Sean Stevens: Ready for Liftoff

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Sean Stevens’ campaign heats up as he prepares to challenge Pam DeLissio in April’s primary for state representative of the 194th District.27macrosignSean Stevens is one step closer to challenging Pam DeLissio for the Democratic nomination for State Representative, 194th district. After weeks of knocking on doors and shaking hands, the East Falls resident (Stanton Street) has gotten the 300 signatures he needs to get his name on the ballot in April.

But he isn’t slowing down, continuing to canvass neighborhoods on both sides of the river to meet every voter he can and spread the word about his campaign.Elvis close RETOUCHEDWe caught up with him recently at Murphy’s and at St. John the Baptist Church in Roxborough (where he picked up the critical Elvis endorsement at a fundraiser) to hear more about the big issues he’s championing:

SCHOOL FUNDING
Growing up, my family was lucky that John H. Webster elementary school provided not only a great education, but day care, which allowed my mother to work full time while supporting me and my brother.

We need full and fair funding for our traditional public schools. Right now, we have a ‘Hunger Games’ culture that pits parent versus parent, and that’s wrong. A quality education should not depend on zip code or a lottery.

We need to properly fund traditional public schools to ensure that parents aren’t forced to leave the district when their children reach kindergarten age. A good way to do that, and one that can fund Philadelphia school costs AND lower property taxes in Lower Merion, is to tax companies extracting natural gas.

The way things are now with frackers, they drill and don’t give back to the community. It’s like letting someone walk into your house and take a sandwich every day from your fridge without paying for it.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
My father was a signal man for the Reading Railroad. He repaired signals along what is now the Manayunk/Norristown line. My love of trains started with him. Today our public transportation system is in critical need of renewal. Public transit provides a critical link for people to get to jobs, school, and medical care. As representative I will be a strong advocate for public transportation.

DRUNK DRIVING
Drunk driving is a public safety issue. In Pennsylvania the third time that you shop lift from a store you are charged with a felony. Your third DUI? It’s still just a misdemeanor. Pennsylvania is one of only four states that do not have felony DUI Laws. We need a felony DUI law for Pennsylvania in order to protect the lives of our citizens.

POLITICIAN’S PAY
We need a candidate that will say no to back door pay raises through the use of tax-free per diems. I intend to stop this practice when I’m in office and will start my efforts by setting an example — I won’t take a reimbursement without a receipt.

LOCAL REPRESENTATION
Our current rep spends more than 50% of her time away from the district. That’s not someone who’s involved with the issues on a regular basis. I’ve lived on Stanton Street in East Falls for 13 years. It’s the place I love, it’s my family’s home, and I plan to spend all my time right here when I’m not in session in Harrisburg.

What’s Next?
Stevens has to present his signatures for certification by Feb. 16th — the process allows other candidates to review and possibly challenge the validity of petition signatures. After that?

We’ll assemble a team from all over the 194th district to spread our message and to get a feel for local issues that affect voters. A resident in Lower Merion is going to have very different concerns than someone who lives in Philadelphia. I’d like to organize public forums to find out more about those local issues.

Although social media will play a significant part in Stevens’ campaign, most of his time will be spent the old fashioned way — “knocking on doors and meeting people. There really isn’t a substitute for that personal touch.

Good luck Sean!

EastFallsLocal.Sean and Dave
SEAN’S BIO
EDUCATION:
Temple University
B.A., economics 1994
MBA, international business 1999
J.D. (Juris Doctor), 2003
LL.M. (Master of Laws) James E. Beasley School of Law, 2006

CAREER:
2013-Present: Adjunct professor, DeSales University
2012-Present: Attorney, Law Offices of Sean P. Stevens
2012-Present: Adjunct professor, Gwynedd-Mercy College
2009-2012: Assistant city solicitor, City of Philadelphia
2008-2009: Attorney, State Farm
2007-2008: Attorney, Allstate
2006-2007: Assistant district attorney, Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office

AWARDS AND ASSOCIATIONS
2007-Present: Chair, board of directors, Discovery Charter School
1997-1998: Service learning coordinator, Americorps

FUN FACT
Stevens has been an extra in several locally shot movies, including Fallen and the acclaimed Rocky movie, Creed. “They pick me ‘cause I look like a regular guy,” he said.

 

 

 

 

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