One less vote for Rep. David Kessler

This is a letter to the editor originally published in The Mercury regarding broken promises by state Rep. David Kessler, a freshman Democrat representing the 130th House District in eastern Berks County.

An open letter to Rep. David Kessler:

I had several personal discussions with you while you were campaigning for the state House. I came to admire the hard work and effort you put into your campaign and, against my better judgment, crossed party lines and voted for you.

However, your first term has been an utter disappointment in that you seem to have stopped listening to the people you represent and have fallen into lockstep with your party leaders; particularly in the area of property tax elimination.

At repeated town hall meetings the people tell you they want property taxes eliminated and you, instead, tell them you support another variation of the sham Act 1 bill which was overwhelmingly defeated. Worse, your latest newsletter actually lauds school property taxes as a write-off against federal income tax and a way to keep people from New York and New Jersey from moving here! That’s the most convoluted thinking imaginable.

Your plan to gradually reduce property taxes is simply one more carrot on a stick that gives us back less than our school taxes have been raised.

Frankly, you’ve lost my vote and seem to be working harder to lose the next election than you did to win the last one.

RICHARD J. MARTINO
Douglassville