Republican John Lawrence of the 13th District and Democrat Christina Sappey of the 158th District were both reelected as State Representatives in November. As they prepare for their upcoming terms – Lawrence will begin his eighth and Sappey her fourth – the Chester County Press spoke with them about the key issues that face their respective constituencies, the major initiatives they are working on and how they see Chester County moving forward in the years ahead

By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

John Lawrence: ‘I will continue to hound Governor Shapiro’s administration on this issue’

Chester County Press: In your estimation, what statement did President-elect Trump’s win in Pennsylvania – and across the nation -- make?

Lawrence: A far as the national and statewide results in Pennsylvania, I think they show that a lot of people are beyond frustrated with a government that is not working. They are not happy with the direction things are going on a national level. When I speak to people, many tell me that they see folks in power held to one standard while regular people are struggling to pay the bills. Hunter Biden’s pardon – the most sweeping pardon given since President Nixon after being convicted in a court of law by a jury of his peers -- exemplifies the anger and frustration people see with government. 

As far as the presidential race is concerned, the people spoke, and the results speak clearly that people are frustrated. Prices are too high. Government spending is out of control and very few people in Washington seem to care. 

One of President-elect Trump’s immediate initiatives is likely to have a major impact on the economic and workforce future of Chester County – the plan to undergo a mass deportation effort that may remove thousands of undocumented citizens from the county, beginning as early as this winter. What is your stance on this issue and how – and to whom -- will your office provide assistance?

My position is that people need to obey the law. We cannot have open borders. We cannot have people coming into the country without any verification. Both parties in Congress over the last several years have failed the American people by failing to address this issue. What we saw in this past election are that illegal immigration and securing the border were major factors in this race. Vice President Harris has been in charge of this for the past four years, and President Trump made it a focus of his first term, so the American people had a very clear picture on how each candidate would address this issue and spoke very clearly against Harris’s inaction and in favor of Trump’s approach in enforcing the law.

As I look back over the last few years, where this issue really came to the forefront for me was when I had a group speak with me about advocating to pass a law to give illegal immigrants driver’s licenses in Pennsylvania, and a bill has been proposed to do that. I am not supportive of that. The state should not be handing out licenses to those who are here illegally. 

There is potentially another side of the issue of mass deportation that may happen as a result: the loss of jobs in the agricultural, landscape, equine and hospitality sectors, in your district and throughout Chester County. How do you make up for what could potentially be the loss of thousands of workers?

There are those locally and nationally who have been advocating work visas for many years and Congress in its discretion has chosen to largely ignore those efforts. There is a perception that everyone who works in the mushroom industry is in the U.S. illagally, and that is not a correct assumption to make. Regardless, one of the issues that we face is that mushrooms are a year-round crop and the agricultural visas issued by the federal government are for seasonal crops.

This is an issue that’s been before Congress for years, and an issue that they must address.

From the start, you have expressed your opposition to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ plan to develop Big Elk Creek State Park. You have hosted public meetings, written letters of opposition and met with countless stakeholders. As you head into your next term, what will you continue do to protect the Park from planned development?

DCNR needs to uphold the commitments they made when what is now Big Elk Creek State Park was purchased from George Strawbridge. Conservationists and elected officials were all on the same page that this resource would be part of the White Cay Creek Preserve and for years it was. But someone in DCNR has gotten the desire to develop this property, and the community push-back has been very strong, so the pressure campaign that I and others have led against DCNR will continue. We will continue to press them to preserve the Park through legislation or other means. I will be working with some local stakeholders to develop other strategies that we will be prepared to implement -- if need be -- in the days ahead.

I would prefer to see DCNR simply uphold the commitments they made originally to the community and the stakeholders who brought the Strawbridge property into the Preserve.

Your voice has become one of the loudest in opposition to the sale of the Chester Water Authority. To that end, you have introduced bills and amendments to support your opinion. Where has your voice most resounded; specifically, the audience where it is reaching the most, and what can we expect to see from you heading into 2025 related to this issue?

I have heard from many constituents on this issue as well as national media outlets about who is going to provide water for the next generation. It’s a discussion not just going on in Chester County but around the country. It was not my initial intent to attract that much attention, but it is elevating the issue and importance in preventing a sale of the Chester Water Authority. I will reintroduce my legislation in the next session. I will continue to hound Governor Shapiro’s administration on this issue, because he directly oversees the state-appointed receiver for the City of Chester, who has czar-like authority over the city’s operations. 

You are a strong proponent of parents overseeing their children’s educational journey, not the government. You have expanded efforts on school choice and co-authored bipartisan legislation that gives parents the freedom to opt out of the Keystone Exams for their children. What is the government doing wrong when it comes to providing an educational platform for young people?

Parents have the greatest interest in their own children’s education. We are very blessed in southern Chester County to have very good school districts, dedicated teachers and other strong school choice options as well. Last week, the Governor’s secretary of education resigned just as results came out that showed test scores in the state four years after COVID-19 have not recovered to where they were prior to that. As you look across the state, unfortunately not every area is as advanced as Chester County, and there are entire districts and schools whose students are performing at a level where there is not one student proficient at their grade level, and this has gotten worse since I have been in office. 

At some point we must have a hard look as a society and say, “This school system needs to be held to some sort of account.” One of the answers is to give parents the opportunity to say, “I would like to send my kid to the Catholic school down the street.”

You are about to head into what will be your eighth term in the Pa. House of Representatives. Among the many issues expected to reach your desk and in your periphery in your coming term, what rises to the top in terms of importance?

My number one priority heading into my next term is reopening Jennersville Hospital and its emergency room and working in concert with ChristianaCare to ensure that emergency room care is brought back to the community. 

On the state level, I am very concerned about where we are heading from a budgetary perspective. The state’s last two budgets each spent $2 billion more than anticipated revenues, the first time we have seen that in the state’s history. Four years ago, the state was sitting on a sizable surplus, and at the end of this budget cycle four years later, that surplus is going to be gone. Some very difficult decisions will need to be made. The next two budgetary cycles will be very crucial in determining the fiscal solvency of the Commonwealth. 

I strongly believe that we need to live by our fiscal means as we move forward.

To learn more about John Lawrence, visit https//:replawrence.com.