Pattye Benson

Community Matters

It’s Official — Democrat Marian Moskowitz to challenge incumbent Warren Kampf for the PA State House 157!

marian moskowitz

UPDATE: At today’s Chester County Democratic Nominating Convention Jed Grobstein withdrew and Marian Moskowitz was endorsed by acclamation.

A two term incumbent, State Rep Warren Kampf (R-157) has announced his decision to seek a third term for the office. However, it is now official — there is another challenger for the job.

I received a press release today from Democratic candidate Marian Moskowitz officially declaring her candidacy for the PA State House 157 race. (See press release below). A successful local businesswoman, Moskowitz joins previously declared Democrat candidate, teacher and campaign organizer Jed Grobstein.

Moskowitz has an impressive list of accomplishments in the business community, including multiple real estate projects such as the award-winning Franklin Commons, created from an abandoned factory building in Phoenixville. Economic redevelopment and job creation combined with her successful business and real estate background makes Moskowitz a formidable candidate for the PA State House 157 race.

Democratic committeepersons will vote at the Chester County Democratic Nominating Convention on the candidate to support. The purpose of the Nominating Convention is to select the 2014 U.S. Congressional and PA Statewide candidates to be endorsed by the Chester County Democratic Committee. Only one Democratic candidate can receive the party’s endorsement in each race, including the 157.

TREDYFFRIN BUSINESSWOMAN TO CHALLENGE FOR PA. HOUSE SEAT

Marian Moskowitz, a 30-year resident of Tredyffrin, today announced her candidacy for the 157th Legislative District seat currently held by Warren Kampf. A successful businesswoman, community leader and a Democrat who calls herself a “consensus builder,” Moskowitz seeks to bring a fresh voice to Harrisburg. “It is critical that we have people in office who know how to create jobs, understand the importance of education funding and are sensitive to the issues that women face every day,” Moskowitz said.

Moskowitz, 58, has two children who attended Tredyffrin-Easttown schools, three stepchildren and five grandchildren. She has been married to Malvern attorney David Moskowitz for 29 years.

A former paralegal, Moskowitz has been a principal in multiple real estate projects and many small businesses. Her most notable real estate development work has been the adaptive re-use of an abandoned Phoenixville factory into Franklin Commons. Started in 2006, it is now a vibrant educational and mixed use complex and was named “Best Mixed-Use Project of 2011” by the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Moskowitz said her business ventures have created numerous jobs. She has been directly involved in day-to-day management and administration in both for-profit and non-profit sectors with leading roles in budgeting, finance, sales and human resources. She was named “Outstanding Citizen of the Year” by the Phoenixville Chamber of Commerce in 2011 and has been honored by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission.

A member of the board of directors of the Chester County Economic Development Council for five years, Moskowitz was appointed to the Board of Trustees of West Chester University by Gov. Rendell in 2006 and re-appointed by Gov. Corbett in 2013. She also serves on the board of trustees of Neumann University and the board of directors of the Colonial Theatre and is the co-chair of the fundraising committee for its expansion.

“I have worked very hard over the years to help foster economic development in this community and in Chester County,” Moskowitz said. “I know I could do so much more in the state legislature to encourage growth in this District.”

She scoffed at the increase in school funding in Governor Corbett’s recently released budget. “He has not even given us back what he took from us in the first year of his administration,” she said. “As a trustee of West Chester University, I see firsthand how these cuts have affected our students. We must do everything possible to make our educational institutions our first priority.”

Moskowitz also believes women need better representation in Harrisburg. “Of 253 members of the Pa. House and Senate, only 45 are women. Yet there are so many issues up for vote that are important to women. ” she said. “We need to give women more support in business. I have owned and run numerous companies and know firsthand the problems women encounter in business.”

Moskowitz was born and raised in Philadelphia and, unable to afford college, became a switchboard operator at age 17. She took community college classes when she could pay for them and at age 34, became an adult college student at Neumann University. She earned a bachelor’s degree with a concentration in real estate in 1991, taking classes at night so that she could continue to work and raise her family. Moskowitz believes Franklin Commons is a testament to her belief in the value of education. “I’ve very proud of Franklin Commons,” she said. “It’s the only building I know of where you can begin your educational career at 3 months old and continue to get an Associate’s and, in some instances, a four-year degree.”

The 157th Legislative District includes Tredyffrin and Schuylkill townships, parts of Phoenixville in Chester County and parts of Upper Providence township in Montgomery County.

This is Moskowitz’s first foray into politics. “I look forward to the challenge,” she said. “I have a wide network of colleagues from both parties. I like to think of myself as someone who brings people together and gets things done.”

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        1. Whoa, that’s a little harsh and unnecessary, I ‘should have asked’?? In my research, I did not find a campaign website for Ms. Moskowitz. Since yesterday was the official announcement of her candidacy, I assume a website will follow.

        2. That’s entirely unfair. Pattye runs this blog by herself, unpaid and not as a journalist but as a citizen.

          If anyone should have provided a website, it was the candidate but apparently her campaign is not organized enough to know to provide it or have yet to publish one.

