Concerns about Proposed HD 103
Concerns about Proposed HOUSE DISTRICT 103 The proposed House District 103 includes the northern part of the city of Harrisburg south to just below the Harrisburg Hospital and Market Street Bridge and crosses the Susquehanna River to include the municipalities of Camp Hill, Lemoyne, Wormleysburg and East Pennsboro Township in Cumberland County. There are two schools of thought about dividing Harrisburg and including it with parts of the West Shore of the river. Serious consideration must be given to what the best option is to represent the people of Harrisburg and also those in the communities on the West Shore. Here are some of the pros and cons of combining part of Harrisburg with the West Shore. PROS • shared area for recreation, shopping, restaurants and medical care for residents from both sides of the river • has some issues common to communities on both sides of the river • may build a ‘bridge’ and break down stereotypes held by people on both sides of the river toward one another but will probably take multiple election cycles to accomplish CONS • The majority of Harrisburg residents feel the city is a ‘community of interest’ with its own unique challenges and issues that need focused attention and should not be divided. There is concern that the urban voices will be diluted and their issues will not receive the attention they require. if the city must be divided, the areas included should be within Dauphin County. • Harrisburg has significant Black, Hispanic and other minority populations and the West Shore is predominately white. The fear is that these minority voices will be diluted, marginalized and fair representation will not be achieved. • Besides the physical split by the Susquehanna River, for decades there has been an attitudinal and perceptual schism of sorts between the east and west shore residents. Many on the West Shore view the East Shore as inferior and those on the East Shore view the West Shore as snobbish. Many residents, especially those in the Harrisburg area, refer to the West Shore as the “White Shore”. It is not the validity of these perceptions, but rather that they exist that is important. • There are significant cultural differences between the communities on the West Shore and the city of Harrisburg. Although people cross the river both ways for various purposes, they identify with the area in which they live and the culture within it. • There has not been a House District that included parts of the West Shore with Harrisburg for at least 30 years and possibly never before • The PA Constitution says there should be no splitting of cities unless absolutely necessary. Given the importance of Harrisburg as both the county seat of Dauphin County and the center of our state government, this could be argued as a violation of the PA Constitution. ADDITIONAL VARIABLE The workload for any legislator representing Harrisburg and the adjoining urban communities is extremely high given the needs of both individual residents and the city as a whole. The current representative has suggested it would be beneficial if the city and surrounding communities ( ie Steelton, Highspire) were divided into 2 districts so that the responsibilities and workload could be shared with another legislator who advocates for the needs of Harrisburg and the adjacent urban communities. However, if splitting Harrisburg is necessary, it is preferable both districts remain in Dauphin County and do not include parts of the West Shore. The following comments are from a West Shore resident and help explain some additional issues created by combining parts of Harrisburg and the West Shore in one House district. “District 103 seems to do a good job when you think of a contiguous plot of land. Nice compact space. Population total probably is reasonable. But the issues within the space differ fairly significantly between the East and West shores. I think one of the biggest challenges will be finding an election candidate both shores agree on. One side of the river is always going to feel slighted. I think West Shore will come out the winner more often than East. I think for Harrisburg to have a real voice, the Harrisburg area requires 1 elected official that speaks for all of Harrisburg. I hate to say this but West Shore will have more money to put behind a candidate than East shore and when that candidate wins, they'll remember who funded the campaign. I think 103 as drawn isn't good for Harrisburg. West Shore residents won't like it either.” A recent map submitted to the LRC by Michael Waxenberg addresses many of the issues in the CON section (above) and appears to be a better option for the districts for Dauphin County and surrounding areas. https://www.redistricting.state.pa.us/comment/submission/3212 I strongly urge you to consider the positive and negative aspects of splitting the city of Harrisburg into two House Districts (103, and 104) and including the communities of Camp Hill, Lemoyne, Wormleysburg and East Pennsboro Township on the West Shore of the Susquehanna River in District 103.