Edward Ritter
Edward Ritter (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to represent District 47. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Ritter completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Edward Ritter was born in York, Pennsylvania. Ritter's career experience includes working as an engineer. He earned a bachelor's degree from Carnegie Mellon University in 1978.[1]
Ritter has been affiliated with the following organizations:[1]
- American Institute of Chemical Engineers
- American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers
- AABC Commissioning Group
Elections
2024
See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 47
Incumbent Joe D'Orsie defeated Edward Ritter in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 47 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Joe D'Orsie (R) | 62.7 | 22,322 |
 | Edward Ritter (D)  | 37.1 | 13,201 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 66 | ||
| Total votes: 35,589 | |||
| = 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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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 47
Edward Ritter advanced from the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 47 on April 23, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Edward Ritter (Write-in) | 59.8 | 407 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 40.2 | 274 | ||
| Total votes: 681 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 47
Incumbent Joe D'Orsie advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 47 on April 23, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joe D'Orsie | 98.8 | 5,795 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.2 | 72 | ||
| Total votes: 5,867 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Endorsements
Ritter received the following endorsements.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Edward Ritter completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ritter'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 middle-of-the-road candidate: fiscally conservative and socially progressive. Legislation I sponsor will be based on facts - not just party doctrine.
- I am not a professional politician. I pledge to represent all residents of the 47th District - honestly, fairly and to the best of my abilities. I will not seek another public office, and I pledge to serve no more than three terms.
- I believe York Countians value hard work, integrity, good schools, quality healthcare, and a clean environment. I believe American Democracy is the envy of the world and well worth protecting for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren.
Written during the Great Depression, Steinbeck's spare prose reflects the difficulties in the pursuit of happiness in hard times. When things go horribly wrong for mentally challenged Lenny, George does the only thing possible to protect Lenny from the cruel lynching by an angry mob. George acts in the moment and I was stunned and, in a way, uplifted by what bonds of brotherly love can accomplish.
Published in 1989, I see Irving's masterpiece as a Vietnam War protest novel. Johnny and Owen are lifelong friends united by tragedy. Owen does what is necessary to keep Johnny safe from the war. Owen understands the virtues of self-sacrifice and does not shrink from doing the hard work. It is heart-breaking and inspirational.
The (Boy) Scout Law is a great list of characteristics: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent. I memorized that over 50 years ago and it still rings true.
In addition, I would add Maturity - the knowledge that I need to listen to others. Sometimes these are experts. Other times they are simply those who have their opinions based on their understanding of the circumstances - especially when they may be more affected by decisions of elected officials than those who make the rules.
1. Prepare and Show Up. Do the reading and the research. Listen to the experts and consider those who may not have expertise but still have a valid point of view. Be present on the floor and at committee meetings and speak with knowledge and integrity.
2. Have a sense of balance. Balance the needs of your constituents with the law. There is a time for patience and a time for urgency. Understand the difference and act accordingly.
3. When laws and regulations need to be changed, be an advocate for change. Be willing to speak up when the need arises, bucking the party line when you feel it is important. Be willing to explain why you do so. You may not change minds, but you may earn respect.
Professionally, I have served my clients and employers well - maintaining a solid record of on-time / on-budget performance in challenging environments. I have overcome technical challenges by observing issues of concern in detail and innovating both short-term and long-term solutions. I have managed my teams with integrity, allowing for and managing staff shortcomings (that we all have in one way or another) and adjusting to achieve professional goals for the organization.
I had designed a processing line for cut and cleaned cinnamon chips to be installed in Indonesia. To save money, I agreed to use a locally-sourced fan as long as it would generate at least 45 inches W.C. pressure. Pre-purchase documents from the manufacturer indicated this would be the case. When I was on site for startup, the fan generated only 25 inches W.C. Our startup was dead in the water. I could get a suitable fan from the US in about 4 weeks, but we had committed to shipments. After careful measurements of motor load and assessment of available electrical power, I determined that welding one inch extensions to the fan blades would achieve the required pressure. Dynamic balancing equipment was not available so we did a crude static balance. The revamped impeller increased pressure as I had calculated and we achieved our startup schedule. Excessive vibration caused worry about whether fan and motor bearings would hold up until the new fan arrived, but we had limited options.
There is a fine line between being goal-focused and persistent and being stubborn. It is a line I have crossed on more than one occasion. I'd like to say I have gotten better at this over the years - that wisdom comes with age. That has largely been true, but not always...
I have worked on multi-disciplinary teams to complete technical projects across York County and around the world. I believe our legislature will benefit from that type of experience rather than having over 200 legislators who have minimal experience outside of politics and government.
I believe my technical background would be a real benefit to the work of the Environmental Resources & Energy Committee. There would likely be crossover benefit to the "Housing & Community Development" committee since these issues have strong overlap in creating sustainable / livable communities.
The above addresses personal financial transparency. Regarding government accountability, see below.
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.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
