State Rep. Jacklyn Rusnock said a shared commitment to helping neighbors led her ex-husband, former Pennsylvania Democratic House Speaker Mark Rozzi, to endorse her for a state House seat earlier this year.
Rusnock won election in November to the 126th Legislative District seat in Berks County, defeating Republican candidate James Oswald. Rozzi, who briefly served as speaker in 2023, ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for auditor general this year.
“If we can help the people in our community, we will. “Mark and I had been doing this from the very beginning of our relationship, so he thought I would be a good replacement for him,” Rusnock told the Capital-Star.
Rusnock earned a degree in dental hygiene from West Virginia University and worked as a dental hygienist before becoming a dental educator at the Reading Muhlenberg Career and Technology Center, a vocational and technical school for the Muhlenberg and Reading school districts.
She is also the softball coach at Muhlenberg High School and a member of the Muhlenberg School Board. Rozzi and Rusnock were married for 25 years and have one daughter.
Rusnock stated that as mentors in youth programs and in their professional careers, they shared the belief that “it’s important to listen to the people you serve so that you can serve them better.”
The 126th District includes part of the city of Reading; The neighborhoods of Laureldale, Mount Penn and St. Lawrence; Cities of Lower Alsace and Muhlenberg; and part of the county of Exeter.
The questions and answers below have been edited for length and clarity.
Capital-Star: What do you think is unique about your neighborhood?
Rusnock: This neighborhood has a little bit of everything. We have some rural aspects of it and some urban aspects of it. I have a few school districts I will be keeping an eye on.
Part of my district includes the Reading School District. I have the Exeter School District, the Antietam School District, and the local Career and Technology Center. So part of the district is making sure our school-aged children get what they need.
Residents of the district face challenges in the reading town, as well as in areas higher up in the mountains and in Muhlenberg, which are decidedly more rural. I will help these people face challenges that are very different from those faced by city residents.
But there are also many things that unite us. We have housing problems here. We have transportation problems. So there’s a lot of unique things, but there’s also a lot of things you know that permeate this neighborhood as well.
Capital-Star: What do you think is the most pressing issue in your district?
Rusnock: This is an eternal problem. When you knock on someone’s door, you ask, “What are you going to do about property taxes?” This is a substantial thing for people because payouts are not as high as they used to be. We try to meet basic needs. Food and shelter play a substantial role in this. And taxes keep rising, putting them in a very precarious situation.
I look forward to joining Harrisburg and my fellow Democrats in continuing to lower costs for working families and letting my residents know that we are working on property tax and rent relief.
One of the things I talked about during the campaign was that I felt I had the ability to reach across the aisle and work with my Republican counterparts. I mean, we all have families and we all, you know, pay the same taxes… so, you know, why not work together to make life easier for all of us?
I’m a freshman and you know, maybe I’m a little Pollyanna about it and I’ll learn more when I get there, but that’s my attitude and I really want to do it.
Capital-Star: Is there a piece of legislation that will be a priority for you from day one?
Rusnock: I don’t have anything specific at the moment. I have just looked at some issues and will exploit my experience and practice as a health care professional and educator to determine what legislation in these areas I can analyze and which will be able to help the residents of my district.
I’m finishing up my career in career and technology education (CTE) and have already sent out some grant opportunities to our local career and technology center that will hopefully help us engage with business and industry here and help us better prepare our students… so that we can competent and qualified employees who could fill positions that would provide them with lasting work.
I think we’ve put so much emphasis on teaching our kids, like, “Hey, you’ve got to graduate from high school. You need to move on, get a college education. This is how you will build a better life for yourself.” I believe in education. It’s something that can never be taken away from you, but the education you get shouldn’t put you in so much debt that you never see the end.
