By Monica Fragale
Contributing Writer

Whoever wins the 19th Senate District seat will head to Harrisburg already experienced with Pennsylvania’s General Assembly.

Running for the seat are incumbent Sen. Carolyn Comitta (D) and former Pennsylvania Rep. Dr. Duane Milne, Ph.D (R). The 19th includes 30 municipalities across Chester County and is one of the 50 districts in the Pennsylvania Senate.

Comitta is at the end of her first term in the Senate. She previously represented the 158th District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 2016-2020. Milne served from 2012-2018 in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives as the 167th District representative.

“I think you have to know the way to get policies done,” Milne said in a telephone interview.  “There is a steep learning curve when someone first becomes a legislator. It’s not unusual to spend your first few years (acclimating).”

But the benefit of that experience means being able “to immediately make an impact for Chester County, in the kind of way that constituents can best be served.”

Comitta’s and Milne’s priorities if elected to the 19th District seat include similar goals like public safety, education, and the economy, and individual goals like dealing with climate change (Comitta) and minimizing the role of government in people’s lives (Milne).

“Supporting emergency services, ambulatory, fire, and law enforcement organizations is a fundamental responsibility,” according to Comitta’s website (comittaforsenate.com). “A great quality of life depends on a strong, capable, and fair system of public safety.” 

Comitta said in an email interview that strengthening emergency services is one of the projects she wants to see through.

“I plan to continue our work to ensure Chester County communities remain safe, healthy, and adorable places for people and families to thrive and prosper,” she said.

Milne listed public safety as one of his five focal points, writing in a vision paper that “vibrant areas are characterized by citizens feeling safe while going about daily life, with courts that reinforce the community’s commitment to law and order. Sustaining a general feeling of safety is beneficial for the vibrancy of an area’s neighborhoods, schools and businesses.”

“There is something to be said for peace of mind and quality of life,” he said, adding that his vision paper is an expansion of his basic platform.

Both candidates identify education as an important issue. According to Milne, “excellent education choices, public and private, is critical to prepare students for meaningful futures … we must prepare young people for the jobs of tomorrow, and school curriculum should remain focused on this fundamental mission.”

He stressed the need for local control of education, saying in his vision paper that “our local communities know best what makes sense for our schools.”

Comitta said investing in public education at every level can produce “a brighter future for all.” She cited the “historic investment” made in Pennsylvania schools in this year’s budget, describing it as “one that helps take the tax burden off homeowners.

“Increasing state funding for public education can help make life more affordable for working people and families,” she said.

With the economy, Comitta is an advocate of support and opportunity.

“In the legislature and throughout the 19th District, I’ve worked to secure grants to help them operate (small businesses) operate more efficiently, cut energy costs, reduce waste, and maintain access to affordable public utilities including water and wastewater services,” she said. “I’m proud of my work to invest in community revitalization and grow family-sustaining jobs while putting money back in the pockets of working families and senior citizens.”

Milne is an advocate of tax incentives, workforce development, and other policy tools.

“As economic development leaders, state senators can play a crucial role in the fierce geographic competition to recruit and retain choice employers for our citizens,” Milne wrote in his vision plan. “Maximizing free market private sector progress and minimizing government growth helps foster a thriving economy in the state to create flourishing life and career opportunities.”

He added that it’s important to protect and promote the “high quality of life” people experience in Chester County.

“We have had good political leaders and government officials … and good citizens who are united in certain goals” like the environment and education, Milne said. “We have a very prosperous and vibrant local economy. That is all the better for our generally low crime rates.”
Comitta said the biggest issue in the 19th District is “the growing impacts of climate change” which she said will impact every facet of residents’ lives.

“To prepare for rising temperatures, extreme weather, and the potential for severe storms, we need to act now to strengthen our power grid, support clean energy sources and jobs, improve our infrastructure and public utilities, and invest in emergency management and first responders,” she said.

One of Milne’s top issues is empowering local governments with more decisions, such as not excessively regulating school districts.

“Prioritizing local control of education is a policy expectation that must be respected by the state,” he said in his vision paper. “Some mandates hamper innovation in the curriculum as well as add to the expense, and therefore the tax burden, of funding education.”

For more information on the candidates:

Comittaforsenate.com

duanemilne.org