2024 Candidate Profile: Joe Webster For PA State Rep, 150th District

LOWER PROVIDENCE, PA — Election Day is just around the corner on Nov. 5, and Patch is covering races at the local, county, and state level across the region.

Candidate profiles include identical forms sent to each candidate a given race, and include background information and questions on major issues which have both local and global impact.

Name: Joe Webster

Age: 66

Office sought: State representative, 150th district

Town of residence: Lower Providence Township (Collegeville address)

Education

• PhD George Washington University
• MA US Naval War College
• MA Wright State University
• BS US Air Force Academy

Occupation

Senior Executive (Personal note: I’m old(er). I have numerous occupational backgrounds: Colonel, USAF (ret), Assistant Professor... My last position in the private sector was titled Vice President, Accenture. And I am the incumbent Stat Rep.)

Campaign website: https://joewebsterpa.com/

Has development gotten out of control in the district, and how do you plan to handle
the growing traffic problem in the region at large?

One interesting, and difficult issue for Pennsylvania overall is that development in our Commonwealth is zoned and approved at the local level, in our cities, townships, and boroughs. State government has some overall responsibility for sure. But it will be many years before we have regional control over development, let alone at the state level where I serve. Having said that, development in the 5 municipalities I represent has become an issue. Traffic is an issue that comes with continued development... And oftentimes development in one township can create traffic issues in a neighboring municipality. In our current world, it takes personal leadership, relationships, and some political courage to take on this issue. And most times, it means letting our township leaders make their own decisions. Then, to answer your question about what can a state representative do: it’s about finding the right state-sponsored grants and approval processes to add things like sidewalks and traffic controls, trail connections and tree plantings to make new development fit into the community we know and love, and want to protect.

The PA legislature has long been deeply divided. What would you do over the next
several years to bridge the partisan divide and recurring stalemates?

This is, of course, our most important issue in Pennsylvania and across our nation.
And it’s not an easy solution because it’s been about 40 years coming. The key to lessening the divide is leadership that is trustworthy and focused not on individual accolades but on the welfare of our community. It’s that simple and also that difficult. As a State Representative, I’ve written a series of “ethics and good government” bills designed to remove external influences from Pennsylvania’s government, to limit the influence of money (especially external and foreign money), and provide ethical guiderails for those serving. So here’s a political statement: I can’t tell you that Democratic leaders in Harrisburg will pass these bills and start down this path to the level of trust required. I can tell you that Republican leaders have had over 20 years of majority control over the Pennsylvania legislature, and they have not.

Does state government have too much power or not enough power in Pennsylvania?

My experience in the US Air Force allowed me to live in a number of other states including Virginia, Ohio, Colorado, Rhode Island... In each of those other states county government is much stronger than it is in Pennsylvania. They have county school systems, county police departments, county health departments, etc. I would not cede more power to state government, if it were up to me. But I think, in a modern world, we need the ability to manage largescale issues like water, like stormwater, like development, like homelessness, like our opioid epidemic, at more of a regional level than we currently do.

Do you find it worrisome that most voters only have a choice of two candidates in most races?

Yes. And, as a member of the US military for over 30 years, I can tell you that our veterans are strongly in favor of open primaries and more options in the candidates they can choose from. When you serve in our armed services, you serve on behalf of every American. Political party is not an identity then. Nor should it be an identity for our elected leaders.

Was there a defining moment or experience that drove you to first run for elected
office?

Short answer is “no, not a defining moment.” I have been enormously fortunate as a member of a large family, in my military service, when I was teaching, and when I got to lead different business teams, in a small start-up in King of Prussia, and for a Fortune 100 company. But the “mission” at every level of my experience was about service, enhancing the lives of those around me, and making... clients, communities, fellow airman better off than when we started. That’s still why I serve today.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this
job moving forward?

My answers above should indicate that I know and understand Pennsylvania’s system of government and have numerous focus areas where I can lead and succeed for the benefit of our local communities. I am also old enough that my list of accomplishments in prior roles sometimes read as history...

But I will mention one current effort that provides some evidence that I will serve well as state representative: Hurricane Ida destroyed 64 homes in Pennsylvania’s House District 150. This happened along the Perkiomen Creek and along the Schuylkill River. At the time, I served in the minority in Harrisburg. Our state government responded to the emergency. But it has no answer to the problem of a serious increase in rainfall and the cumulative impact of development (see all of the above answers for context). But, in August this year, the Montgomery County Planning Commission signed a contract to model the entire 380+ square miles of the Perkiomen Watershed, across 4 counties, to understand the flow of water, the areas most susceptible to flooding, the recurring costs of “doing nothing,” and to make a prioritized list for the infrastructure projects required to slow down the water, and protect our homes and businesses. These will be infrastructure projects. They’ll create jobs and economic development. They’ll reduce the risks of flooding and help modernize Pennsylvania. And in the end, they create cleaner water, less erosion of our creeks, native habitat, wildlife corridors...

In other words, good government, local focus, and environmental benefits for all of us.

Use of military rank, titles, or photographs in uniform do not imply endorsement by the Department of the Air Force or the Department of Defense.