PA House 182: Marisa Shaaban Response to 5th Square Questionnaire

Candidate Name:

Marisa Shaaban

What office are you seeking?

State Representative, 182nd District

Candidate Introduction:

Marisa Shaaban is an advocate and policy professional who has lived in Center City with her family for the past 15 years. She and her husband are raising their kids in a neighborhood and city that they love, and their children attend Philly public schools. Marisa is running in the Democratic primary to represent all of the people of Philadelphia’s 182nd District in the Pennsylvania House.

In Washington, upstate New York, and Pennsylvania, Marisa focused on education and health care issues on the local, state and federal level. She collaborated with colleagues, elected officials and stakeholders with diverse points of view. At Syracuse University, Marisa worked in government and community relations—organizing students, representing the university in state and local government issues, and engaging with local civic groups. As the Director of Government Relations for the Delaware Valley Healthcare Council of HAP, she advocated for uninsured and underinsured populations in the Philadelphia region.

Her campaign is focused on making the improvements that the residents of the 182nd District deserve from Harrisburg, including fully funded public education for all of our children, access to affordable health care, and a healthy environment through investments in efficient, reliable public transportation. Marisa is a fierce advocate for reproductive rights, and she will continually fight for a woman’s right to choose. She is looking forward to joining a growing movement of progressive women leaders in Harrisburg.

For more information, please see marisa4pa.com.

Question 1

Some of Philadelphia’s most dangerous streets for pedestrians and cyclists based on injury statistics are PennDOT-owned arterials, many of which are major downtown streets and commercial corridors running through densely-populated parts of Philadelphia. So far, PennDOT has been indifferent to calls from safety advocates for the kinds of engineering changes to these roads that would calm traffic. Would you use your position to support advocates' calls for safer urban arterials? What types of legislative and policy changes are needed to correct this problem at PennDOT? (https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/philadelphia-traffic-fatalities-penndot-20190208.html)

Yes, I would absolutely support calls for safer urban arterials. It’s unacceptable that Philadelphians are six times more likely to be killed or severely injured on a PennDot street. I do not accept the mindset that traffic deaths are inevitable, and I would push for measures that prioritize the safety of the most vulnerable road users and change the focus from car-centric engineering practices. I support initiatives such as automated speed enforcement, allowing local law enforcement to use radar for speed enforcement, and the use of cameras. Above all, I would collaborate with local advocates and communities to determine what can be done at the state level to improve these dangerous conditions for pedestrians and cyclists and work to make that happen.

Question 2

Pennsylvania recently passed legislation enabling automated speed enforcement on Roosevelt Blvd and highway work zones. Do you support the expansion of automated speed enforcement cameras to School Zones and on other High Injury Network streets throughout Philadelphia? (https://whyy.org/articles/roosevelt-boulevard-speed-cameras-represent-rare-bipartisan-win/)

☒ Yes
☐ No

Comment:

Question 3

Pennsylvania is the only state in the U.S. that bans local law enforcement from using radar for vehicle speed enforcement. Do you support lifting this ban? (https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/06/is-2019-the-year-local-cops-in-pa-will-get-radar.html)

☒ Yes
☐ No

Comment:

As long as we can incorporate measures to prevent and monitor any potential misuse of radar by officers, I support this.

Question 4

Do you support state enabling legislation to allow Philadelphia and other cities to use cameras for congestion-related enforcement? Areas that should be enforced by camera include bus zones, travel lanes, corner clearances, crosswalks, delivery zones, and non-curb pickups and drop-offs by ride-hailing drivers. Currently, the law allows for enforcement only upon the observation of an officer. Cameras allow a more cost-efficient alternative and are less subject to human and systemic biases. (https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/traffic-congestion-philadelphia-parking-tickets-ppa-20191211.html)

☒ Yes
☐ No

Comment:

I support the use of cameras here. Personally, I see an epidemic of illegal parking and stopping on a daily basis as I make my way around the city, and I understand that it makes the city more dangerous and transportation much less efficient.

Question 5

Act 89 transportation funds have historically been diverted to pay the state police budget, reducing the funds available to pay for public transit and road projects. What is the best way to safeguard this revenue to ensure that Commonwealth residents see all the transportation improvements they were promised when state lawmakers raised the gas tax? (https://www.penncapital-star.com/government-politics/can-you-pay-for-infrastructure-repairs-without-raising-state-taxes-in-new-plan-house-gop-says-yes/)

I support Governor Wolf’s proposal to implement a fee on municipalities that rely solely on state police. I would also push for prioritizing funding for public transit, walking and cycling projects.

Question 6

What are some of your own ideas for enhancing mobility and improving road safety in your district and Philadelphia more broadly?

There is an unacceptable number of blocked sidewalks in Philadelphia on any given day. Whether it's because of construction projects or parked cars—sometimes even on both sides of a street—forcing pedestrians to walk in the street is incredibly dangerous for everyone, especially for people in wheelchairs, the elderly, and people with strollers. I would do whatever I could on the state level to remedy that--including working with local advocates and officials. It seems to me that Uber and other ride-sharing services contribute to congestion in Center City when they stop to pick up passengers as well, so I would like to try to remedy that. I would also love to see more pedestrian-only streets and zones, bike safety initiatives, and hear more from advocates about your ideas so that I could push for those.

