ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Before state senator-elect Nick Miller or state representative-elect Josh Siegel cast their first vote or deliver their first speech in Harrisburg, they're going to have to build their new offices from scratch.
- State Rep.-elect Josh Siegel and Senator-elect Nick Miller are building their new staff for their upcoming terms
- Both have prioritized hiring bilingual problem solvers to work on constituent services
- While new politicians often inherit political infrastructure, they're largely starting from scratch
State lawmakers don't just show up in the state House of Representatives to propose laws and say "yea" or "nay." Their offices make them a vital link to thousands of constituents who may ask for assistance with services, raise concerns about existing policies or seek out recognition or funding for a group or cause.
Oftentimes, there's continuity within an office even when a new politician takes over. Staff commonly is retained to help ease the transition.
But that isn't an option for Miller or Siegel. Since November, they've been building the political infrastructure they'll need once they take their oaths of office next month.
The Lehigh Valley's other new state lawmaker, senator-elect Jarrett Coleman (R-Bucks/Lehigh), was not available for comment.
Unusual circumstances have left Miller (D-Lehigh/Northampton) and Siegel (D-Lehigh) largely starting from square one. Miller's 14th Senate District is new to the region, created from the decennial redistricting process. There's no staff to inherit.
Siegel's in a similar territory even though his 22nd House District isn't new to the Allentown area. Redistricting shifted the former office holder, Rep. Peter Schweyer, to the new 134th House District. Schweyer kept his staff and the South Allentown office.
For Siegel, the biggest challenge has been finding office space. Between inflation and a tight market, it's been a struggle to find an affordable, accessible office. Leases are high in Center City Allentown, and Salisbury Township is geographically isolated from the rest of the district. Residents there can't reach the rest of the district without driving through another state House district.
"Finding a really reasonably priced local office for our needs with our budget constraints is pretty difficult," Siegel said.
That hasn't been a problem for Miller. He'll take over outgoing state Sen. Pat Browne's office in Allentown. The redistricting office shifted the Republican's former 16th District further west, leaving his office on the 800 block of Hamilton Street up for grabs.
Miller's Senate district represents about 200,000 more people than Siegel's House seat. That's afforded him a larger budget to hire more staff, and he's prioritizing hiring a legislative director capable of working across the aisle on issues such as tax and education policy.
"[I want] someone that can help guide the Harrisburg side of politics, as well," he said.
The two also said they were seeking out problem-solvers to work on constituent services. Residents turn to their state senators and representatives for assistance with PennDOT complaints, unemployment claims, birth certificate issues and other administrative issues.
"It's my priority to have staff that is ideally bilingual in Spanish, even Arabic, to be able to help the constituents."State Senator-elect Nick Miller
Politicians from both sides of the aisle recognize that getting results can earn a voter's support for life.
In a region as diverse as theirs, though, it isn't enough for staff to know how to navigate the state bureaucracy. Language skills are also in high demand.
"It's my priority to have staff that is ideally bilingual in Spanish, even Arabic, to be able to help the constituents," Miller said.
