The Traveling Man Leaves Harrisburg; Farewell Chris Sainato

The Traveling Man Leaves Harrisburg; Farewell Chris Sainato

By Bob Small

I’m a travelin’ man, I’ve made a lot of stops
All over the states

When Chris Sainato was first elected to the Pennsylvania House in 1994,  his fellow Democrat, the little remembered Harris Wofford, was a sitting  senator.  Chris served 13 more terms until he was defeated a month ago, by Republican political newcomer Marla Gallo Brown.

Sainato’s most notable achievement in 28 years in the State House,was billing the taxpayers $1.8 million in expenses, most of it for travel.

This doesn’t mean that the long-timer bachelor legislator did anything illegal. Although one wonders if any married male or female legislator could travel that much. He went to about 25 out-of-state conferences in addition to his travels throughout Pennsylvania.

And with the party now over — really $1.8 million or so does not equate to 25 trips to conference rooms in places like Des Moines — he bemoans the loss of bipartisanship.

“The Democrats went too far left, and the Republicans went too far right. We were electing members for whom the other side was the enemy, someone you must defeat,” he said.

Sainato has been the primary sponsor on only two of the bills that have become law, as per the Legislative Reference Bureau of Pennsylvania.

The Traveling Man Leaves Harrisburg
Chris Sainato

The 14 municipalities he represents are in Lawrence County (created March 20, 1849, from parts of Beaver and Mercer counties, and named after the flagship of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry which, in turn, was named after naval officer James Lawrence, who died during the War of 1812). Lawrence County is known for being the Fireworks Capital of Pennsylvania and for having the second largest Amish community in Pennsylvania, and is about 250 miles from Harrisburg.

He has a bachelor’s degree in educational social services from Youngstown State. He once got in trouble for a Facebook post wishing his followers a happy “Festivus”.

Sainato’s opponent, 52-year-old opponent Marla Gallo Brown received 13,688 votes, to 12,181 for the incumbent.

Ms. Brown was raised in Edinburgh, PA., and graduated from Gannon College (in Erie) with a bachelor’s degree in communications and marketing. She joined United Parcel Services (UPS), where she rose to become head of its UK Marketing Division in London. After 15 years, she left the company to operate a medical spa in Georgia. She then became a CEO with the Pregnancy Aid Clinic, a non-profit pro-life organization.

She moved from Georgia to Lawrence County in 2018.

She supports charter schools, pro-life politics, and a reduction in gasoline taxes. She opposes the participation in female sports of males who identify as females. For her other positions, see her web site.

The Traveling Man Leaves Harrisburg; Farewell Chris Sainato

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