Michael F. Gerber
Encyclopedia
Michael F. "Mike" Gerber (born May 25, 1972) is Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....

, representing the 148th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 148
The 148th Pennsylvania House of Representatives District is located in Montgomery County and includes the following areas:* Conshohocken* Lower Merion Township ** Ward 01** Ward 02 [PART, Divisions 01 and 02]** Ward 06 [PART, Division 03]...

 since 2005. His district is located in Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 799,874, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania . The county seat is Norristown.The county was created on September 10, 1784, out of land originally part...

, and includes all of Conshohocken
Conshohocken, Pennsylvania
Conshohocken is a borough on the Schuylkill River in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in suburban Philadelphia. Historically a large mill town and industrial and manufacturing center, after the decline of industry in recent years Conshohocken has developed into a center of riverfront commercial and...

, Narberth
Narberth, Pennsylvania
Narberth is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,282 at the 2010 census.-History:Narberth is located on a parcel of land originally deeded to Edward Rees , who arrived from Wales in 1682. A portion of this original tract became the farm of Edward R...

, and Whitemarsh, and parts of Lower Merion, Plymouth
Plymouth Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Plymouth Township is a home rule municipality in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. Although it retains the word "Township" in its official name, it has been governed by a home rule charter since 1976 and is no longer subject to the Pennsylvania Township Code. The population was...

, Upper Dublin, and Whitpain.

Background

Mike Gerber was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 799,874, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania . The county seat is Norristown.The county was created on September 10, 1784, out of land originally part...

 to A. Richard "Dick" Gerber and Penelope "Penny" Gerber of Lower Gwynedd, Pennsylvania. Mike is the youngest of three children, having both an older brother and sister. Mike's parents were actively involved in Democratic politics in Montgomery County as well as statewide. Gerber's grandfather was Morris Gerber, a Montgomery County Judge. Mike attended high-school at Germantown Academy
Germantown Academy
Germantown Academy is America's oldest nonsectarian day school, founded on December 6, 1759 . Germantown Academy is now a K-12 school in the Philadelphia suburb of Fort Washington, having moved from its original Germantown campus in 1965...

, a co-educational private school in nearby Fort Washington, PA, where he played football and baseball. After graduating from Germantown Academy he then spent a year at Choate Rosemary Hall
Choate Rosemary Hall
Choate Rosemary Hall is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational boarding school located in Wallingford, Connecticut...

, a top boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut before attending the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

 as an undergraduate where he was a Dean's List student and Defensive Back on the Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...

 Champion Football team. After Penn, Mike attended Villanova University School of Law
Villanova University School of Law
Villanova University School of Law is the law school of Villanova University, the oldest and largest Catholic University in Pennsylvania. Villanova was founded 150 years ago by the Augustinians, a prominent Roman Catholic teaching order...

 where he graduated cum laude and received a scholarship for his endeavors in community legal services.

Legal career

Prior to Gerber's election as State Representative, he worked full-time as an attorney at the Center City Philadelphia Law Firm of WolfBlock
WolfBlock
WolfBlock LLP was a large U.S. law firm and lobbying group based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The National Law Journal ranked WolfBlock the 149th largest firm in the United States, and the 10th largest in Philadelphia, by number of attorneys...

 where he handled business litigation matters. In recognition of Gerber's legal accomplishments, he was named a "Lawyer on the Fasttrack" as one of the top 35 lawyers under the age of 40 in the State of Pennsylvania. Professionally, Gerber served as legal counsel to Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell
Ed Rendell
Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell is an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003...

's transition team and as a Law Clerk
Law clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person who provides assistance to a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. Law clerks are not court clerks or courtroom deputies, who are administrative staff for the court. Most law clerks are recent law school graduates who...

 for Judge Ronald L. Buckwalter
Ronald L. Buckwalter
Ronald Lawrence Buckwalter is a United States federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania....

 of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is one of the original 13 federal judiciary districts created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...

. He is currently of counsel at Drinker Biddle & Reath.

2004 and Election to State House

In 2004, Mike launched his first campaign for public office in Pennsylvania's 148th Legislative District. Gerber ran against incumbent Republican Melissa Murphy Weber
Melissa Murphy Weber
Melissa Murphy Weber is an attorney and Pennsylvania politician.Weber graduated with a degree in Economics from Denison University in 1991. While attending Denison University, Weber achieved All-American honors in lacrosse. She received her LL.M. in Trial Advocacy from Temple University School of...

, who had been elected in 2002 and was finishing her first term in office. In a tight race, Gerber edged out Murphy Weber by 462 votes. For much of the race, Gerber trailed significantly. However, he continued to campaign and the scale soon equalized. Pundits and analysts attribute Gerber's victory to the fact that he made extreme efforts to connect with voters in the district, getting out and knocking on the doors of thousands of residents. Additionally, Gerber was born and raised in Montgomery County and knew the area well. This allowed him to quickly establish deeply personal relationships with voters in the district.

Gerber campaigned on several key principles, the most important of which was "progress over partisanship." Furthermore, Gerber was publicly and vociferously endorsed by then Pennsylvania Governor and former Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell
Ed Rendell
Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell is an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003...

