While most voters who reside in the 12th legislative district will not recognize my name, I do feel compelled to write to your readers.

Your April 25 editorial has given me hope that there are many, many 12th District voters who agree with you that “Pennsylvania must reform its redistricting process with an eye on eliminating partisan maneuvering.”

As I have observed Rep. Daryl Metcalfe's many years in the House I've become increasingly worried. He has assumed the mantle of a career politician who believes that he knows what is best and no other opinions matter. I'm worried that he is ignoring everyone else regardless of knowledge, expertise and experience.

Metcalfe's declaration that he won't allow any bills sponsored by Democrats to be considered in the State Government Committee, no matter if they are “substantive,” is a train wreck for good policymaking for Pennsylvanians.

Never has a committee chairman shown such personal disdain for fellow legislators. It is an arrogance of power.

What makes this so frightening for Pennsylvania's future is that Metcalfe is preventing any action on fair redistricting legislation. In fact, he has mocked efforts to advance legislation that would lessen political influence by having not one bill but two amended to maintain redistricting as a legislative power.

He adds more insult to democracy by calling committee meetings off the House floor, which destroys the public legislative process.

As a freshman House member in 1991 I faced the redistricting process. It was a harrowing experience that included the possibility of splitting Butler County.

In regards to the 12th District, it had grown in population and would have its boundaries changed. I never looked at the number of registered Democrats and Republicans that could be included in new boundaries. I recognized that the Lawrence County residents would be better served as part of a district in Lawrence County and not be a forgotten, dangling appendage which they had been for a decade.

I'll never forget the expression on the face of a fellow Democrat, who asked me why I would accept a new 12th District with more Republicans than when I was elected. He didn't understand that I had taught my high school government students about the risks to democracy that gerrymandering caused. Perhaps I wouldn't get re-elected as a Democrat — but I did.

I appeal to the people of the 12th legislative district: contact Rep. Metcalfe and let him know that you want a redistricting system that doesn't benefit one political party at the expense of fair representation, does not provide incumbent protection for a decade, and does not maintain the political caucus leaderships' hold on power over their respective members as they calculate winners and losers within their party caucuses.

Legislators who want to make their elected positions very secure careers are the winners in that system, not the people. What deals will some of them make with their caucus leadership to be sure their districts' boundaries are advantageous to their re election?

Please consider the strenuous efforts under way by regular citizens to make the drawing of legislative districts at both the state and congressional levels a responsibility of a nonpartisan commission.

In the Senate there are efforts under way at last by the chair of the State Government Committee — and even the Majority Leader of the House has now made known his support for a nonpartisan method.

Yet Pennsylvanians are being held hostage by the chairman of the House State Government Committee.

Maybe the people of the 12th legislative district can break this roadblock. Millions of us are depending on you.

Patricia Carone-Krebs is a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 12th District. She was elected in 1990 and served in the chamber for eight years, and was elected twice as a Democrat and twice as a Republican. She retired in 1998, after completing her fourth term in office.