The New Year brings a new set of exciting challenges for Michele Brooks as she starts serving her new job as the state Senator for the 50th District when the General Assembly begins the 2015-16 Legislative Session on January 6. Senator-elect Brooks will be among 25 senators taking the oath that day during a ceremony set for noon in the Senate Chamber. The ceremony will be streamed live on the web at www.pasenategop.com.
Over the past few weeks since the November election, Senate-elect Brooks moved from her former state House of Representatives office in the East Wing of the State Capitol to her new location in Room 459 on the fourth floor of the Senate wing. Her Harrisburg office mailing address is Senate Box 203050, Harrisburg, PA 17120-3050. The Harrisburg office telephone number is (717) 787-1322.
While the physical move didn’t cover a significant distance, the transition from her four terms in the House of Representatives to her upcoming role as a state Senator representing approximately 246,000 people in Crawford, Erie, Mercer and Warren counties offers Senator-elect Brooks a variety of new challenges and opportunities.
“My staff and I look forward to working with the people of the 50th District and we offer our best wishes to everyone for the New Year. The newly redistricted 50th Senatorial District is over 2,000 square miles in size. I look forward to getting to know the people throughout the district and becoming more familiar with the different organizations in the area,” Senator-elect Brooks said. “The larger geographical area also means that I will be one out of 50 senators as opposed to one out of 203 House members, so this should give me more input in making policy decisions that affect the people of northwestern Pennsylvania.”
Senator-elect Brooks is maintaining her current Mercer and Crawford offices and is planning to open additional district offices in Meadville and Edinboro. The new offices are expected to open in the near future. Constituents can contact her offices by calling (724) 588-8911 (Greenville) or (814) 337-8132 (Meadville), or toll free- 800-457-2040. Constituents are also encouraged to visit her website www.senatorbrooks.com and can contact her by clicking the “Contact” button.
Senator-elect Brooks said that her experience as the state representative for the 17th Legislative District provided an excellent foundation for her new job, adding that her focus and goals remain unchanged by her new position.
“The counties of northwestern Pennsylvania are very similar in many ways. We have a lot of the same goals and aspirations and a lot of hardworking, great people,” Senator-elect Brooks said. “Certainly, one of the largest concerns focuses on jobs and the economy. It is essential that we strive to create a better job climate in the 50th District and across Pennsylvania.”
During her time in the state House, Brooks actively fought against the tolling of Interstate 80; worked with business owners to create a more job-friendly business climate by reducing taxes and regulations on job-creators; improved state services for senior citizens; reprioritized state government spending by limiting out-of-control borrowing by the Commonwealth; and supported the elimination of the inheritance tax on farmers, thus preserving Pennsylvania’s agriculture heritage.
Senator-elect Brooks is married to Guy Brooks, and they have two children — a son, Brandin, and a daughter, Taylor.
The 50th Senatorial District includes all of Crawford and Mercer counties; part of Erie County including: the City of Corry and the townships of Amity, Concord, Elk Creek, Leboeuf, Union, Washington, Waterford and Wayne and the boroughs of Edinboro, Elgin, Mill Village, Union City, Waterford and Wattsburg; and part of Warren County including Columbus, Eldred, Southwest and Spring Creek townships.
Contact: Mike Hengst (717) 787-1322