Meet Rep. Murt's Challenger

Ronald Kolla, the 152^nd  Pennsylvania State Representative District Democrat candidate, has started ramping up his campaign, knocking on more than 1,700 doors, sending out approximately 1,400 informational cards and making countless phone calls to district voters.

Kolla, a graduate, is reaching out with the end goal of unseating three-term incumbent Tom Murt (R-152), whose district includes Hatboro, Willow Grove, Huntingdon Valley, Bryn Athyn and Maple Glen.

During a campaign fundraiser earlier this month, Kolla said his staff is growing with several new hires. He announced the appointment of a campaign manager.

En Route to the Campaign Trail

Kolla, a life-long resident of Montgomery County, graduated from Temple University, where he earned degrees in Music theory and Vocal Performance.

Helping to pay his way through college, during which he was a full-time student, Kolla took jobs as an organist at several local churches, including in Horsham, in Maple Glen and more recently at Woodside Presbyterian in Yardley. Kolla has also been a jazz pianist for Carnival Cruise Lines for full production shows and cocktail hours.

Kolla is also an active composer, who has written several musicals. He has served as the Music Director for Upper Dublin Parks and Recreation’s Mid-Stage theater program. Most recently, Kolla served as a music instructor at Hatboro-Horsham High School, working with the school’s musical productions.

He credits his music education at Hatboro-Horsham High School to providing him the opportunities of pursuing music as a career.

“I’ve been very blessed to have this ability to do this kind of work,” Kolla said. “And, it’s because of my education that I am able to do this, and getting that education is becoming more and more difficult.”

Reasons for Running

During his speech, Kolla recalled advanced music courses he took at Hatboro-Horsham High School, which, he says, have since been cut from its curriculum due to budgetary reasons. He added that tuition at Temple University, an independently operated, but state-funded school, was $10,000 five years ago. He pointed out that today, annual tuition is $14,000.

“I think it’s only common sense that if the state cuts from higher education, then tuitions are going to rise,” Kolla said. “I will vote against any budget that cuts money from basic and higher education.”

Working on a platform that includes costs and quality of education, Kolla said he embarked on his first campaign for political office due to his personal convictions against policies of the state government.

“I’m running, because I can’t sit back for two more years to wait and see what Governor Corbett will cut next,” Kolla said.

According to a recent Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article, Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget does not replace millions of dollars in federal stimulus money that funded state education in the 2010-11 fiscal year, which, critics say, is equivalent to a cut. According to the article, proponents of Corbett’s budget say that the governor did restore state money that had been cut to basic education.

In addition to education, Kolla also advocates for senior protection, including property tax rebates and state-funded senior programs; creating jobs by repairing the failing portions of Pennsylvania’s infrastructure, as well as ensuring taxpayer fairness and public health.

According to Kolla, his goal of ensuring taxpayer fairness is aimed toward corporations of the Oil and Gas industry. In his campaign literature, Kolla points out that Pennsylvania charges oil and gas companies a lower tax rate than Texas or Oklahoma. Furthermore, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures Web site, Pennsylvania remains the largest natural gas-producing state without a severance tax, which ensures that the producers pay costs associated with resource extraction.

In his campaign literature, he further suggested that revenue from the oil and gas industry go toward funding education and property tax relief.

“If corporations are like people, they should pay taxes like the rest of us,” Kolla said. “Gas companies should never be put ahead of hard-working families.”

Kolla called the current Corbett administration a “destructive path of the state."

“The choice is clear,” Kolla said. “If you want a government that doesn’t balance the budget on the backs of students and families, and a government to ensure that fracking is done safely and responsibly, then please vote for me, volunteer, and support my campaign.”

A Casual Fundraising Event

With the close of his second major campaign event, Kolla said that he feels his campaign is running successfully and he has enjoyed meeting voters in such an informal setting.

“I think it’s great to see people in a less-structured environment,” Kolla said. “It would be so important to continue this after the election.”

Ruth Damsker, a former Montgomery County Commissioner and national party delegate, was one of about 30 invited guests to Kolla's most recent fundraiser. 

“I was really delighted Ron chose to run,” Damsker said. “I have a real concern about Corbett’s administration. We need to take the House.”