Meet Melissa
I grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs and have raised my family in Horsham for the last decade. My husband, John, is a member of the Steamfitters Local 420 and my four daughters all attend our public schools. Over the years, I’ve been everything from a nanny to an Uber driver, an elder caregiver and a housekeeper to provide for my family. I understand what it means to live paycheck to paycheck, but also what it means to work hard to build a life for my family that I can be proud of.
I never thought I would work in politics, but when my dear friend Liz Hanbidge won a seat in the PA House of Representatives and asked me to run her District Office, I answered the call. As a caregiver, I had always cherished the ability to make a job out of helping families in need. Rep. Hanbidge promised me that my entire job would be focused around helping those in my community who were facing the same struggles I had faced.
From 2018 to 2022, I worked in her office directly serving my neighbors, seniors, and veterans in need of support. From helping to put millions of dollars in unclaimed funds back in people's pockets to fighting to end a months-long backlog and getting Pennsylvanians long-awaited unemployment assistance, my job was to get results for our community when no one else could. Now, I'm answering the call again – this time to step up and fight for my community, to bring our values in Harrisburg, to give us representation we can trust.
Working as District Director for the PA House, I saw time and again bills that would have improved people's lives die in committee just because they were penned by a Democrat. There is so much at stake this year. We’re seeing hateful anti-women, anti-LGBTQ+, anti-human rights legislation coming from our extremist right-wing leaders – extremists enabled by my opponent each time he chooses to vote for Republican leadership and votes alongside the ultra-conservative members of his party.
I am ready to take my background working as a caregiver and public servant to Harrisburg. I am ready to fight for reproductive justice, affordable childcare, fairly funded public education, living wages, and fully funded public services across our commonwealth. It’s time to build a Pennsylvania that works for all of us.
