Was Keith Harris Too Conservative For The 195th?
By Bob Small
Keith Harris (D-195) becomes a one-term state representative following this year’s primary. He was defeated by social worker Sierra McNeil. The third candidate was Kenneth Walker, Jr, formerly a public school teacher and an assistant program manager for the Philadelphia Mayor’s Office of Public Safety.
McNeil received 53.4% to Harris’s 27.3%. .This is the general election in that the GOP has neglected to run anyone for this office and any alternative party candidate has little chance.
According to his campaign website, Harris “earned a certificate in Liberal Arts education through the Act Now program at Philadelphia Community College from in 1982.” He also mentions his work on the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network. He was previously sergeant at arms for The Philadelphia City Council.
Sierra McNeil had the support of the Philadelphia Working Families Party, which masquerades as an independent party, but actually votes with the Democrats.
Harris stopped following the party line on Immigration and other bills, which may have led to his defeat.
McNeil is Pennsylvania President of the The National Association of Social Workers.
She supports HB 554 which would allow the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to join the Social Work Licensure Compact . There are seven states in the SWLC, with twenty others having pending Legislation. This could eventually allow social workers to apply for multi-state licenses.
Not everyone thinks this is a good idea. The Social Work Compact is bad public policy .“ Psychotherapynotes.com feels that this removes participating states’ ability to ensure that a social worker has state-specific legal knowledge before being allowed to practice there. “. There are a number of other concerns brought up in this article,
For instance, would a Social Worker from Iowa know what a Wawa on “the pike” means, what a “Booth’s Corner” is, and wouldn’t they expect Delaware County to have a few hospitals?
Similarly, what would a Pennsylvania Social worker not know, that you don’t want to work in Vermont because they’re the only state without a Dairy Queen?
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