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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Tom Tangretti |
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Tangretti announces he will retire from state House
HARRISBURG, Oct. 2 – State Rep. Tom Tangretti today announced that he will retire from the state House of Representatives effective at the end of the current 2007-08 legislative session.
The Westmoreland County Democrat represents residents of the 57th Legislative District, which includes the city of Greensburg, Salem Township and parts of Hempfield and Unity townships, as well as the boroughs of Delmont, Hunker, New Stanton, South Greensburg, Southwest Greensburg and Youngwood.
At the end of his term, Tangretti, who took office in 1989, will have spent 20 years in the state legislature. Before that, he served as Westmoreland County controller from 1983 to 1988.
“It has been a wonderful honor representing the people of this legislative district, and I want to thank them for the support and trust in me they have shown over the past two decades,” Tangretti said. “Fighting for the people of this region in Harrisburg and helping thousands of them access and benefit from state government here at home has truly been a privilege.
“After 35 years in public service in one form or another, however, it is time to finally give my wife and my family the attention they deserve and that they so often have sacrificed to help me achieve my goals and meet my responsibilities.”
Tangretti, who this session was named chairman of the House Tourism and Recreational Development Committee, served under four governors during his House tenure – Robert Casey, Tom Ridge, Mark Schweiker and Ed Rendell. As a member of the legislature, Tangretti served on the Appropriations, Insurance, Banking, and Local Government committees. He also served on the Local Government Commission, a bipartisan legislative service agency that provides research assistance to the General Assembly and proposes legislation to help local governments be more effective and efficient; and as Democratic chairman of the legislative Pro-Life Caucus, which is dedicated to protecting the sanctity of life in state law and policy.
Among his legislative accomplishments, Tangretti said he was most proud of his role in helping to refocus Pennsylvania’s economic development strategy.
“For decades Pennsylvania’s development initiatives were aimed at building out,” he said. “That resulted in sprawl, the loss of rural land and environmental resources, and the hollowing out and decline of many of our state’s historic smaller communities and city centers. Now, thanks to programs such as the Main Street and Elm Street initiatives, and a new emphasis on smarter growth, state government is once again paying attention to its established downtowns and the historic business and residential districts that still have much to offer economically and socially.”
As a capstone, Tangretti said he hopes to see legislation pass in the near future that would provide state tax credits or grants to businesses and residents that restore and occupy historically significant properties in Pennsylvania’s older communities.
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“I truly believe this legislation is a key component of our state’s economic development and community revitalization future,” said Tangretti, who has introduced the legislation in several sessions.
Tangretti said he would also continue working, even after he leaves office, to bring reliable commuter rail service to Westmoreland County that would help thousands of residents who travel to and from Pittsburgh every day bypass the traffic nightmare they endure, and reduce congestion and pollution in the region.
“This is an initiative that is extremely important to me, not just as a state legislator but as a resident of Westmoreland County and as someone who cares about our communities, our quality of life, and the future of our environment,” he said. “Even after I leave office, I will continue to serve on the Westmoreland County Transit Authority and work hard to make daily commuter rail service from Westmoreland County to Pittsburgh and beyond a reality.”
Tangretti said he also is proud of legislation he sponsored that was signed into law last session that increases life insurance benefits for the families of Pennsylvania service members killed in the war on terrorism and other active-duty assignments.
Tangretti said the most disappointing event of his 20 years in office was the 2005 legislative pay raise. Tangretti voted against the pay raise and led efforts by several legislators to repeal the raise. He called the pay raise vote and its aftermath a “debacle.”
“The pay raise lowered many Pennsylvanians’ respect for the legislature and shredded its dignity and credibility,” he said. “It truly saddened me, and I felt a strong need to challenge the institutional environment that led to the pay raise vote. As predicted, the pay raise and other related issues have resulted in a reform movement both inside and outside of the legislature, a reform movement I hope will grow and eventually succeed in making the General Assembly a more responsible, accountable and effective institution.”
Tangretti said the Speaker’s Commission on Legislative Reform, of which he is a member, has already moved the process forward by suggesting many legislative reforms, a number of which were adopted by the House earlier this year.
“The efforts of the commission should lead to even wider reforms on issues such as open records, campaign finance, reapportionment and even perhaps a constitutional convention to consider things like term limits, the size of the legislature and legislative and judicial compensation.”
Still, Tangretti said he has no regrets about his time in the General Assembly.
“It has been a tremendous honor for me to be involved in the legislative process and with the people who make that process possible,” he said. “Although democracy at times isn’t pretty, it is also still the truest reflection -- and the best servant -- of the people it represents.”
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CONTACT: Michael J. Herzing Fax:
717-783-6839
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