State Rep. Mike Sturla and Lancaster City Council President Ismail Smith-Wade-El offered contrasting theories of political effectiveness Saturday afternoon in an online forum sponsored by progressive activist organization Lancaster Stands Up.
To watch the event in full on Facebook, click here.
Sturla, 61, was first elected to represent Lancaster city in 1990. Throughout Saturday's discussion, he stressed his familiarity with the Capitol and its workings, his understanding of what objectives are and aren't realistic given his fellow legislators' political priorities and his track record of assembling coalitions in order to pass legislation that benefits working Lancaster families.
He cited his recent success in bringing funding to Lancaster through a state grant program: $950,000 for police station renovations, $2.5 million for the new library at Ewell Plaza and $1 million for housing at the former Rebman's site on South Queen Street.
Making speeches is all well and good, but Sturla contended it's his kind of dogged, in-the-trenches work, most of it never making headlines, that yields "real results." The average tenure of a House member is six years, he said, and on a weekly basis, newer members consult him for advice: "That's the kind of experience I bring to this job."
Smith-Wade-El, 31, announced last month he would challenge Sturla in the Democratic primary. Elected to City Council in 2017, he pointed to Lancaster policies enacted during his tenure: Millions of dollars in affordable housing investments, a lead abatement program totaling more than $11 million and major police department reforms, including the ousting of Chief Jarrad Berkihiser and hiring of Chief John Bey.
Those results, he said, stem from and are made possible by grassroots political organizing and advocacy, the kind he engages in and prioritizes. Those efforts change the political landscape, build new majorities and reshape the terms of debate, he said.
"This is movement work," he said, pointing to activists such as Bayard Rustin and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as exemplars.
As for Sturla's contrast between words and actions, Smith-Wade-El said, "It shouldn't be a vice to be an elected leader who can communicate with people in a way that motivates them."
He said when he is elected, there will be activism in the streets and in the legislature, "because that is what we can accomplish when we work together."
"The movement work comes first," he said, "and then the legislation is delivered. That's how it was in the civil rights movement, and if it's good enough for Martin Luther King, then it's good enough for us."
Policy differences
Responding to questions from Lancaster Stands Up members, Sturla and Smith-Wade-El both said they support stricter environmental regulation, education funding reform and ending qualified immunity for police officers. But their differences were apparent.
Smith-Wade-El said he categorically opposes fracking, because of the risk of water contamination and the long-term implications of climate change.
That's unrealistic, Sturla said: The transition away from fossil fuels will take decades, and in the meantime, "We're not going to stop drilling for gas in Pennsylvania." He advocates a "reasonable" fracking tax, an environmental stewardship fund, and requiring fracking companies to cap Pennsylvania's thousands of legacy conventional wells, which release even more methane than the new wells do.
On education, Sturla noted that he wrote Pennsylvania's fair funding formula: "I got the first step done." The challenge now, he said, is to channel all state funding through it, rather than just a faction.
Smith-Wade-El agreed but said local school officials are being besieged by right-wing activists and feel abandoned by their leaders. He said he has worked hard on behalf of local candidates, but when Republican state Sen. Ryan Aument put tens of thousands of dollars into the Manheim Township commissioners' election, "Where was our Democratic leadership? Where was their investment?"
Sturla said he abhors far-right extremism and termed Trumpism "abominable," but said the far left sometimes has illiberal tendencies and those are "just as damaging to democracy." He lamented the dwindling numbers of moderates in the state House, which is making it harder and harder to find majority votes for policies to move the commonwealth forward.
In response to a question from Jessica Lopez, who contends she was singled out for arrest and prosecution for her participation in last summer's protests in front of Lancaster's police station, Smith-Wade-El noted he put his own body on the line when police confronted the demonstrators. Policing should look like the rest of government, he said: "We just want them to be accountable to us."
Sturla said he was not on the street last year because of the risk of contracting coronavirus and transmitting it to his wife, who is immunocompromised. He said the arrests of protesters smacked of "selective prosecution" and cited an op-ed he wrote in support of reforms in the wake of the protests over George Floyd's death.
On gun control, Sturla said it's counterproductive to be against all guns per se: "That gets you nowhere." He is the co-sponsor of a bill banning assault weapons, and said he supports background checks, gun registration and mandatory training.
Smith-Wade-El agreed a universal firearms ban won't happen but called for making handguns less accessible and said there are "nuanced approaches" that could save lives, such as a statewide reporting requirement for lost and stolen firearms.
The forum attracted nearly 400 viewers combined on Zoom and Facebook. Following the discussion, Lancaster Stands Up launched an endorsement vote. Members have until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15 to cast ballots.
Both on camera and off, Sturla contended Lancaster Stands Up is acting prematurely. The state is far from completing its decennial redistricting; it's possible he and Smith-Wade-El may end up in different districts. Moreover, he himself hasn't officially declared his candidacy.
The organization has taken those issues into account and is acting as it sees fit, organizer Eliza Booth said.
