DV Journal

Mike Woodin is running for state Senate against incumbent Sen. John Kane (D-Chester/Delaware).

Woodin, 40, a resident of London Britain Township, is a finance and business professional. He has experience in the corporate world, higher education, small business, and public accounting.

“I’m running for the next generation. As a father, businessman, and community leader, I will advocate earnestly to restore prosperity, support strong and safe communities, and empower families,” said Woodin.

The Republican Committees of Chester County and Delaware County endorsed Woodin. He was elected to the Avon Grove School District Board of Directors in 2021, receiving bipartisan support and the most votes of the four candidates in his region.

Woodin said he’ll collaborate “with fellow Pennsylvanians across the political spectrum.”

“When our military heroes serve together, when first responders reach neighbors in crisis, when educators welcome students to their classroom, they don’t stop to ask what someone’s political affiliation is,” Woodin said. “They consider how they can help. That is the spirit with which I will approach this campaign and office,” Woodin said.

Woodin is also an advocate for better access to high-quality mental health care. He is a founding board of directors member for the New London Counseling Center, which serves individuals and families across the tri-state area, regardless of their ability to pay.

Woodin volunteers with inner-city youth and advocates for parental involvement in education. He is a former elder of his church.

Woodin and his wife, Laura, who grew up on a third-generation Chester County farm family, are raising three children, ages 11, 7, and 3, one of whom they welcomed through adoption.

Kane, 63, the Philadelphia Plumbers Local 690 business manager and a plumber by trade, was elected in 2021. He lives in Birmingham Township in Chester County. Kane and his wife, Lori, have three children.

From a press release 

Delaware County Council Chair Monica Taylor, Ph.D. joined Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon, Sen, John Kane, and a representative from Sen. Tim Kearney’s office to tour areas of Chadds Ford that were severely damaged by strong thunderstorms and high winds on August 7. The tour, led by the County’s Director of Emergency Services Tim Boyce provided an update on the homes, businesses, and roads that were impacted.

On August 7, several Delaware County municipalities experienced a strong thunderstorm with straight line wind gusts estimated by the National Weather Service at 85 to 95 mph, which is equivalent to an EF-1 Tornado but without rotation.

The storm caused trees to fall, bringing down powerlines and utility poles, causing electrical fires, and damaging homes and businesses. Approximately 1300 calls for service were dispatched to first responders through the county by the County’s 911 Center during or immediately following the storm. Over 600 calls came in from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

The majority of the storm damage was in the western section of the county. Chadds Ford, Concord, Thornbury and Chester Heights have declared disasters.

The County estimates that 100 homes suffered damage and reports are still being filed. Over 30 homes in Chadds Ford, Concord, and Thornbury were damaged, including a home in Chadds Ford that was split in half and a home in Thornbury that was moved off its foundation. Homes in Haverford Township, Middletown, and Norwood also suffered varying degrees of damage. Thankfully, no major injuries were reported.

“The destruction that the storm caused is devastating,” said Taylor. “We’ve seen hundreds of trees down, dozens of homes damaged, and roads unpassable. We know many residents have a great deal of clean up ahead of them and the County is working with state and federal leaders to provide financial assistance.”

Residents are urged to report downed trees and property damage to their municipalities. The County’s Department of Emergency Services is continuing to work with affected municipalities to obtain damage reporting data from their residents and business owners. They are beginning to obtain cost recovery data for storm related damage to infrastructure, cleanup of streets and/or public land for submission to PEMA for possible Public Assistance Re-imbursement.

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A Bucks County state senator wants to codify a ban on “assault weapons” in Pennsylvania law for the second time in less than 12 months.

Sen. Steve Santarsiero, along with Sen. John Kane (D-Delaware/Chester), wrote in a co-sponsorship memo last week they were planning “to introduce legislation that would enact an assault weapons ban in Pennsylvania.”

“Our bill would mirror language that is very similar to what was enacted in Connecticut after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, which is considered to be some of the toughest in the nation,” the senators said.

