Chris Rodkey for PA State Representative
Be Represented.
Why I'm running for office
I'm running for office to bring integrity back to our district.
We need representation that actually represents the needs of the working class, honestly communicates, and listens to divergent opinions.
For too long we in Southern York County have not been represented.
I'm running so that we can be represented.
I represent what concerns you about Pennsylvania government
- Property tax relief
- Protecting your reproductive rights
- Civil liberties and rights, including First and Second Amendment rights
- Environmental stewardship
- Support for working-class small businesses beyond photo ops
- Cannabis legalization in the best interest of our family farms and veterans
Like you, I'm frustrated with state government
- I support tax relief for the working class and ending elitist tax loopholes
- I will hold regular town hall meetings--which has never been done in our district.
- Equitable funding of schools
- Fairness and transparency in elections
- Civil and honest communication with the community
I want to represent YOU.
I'm from Central Pennsylvania.
I grew up in Pennsylvania, went to college in Pennsylvania and deliberately chose to return to Pennsylvania after attending graduate school to work, serve, and raise a family. My ancestors are buried throughout southern York County and I've lived in Dallastown since 2012. I love the history and heritage of this state, having lived in York, Lancaster, Lebanon, and Westmoreland Counties.
I understand the working class.
My family has experienced the struggles of working class people, from struggling to afford health care, child care, and the unexpected surprises of home ownership--and know how it feels to not have your concerns heard or being excluded from public processes. Like many young people in our community, I understand the complex realities of being a first-generation college student.
I have a record of speaking up for the values of the working class.
I have consistently been a voice speaking against injustice in our community. York County should not be known by the outside world as a haven of racists, anti-Semites, and dog-whistling politicians who only speak the language of fear. My activist work has not been driven by partisan concerns but by an ethical and religious commitment to the rights and dignity of all persons.
I have a record of service to this community.
I have always been active in my community as a cub scout leader, a chaplain for several local civic and fraternal organizations, a member of the Dallastown Communities that Care committee and Dallastown Area Educational Foundation, President of the Dallastown-Yoe Ministerium of Churches, planner and host of the annual York Interfaith Thanksgiving programs, and part of a network of county religious voices who stand against hate groups.
I am proud of my background and involvement in scouting, as an Eagle Scout, and with four children in scouts. I'm an FCC-licensed amateur radio operator, K3YRD.
I've also been elected Minority Inspector of Elections (2016) and Judge of Elections (2021) in Dallastown's 1st voting district.
I bring a unique and valuable professional background to state politics.
I have served in United Church of Christ and United Methodist Churches for over 20 years in a variety of contexts: homeless ministry, prison chaplaincy, youth and children's ministry, and serving urban, rural, and suburban churches. I also worked as a Protestant campus minister at the largest Catholic university in the country and have always emphasized interfaith and ecumenical dialogue in my pastoral work.
I'm also an experienced educator, having taught adult GED, college, seminary, and graduate level courses. I was awarded the campus teaching award at Penn State York, nominated by my students and awarded by colleagues . You may have sat in my local OLLI classes that I offer to senior citizens, including "Bad Arguments: Election Edition," which used the incumbent representative's Facebook page as a textbook catalogue of really bad logic.
In the private sector, I have also been a consultant for a Fortune 500 company, a UX editor for a Big Tech company, trade cryptocurrency, written several books, and own a small business.
I care about this community, and I know that we deserve better.
The most disappointing thing about our current state of politics in Southern York County is a belief that it's acceptable for public officials to belittle and insult constituents who ask questions--especially when constituents speak the truth. And we continue to elect representatives who rarely act in the best interests of the people who live and work in Pennsylvania.
My intention is to extend a problem-solving approach to issues with the community--rather than against the community--and to treat adults like adults, and expect adults to act like adults.
I will never demean or openly insult a constituent as your Representative, and I will not spend my time trying to invalidate your vote or arguing with constituents on social media.
I promise to hold regular open houses throughout the district in civic centers, churches, and schools to engage the public and promote helpful, nonpartisan dialogue.
When I say we're not represented, I mean it quite literally: we're not represented.
- Our current representative has missed 20% of legislative voting days, using a proxy voter or voters who are not on record.
- He has been stripped of all but one committee in Harrisburg by his own party.
- The subcommittee he chaired has no record of meeting during his tenure, and he was stripped of that position by his own party.
- He has not passed any legislation, has not proposed meaningful bills, and hasn't made any proposals (at this time of writing) for over a year. And he blames his own party for his lack of success.
- Three of his very few proposals would, taken together, create a path to reward the wealthiest to close businesses in the state to never pay tax during the rest of their natural lives.
- He has meddled with neighboring districts' elections and promoted school board elections outside of district to ban and censor books.
- He signed a declaration which pronounced the right of legislators to declare themselves above the law by privately circulating petitions in Harrisburg.
- He refused to stand up to support the gift ban when it counted, after saying over and over that he supported it and co-sponsoring the bill.
- He has blindly supported every extreme abortion legislation, and has denounced others in his own party for not taking extreme positions, like punishing universities who perform stem-cell research.
- He has consistently voted against clean and air water in the interest of corporate abuse and greed.
- He interfered with the administration of the 2020 election against House ethics rules, falsely claiming that live voters were dead in our district. The County has refused to release the documents that would reveal whether he committed a felony in this act.
...And this is just the start.
I'm running for a better Pennsylvania, for the 93rd District to be represented.
