Adam Rodriguez
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Adam Rodriguez (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to represent District 189. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Rodriguez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Adam Rodriguez was born in Englewood, New Jersey. He obtained an undergraduate degree from the Rhode Island School of Design. He also graduated from the New York District Council of Carpenters as a journeyman carpenter. His professional experience includes working as a graphic artist, graphic designer, and art director. He worked for apparel and accessory manufacturers for over 25 years. He is a member of the NAACP and an east precinct committeeman of the Monroe County Democratic Committee-Marshalls Creek.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
Democratic primary election
Republican primary election
Campaign finance
2018
- See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2018
General election
Democratic primary election
Republican primary election
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Adam Rodriguez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rodriguez's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am a New Deal Democrat with Franklin Delano Roosevelt as my idea of a successful, thoughtful, strong leader. I have a wonderful wife of 31 years who has ran for Prothonotary/Clerk of the Courts. We both take our commitment to public service and our community seriously. Together we have five beautiful children, of which we are very proud. All our children graduated with Honors from East Stroudsburg High School North, and went on to pursue their academic interests in College. After Graduating High School, I briefly attending the Rhode Island School of Design. I was a Union Carpenter for five years and then a Teamster working for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for another 5 years. As a carpenter I worked at heights, performing difficult skilled jobs in dangerous situations, and as General Maintainer at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey I was responsible for operating expensive equipment and vehicles, often under extremely stressful situations. I know what it's like to struggle to provide for myself and my family in an economy rigged against working men and women. I am a trained artist, so after leaving the Port Authority I worked in the Apparel Industry as a Graphic Designer, and Artist for some of the largest Apparel and Accessory companies in the Country. I believe my passion to serve combined with my creative skills perfectly position me to lead the people of the 189th District in an economic recovery similar in size to that of New Deal.
- Property Tax reduction in the 189th District is probably the most vexing problem because it affects a broad spectrum of voters across multiple tax brackets.
- Healthcare-Protecting the expansion of Medicaid benefits to the states poorest and most vulnerable
- Staggering in an Increase to the minimum wage to $15.00 per hour over a three year period to protect our small businesses /Better Paying Jobs
Banking and Finance, because without the economic levers of a properly functioning economy running smoothly, free from corruption and abuse, we can't have a true recovery from the ravages of de-Industrialization and attacks against labor, organized or not. Secondly I'm interested in the Environment, because if we're going to re-industrialize, even in the light manufacturing or high-tech space, we are still going to have to make sure our air is clean and water is pure. In many instances the burden of proper disposal of chemicals and industrial effluence will have to be put on the manufacturer, but with technological and scientific advancements to improve waste efficiency and minimize cost, we can streamline industrial processes and improve efficiency to lower costs and greatly reduce it's impact on the environment. Thirdly, I'm interested in protecting the rights of working people, while still insuring that our entrepreneurs and business owners can make a fair profit, so I'd like to try to get on the Labor and Industry Committee. I have a passion to fight for the rights of the socially disenfranchised, women, children and seniors. Over 17 percent of children live in poverty in Pennsylvania, and the rate is higher for children in the African American and Hispanic Communities. Over 14 Percent of women live in poverty ranking PA as the 18th Highest and that's unacceptable. Pennsylvania is also the 3 oldest State in the Union, so our senior population needs more attention.
George Washington because he had the courage to organize a fight against the largest Empire in the History of the world and defeat it on the field of battle, the military genius to prosecute that war, and the wisdom to stand aside and let others with different talents write our Constitution and launch the greatest experiment in self-government ever known to man. Abraham Lincoln because he refuted chattel slavery, defeated the Southern Confederate rebels, started the first industrial revolution in the process, and reunited the states. Franklin Delano Roosevelt because he acted with executive power and determination to stanch the Great Depression, organized a banking holiday, initiated the Lend Lease program with our Allies, Defeated the Axis Powers in both the European and Pacific Theaters, and founded the New Deal Government under which the world witnessed the largest expansion of the middle class in history with increasing standards of living for many citizens reaching nearly every pocket of the country. And finally our martyred hero John F. Kennedy, who revived the New Deal with renewed optimism by initiating the Space Program, opening the New Frontier, and creating an economic policy that gave the average American worker an near 30% increase in wages between the years 1963 and 1966.
Alexander Hamilton's Report on Manufactures - submitted to Congress December 5, 1791
To have the sage wisdom of elders although
I think I am a caring and compassionate person who believes that the most basic Christian concept of equity and fairness can best be expressed through a democratic form of government with a system of checks and balances by creating legislation that benefits the broad majority of people while taking into consideration the demands of the few. It is by this process through creating legislation, statute law and local ordinances that we insure continual progress and population increase while constantly raising the standard of living to ever greater heights.
