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Judge Barb Pianka: Savior of my Universe

If all politics are local, then there is nothing more important to the voters than the person dispensing the most justice in their neighborhood and immediate community.

Here in Pennsylvania, and in most of the country, district magistrates handle dog law violations, jay-walking, etc. The “little stuff” that can either clog up a justice system, or in the alternative, be ignored, thereby clogging up society with evil malcontents wreaking havoc on peaceable citizens.

Here in Uptown Harrisburg, we have an oasis. In our cozy oasis there is a historic neighborhood with beautiful stone homes, some big, some small, Italian Lake Park, wide streets, lots of mature trees, and friendly people who work for a living. Back yard gardens, manicured flower beds, big trees. It really is a small universe, in which so many of us toil for the benefit of the larger community. After all, it is this kind of neighborhood that is home to real, live, breathing taxpayers. In a school district like Harrisburg City, run by the state, home values are typically depressed as people with money flee so their taxes are not stolen and misused. So Uptown is rare, and worth shielding and protecting.

But what happens if we see a district magistrate elected who believes up is down? Who believes in politicizing basic judicial decisions? Who believes in using the seat as a bully pulpit for bigger issues. It has happened before, and when it happens, equal justice suffers. Then, those who can afford to flee, flee.

And this is why Judge Barbara Pianka is so important to Uptown Harrisburg, and why she must be re-elected. Presently she is in a primary race against two or three other candidates.

Barb Pianka is a level-headed, steady, non-political professional, and a known commodity here in Uptown. Barb has taken a firm hand with the appropriate people when it is called for, and she has relented and been lenient when she sees an opportunity for the perpetrator’s personal growth.

Dispensing justice the right way, as Barb does, keeps our community safe, and Uptown specifically.  Barb has done a great job, she has never been accused of malfeasance, and she should win her primary election race.

Citizens here cannot afford a change, and we cannot afford the two alternatives seeking to unseat Pianka. Let’s be honest about these two young men: One of them is a total newcomer to Harrisburg, which makes him seem like a political opportunist in this race. Where has he been the past ten years? He has no ties or roots here, and he has no measurable commitment to our community.

The second candidate is someone who runs a dog care business in Midtown. While I admire almost anyone who runs a business, this young man has had very little professional experience, and he appears to me to embrace radical politics. The last thing we need or deserve here is radical politics, where the dispensation of justice is racialized, warped, and filtered through a world view where everyone “black” is a victim, and everyone “white” is an oppressor.

Barb Pianka is a steady hand at the bench. Let’s re-elect her this Spring and protect our little universe here in Uptown Harrisburg.

 

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