The City of Altoona has finally woken up to the array of issues that surround the political world, by electing John McGinnis as the Republican nominee for the Pennsylvania General Assembly of the 79th District.
By doing just this, residents of the 79th District have realized that we the citizens shall no longer tolerate the career politician anymore.
If we reflect on the history of this district, we see that two individuals solidify the mold of career politicians: Robert Jubelirer and Rick Geist. When I hear these two names, I instantly think of the many decades served to community, the per-diem rates and the midnight pay raises that they favored.
If we review his last election, we see that statistically then Sen. Jubelirer was to beat John Eichelberger by a landslide. However, one famous quote summed up Jubelirer's career, "I voted for the pay raise because I'm worth it."
In regard to Geist, if anyone can prove to me that three decades of work is simply not enough time to accomplish your agenda for a district the size of the 79th, then I simply do not know what is.
Geist was a per-diem king; took pay raises and pushed high-speed rail that never occurred. All in all, I wish Geist and Jubelirer the best in their retirements.
Aside from these two joyous changes, the next greatest turn for the better occurred during the election in 2011, when Cheryl Rupp, Sharon Bream and Ron Johnston became new directors for the Altoona Area School District.
With the assistance of Ryan Beers, these individuals have been able to restore value back into the classrooms, aid in the bettering of our local teachers and presented what is realistic to our administration.
For the first time in more than 50 years, the Altoona school board members finally have control, and they utilize this by asking questions when unsure of a topic, investigating personnel matters and not letting the tail wag the dog.
People who offer poor judgments of these individuals should actually take time to visit a school board meeting or to even speak to board members about such topics, rather than simply name calling and smearing.
To the residents of Altoona, we are finally seeing the real world. The City of Altoona is only in the beginning phase of seeing how much work truly needs to be done to our government. If Altoona continues to lead by example, which we are doing, we will surely prosper in the future.
Jesse Ickes
Altoona