          Either way, your comment is rude.

  1. Warren has done a good job for our community, His communication has been very good too. I hope he is going to be tough to beat..

  2. So far, two Democrats have announced for State Representative but seem to be running for Governor as they say Corbett’s name more than Kampf’s (though Marian was more positive then Grobstein.)

    Neither put forth a particularly positive agenda either…just brief issue points. I know Corbett is unpopular, so this is their strategy, but you would think they would want to introduce themselves more positively.

    I guess what gets me most of all is that each of these candidates are hanging their hat on a lie: the “$1 Billion education cuts.”

    The Patriot News recently reported on this and outlined the fact that Corbett and the GOP controlled House and Senate never cut a billion dollars, but rather dealt with the hand they were dealt by former Gov Rendell, and the Democratic-controlled House and Republican-controlled Senate before the 2010 elections.

    As has been explained a million times — but rarely reported — this “cut” was actually the loss of temporary federal stimulus funds that the state and school districts knew was going away but spent like it was permanent.

    Here’s the article (I hope link works): http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2014/02/tom_corbett_schools_not_prison.html

    I have no problem with people having different views, different priorities, etc. I do have a problem with trying to win based on a lie…and doing it from day one.

  3. She donated to Republican Ryan Costello’s campaign. How can she in good conscience run under the democratic banner?

    1. She seems to be friends with many Republicans, not just Costello. Making a contribution to a Republican’s campaign doesn’t disqualify one as a Democrat. It’s not an all-or-nothing concept. We all have family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers who have different political affiliations and views that we do, but who also have similar political and civic views as we do. In seeking to work for and with other people, compromise and bipartisanship is part of the process. I take it as a good sign that she would do her best, if elected, to represent ALL of the people, not just the Democrats.

  4. Warren Kampf may respond to his constituents’ calls and letters, but he hasn’t voted in their best interest on many occasions over the last 3+ years.

    His recent vote against the transportation funding bill is one of many short-sighted votes he’s taken since being elected in 2010. His unscientific robo-poll told him voters in the 157th didn’t want to pay a gas tax. He didn’t ask them if they wanted safe roads and bridges to drive on. He didn’t ask if they knew PA has the highest number of deficient bridges in the country traveled by the highest number of vehicles. He offered no reasonable alternative funding source in his opinion pieces or newsletter.

    Warren’s fiscal conservatism is ideologically based. He favored tax cuts for corporations (economic benefits trickle down) while education funding was cut ( PA’s children only get what the state can afford and local communities can tax within Act 1 limits.) As a result, PA has enjoyed lower-than-average growth in the last few years while other states’ economies have soared. And PA’s kids’ quality of education depended on the tax base of the district they live in.

    Warren voted for a natural gas well fee instead of a severance tax based on gas extraction – unlike 36 other states that allow gas drilling and collect a severance tax. This gift to gas producers has already cost Pennsylvania hundreds of millions in lost revenue.

    Warren’s familiar talk about belt-tightening – living within our means just as a family lives within its budget – is disingenuous at best. A family’s finances and a $29 billion state budget are hardly comparable.

    Warren is a nice guy and he takes his job seriously. But it’s really all about his votes. His vision for our community is limited by his bottom-line thinking. No tax increases – even to fix crumbling bridges or provide quality education to all Pennsylvania’s public school kids?

    We deserve better.

    The 157th needs someone as focused on economic growth as in prudent spending.; as interested in improving education as in helping to attract and grow small businesses. Someone who has a vision of a thriving Paoli and is committed to making it happen.

  5. I will like to revisit his votes when I have time. Things are not always as they seem, given the complications of voting for an item with other items attached. Ideology? you must be kidding to allow this to creep into the conversation. We all have one, cant wait to read about Ms Moskowitz’s ideologies.

  6. I would like to say that I hope voters look for someone who has some experience, not just knowledge. Watching our school board as closely as people do, as well as the Supervisors, you can see that working WITH people takes patience and a certain temperament. Deciding who is best suited for a job DOES include the ability to work in the public eye.

  7. Hellooooo!?

    Doesn’t Moskowitz’s creating an innovative, job-creating resource like Franklin Commons require an enormous amount of patience and a “certain temperament”? When you’re applying for government licenses, hiring building contractors, and successfully recruiting savvy businesspeople to take a chance on what began as an unproven facility, you not only must have a “temperament” for working well with people. You also have to tell the truth, not make false implications or flat out untruths (e.g, Kampf saying he supports Paoli Transport program after voting twice against it, and implying through ads that he’s creating jobs when he hasn’t created a single job.) This man does not tell the truth or at the very least skirts and embellishes the truth. He also started the negative campaigning against Marian Moskowitz, a class act, who has done everything possible to run a clean campaign. Now she calls Kampf’ on his published efforts to take credit for what ARE NOT HIS ACHIEVEMENTS. If that’s negative campaigning then so is Marian’s telling the truth. Finally, what is Marian doing if not working in the public eye with Franklin Commons and on the boards of two local universities? And if you mean the political eye, vote for her and you’ll see how awesome she is in the public eye.

