Dear Representative Solomon:
I’m a student of the Philadelphia School District, and a constituent of yours.
When I began my research into my district’s representative, I was expecting of them as much as I had heard: very little. Online and print journalism alike of great popularity tends to focus on state and national politicians and politics, and the pessimistic sentiments and overt sensationalism they can be plagued by in times like these means that when someone’s eyes are set on their local representative, they are set with a scrutinizing gaze.
Imagine my surprise, and my excitement, to investigate Rep. Solomon’s work through local journalism, and learn the timbre and tune of the voice that represents me in Harrisburg. To find a proactive, passionate voice whose firm words did not betray his stances on the key issues.
Rep. Solomon proved well-aware of the duty of the government to help the most vulnerable of society, whether they are school age children who need to have their education protected – as he did by voting against HB 97, which would have authorized budget cuts for low-performing charter schools – or medically needy or incarcerated adults. The former Solomon served by voting against HB 33, which repealed a general assistance program that supported them, and the latter he defended by voting against a bill that would instate mandatory minimum sentences, which contribute to the undermining of the value of mitigating factors and to the propagation of mass incarceration, primarily of people of color. Beyond legislation, Rep. Solomon has championed several social platforms and organizations that uplift our communities, such as the civic organization Take Back Your Neighborhood, the interwoven long-term proposals that make up the Philadelphia Platform, and the Schools-to-Work Program, which gives businesses the incentive and students the opportunity to collaborate, forging them real potential career paths.
However, despite it being interconnected with these civic and social issues, I found Rep. Solomon’s advocacy on women’s reproductive rights lacking. Although my worries were assuaged when I discovered nothing that indicated he was opposed to them, when his outspokenness on other issues is so great, his quietness in this critical area raises more questions than his silence might otherwise stifle. For such an important issue silence is unaffordable. I am certain that, once Rep. Solomon turns his gaze onto this issue, it will see the dedicated effort and resulting progress his other areas of focus enjoy.
Sincerely,
Brayan Orozco
Submitted by,
Brayan Orozco