Candidate for
State Representative; Pennsylvania State House of Representatives; District 99

The grandson of a WWII Marine and the son of an often laid-off steelworker, Bryan knows just how hard it is for working families to make ends meet. He learned at an early age how important it is to advocate for working people, to appreciate the strength of family, and to be grateful to God for all that we have. Bryan attended Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (where he helped teach Bible School), graduated with honors from Wilson Area High School in 1993, and received his degree (cum laude) in 1997 from Millersville University, where he met and fell in love with Laura, whom he married in 2000.

Since 2003, Ephrata has been home to Bryan and Laura (who graduated from Ephrata Area High School). As a music teacher who was deeply concerned about the deplorable conditions that his students and colleagues in Reading were enduring, Bryan became President of the Reading Education Association, which served 1275 educators and represented 18,000 students in what was the poorest city in America. Yet, despite mold-soaked classrooms, ceilings that literally gushed waterfalls, and extreme temperatures that were making staff and students sick, a total of nearly $18 million was cut in 2011 from the Reading School District's state funding. As a result, educational programs were eliminated, school buildings were shut, class sizes increased to the point where no more desks were left, hundreds of staff members were laid off, and environmental conditions for schoolchildren and district employees got even worse.

That's when Bryan decided to take action. He organized rallies, gave speeches at the Capitol Rotunda, hosted a CNN documentary, visited State Senators, testified to State Representatives, wrote opinion pieces, conducted radio, newspaper, and television interviews, and even visited the White House to declare, "Our children deserve better!" Although Bryan's involvement in his union is over, his passion for standing up and speaking out for children and adults who are being denied their basic rights and stripped of their dignity is stronger than ever!

That's why Bryan is proud to be running for the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, to serve the people of the 99th District, which includes the Ephrata Area School District, the Eastern Lancaster County School District, and part of the Pequea Valley School District, which (combined) have lost millions of dollars in state funding since 2010. Yet, property taxes keep going up. We can all agree - Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike - our children and their hard-working families deserve better!