After five years as a legislative staffer, Nate Davidson of Harrisburg will join the Pennsylvania House of Representatives as a lawmaker next year.
Davidson won the five-way Democratic primary for Republican Patty Kim’s seat in the 103rd Legislative District. Last month, he defeated his Republican opponent, East Pennsboro Area School board member Cynthia Ward, in the general election. Kim was elected to the Dauphin County state senator seat left vacant by the retirement of Republican Senator John DiSanto
As a House staffer, Davidson served as floor manager of the Democratic Caucus and senior advisor to the chairman of the Democratic Appropriations Committee. Before joining the legislative staff, Davidson headed the House Democratic Campaign Committee.
He received endorsements from a diverse group of supporters, including Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams and other Dauphin and Cumberland County officials, the Pennsylvania State Education Association, and eight other unions and advocacy groups, including Planned Parenthood PA and Conservation Voters of PA.
“I worked with senior management and leaders on a daily basis, so I have some institutional knowledge from the last decade,” Davidson said. “This experience was one of the reasons why many different groups, organizations and individuals came out to support me in the campaign.”
The 103rd District covers part of the city of Harrisburg and part of Cumberland County, including Camp Hill, Lemoyne, Wormleysburg and East Pennsboro Township.
Capital-Star: What do you think is most unique about your neighborhood?
Davidson: For the first time, we have a House of Representatives on the Susquehanna River.
Generally speaking, the division between the east and west coasts is well known in these parts. I see this as a real opportunity. I was born and raised in Dauphin County, then went to college in Cumberland County, and every day in my community people get in their cars or a bus and drive over the bridge.
Too often in the past there has been a parochial view that the West Coast takes care of itself and the East Coast takes care of itself and they argue about this and that. But I really think we are one of the fastest growing areas in the Commonwealth right now. We really need to work together to capture this energy and seize the opportunities that arise.
Historically, if we go back 50 or 60 years, much of Cumberland County went undeveloped. This wasn’t a suburban community. Most of them were agricultural farms. So I think as population has changed, communities have changed, there has been a population shift from cities to bedroom communities.
All of these communities are interconnected, whether you live in a bedroom, whether you live in the city, whether you live on the west bank, whether you work on the east bank, we are all connected.
CS: What do you think are the most pressing issues in the 103rd District?
Davidson: One of the challenges facing my district is the scale of needs in different parts of the district. You know, the city has some real needs and unique challenges because of our fiscal situation. About half of the city’s assets are not taxable because they are Commonwealth owned or not-for-profit. This is unlike any other municipality in the state.
There are more things that unite us than divide us. Everyone wants well and unthreatening communities, right? It all starts with good schools, no matter where you live. This starts with unthreatening streets. It starts with unthreatening communities and access to health care.
Among the most grave issues that will impact the region in the coming years is the repair of two bridges over the Susquehanna River: the Interstate 83 southbound bridge and the Market Street bridge. It’s hard to put a calendar in the future as to when exactly they’re due to be replaced, but they’re likely to happen very close together in time, creating a whole host of other challenges for the region.
We also have to pay for these projects. Transport financing is currently a major problem in the Community.
CS: Do you have any legislation in your back pocket that you plan to introduce on day one?
Davidson: I plan to introduce former Speaker of the House Mark Rozzi’s bills on behalf of survivors of sexual abuse in the recent session. Of course, we are disappointed that the Legislature did not take action last session to bring this issue to a conclusion.
(CS Note: Rozzi, who did not seek re-election, has introduced legislation to create an exception to the civil statute of limitations to allow adult victims of childhood sexual abuse to sue their abusers and those who aid them. Although a proposed constitutional amendment to create a two-year window for seeking compensation passed with bipartisan support, it never went to voters for approval due to a procedural error. Attempts to re-pass the bill last session failed after the state Senate introduced to amendments A requirement for voter identification)
I spoke to Rozzi, but also to many other members of our club who were passionate about this issue, some of whom have publicly shared their stories of survival. Others didn’t, but I talked to them too. It’s disappointing that there are those who would choose to insert something like this on an issue that is really just common sense and obvious.
I’m doing my best not to point fingers and insert bias here because I think if we ever do get this across the finish line, it’s significant to take a step back from these partisan lines and remember that this is a proposition , which will serve the best interests of the people of Pennsylvania.
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