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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT: Gabrielle
A. Prutisto |
State Rep. Thomas
Caltagirone |
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Caltagirone wants to honor Manderino, late House speaker, as great orator and Italian-American
HARRISBURG, April 12 — State Rep. Tom Caltagirone, D-Berks, said he would like to honor the accomplishments of the Commonwealth’s first Italian-American speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, James J. Manderino.
Caltagirone has introduced legislation that would designate the state's Keystone Building, which houses the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and a number of other state agencies and offices in Harrisburg, as the Speaker James J. Manderino Office Building.
First elected to the House of Representatives in 1966 from the 58th Legislative District, Manderino was elected speaker in 1989. He also served as majority whip and majority leader during his nearly quarter-century of service.
When a controversial abortion bill was introduced in the House in October 1989, he skillfully moderated the televised debate and won widespread praise for his fairness and fortitude. He was the main force behind a nationally recognized Pennsylvania job development program called PennPRIDE, which was a proposal of 28 programs for jobs, education and economic development.
“James Manderino was a kind and approachable person, but he also had a toughness to his personality. He did whatever it took to solve a problem. This building designation would be a fitting tribute to his tremendous accomplishments of service and skill,” Caltagirone said.
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