Making it official: State Rep. Martina White takes the oath of office in the chamber of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Republican Martina White was sworn in on Monday afternoon to serve the people of the 170th Legislative District.
“It is an honor to serve the people of Northeast Philadelphia, and I assure them that I will continue my fight for the working men and women of our city,” White said. “That means working for better schools, fairer taxes and a state economy that produces better-paying jobs.”
White was elected in the March 24 special election to complete the term of former Democratic Rep. Brendan Boyle, who resigned after winning a seat in Congress.
Prior to taking office, White was a financial adviser at Independence Wealth Strategies.
“From my position, I could see the difficulties families and job creators faced,” White said. “I worked with families struggling to build better lives for their children. Working people are the heart of our state, and I am honored to be their voice in Harrisburg.”
When she graduated Elizabethtown College in 2010, she became the first member of her immediate family to graduate from college.
White, who was raised in Somerton and lives in Parkwood, is working to establish a district office.
Last month, she defeated Democrat Sarah DelRicci by a vote of 3,563 to 2,802, or 56 percent to 44 percent. There were three write-in votes. White won in both the 58th and 66th Wards.
The district includes Bustleton, Somerton, Parkwood and other Far Northeast neighborhoods.
White joins John Taylor and Tom Murt as the only Republicans in the Philadelphia House delegation, with Murt representing a largely eastern Montgomery County District. She is the first Northeast woman to serve in the House since Republican Fran Weston left in 1990.
Republicans hold a commanding 120–83 advantage in the House.
White is a graduate of Nazareth Academy Grade School and Villa Joseph Marie High School. She is a former captain of the field hockey team at Elizabethtown, where she earned a degree in business administration, with a double concentration in finance and marketing. ••
