My name is Bryan Lentz, and I’m running for Congress in Pennsylvania’s Seventh District. I am a former Airborne Ranger, prosecutor, and an Iraq War veteran. I currently serve as the Pennsylvania State Representative from the 161st District in Delaware County. I’m running for Congress because we need bold citizen activists in Washington, not career politicians. Five short years ago I was in the Army serving in Iraq. The disconnect I saw there between what was happening on the ground and what was happening in Washington with the Bush administration is what motivated me to come home and run for office. Since that time I have unseated a 28-year Republican incumbent, stood up to my own party leadership on important reform issues and always kept service to my constituents as my number one priority—closing more than 22,000 constituent cases in three years. I plan to use this diary space throughout the campaign to talk about the power and importance of public service and to give as many people as possible the opportunity to learn about me and discuss the most important issues facing our nation.
Serving our country should not be a cliché thrown around by power-hungry politicians, but a solemn duty that elected officials undertake with pride and diligence. I served my country as an officer in the 82nd Airborne Division, participating in peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and the Sinai Peninsula. I returned home from Bosnia in 1999 and continued my service as an Assistant District Attorney, but when I was asked to serve again in 2003, I went to Iraq to lead 141 soldiers into harm’s way (See Lt. Col. Mark Busbee telling the story of my return to service). As I said at the top, it was what I saw there in Iraq that convinced me we needed to change the way things were being done in our government. We needed people in government who understood the difference between reality and rhetoric.
I ran for the PA State House in 2006 against a 28-year incumbent who had recently voted himself and his colleagues a pay raise in the middle of the night. I won that campaign by taking my case directly to the voters, knocking on 20,000 doors and convincing people that it was time to shake things up in our government. I plan to do the same things in this campaign.
Real reform will never be accomplished in Washington unless we elect a national slate of bold, progressive leaders – men and women who are willing to speak out against the status quo regardless of political party and political ambition. From county courthouses to state capitols to our nation’s capitol, the culture of corruption and the business-as-usual crowd have eroded the people’s confidence in our civil society. The time is now to elect independent-minded, bold leaders to push for systemic reforms in areas like campaign finance, lobbying disclosure, federal earmarks and financial markets.
Too many politicians enter office with good intentions but get caught up in the quid pro quo atmosphere and end up with a go-along-to-get-along attitude. We need public representatives who are able to stand up for what they believe in, no matter who they must confront. I stood up to my state party leadership when I thought they were not acting in the best interests of the people, and I will continue to stand up for an effective, efficient, accountable government. For the government to accomplish anything through legislation it must have the trust of the people. Congress can’t pass healthcare reform or regulatory reform if the people have no faith in their elected representatives. Our first priority must be to restore that trust.
Systemic reform is not simply an end in itself but permeates all the major issues that we confront as a society. For example, corporate special interests have stymied the clean energy industry for too long. We can and we must build our way out of economic depression by developing a first class transportation system and clean energy industry. Why is it that China, a nation where major parts of the country lack indoor plumbing, is way ahead of us on high speed rail and clean energy development? We have to catch up and surpass our competitors by investing in an unparalleled transportation system and a clean energy industry—developments that will create jobs and keep us as a world leader.
Government reform is just one of the many issues I hope to discuss here over the coming months. Continuing health care reform, investing in renewable energy, protecting Social Security and Medicare, fixing the Wall Street regulatory structure, and creating new jobs to get our economy back on track are all a part of my bold, progressive agenda and topics I plan to write more about throughout the campaign. I hope you will continue to read and enjoy my posts and give me the opportunity to earn your support. Please post comments and spread the word to your friends, family and colleagues about the campaign. I look forward to your involvement and your ideas in the campaign ahead.
