Brett Burman

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Brett Burman

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

June 2, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Washington University in St. Louis, 2008

Personal

Profession

Teacher

Contact

Campaign website

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Personal LinkedIn

Brett Burman (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Pennsylvania State Senate to represent District 9. He lost in the Democratic primary on June 2, 2020.

Burman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Brett Burman was born in Wallingford, Pennsylvania. He pursued his undergraduate education at Washington University in St. Louis and his graduate education at CUNY Lehman College. Burman’s career experience includes working as a public school teacher, executive, and healthcare consultant.

Elections

2020

See also: Pennsylvania State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Pennsylvania State Senate District 9

John Kane defeated incumbent Thomas Killion in the general election for Pennsylvania State Senate District 9 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Kane (D)	52.0	80,198
		Thomas Killion (R)	48.0	74,173

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 154,371
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Pennsylvania State Senate District 9

John Kane defeated Brett Burman in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania State Senate District 9 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Kane	53.7	18,839
		Brett Burman	46.3	16,273

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 35,112
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Robert McKinstry Jr. (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Pennsylvania State Senate District 9

Incumbent Thomas Killion advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania State Senate District 9 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Thomas Killion	100.0	25,410

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 25,410
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Brett Burman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Burman's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Brett Burman, 34, is a former public school teacher and current healthcare businessman. Professionally he has been a strong advocate for healthcare reforms that improve patient care and stop predatory business practices from large industry corporations. Burman is an active member of the Democratic party, serving as an elected member of the Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee from Delaware County, where he has emerged as the leading advocate for environmental justice and protecting residents from dangerous gas pipelines. Burman is currently an elected Auditor in Edgmont Township, Delaware County, and is the first Democrat to serve as Chairman of the Board of Auditor in Edgmont. He was born and raised in the 9th District, and graduated from Washington University in St. Louis.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• We need a fighter, not an insider, someone who's stood on the front lines of our most pressing issues, especially healthcare and education.
• In Harrisburg, bribery isn't a "dirty secret"; it's an institution. PA is the wild-wild-west of unlimited campaign donations and unlimited gifts to legislators. That money warps public policy in favor of special interests, meaning it's the people who pay. We need comprehensive ethics reform as the foundation for lasting change.
• Pennsylvania is in need of a comprehensive re-investment in our common future: to invest in our kids by restoring funding after years of cuts, to invest in our health with a public option and better care for everyone, to invest in Pennsylvania herself by building a green energy future and protecting the purity of our air and water.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My greatest passions arise from my professional experience as a public school teacher and in healthcare. In both areas I saw first-hand the value of investing in people - their education, health, and wellbeing. Having been a teacher in a funding starved school in the Bronx, I also saw the costs of failing to invest. So it hit home to know that my home state of Pennsylvania has the widest wealth gap between rich and poor school districts. Education is always a good investment.

We need to keep it a sensible investment for in-state students at PA's public universities, who are graduating with more debt than any other state's grads.

I have always been passionate about fighting climate change, but the dangers to my community presented by the Mariner East pipelines. I am the only candidate to take a clear and consistent stance against their unsafe operation from day one.

Lastly, I cut my teeth in local politics working to expose the pay-to-play corruption of the Delco GOP. But in Harrisburg corruption is a bipartisan problem, and its costs are born by everyone else. The rules in Harrisburg are rigged to reward interests with deep pockets, and punish politicians who put constituents before contributions. Until we change those rules, we're fighting an uphill battle, so ethics reform is an issue I care deeply about.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to both my parents, but I've learned a great deal about success from my father - both how to achieve it and how to handle it with humility. He has taught me a lot about politics, albeit indirectly, because in truth he hates politics. The examples he has set in business and life are ones I seek to emulate in my own career in public service.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Great Transformation by Karl Polanyi

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

1) Integrity

2) Respect for human dignity and democracy

3) The ability to accept constructive criticism and assess oneself accordingly.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

1) Leadership

2) Bright and hard-working.

3) Flexible thinking and ability to learn about a wide range of different issues.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Put people and principles first. It is the brightest guide-star and makes navigating the political waters more straightforward, but it always promises a more difficult path than the dishonest, easy way forward.

What legacy would you like to leave?

