etna is grouped together with other boroughs and townships we have close ties to. I live in Etna and practically everyday I travel through, work in, and relax in Millvale, Sharpsburg, and Shaler. Because residents of Etna like myself, are so involved in other District 21 communities, it only makes sense to keep us together in state districting. Not only do we have a history of working together since the Shaler Area School District merger of 1971-- which forever glued Millvale, Etna, Shaler, and Reserve together-- but we have a distinctly good working relationship under our current and past PA House Representatives. Representative Dom Costa had a strong relationship with many of our municipal directors, and Representative Innamorato has only improved this dynamic. We have demonstrated that we are all able to work together happily and proactively, which is a boon to our municipalities as well as the Representative of District 21. Etna, a borough that used to struggle to differentiate itself from other defunct steel towns, has been able to grow and evolve because of the support of our other District 21 localities. Working with Millvale and Sharpsburg we've developed initiatives for sustainability and equity that serve all of our communities. The TriBoro EcoDistrict has brought huge measures of sustainable policy to our municipalities. Together we've been able to source grants as well as community support for things like porous sidewalks, rain gardens, and community-wide rain barrels that have addressed our shared issues with flooding while bringing more eco-friendly solutions to the table. We are always working on new plans to improve our municipalities, and they always benefit from having all of our municipalities involved. Etna has a track record of collaborating with Millvale and Sharpsburg to all of our advantage. Most importantly, we've built a sense of community between our municipalities. Etna residents feel empowered to call Millvale their home and to be involved in Sharpsburg mayoral campaigns. To break up the connection between our communities by removing Etna from District 21 would mean more complicated interactions and less efficient collaboration. It would mean we couldn't simply go to the same representative for support on inter-community projects, and it would alienate the close connections we've built. Finally, I would like to call a spade a spade and point out that the proposed redistricting looks precisely like gerrymandering. There is no reason District 21 should have a piece cut out of its side. The proposed District 33 snakes by Districts 30 and 32, eating into District 21 and forming a wildly irregular shape. The shape of this district in itself begs investigation, not to mention the cluster of communities it seeks to combine. To be plain: Etna is a working-class, close knit community that thrives because of its neighbors in District 21. To rip us away, along with Sharpsburg, and place us with far wealthier communities that we don't have a strong working history with would alienate, disenfranchise, and disadvantage us. I strongly implore the redistricting committees to reconsider this decision. Do not remove Etna (and Sharpsburg!) From District 21. Do not move us to District 33.