Neither senator responded to queries seeking more information on the proposal, including whether or not the Democratic legislators expect any constitutional challenges to the bill at the state and federal levels. The measure, which is unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled Senate, would ban “more than 150 gun models” as well as “the sale of gun magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds.”

Chris Dorr, director of the Pennsylvania Firearms Association, called the new bill a “straight-up effort to disarm their political opponents.”

“It is unconstitutional, it’s a violation of Pennsylvania’s constitution, and the Pennsylvania Firearms Association will aggressively prosecute supporters of this gun-grab in the court of public opinion in every election to come, especially Democrats in vulnerable districts,” he said.

This is Santarsiero’s second attempt in less than a year to pass a Pennslyvania “assault weapons” ban. Last year’s legislation died in the state Senate Judiciary Committee in June.

At the time, Santarsiero called access to so-called assault weapons “one of the greatest threats to the health and safety of Pennsylvanians.”

Adam Kraut, a Chester County native and director of the Second Amendment Foundation, told DVJournal that due to U.S. Supreme Court precedent, lawmakers in Pennsylvania would “have to dig into history” in order to justify the ban.

Kraut pointed to the 2022 Supreme Court ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, in which the high court held that any gun control passed in the U.S. must be “consistent with the Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.”

“That’s the hurdle that the legislature is going to have the pass, by finding something in U.S. history that shows these types of firearms can, in fact, be restricted,” Kraut said.

The Pennsylvania Constitution is rare among U.S. state constitutions for having a gun ownership provision codified in the state charter since the country’s founding in 1776.

The state constitution declares citizens “have a right to bear arms for the defence [sic] of themselves and the state,” though courts have consistently permitted broad firearm regulations despite that provision.

“Assault weapons” are a popular target for lawmakers wishing to enact strict gun control regulations, though the precise definition of that class of firearms remains elusive.

Asked what guns fall under the label “assault weapon,” Jim Benoit, owner of Cajun Firearms in West Chester, said the vague term is often applied to “typically black, scary-looking rifles.”

“The definition varies state by state and seems to be a moving target,” he said. “Within the industry, the term is frowned upon, and instead, AR-15s are referred to as Modern Sporting Rifles.

“In many states, these rifles are used for hunting in addition to target/sport shooting and personal protection,” he added.

Kraut echoed that view, pointing to military guides that define “assault weapons” as those capable of fully automatic or burst-firing modes, both of which are rare among U.S. gun owners.

“I’ve never seen the gun industry refer to [sporting rifles] as ‘assault weapons,’” he said.

A 1994 federal ban on these weapons identified a broad class of brands and types of firearms with certain features, such as telescoping stocks and bayonet mounts. Santarsiero’s assault weapons ban contains similar provisions.

A Washington Post/ABC News poll released in February found most Americans oppose a national ban on so-called “assault weapons.”

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From a press release

Rep. Craig Williams (R-Delaware and Chester) and Sen. John Kane (D-Delaware and Chester) presented a ceremonial check Tuesday representing a $2 million state grant secured through their support for the construction of a new Upper Chichester Library.

The funds come from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP).

“Obtaining funding for a new library has been one of the most important objectives during my first term in office,” Williams said.  “Through tenacity, the library team in Upper Chichester has been serving, mainly, the children of our community from a two-room storefront in a small shopping center.  This new funding will help them build a much-needed, state-of-the-art library.  I want to thank the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program for awarding this very worthy project.”

The RCAP funds are dedicated to building the library’s new structure which will make the facility ADA compliant, add safe open spaces for all, community rooms for local organizations to use, and new technology to advance literacy and learning, and accommodate more computers.

In addition, the new one-story library building will contain three study rooms, a historical/archive room, a book sale room, children’s area, coffee shop and outdoor patio.

“Families of Upper Chichester deserve a library where their children can learn and grow. I am so thankful for the local businesses and private donors that have helped the Upper Chichester Library get to this point, and we will need them further to match this state funding before it may be used. I look forward to seeing this project become a reality after so much work by devoted community friends,” Williams said.