Phyllis Mundy
Encyclopedia
Phyllis Mundy is a Democratic
member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
and minority party chairwoman of the House Finance Committee. She is a graduate of Kingston High School and Bloomsburg University. Prior to her time in the State House, she was a teacher at Misericordia University, the business manager of the multimillion dollar manufacturing facility Injection Molding Corporation during the 1980s, was heavily involved with the Junior League
, was President of the Wilkes-Barre chapter of the League of Women Voters
, and served on the Luzerne County Property tax
reform commission.
A current and longtime resident of Kingston, Pennsylvania
, Mundy has represented the 120th legislative district of her state since January 1991. She won her first election in 1990 when she defeated incumbent Republican
Scott Dietterick
, who was found guilty of insurance fraud one month before the election. Given that the district, at the time, was 60 percent Republican, Mundy's victory was considered a political upset.
In her two-decade service as a member of the General Assembly in Harrisburg, Mundy has been a consistently loyal Democrat who has strongly supported causes closely identified with her party. Indeed, she has been a vehement supporter of environmental protection laws, state programs to boost early childhood education, and Governor Ed Rendell
's economic stimulus and development initiatives. Her support for priorities of the Democratic Party
has earned her high ratings from the Sierra Club
, an environmental advocacy group that gave Mundy a 100% rating recently, and AFL-CIO
, which consistently gives Mundy high marks for her support of labor unions.
In her career, Mundy's signature policy achievements include leading successful efforts to pass bills that expanded care for senior citizens, improved the rights of foster children, provided stronger home visitation services for low-income expectant mothers, boosted pre-K education, cut property taxes, and expanded prescription drug coverage for seniors. The bulk of this legislation was passed and signed into law during the tenure of Governor Rendell from 2003 - 2011.
At home in the Kingston
area, Mundy enjoys broad popular support among voters of both parties in her district. Indeed, in two cases, she has not had a Republican opponent in reelection campaigns, including in 2004 and 2008. Her exceptional constituent service, constant visits in her district to attend local events and festivals, and her close ties to thousands of voters have all contributed to her huge personal popularity. In addition to such attributes, Mundy's policy positions and votes are generally smiled upon by voters in her district. Most notably, her successful effort in 2005 to stop health care cost hikes at Blue Cross Blue Shield for residents of her district and her 2010 proposal for a one year ban on new Marcellus Shale drilling permits both have earned her widespread approval. Nonetheless, it is evident that one political reality has aided Mundy in particular: her district has become increasingly Democratic in voter registration in recent years, reaching 56 percent today.
This popularity has translated into large election victories for Mundy when she has a Republican opponent. Indeed, in 2000, 2002, and 2006, Mundy won 64 percent, 65 percent, and 75 percent of the vote, respectively. The most recent election in which she had an opponent - 2010 - saw Mundy win an impressive 53 percent of the vote to 32 percent for Republican West Pittston mayor Bill Goldsworthy and 15 percent for Libertarian Tim Mullen. Although Mundy easily won an eleventh term in this contest, the 2010 election did represent the most significant challenge of her political career thus far and constituted her narrowest margin of victory ever. Well aware that the 2010 election would be a more difficult one for her than previous races, Mundy hired a campaign manager, Wyoming Seminary
student Omeed Firouzi, and a volunteer coordinator, West Wyoming borough council President Eileen Cipriani, for the first time ever.
Amid a conservative wave that resulted in a Republican takeover of the Pennsylvania State House, Mundy still survived to win reelection by a healthy margin. In the campaign, Mundy touted her "record of real results" and advocacy on behalf of "hard-working, middle class families" while Goldsworthy accused the 20-year incumbent of accomplishing little in her tenure and succumbing to greed by voting for a pay raise in 2005. Ultimately, the popularity of Mundy's proposal for a moratorium on drilling permits, combined with Goldsworthy's acceptance of a large donation from convicted felon Harry Alexandrian, helped tip the balance in Mundy's favor.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....
and minority party chairwoman of the House Finance Committee. She is a graduate of Kingston High School and Bloomsburg University. Prior to her time in the State House, she was a teacher at Misericordia University, the business manager of the multimillion dollar manufacturing facility Injection Molding Corporation during the 1980s, was heavily involved with the Junior League
Junior League
The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. is a non-profit organization of 292 Junior Leagues in Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom and the United States. Junior Leagues are educational and charitable women's organizations aimed at improving their communities through volunteerism and...
, was President of the Wilkes-Barre chapter of the League of Women Voters
League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters is an American political organization founded in 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt during the last meeting of the National American Woman Suffrage Association approximately six months before the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution gave women the right to vote...
