Lehigh County Senate Map
I am disappointed regarding the proposed Senate maps for the Lehigh Valley. This map is far from providing fair, equitable and effective representation to the voters in Lehigh County. West Bethlehem should remain a part of the 18th Senate District. The portion of Bethlehem that is within Lehigh County is better represented by a Northampton County senator, because the majority of the City of Bethlehem is in Northampton County. West Bethlehem should be removed from the 14th Senate District and returned to the 18th Senate District. The City of Allentown is grossly split to accommodate the current incumbent senator. In the proposed map, 14 precincts are being removed from Allentown - nearly a third of its residents - to the 18th Senate District. This will dilute not only Allentown voter’s influence, but deny many residents real and effective representation. The redistricting plan is irresponsible. I strongly encourage the Legislative Redistricting Commission to carve a path through the South Side of Allentown. In the proposed maps, too much of Lehigh County is omitted from the 14th Senate District. Lehigh County is the 10th largest county in the state of Pennsylvania. Yet the vast majority of it would be drawn into Berks County to create the 18th Senate District. This an injustice to Lehigh County voters. I demand that more Lehigh County municipalities be added to the 14th Senate District. The current maps further undermine trust in the democratic process and threaten to further degrade optimism about the importance of public input. The 14th Senate District and 18th Senate District must be fixed in order to ensure that democracy will thrive in the Lehigh Valley and the voices of Lehigh County residents will be respected.