Gerlach aide seeks state House seat

Guy Ciarrocchi, who has extensive government experience, most recently as chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach, is running for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Ciarrocchi won the Republican nomination last month for the 157th state House seat being vacated by Rep. Carole Rubley, a Republican who is retiring.

The district covers parts of Chester and Montgomery counties.

Ciarrocchi is running as a reform candidate, according to reporter Dan Kristie.

From Kristie's story:

During a recent kickoff event, Ciarrocchi contrasted his agenda with that of the current state Legislature, which he said has unnecessarily increased the size of government and lost touch with concerns of Pennsylvanians.

"You get a sense that the Legislature is voting on things that don't matter to us," he said. "Many people feel like they cannot understand what's going on."

Ciarrocchi's kick-off speech was full of references to family life, and he compared new government programs to parents allowing children to have an extra cookie.

"The first instinct is to say yes, you can have that cookie," Ciarrocchi said. "But sometimes you have to say no … we cannot continue to say that the answer to every problem is higher taxes, new programs, bigger government."

Ciarrocchi suggested that by starting social welfare programs, the government is creating a system whereby much of the money that should go to those in need instead ends up in the hands of those who administer and oversee welfare programs. He said the government should use a common-sense approach to ensure more of this money goes to those who need it.

Read more about Guy Ciarrocchi in this story from The Mercury.

Also, check out the candidate's Web site.