.

2006 and Re-Election

Gerber's freshman term came to an end in 2006. He went unchallenged in the Democratic primary, but was challenged by local Republican businessman Tom Gale in the general election.

A major issue of contention in this election was the 2005 Pennsylvania General Assembly pay raise controversy
2005 Pennsylvania General Assembly pay raise controversy
In the early morning hours of July 7, 2005, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed pay increases for state lawmakers, judges, and top executive-branch officials. The vote took place at 2 a.m. without public review or commentary and Governor Ed Rendell signed the bill into law...

. This bill would have seen state legislators receive a significant increase in salary. Representative Gerber voted against the pay raise. When the bill passed, Gerber refused to take the pay raise and sponsored legislation to repeal it. Ultimately, the bill was repealed.

Gerber won the election in a landslide. Gerber won 67% of the vote and defeated his opponent by close to 9,500 votes.

2007-Present

Since re-election in 2006, Gerber has continued to play a prominent role in the House of Representatives. He has taken part in the passage of several notable pieces of legislation and has developed close working relations with several key members on both sides of the aisle, including then Governor Ed Rendell.

Gerber was played an instrumental part in the development and passage of Senate Bill 246. The Bill provides for a comprehensive smoking ban for the state. Gerber had originally sponsored a more restrictive ban in the house, and many of his ideas made it into the Senate version.

Representative Gerber also sponsored and passed House Bill 1202, an alternative energy bill aimed at making Montgomery County greener.

Additionally, Gerber continues to keep the concerns of the residents of the 148th District in mind. Since his election Gerber has championed the causes of various groups and organizations around the district. Gerber has succeeded in securing funding for community centers, youth sports, township restoration, community police forces, historical societies, and various other local institutions.

Gerber won his third term in office on November 4, 2008. He garnered 66.7% of the vote. His opponent, Matthew McGuire got the remaining 33.3%.

Throughout 2010, Gerber worked tirelessly as an advocate to obtain healthy food choices for students in local schools. Gerber sponsored House Bill 1572, known as the "Healthy Schools Bill" in an attempt to cut sugary beverages and fatty snacks from menus at schools and provide more nutritious alternatives in their stead. The bill is currently awaiting action in the Senate.

On November 2, 2010, Gerber defeated Matthew McGuire in a rematch of the 2008 election. Gerber defeated McGuire by a margin of 62% to 38%.

Accomplishments

While in office, Gerber as accomplished several notable legislative feats. He was the driving force behind Growing Greener II legislation, leading the charge to become environmentally friendly in Pennsylvania. In recognition of his commitment to the environment, Gerber was named as Chairman of the Energy Subcommittee during his freshman term, making him the only freshman legislator to hold the position of chair.

More recently, Gerber was also a major force in the passage of the Smoke Free Pennsylvania Act, a bi-partisan effort to implement a statewide smoking ban in Pennsylvania.

Currently, Mike holds the positions of Deputy Whip, Chairman of the Southeastern Delegation, Chair of the Subcommittee on Energy, and Chair of the Subcommittee on Public Transportation.

In addition to his other responsibilities, Representative Gerber is a member of the Committee on Committees, the Children and Youth Committee. He also served on the Insurance Committee from 2007-2009.

Personal

Mike and his wife, Jessica, live in the Broadaxe section of Whitpain Township, Pennsylvania
Whitpain Township, Pennsylvania
Whitpain Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1701, it has grown to a total population of 18,875 as of the 2010 census.-Geography:...

with their three children.

Issues

Early Childhood Education:
As the father of three young children, Mike is a vocal advocate of quality childhood education and education at all levels. The TAP 529 Program was signed into law in his district. This program helps grandparents help save money for their grandchild's college education.

Growing Greener:
Mike is a staunch supporter of environmentally friendly policies. He played a key role in the passage of Growing Greener II, which was signed in the 148th District at Prophecy Creek in Whitpain. Representative Gerber also sponsored and passed House Bill 1202. This bill provides for the study and mandate of biofuels in Pennsylvania. Gerber scored an 89% on environmental advocacy group PennEnvironment's legislator scorecard for 2008 and 100% in 2006.

Senior Citizens:
Mike also takes great pride in providing a voice for senior citizens in Harrisburg. Mike hosts an annual health fair for seniors to attend and become better informed about state services and benefits provided to seniors.

Veterans Affairs:
Hundreds of veterans from various wars reside in the 148th Legislative District. Each year, Representative Gerber hosts a Veteran's luncheon or trip to Washington, D.C. war memorials to honor the service of the men and women in the District.

External links

  • http://www.votegerber.com/about.php Vote Gerber Campaign Website
  • http://www2.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/memberinfo/house_bio.cfm?districtnumber=148 PA House of Representatives Website
  • http://www.pahouse.com/Gerber/index.asp Mike Gerber Democratic Caucus Website
  • http://www.wolfblock.com/wbroot/attorney.asp?id=56 WolfBlock Website
  • http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=47014 Project Vote Smart
  • http://www.drinkerbiddle.com/mgerber/
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