    1. A very thoughtful and well-reasoned comment.

      The facts are clear that when it comes to tangible accomplishment, Kampf isn’t close to being in the same universe as Moskowitz. Her accomplishments that have benefited the community are self evident. Next time you go through Phoenixville ask yourself why places such as Paoli don’t have that but places like PVille, Wayne, etc have a vibrant community. In PVille, people like Moskotwitz and Ken Buckwalter, Leo Scoda, etc. are why PVille is what it is today.

      In Tredyffrin, all you have is an incubator for the next level. Carole Rubley was a supervisor and then went on to 9 undistinguished terms as a state rep. Paul Drucker tried to do get something done, but didn’t have enough time. His inept campaign perhaps was a blessing as that may have indicated in the long term, he’d be an ineffective rep.

      Kampf on the other hand, has enough time served to evaluate. As a supervisor, he lied about many things and engaged in ethically questionable conduct.

      1. The famous St. David’s Sidewalk decision

      2. Solicitation of fire funding as part of an overall political agenda

      3. Lying about not tapping into the rainy day fund

      4. Kampf’s famous “It’s a fee, not a tax” quote.

      There isn’t a single thing Kampf has ever accomplished. Pension reform? Sounds good to say, but it won’t happen. That’s the beauty of that issue. You can attempt to take credit for trying without accomplishing anything. All Kampf ever wanted was his next political office. His final year on the board of supervisors was about his campaign for state rep. Who did he hire as his legislative liasion? Supervisor EJ Richter who is another GOP insider.

      The Paoli Transportation Center? When Drucker was advancing that, Kampf never supported that effort. Now, all of a sudden, Kampf is trying to take credit for those efforts. Any infrastructure benefits we are seeing are due to Sen. Dinniman, not Rep. Kampf. The only things Kampf is concerned about are two things 1: Getting re-elected and 2: what his next, higher office will be. Kampf wants to be and is a professional politician.

      The latest scandal at the hands of the GOP now is the moving of a Phoenixville precinct (that is majority Democratic) to an adjacent legislative district. Carole Aichele, secretary of the commonwealth green lighted it as did the Chester County board of elections. They did so AFTER absentee ballots went out and were completed and returned. Kampf is 100% for this. If that precinct was majority Republican, do we really think that precinct would have been moved?

      Make no mistake about it. Kampf is 100% in Corbett’s back pocket. He’s against a woman’s right to make her own health decisions. Kampf is against marriage equality. Kampf is for giving gas drillers a free pass. To pay for that tax break, our property taxes continue to go up and our schools are under funded.

      It’s laughable to see TV commercials with Kampf’s wife saying that Kampf isn’t about political games. That’s Kampf’s playbook and we are seeing it with the late redistricting in PVille. By the way, Kampf’s wife is also a state employee (counsel for the PHEEA). Her state job is well insured with her husband as a state rep. That’s right folks, 100% of the income of the Kampf household is funded by our taxpayer dollars.

  8. I know little about Moskowitz and would not dispute your assessment. But the polls for the Gov race, for example, reflect a major trend for Wolf, but anyone–partisan or otherwise–who watched the debate between the two would have clear evidence that a platform is a contruct, but that politics are in the way of evaluating people.

  9. I do not believe this or any forum should accept and publish rhetoric that is simply another partisan rant from an anonymous source.
    When Kampf took on the PSEA, he basically wrote Moskowitz a big campaign check…

    One question about the tax though fella–what is PA corporate tax rate and where does that rank PA corporate tax burden…as far as that “free pass” goes.

  10. from what I heard, Wolf is a tax and spend democrat.. Is this true? If so, and he is elected, this will be bucking the trend considering the national elections.. with the price of staples (food, for instance, not the store) rising higher and higher, do we need a larger tax burden in Pa? Will it drive business out of the state, already not one of the top business climates in the US? And, if all true, do we really want to elect Mr. Wolf?

  11. I am laughing at how well Wolf is doing in the polls when so very little is known about him at all. This is a guy that pondered that PA should become a major alcohol distribution link…since he wants to keep the PLCB and just make it larger — selling in other states…
    This is the “vote against the guy we don’t like” …. again, the Devil you Know is in play. Even Wolf has to acknowledge that PA has the highest corporate tax rate in the country…so let’s add an extraction tax and pretend that will save us. Voters are funny — stay out of my pocket, but be sure to look for another pocket to pick. No one truly wants fiscal restraint. And no one wants to acknowledge that PA financial issues are in large part due to the way the stimulus funds were used, WHO is going to fix a bridge someday?

  12. yea, sidelines… as if we havent learned our lessons of 08 and 12, Pa will be even more inhospitable to businesses… and the economy for all will ossify even more.

    Only NY with the incestous cesspool politics is worse… (see fracking in NYS. doesnt exist.)

    congratulations voters… you get what you deserve. as always

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