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Politics & Government

Bala Cynwyd Representative Reflects On First Months In Office

Pam DeLissio was elected in November to serve as state representative for the 194th Legislative District, which covers parts of Northwest Philly and Montgomery County.

Editor’s Note: The following is the first installment in a two-part series profiling freshman state lawmaker Pam DeLissio.

 

There’s something eerily familiar about 6511 Ridge Avenue in Roxborough.

The storefront looks pretty much the same as it did just a few months back. And the bodies occupying the desks inside are the same employees who were found there prior.

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But in the back office, a new tenant exists.

This storefront, situated between a Laundromat and a tanning salon, is the Philadelphia headquarters of newly minted Pennsylvania state Rep. Pam DeLissio.

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The Roxborough resident, a Democrat who was elected in  to replace now-retired former state Rep. Kathy Manderino in the 194th Legislative District, seems to be settling into her new position, one that has had her traversing the state since being sworn into office Jan. 4.

Now, a little more than two months since starting her new job, DeLissio appears to be growing more comfortable with a career in public service.

“I think my experience informs me every day that I can do this job,” DeLissio said during a recent interview at her Roxborough office, where she typically spends half her week.

Splitting one’s time between Philly and Harrisburg can be a daunting task for some, but DeLissio has quickly grown accustomed to the travel.

As a businesswoman, DeLissio previously made mid-state trips, so she’s somewhat accustomed to life on the road.

Her previous experience, which included work in continuing care retirement facilities, also gave her the background she needed when it comes to appealing to the public.

Her job often had her dealing with the likes of city council people and members of the state legislature, the very body she’s now a member of.  

While travel and dealing with elected officials were acts she was prepared for, DeLissio said it still took a little time to adjust to the hectic schedule of a state lawmaker.

Even before being sworn in, DeLissio experienced a seismic shift in her ratio of down time to productivity.

“The most you could catch was a long nap,” she said, referring to election night back in November.

The day after she won election, beating out not only a Republican candidate, but also a local Green Party member who had a decent showing, DeLissio said she immediately began receiving calls from state House members running for various caucus positions, like whip and speaker.

“Just sorting out the dynamics of those things,” was an arduous task for a newbie like her, DeLissio said.

What made it especially difficult was the fact that many of those running for said positions were people DeLissio had yet to meet.

On Nov. 15, DeLissio ventured to the state capitol to participate in a freshman lawmakers’ orientation.

“Very interesting,” was how she described it. “You’re meeting people and sort of feeling your way.”

DeLissio said she already had met half of the Philadelphia delegation of representatives by the time orientation rolled around. Orientation gave her a chance to meet other Southeastern Pennsylvania reps as well; she sits in both the Philadelphia and Southeastern Pennsylvania delegations, since the 194th Legislative District also includes parts of Montgomery County. 

Her next piece of business was to have an office up and running by Dec. 1, one here and one in Harrisburg. Her decision to remain in former Rep. Manderino’s old Roxborough office had to do with “familiarity,” DeLissio said, since her constituents know where it is. She opted to keep on Manderino’s former staff because of their knowledge of inner-office workings and their competency, she said.

“This team knew exactly what they were doing,” she said.

The Harrisburg office was a bit more difficult to get together, since the physical space was brand new. But in the end, things turned out smoothly, since she had a decent advisory team helping her at the capitol, DeLissio said.

“I’m kind of settled in as far as accommodations,” she said.

DeLissio is still getting used to juggling a heavy workload. She even half-joked that she often has to schedule “desk time,” since her regular schedule doesn’t even seem to allow for that.

“Sometimes I can log more than 40 hours by the end of Wednesday,” she said.

Aside from everyday work, there are the morning and evening meetings and special receptions, constituency outreach and sundry other tasks at hand.

But DeLissio is not complaining. It’s all been a real rush so far, and in a good way.

“The adrenaline is flowing and it’s so stimulating and rewarding,” she said of the job.

 

In our next installment, we’ll take a look at some of the issues on Rep. DeLissio’s agenda.

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