82nd district
January 6, 2022 2021 Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission PO Box 203079 Harrisburg, PA 17120 Re: Proposed Redistricting Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission: The proposed PA legislative redistricting would result in a loss for Mifflin and Juniata Counties’ citizens and institutions. As Commissioners, we respectfully ask the Commission to restore the boundaries of the existing PA 82nd District that would retain the historical relationships between Mifflin and Juniata Counties. Specifically, the newly proposed PA Districts ignore and would sever socio-economic, recreational, and customary affairs between Mifflin and Juniata Counties and is contrary to the Commission’s principal: “… maintain the geographical and social cohesion of the communities where people live and conduct the majority of their day to day affairs.” For many decades, the people of Mifflin and Juniata Counties have collaborated and coordinated within multicounty programs because of close knit social and economic ties. A partial list includes: Mifflin-Juniata Area Agency on Aging, Mifflin-Juniata Call-A-Ride, Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce, Juniata River Valley Visitors’ Bureau, and the Mifflin-Juniata Counties United Way. The respective County Commissioners, recognizing economies of scale, have formed the Mifflin Juniata Human Services Department to address the needs of the homeless, food insecurity, and COVID related appropriations. The County Commissioners also recognized their joint interests and formed the Juniata Valley Behavioral and Developmental Services, a consortium to provide mental health and crisis intervention services for the counties’ vulnerable populace. Educational and youth activities are dependent on the geographical proximity of the Mifflin and Juniata Counties. The Juniata Valley YMCA, the respective Mifflin and Juniata Conservation Districts’ youth activities, 4-H clubs and programs, and the Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology operate programs and provide daily services within the cohesive Mifflin-Juniata communities. Furthermore, Mifflin and Juniata Counties are both in the Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital’s service area as well as the market area for the banking and financial institutions. US 322, the major limited access arterial through both counties, provides a 15 minute commute between the respective counties’ industrial areas and downtowns. I ask that the Commission recognize the value of retaining the historical and existing political and socioeconomic cohesion between Mifflin and Juniata Counties and retain the existing PA 82nd District. Sincerely, Sara Switzer