Northern Dauphin County in one district
I am respectfully reaching out to the Legislative Reapportionment Commission to request that you strongly consider keeping an expanded northern Dauphin County and western Schuylkill County house district intact as a state legislative district. My current legislative district contains portions of southern and northern Dauphin County, the 104th District. Portions of southern Dauphin County, a suburban area, and northern Dauphin County, a rural area, represent two separate communities of interest. Despite these differences, these two communities are presently combined in the 104th district. My legislative district will be more representative of my area if it is included in a district that contains western Schuylkill County and northern Dauphin (particularly the entirety of the Lykens Valley). This district should include all municipalities north of the historical geographic boundary of Peters Mountain. As a resident of Millersburg, I am concerned that individuals not familiar with my home area are crafting my legislative district for me and that the voice of my region of Dauphin County will be diluted. A northern Dauphin County and western Schuylkill County district that I have discussed is a community of interest. Citizens of northern Dauphin County and western Schuylkill County have similar school districts, political and cultural interests that are aligned, share media markets, and the portions of both counties discussed are rural in geography and have strong ties to the agriculture and coal industry. The present legislative district that encompasses this area, the 125th District, is a community of interest and the commission should make efforts to only add more of northern Dauphin County to this district. Adding portions of southern Dauphin County or any other county would be counterproductive this community of interest and would be disingenuous to the citizens who reside here. I have been in the media business in this area for over five decades and I am extremely confident in this request. Thank you for your consideration.