Where is Representative Youngblood?

The 198^th District has not been well served by our current State Representative, Rosita Youngblood. This charge is not made in anger, but in sorrow. Representative Youngblood has lost touch with her district in Philadelphia and has alienated herself from the Democratic Party in Harrisburg.

 The life of the 198^th district goes on around her with little support from Representative Youngblood. Community groups and civic associations struggle to carry out their activities with little support from the political official closest to us. Businessmen try to create thriving commercial corridors with no aid from the person who should be, but rarely is in the thick of things.

Representative Youngblood Missed the R8 Train Issue

The most obvious failure of Representative Youngblood is in the area of public transportation. The R8 train runs right down the middle of her district. Yet when the R8 was threatened with discontinuation last spring, Representative Youngblood’s voice was silent. Not only did she not take a leadership role in the fight to save the R8, she never attended a single meeting or protest rally. And, in recent weeks, when some political muscle might have stopped the cutbacks in mid-day service, Representative Youngblood was again MIA—missing in action.

Representative Youngblood has had no staff in her district office for almost two years. Her office is rarely open and she is hardly ever there.

One reason her district office is unstaffed is that Representative Youngblood has been feuding with the leadership of the Democratic Party in Harrisburg. Because she refused to vote with the party on the fundamental questions of how the House of Representatives should be organized and on basic matters of party principle, her budget for staff has been cut. Against the advice of legal experts, she then sued the Democratic Leadership in Federal Court, a suit she recently lost.

Representative Youngblood vs The Democratic Party

To be fair, Representative Youngblood may not have had the easiest time in dealing with the partly leadership in her early days in Harrisburg. But, in order to serve us well, Representative Youngblood needed to learn how to get along with those who have control over the her, and our fate. Many representatives disagree with the Democratic Leadership on one issue or another. But no one else has been singled out. It would be one thing if Rosita Youngblood were standing alone on a matter of high moral principle.  Then we would all support her. But she has never identified any principle behind this dispute at all. Whether out of frustration with the leadership or as a result of a minor policy disagreement, Representative Youngblood has jeopardized the power and resources she should be using to fight for us.

No Excuses

While Rosita Youngblood’s funds for staffing have been reduced, she still received the same $40,000 minimum that has been allocated to a number of other representatives. So the question we should ask is why she cannot keep part-time staff in her office wit that amount of money. Marc Stier has been a volunteer president at West Mt. Airy Neighbors, which has a 20 hour a week Executive Director who makes less than that amount and is an incredibly effective member of the community.

If $40,000 is not enough to pay for at least part-time staff, why doesn’t Representative Youngblood raise money privately to do so? As the leader of the 13^th ward, Representative Youngblood receives substantial campaign contributions from candidates running for office. For example, most of the candidates running for the Court of Common Pleas donated $1,000 to her campaign committee. Why doesn’t she use this money to support a part-time staff person in her district office?

Finally, why isn’t Representative Youngblood ever in her office herself? State legislators are in Harrisburg only about 80 days a year. For the $65,000 she receives in salary, and the fancy SUV the state pays for, one would think that Representative Youngblood could at least hold office hours in a few hours each week.

There are other ward leaders—Vernon Price in the 22^nd ward is an example—who keep a district office open and hold office hours for their constituents. And ward leader is not even a paid position.

A Comparison

In contrast to Rosita Youngblood, Marc Stier has been working hard for the community as a unpaid volunteer for five years. He regularly puts in thirty hours a week on community affairs. He goes to community meetings many times a week either early in the morning before his teaching schedule starts or in the evening. As the many people who have received emails from him written at 3:00 in the morning know, Marc Stier has the energy and commitment to do the work we need in a State Representative and more.