To serve the interests of the majority of his constituency at all costs, even when he or she is forced to vote against their better judgment. In this respect, Politician's can sometimes be mistaken in their decision when registering their vote. But if that's the case then they haven't done a good enough job explaining to their constituents why they should think differently. Either they haven't communicated their reasons clearly enough or they haven't articulated the facts in a simple enough fashion to an often propagandized population. This can often be difficult when dealing with complex subjects, but it is often the mistake of many a legislator that wrongly assumes that his voters don't understand an issue. Better to err on the side of caution, for in order to be a truly successful lawmaker, one must gain the trust of the people he or she desires to serve.
FDR was once asked in an interview, that if he could be remembered by on thing what would it be, and he responded by saying "As a planter of trees"
I remember watching the nightly news as a 5 or 6 year old. Strong in my memory are images of the Vietnam war and listening to the daily body counts reported by ABC and CBS News. Later, by the time I was maybe 8 or 9, I remember my mom crying when a friend of hers from High School who was a Jet Fighter Pilot in the Air Force was released as a Prisoner of War from a camp in Hanoi. He came down off the plane and walked onto the tarmac with his Duffel Bag in full uniform. She was crying tears of joy, but at the time I didn't understand why. The War in Vietnam was just an abstraction for me as a young child. Now that I'm older and can reflect upon it from my readings and first hand accounts, and knowing the differences between the Communist System and our own, where we still have our freedoms thankfully, I can fully appreciate the sacrifices our soldiers made to preserve our way of life and spread Democracy around the world. That may sound overly simplistic to some. But it's the best explanation I can give as to why we fought the war. Call me naive, I just think it would be nice if war were an abstraction for all humanity the way it was for me as a child, so we wouldn't have to fight them anymore.
I worked at my fathers office in New York City running errands, delivering packages and just doing general jobs around the office. He was a successful Graphic Artist and Designer with offices in Lower Manhattan serving clients ranging from Madison Avenue Agencies to Minority Not for Profits across the 5 Boroughs and the Country. As I grew older into my teenage years I helped out with some of the design work and developing marketing strategies for his clients and sales team. I worked Summers and weekends from the time I was 13 Years old till I eventually graduated High School and went off to College at 18 years old. I gained valuable experience understanding a clients needs from a design perspective while also developing strong interpersonal management and sales skills. I feel those are valuable attributes that are directly transferrable to politics and my campaign. As I continue to talk to the voters in my district I never undervalue what a fellow constituent has to offer in conversation with them. The ability to listen carefully and closely is always the key.
Battling Wall St. by Donald Gibson because it shows the humanity and decency of a President that wasn't afraid to take on monied banking and corporate interests. Unfortunately I firmly believe he paid for it with his life. No matter because his legacy lives with us even in the midst of another financial collapse occurring right before us now. Others have and will continue to carry the flag he held so boldly in the cause of freedom and liberty.
Virgil from Dante's Divine Comedy because I would get to see what happens to peoples souls when they don't abide by Natural Law.
Ricky Don't Lose That Number
I struggle with understanding how a person can see poverty, injustice, inequality, despair and suffering and somehow rationalize it as being acceptable. The current State Representative of the 189th District seems to have written off these obvious disparities in our community and apparently does not see this as a moral imperative to make drastic change mid-course in her tenure. The "Official" Poverty rate in our district sits at around 9.3%. If saying that one out of every ten people lives in poverty isn't bad enough, compound that with the fact that Monroe County Residents have the 53rd highest Tax rate in the country on a per capita basis with Property Values which have barely budged since the 2008 Mortgage Backed Security Collapse.
In the Senate, you run every four years, and in the assembly you have to run every two years. The Assembly is truly the peoples house because it should reflect the often changing interests and opinions of the citizens on a more frequent basis. In a fully engaged democracy, the ever changing winds of political fortunes can be much better attenuated. A legislator who has worked hard to curry favor with working class people by passing legislation that benefits his or her constituents, can reap those rewards by gaining a majority of votes and by articulating what they've done for them on a regular basis. Conversely, if a Representative does not apply reason or employ justice in making their decisions to vote in the general interests of all the people, they will be thrown out of office, assuming they don't play upon their voters by obfuscating the truth by pandering to wedge issues that deflect attention from the real conditions by which his or her constituents may suffering from. The Senate however is compromised of usually of a more older, preferably more mature Politician from a "Patrician", meaning they have deeper connections in the Business community. This does not always mean that they are completely beholden to any one Oligarch or Oligarchical influences. On the contrary, they are elected to represent a confluence of business and social groups that may often have conflicting interests and demands. So with those two very different chambers set as such, this then becomes the matrix whereby conflicting centers of power come to meet and "do battle" as it were. The House Representing the often mercurial tastes of an ever-changing electorate, and the Senate Representing more powerful patrician groups. The objective of this to come away with legislation that will hopefully benefit the General Welfare of the population. This is what was laid out to us by Machiavelli in his writings on the discourses of the Roman historian Livy.
Yes, I think it's beneficial, but I don't think it should be mandatory, and it doesn't always mean they'll be effective. My five term incumbent opponent had no experience in Government or politics before she ran for office in 2010.