, and served on the Luzerne County Property tax
Property tax
A property tax is an ad valorem levy on the value of property that the owner is required to pay. The tax is levied by the governing authority of the jurisdiction in which the property is located; it may be paid to a national government, a federated state or a municipality...
reform commission.
A current and longtime resident of Kingston, Pennsylvania
Kingston, Pennsylvania
Kingston is a municipality located in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, on the Susquehanna River opposite Wilkes Barre. Kingston was incorporated as a borough in 1857. Kingston has adopted a home rule charter which became effective in January 1976. It is part of the greater metropolitan...
, Mundy has represented the 120th legislative district of her state since January 1991. She won her first election in 1990 when she defeated incumbent Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Scott Dietterick
Scott Dietterick
Scott Dietterick is a former Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. After being found guilty of insurance fraud, Dietterick lost in a landslide in 1990 to Democrat Phyllis Mundy, who still occuipes his former seat.-References:...
, who was found guilty of insurance fraud one month before the election. Given that the district, at the time, was 60 percent Republican, Mundy's victory was considered a political upset.
In her two-decade service as a member of the General Assembly in Harrisburg, Mundy has been a consistently loyal Democrat who has strongly supported causes closely identified with her party. Indeed, she has been a vehement supporter of environmental protection laws, state programs to boost early childhood education, and Governor Ed Rendell
Ed Rendell
Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell is an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003...
's economic stimulus and development initiatives. Her support for priorities of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
has earned her high ratings from the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
, an environmental advocacy group that gave Mundy a 100% rating recently, and AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
, which consistently gives Mundy high marks for her support of labor unions.
In her career, Mundy's signature policy achievements include leading successful efforts to pass bills that expanded care for senior citizens, improved the rights of foster children, provided stronger home visitation services for low-income expectant mothers, boosted pre-K education, cut property taxes, and expanded prescription drug coverage for seniors. The bulk of this legislation was passed and signed into law during the tenure of Governor Rendell from 2003 - 2011.
At home in the Kingston
Kingston, Pennsylvania
Kingston is a municipality located in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, on the Susquehanna River opposite Wilkes Barre. Kingston was incorporated as a borough in 1857. Kingston has adopted a home rule charter which became effective in January 1976. It is part of the greater metropolitan...
area, Mundy enjoys broad popular support among voters of both parties in her district. Indeed, in two cases, she has not had a Republican opponent in reelection campaigns, including in 2004 and 2008. Her exceptional constituent service, constant visits in her district to attend local events and festivals, and her close ties to thousands of voters have all contributed to her huge personal popularity. In addition to such attributes, Mundy's policy positions and votes are generally smiled upon by voters in her district. Most notably, her successful effort in 2005 to stop health care cost hikes at Blue Cross Blue Shield for residents of her district and her 2010 proposal for a one year ban on new Marcellus Shale drilling permits both have earned her widespread approval. Nonetheless, it is evident that one political reality has aided Mundy in particular: her district has become increasingly Democratic in voter registration in recent years, reaching 56 percent today.
This popularity has translated into large election victories for Mundy when she has a Republican opponent. Indeed, in 2000, 2002, and 2006, Mundy won 64 percent, 65 percent, and 75 percent of the vote, respectively. The most recent election in which she had an opponent - 2010 - saw Mundy win an impressive 53 percent of the vote to 32 percent for Republican West Pittston mayor Bill Goldsworthy and 15 percent for Libertarian Tim Mullen. Although Mundy easily won an eleventh term in this contest, the 2010 election did represent the most significant challenge of her political career thus far and constituted her narrowest margin of victory ever. Well aware that the 2010 election would be a more difficult one for her than previous races, Mundy hired a campaign manager, Wyoming Seminary
Wyoming Seminary
Wyoming Seminary, founded in 1844 and currently led by President Kip P. Nygren, is a private college preparatory school located in the Wyoming Valley of Northeastern Pennsylvania, in Kingston and Forty Fort It is near the Susquehanna River and the city of Wilkes-Barre...
student Omeed Firouzi, and a volunteer coordinator, West Wyoming borough council President Eileen Cipriani, for the first time ever.
Amid a conservative wave that resulted in a Republican takeover of the Pennsylvania State House, Mundy still survived to win reelection by a healthy margin. In the campaign, Mundy touted her "record of real results" and advocacy on behalf of "hard-working, middle class families" while Goldsworthy accused the 20-year incumbent of accomplishing little in her tenure and succumbing to greed by voting for a pay raise in 2005. Ultimately, the popularity of Mundy's proposal for a moratorium on drilling permits, combined with Goldsworthy's acceptance of a large donation from convicted felon Harry Alexandrian, helped tip the balance in Mundy's favor.
External links
- Pennsylvania House of Representatives - Phyllis Mundy (Democrat) Official PA House website
- Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus - Phyllis Mundy Official Party website
- Phyllis Mundy for State Representative