To help pioneer lasting reforms that allow people to live better, more fulfilling lives, and forge a state government that Pennsylvanians can be proud of rather than embarrassed by.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The Oklahoma City bombing first major"historical" event I have clear memories of. I was nine years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was as a cashier at the family pharmacy at 21st and Edgmont in Chester.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Great Gatsby (Fiction) / The Great Transformation (Non-Fiction)

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Definitely not Gatsby.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Circles by Post Malone

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Until my late 20's I struggle with the truth about my sexuality, and lived in total denial about being gay. It nearly destroyed me. Overcoming that has given me a second chance at life, a gift. Everyone deserves that same opportunity for change and a better life - and right now we are setting too many up for failure with underfunded education and inadequate healthcare.

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

Aside from the size, the PA Senate has a reputation of being more civil and less partisan.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

It's certainly beneficial. I am the only primary candidate who has held elected office (I am the Chief Auditor of my town, which is an elected position in PA).

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

Investing in our future, from education to healthcare to infrastructure.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

Ideally there should be cooperation. The interactions should always reflect that, while the legislature has no single voice, it is a co-equal branch with the executive (ie Governor). Interests and outlook will not always align. Yet each side should be able to trust the other as a good-faith actor and negotiator. Sadly, in PA, the GOP controlled legislature has frequently failed to hold up this end of the bargain.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Of course. Sometimes it's easy to take about plans and policies as though they can be achieved unilaterally, but that's just not the case for a legislator. The only way to get things done is with the cooperation of a majority of colleagues. Therefore relationships based on trust, respect, and shared values are essential.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Health

State Government

Education

If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?

NA

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

NA

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

I can't rule it out of course. But I firmly believe that when someone is trusted with election to a new office, they owe constituents at least a full term of service before even considering another office. Seeking election to one office solely to attain another means that politician cared more about themselves than the issues they ran on.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Listening to the stories of residents effected by the construction of Mariner East - and now expected to live in unmitigated danger - woke me up to how bad corruption had gotten in PA. Special interests have paid elected officials to sit back while corporations destroy our land, pollute our water, and endanger our lives. It has to stop.

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

2020 Elections

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External links

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Pennsylvania State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Joe Pittman

Minority Leader:Jay Costa

Senators

District 1

Nikil Saval (D)

District 2

Christine Tartaglione (D)

District 3

Sharif Street (D)

District 4

Art Haywood (D)

District 5

Joe Picozzi (R)

District 6

Frank Farry (R)

District 7

Vincent Hughes (D)

District 8

Anthony Williams (D)

District 9

John Kane (D)

District 10

Steve Santarsiero (D)

District 11

Judy Schwank (D)

District 12

Maria Collett (D)

District 13

Scott Martin (R)

District 14

Nick Miller (D)

District 15

Patty Kim (D)

District 16

Jarrett Coleman (R)

District 17

Amanda Cappelletti (D)

District 18

Lisa Boscola (D)

District 19

Carolyn Comitta (D)

District 20

Lisa Baker (R)

District 21

Scott Hutchinson (R)

District 22

Martin Flynn (D)

District 23

Gene Yaw (R)

District 24

Tracy Pennycuick (R)

District 25

Cris Dush (R)

District 26

Timothy Kearney (D)

District 27

Lynda Culver (R)

District 28

Kristin Phillips-Hill (R)

District 29

David Argall (R)

District 30

Judith Ward (R)

District 31

Dawn Keefer (R)

District 32

Patrick Stefano (R)

District 33

Doug Mastriano (R)

District 34

Greg Rothman (R)

District 35

Wayne Langerholc (R)

District 36

James Malone (D)

District 37

Devlin Robinson (R)

District 38

Lindsey Williams (D)

District 39

Kim Ward (R)

District 40

Rosemary Brown (R)

District 41

Joe Pittman (R)

District 42

Wayne Fontana (D)

District 43

Jay Costa (D)

District 44

Katie Muth (D)

District 45

Nick Pisciottano (D)

District 46

Camera Bartolotta (R)

District 47

Elder Vogel (R)

District 48

Chris Gebhard (R)

District 49

Daniel Laughlin (R)

District 50

Michele Brooks (R)

Republican Party (27)

Democratic Party (23)