Former congressman Mike Fitzpatrick is guest speaker at Bensalem Business Association meeting
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
It may have been the Bensalem Business Association’s last official meeting of 2018, but there were still a number of important matters to attend to. Taking place at Holy Family University, 1311 Bristol Pike, on Wednesday, Nov. 14, the evening’s jam-packed agenda featured a board of directors election, introduction of new members, and guest appearance by former congressman Mike Fitzpatrick.
A Levittown native, practicing attorney, Conwell-Egan alum and proud father of six, Fitzpatrick spoke on behalf of his younger brother, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, who was originally slated to attend but was called to Washington, D.C., at the last minute.
Fitzpatrick, who joked that he’s the “next best thing” to his brother, addressed a number of topics, including term limits, something he strongly advocates for. A congressman for 10 years, Fitzpatrick purposefully limited himself to four terms to uphold the original vision of the country’s founding fathers. According to him, when someone remains in office for an extended period of time, they begin losing sight of what’s best for their constituents, the American people.
“They fought and died on that principle,” he said of the founding fathers.
He then touched on the upcoming election on Jan. 3, which will task members of Congress with choosing a new speaker of the House. Though the projected majority leader is expected to be Nancy Pelosi, Fitzpatrick explained it may not be so straightforward thanks to the Problem Solvers Caucus, which his brother is heavily involved with.
This group of 30–40 Democratic and Republican members made a commitment to only vote for a speaker who agrees to change House rules and break the logjam of bipartisan bills waiting to be passed.
“If she doesn’t, she may not be the speaker,” Fitzpatrick said, praising the group of moderates for becoming a force to be reckoned with.
He added how there are certain issues the parties will never agree on, but focusing solely on those topics is a waste of time. If effort was placed on ones they do agree on, more bills would get passed and a stronger sense of trust would be established between the parties. Therefore, when it comes time to tackle one of those hot button issues, it may be a little easier to find a solution.
“We all want Washington to work. We need Washington to work. And now it’s not only a divided country, it’s a divided Congress and they’ve got two options — work together or don’t work together,” Fitzpatrick said.
In his opinion, the country knew what it was doing when it flipped the House from Republican to Democratic control.
“In reality, I think what the American people yearn for is not necessarily a divided government, but a more responsible, moderate government that will get things done,” he said. “What I see is that the American people are saying, hey, half the country’s Democrat, half the country’s Republican. Work it out. Figure it out. Sit down and solve the problems.”
The BBA meeting continued with a presentation of $630 to the Women’s Animal Center (formerly Women’s Humane Society). Members raised the funds through Boscov’s Friends Helping Friends initiative, which last year supported the Historical Society of Bensalem.
Board president Dave Rubin announced several upcoming events, including the annual holiday dinner next month, guest appearance by Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo at the Jan. 10 meeting, and open forum discussion in February, during which members can share ideas for improvement.
The newest BBA member, 1675 Spirits, was given a shoutout, followed by the announcement of the board of directors, which remained the same — Dave Rubin as president, Robert DeBias as vice president, Jason Mukai as treasurer, Ralph Douglass as secretary, Will Walker as marketing coordinator, Dianna Yurko as events coordinator, and Jennifer Gebhardt as board member.
Visit bensalembusiness.com for more information on the Bensalem Business Association. ••
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