Question 7

Act 44, which transfers $450 million a year from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to public transit agencies, is set to expire in 2022. What is your plan to safeguard and expand the state revenue dedicated to public transit after this law expires? (https://wskg.org/news/pa-turnpike-escapes-catastrophic-lawsuit-but-remains-heavily-in-debt/)

I agree 100 percent that we must safeguard SEPTA funding and work toward more and better transit, especially as our region grows. The measures identified in the Southeast Partnership for Mobility report seem to be on the right track, and I would be very willing to work with you to come up with more ideas to address the funding crisis.

Question 8

Do you support dedicated transit lanes and legislation enabling “Automated Transit Lane Enforcement” cameras mounted on transit vehicles and on roadsides to deter other vehicles from using these lanes? (https://mobilitylab.org/2018/09/17/automated-bus-lane-enforcement-is-more-effective-than-police-among-other-findings/)

☒ Yes
☐ No

Comment:

Question 9

Do you support state enabling legislation for congestion pricing, permitting municipalities and regions to institute tolls on automobiles entering into the most congested areas, and using the funds for improvements to transit, and for infrastructure for walking and bicycling? (https://www.inquirer.com/transportation/congestion-pricing-new-york-philadelphia-traffic-20190402.html)

☒ Yes
☐ No

Comment:

Question 10

SEPTA has the capability to expand its rapid transit service by simply running its commuter rail lines more frequently and integrating its fares with subways and buses. But to do so, the agency will need to prioritize certain capital improvements and implement some operational reforms. Do you support such an expansion for our city's train service? (https://whyy.org/articles/analysis-how-septa-can-turn-regional-rail-in-philly-into-high-frequency-rapid-transit/)

☒ Yes
☐ No

As a legislator, how would you use the power of your office to advance those changes, instead of retaining the current structure which caters more to professional-class suburban commuters?

I would solicit feedback from communities who are most affected by the lack of frequency and fare integration and give more a voice to those who rely on transit within the city.

Question 11

What are some of your own ideas for solutions to improve the quality (frequency, speed, and accessibility) of transit service in your district and Philadelphia more broadly?

I don't know that I have any completely original ideas, but some of my main priorities would be free SEPTA for kids under 12, universalized student passes and university passes, eliminating the bus transfer fee, and strictly enforcing the bus lanes. I'm open to working with you on other potential solutions.

Question 12

California’s legislature recently introduced a pro-housing bill SB 50, which would preempt local zoning restrictions on dense housing construction near high-quality transit, and in high-opportunity areas with large concentrations of jobs or in-demand school districts. Similar bills have also been introduced by progressive lawmakers in Oregon, Washington, Maryland, and Virginia to preempt local exclusionary zoning policies like apartment bans, parking quotas, and minimum lot size rules from the state level. Do you support amending Pennsylvania’s Municipal Planning Code to preempt local exclusionary zoning policies in this way, with the goal of allowing transit-oriented housing near state-funded transit and commuter rail stations? (https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/01/sb50-california/604786/)

☐ Yes
☐ No
☒ Other: I would need to explore this issue more and see how it would be applied in specific situations.

Comment:

Question 13

The century-old Separations Act requires multiple bids for all different parts of public construction projects in Pennsylvania, which some state officials believe makes public works projects unnecessarily expensive and inefficient, and precluding Design-Build firms from bidding on public construction projects. Will you support and advocate for repeal of the Separations Act? (https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/opinion/contributors/2017/03/07/oped-s-time-repeal-separations-act-pa/98857412/)

☒ Yes
☐ No

Comment:

Question 14

Governor Tom Wolf has announced his intentions for Pennsylvania to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative—a regional cap and trade program that could push PA to cut emissions more aggressively, while generating revenue for public transit, clean energy, and other priorities. Joining RGGI would likely require an act of the state legislature, and different interest groups within the Democratic Party have taken different positions on this, with some building trades unions on one side and environmental groups on the other. If elected, would you support legislation to join RGGI?(https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2019/10/03/gov-wolf-pennsylvania-regional-greenhouse-gas-initiative/)

☐ Yes
☐ No
☒ Other: I'd have to research this some more and get back to you once I have a better understanding of all of the implications.

Comment:

Question 15

Tell us more about what you bring to the table as an ally for urbanist politics in Harrisburg. What makes you the right person to advance the urbanist movement’s goals politically or substantively at the state level? How would you build support for pro-urbanist policies among your colleagues from outside our region?

As a 15-year resident of Center City and a mom of three kids who will need to navigate the city on their own as they grow up here, I’m passionate about working hard to make our streets and sidewalks much safer for everyone—especially in communities where residents don’t have as much of a voice. As far as working with colleagues outside of our region, I grew up in rural Upstate New York so I understand where people outside of metropolitan areas are coming from. During my career in government relations, I honed my ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders to find common ground. This makes me uniquely qualified to advance pro-urbanist policies in Harrisburg.