All Bucks County State House candidates are invited to the first-ever forum on education

BCCC

The NAACP Bucks County Branch and the League of Women Voters of Bucks County are partnering with Bucks County Community College to host a first-ever State House of Representatives candidate forum on the topic of education.

All twenty candidates running for the ten statehouse districts in Bucks County are invited to participate in the live, nonpartisan forum, which will take place Thursday, September 12, at 7 p.m. at the College’s Newtown Campus.

The forum, focused on the topic of education in Pennsylvania, will be moderated by Bill Pezza, long-time member of the College’s Social Sciences faculty, who will answer questions submitted to the public in the weeks leading up to the forum.

The “Candidates Forum: Education in Pennsylvania” will be open to the public and streamed live on the College’s YouTube channel.

“This is an exciting and extraordinary opportunity to hear candidates for Pennsylvania state representatives discuss their views on education,” said Karen Downer, president of the NAACP Bucks County Branch. “Our members, as well as the public at large, always want to know more about who their candidates are and what their thoughts are on issues important to them and their families, and education is a critical issue in the Bucks County community. ”

Voters who would like to hear directly from the candidates are strongly encouraged to contact those running for office in their district and encourage them to participate. Below you will find the candidates and district boundaries.

“The mission of the League of Women Voters is to empower voters and defend democracy,” said Liz Fritsch, chair of the League of Women Voters of Bucks County Candidate Forum. “One of the most effective ways to empower voters is to provide them with impartial, unbiased information about the candidates’ positions on the issues. During this event, voters will be able to hear from the candidates themselves on the important issue of education.”

Kevin Antoine, Associate Vice President of External Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer for the College, pointed out that Bucks County Community College encourages freedom of expression and debate for all residents as part of its mission.

“As the only public college in the county, Bucks County Community College believes that civic engagement is fundamental to the survival of a democracy,” said Antoine. “Candidates from all backgrounds should be able to engage in dialogue without fear of government reprisals. Debates and public forums like these strengthen freedom of expression and increase equal opportunities.”

The “Candidates Forum: Education in Pennsylvania” will take place at the Zlock Performing Arts Center, located on the Newtown Campus of Bucks County Community College at 275 Swamp Rd., Newtown, Pa. Entrance and parking are free. The event will also be streamed live on YouTube.com/BucksCCC beginning Thursday, September 12 at 7:00 PM EDT.

The NAACP Bucks County, League of Women Voters of Bucks County and Bucks County Community College urge all candidates to take this opportunity to speak directly to their constituents about the issue of education, an issue that affects all residents of Bucks County concerns: parents, students and taxpayers.

For more information on where the candidates stand, find the results of the NAACP Bucks County candidate survey here: https://bit.ly/NAACPBucksSurvey2024.

Information is also available at Vote411.org/Pennsylvania.

Candidates by State House District (asterisk indicates incumbent):

18th: Kathleen C. Tomlinson* (R), Anand Patel (D)
29th: Tim Brennan* (D), Steve Mekanik (R)
31st: Perry Warren* (D), Bernie Sauer (R)
140th: Jim Prokopiak* (D), Candace Cabanas (R)
141st: Tina Davis* (D), Noah Boyd (R)
142nd: Joe Hogan* (R), Anna Payne (D)
143rd: Shelby Labs* (R), Eleanor Breslin (D)
144th: Brian Munroe* (D), Daniel J. McPhillips (R)
145th: Craig Staats* (R), Vera Cole (D)
178th: Kristin Marcell* (R); Emma Rosenthal (D)

District boundaries (redistribution from 2022):

18th: Bensalem Township and Hulmeville Borough
29th: Buckingham, Doylestown and Solebury Townships; Chalfont, Doylestown, New Britain and New Hope Boroughs
31st: Lower Makefield, Newtown and Upper Makefield Townships; Newtown and Yardley boroughs
140th: Falls and Middletown (part) Townships; Morrisville and Tullytown towns
141st: Bristol Township and Bristol Borough
142nd: Lower Southampton, Middletown (partial) and Northampton (partial), Townships; Langhorne, Langhorne Manor and Penndel Boroughs
143rd: Bedminster, Hilltown, New Britain (partial), Plumstead and Tinicum Townships; The boroughs of Dublin, Perkasie, Sellersville and Silverdale
144th: New Britain (partial), Warminster and Warrington Townships; Ivyland City
145th: Bridgeton, Durham, East Rockhill, Haycock, Milford, Nockamixon, Richland, Springfield and West Rockhill Townships; Quakertown, Richlandtown, Riegelsville, Telford (Bucks County portion) and Trumbauersville Boroughs
178th: Northampton (part), Upper Southampton, Warwick and Wrightstown Townships

– Courtesy of Bucks County Community College