Steve Santarsiero. File photo
Credit: Tom Sofield/NewtownPANow.com
Steve Santarsiero worked his final day in his elected state representative seat Wednesday, .
The last day of November marked Santarsiero’s final day as the state representative in the 31st Legislative District, which serves portions or all of Lower Makefield, Morrisville, Newtown Township, Newtown Borough and Yardley.
Santarsiero, a former lawyer and teacher from Lower Makefield, lost his bid as the Democratic candidate for congress on election day and did not run for reelection for his state seat. He said he does not yet know his next step but expects to continue the “important work of trying to bring our community together.”
Recently, Santarsiero bid farewell to his colleagues in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He also singled out his staff and fellow state representatives from Bucks County.
“I think we have come together and agreed far more often than we have disagreed. We have all worked for the betterment of the people of Bucks County,” he said in Harrisburg.
“It is so important that we never forget, perhaps more than anything else, what we need to do here each and every day is do the very best for the next generation,” he said to his peers.
Starting Thursday, Democratic State Representative-elect Perry Warren of Newtown Borough will being overseeing day-to-day operations of 31st Legislative District offices.
Warren will need to step down as a Newtown Borough Council member in the coming weeks before he is sworn in on January 3.
Below is Santarsiero’s letter to his constituents:
The past eight years seem to have flown by. So much has happened in that time, both in our community and across the country and the world. Through it all, it has been an honor to serve you in our state House.
As today is my last day in office – more on that below – I wanted to take a moment to thank you, my staff and my family for giving me the chance to serve. I also wanted to say a few words about my time as your state representative and the future.
I am proud of the things we have been able to accomplish, both in Harrisburg and back here at home, from protecting the environment to reforming our state legislature, from saving the jobs of public employees in neighboring New Jersey to fighting for the rights of all citizens, and from making sure that our electricity service is more reliable to funding needed projects in our community. All of these things have made a difference in people’s lives, and I am grateful that I have had a chance to help make them happen.
As I said in my farewell address to the House, which you can view below, despite the difficult times in which we live, I remain optimistic about the future. That optimism is grounded in both who we are as a people and in the promise of the next generation. As many of you know, a few weeks ago I helped organize a vigil in response to the hate crimes that were committed in the wake of the recent election. On short notice, nearly 500 people came out on a cold November night to stand together and say with one voice that our community was no place for hate. We were young and old, men and women, and people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, religions and political parties. It was one of my proudest moments as a public servant, and it gave me great hope.
I do not yet know what my next steps will be, but I do know that I will stay involved in the important work of trying to bring our community together. I hope that you will find time out of your busy lives to join me and many others in that effort. I encourage you to reach out to me on Facebook and Twitter (my official social media accounts will be gone after today, but my personal accounts will remain).
Finally, I would like to congratulate my successor, Representative-elect Perry Warren. I am confident that he will be a strong advocate for our community. Since my term ends today, starting tomorrow Rep.-elect Warren will oversee the day-to-day operations of the district office through the time he is officially sworn in on Jan. 3. You can reach him via email at RepWarren@PaHouse.com.
Thank you again for giving me the opportunity to serve you.
All the best,
Steve Santarsiero