Re-Industrialization while still maintaining the pristine beauty of so many parts of this state, especially where I live here in the Poconos. The Pandemic has shown us the gaping holes we have in our economic infrastructure, including the ability to exist as a full-Set economy. Pennsylvania has the raw materials, the manpower and the wherewithal to get the job done and provide the means by which we
Regardless of each Parties majority or minority status at any given time, The Executive must stand as an effective check against the legislative branch. If this fails, then divided government would not be possible, and the interests of the few would never be taken into consideration. One persons Liberties should never take away another person's rights. We are currently witnessing a highly polarized political atmosphere where the Right wing of the Republican Party has an over weening influence on behalf of a small minority of wealthy, powerful individuals, even though they claim to represent the many. This is due to irrational culture of mistrust caused by the growth of a debtor society. Necessitous men are not free men. If both the house and the Senate were Majority Democrat then we would still need an Executive to check either chamber because just because they happen to be Democrats doesn't mean they're always going to pass legislation that's "good". In that instance you need a Governor, duly elected by the citizenry as a last final backstop to protect them, to use his veto power.
Of course. The same principles that guide my relationships with my fellow constituents are those that will guide my relationships with other legislators. That is one predicated upon an open and honest discussion about the issues and the discovery of facts using the best possible data available. If I don't have a relationship with someone that I maybe able to partner with and co-sponsor a bill, I won't be able to build a relationship based upon a mutual trust, respect, and understanding of each others values.
Labor and Industry, Appropriations, Environmental Resources and Energy, Transportation, Children and Youth, Aging and Older Adult Services, Agricultural and Rural Affairs.
If there were a vacancy in either the Northeast, Arts and Culture, Latino, or the Manufacturing Caucus, I would not hesitate to provide leadership. If not I'd be perfectly fine serving as dutiful caucus member.
The former State Representative of the 189th District John Siptroth is someone that I admire. He managed to win in this district with strong Republican support even though he was a Democrat, and I admire that ability in a person. There are many great, unfinished projects he was working on that would have truly benefited our community had he been able to serve a few more terms. It's my strong desire to uphold his legacy by completing some of those projects like the Truckers Bridge over route 209 connecting it with Route 402.
Right now I have no other desire than to serve the people of the 189th District.I
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Adam Rodriguez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rodriguez's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
1. Improve Our Standard of Living - Raise the minimum wage to $15/hour, petition for Medicare for All, cut taxes for the working poor/middle class, cut taxes for small businesses, fund K-12 public education equitably, fund PASSHE (state schools) to enable them to offer tuition-free education, bring in sustainable jobs without tax breaks
2. Reform Our Tax Code - Pass a constitutional amendment to repeal the Uniformity Clause and pass a progressive tax system, reinstate the Corporate Stocks and Franchises tax, pass a Financial Transaction Tax on Wall Street Speculation, end TIF and LERTA abuse
3. Rebuild and Reinvent Our Infrastructure - Reopen passenger rail service through Delaware Water Gap, pave our roads, update our bridges, invest in new vehicle technology for efficiency, secure our energy and cyber grids
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
I'm very passionate about social welfare and economic policy. Over the last fifty years, we really have not done a great job protecting our own people, allowing income inequality to skyrocket, shifting the tax burden to the working poor/middle class, and so much more. I plan on fighting for an aggressive package of social welfare and economic reform bills.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
President Franklin Roosevelt. He inherited immensely difficult circumstances and used his abilities to revolutionize American politics and government. He believed in the everyday person. He appointed them to positions in government and solved problems for the masses. He was not perfect, but he showed what tenacity and hope can really do for people.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Honesty, integrity, passion, will, creativity.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I believe that I have a very good ability to converse with others and really learn about them. I can take those conversations and use my creative ability to find a solution that will find broad support, in spite of partisanship.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
Listen to constituents, argue on a factual basis with room for emotional/moral points, spend tax dollars responsibly, be accessible, speak honestly, maintain high ethical and moral standards
What legacy would you like to leave?
I want to be known not because I was an elected official, but because I was an elected official who did not care about political expediency, money, or anything else that could have hindered my ability to solve issues for my constituency and all Pennsylvanian's. I would like to be part of the legislature that invests in its people, raises up their spirits, and can honestly be proud of the work it did.
What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?
Most definitely keeping our population growing, encouraging young people to stay, creating sustainable jobs, and ensuring our economic security.
What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?
They should work together, without any party issuing ultimatums and utilizing partisan rancor.
Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.
Yes. There's no way we will ever get anything done without working together. Friendships and trust can go a long way.
What process do you favor for redistricting?
I favor a non-partisan commission that would create the new maps at the federal and state level in our Commonwealth.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
External links
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 22, 2020
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Joanna McClinton
Majority Leader:Kerry Benninghoff
Minority Leader:Jesse Topper
Representatives
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Republican Party (101)
