134th: Incumbent Peter Schweyer faces Brent Labenberg, Emmaus Council president
Democratic leaning district gives Schweyer the voter edge while Labenberg has political name recognition in the tightknit borough of 11,500.
A newly drawn state House map is giving incumbent Democrat Peter Schweyer his first General Election matchup since he was elected in 2014.
Republican Brent Labenberg, president of Emmaus Borough Council, is facing Schweyer in the 134th. Schweyer of Allentown currently serves in the 22nd, but boundary changes have put his home in the 134th.
The district includes the western half of South Allentown, all of Emmaus and the western part of Salisbury Township.
The Democratic leaning district gives Schweyer the voter edge while Labenberg has political name recognition in the tightknit borough of 11,500.
Schweyer said he is running again because he wants to continue to serve his constituents. He said he has been a leader in the fight for fair and equal funding for the region’s school districts, has brought grants and funding to major projects and helped write Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana law.
“You owe it to your citizens to be as effective as you can,” he said.
Labenberg, a retired chef, said he is running because he wants voters to have a choice. “I can’t stand when you go to vote and you only have one person to vote for,” he said. “I care. I have the time and I wanted to give people a choice.”
He points to Emmaus as proof of his commitment, calling it one of the area’s municipal crown jewels.
”I’d like to think that I had a part in that,” he said.
As of June, Schweyer had $26,457 in cash on hand while Labenberg listed zero campaign funds, according to state campaign finance data.
PETER SCHWEYER
Peter Schweyer, 44, is seeking his fifth term in office. He grew up in Allentown, graduating from Allentown Central Catholic High School in 1996.
Though employed by the city, his father suffered from PTSD and addiction from his time in the Vietnam War. His family moved multiple times. “We were the working poor,” he said.
With the help of student loans and Pell grants, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Schreyers Honors College at Penn State University.
He later studied elementary education at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia where he taught school as a cohort member of the Teach Philadelphia program.
Schweyer worked as director of community and government affairs for Sacred Heart Hospital in Center City Allentown. He was chief of staff for former state Rep. Jennifer L. Mann for eight years. He had also served as legislative assistant for two other legislators.
He and his wife have two children.
Foray into politics
Schweyer won a seat on Allentown City Council in 2007, finishing second for three open seats. He served until 2014. The Morning Call said one of his memorable contributions on council was the 2012 passage of his Lazy Double Parkers Bill, which charged violators an additional $100 if a parking space sat open within 10 feet of their offense.
In 2014, Schweyer announced plans to run for the 22nd District. In the May Democrat primary, he defeated Tatiana Tooley, a community organizer, with nearly 54% of the vote. He then defeated Republican Steven Ramos, an information technology specialist and Army veteran, with 70% of the vote.
Schweyer did not face a challenger in the primary or general election in 2016 and 2018.
In 2020, he defeated Enid Santiago, a rental property owner from Allentown, in the primary election with 51% of the vote. Schweyer was unopposed in the General Election.
In May, he again faced Santiago – who successfully fought off a petition challenge by Schweyer and others – defeating her with 63% of the vote.
Time in office
In Harrisburg, Schweyer serves on the following committees: Appropriations, Committee On Committees, Committee On Ethics, Consumer Affairs and Professional Licensure.
Schweyer said he has made it a priority to identify and help steer grants and funding for projects in his district, including $10 million for the construction of a new Da Vinci Center, $1 million for St. Luke’s Allentown Campus to build a parking garage connector and $1 million for Allentown’s Basin Street redevelopment project.
He has worked with Emmaus to help find a grant to pay for the $400,000 cost to restore a borough well. The application process is pending.
“Just because you aren’t in the majority [party in the House], doesn’t mean you can’t be effective,” Schweyer said.
Political leanings
Schweyer said his political views were shaped by his upbringing. “I want folks to understand that I understand what it is like to struggle,” he said.
He describes himself as progressive and #UnionStrong on his Twitter bio.
Issues
Abortion: Schweyer says he is 100% pro-choice. “I do not believe the state government or federal government have any right to tell a woman what she can or cannot do on reproductive rights.” He is a co-sponsor of House Bill 2766, which would ban cooperation with out-of-state investigations into abortions legally obtained in Pennsylvania.
He voted against House Bill 321, which would have prohibited abortions because of a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, and Senate Bill 857, which would have barred the use of telemedicine to prescribe mifepristone, which is used to induce medical abortions. He voted no to Senate Bill 3, which would have prohibited abortions beyond 20 weeks of gestational age. None of the measures became law.
Constitutional amendment: In July, Schweyer voted no to a constitutional amendment package that would have clearly stated that women have no guaranteed rights to abortion or public funding for abortion. The amendment would limit the ability to challenge laws that restrict or outlaw abortions in the state.
The other amendments in the package would require voter ID, mandate the auditor general to audit elections, allow gubernatorial nominees to pick their running mates, and allow the Legislature to reject regulations, such as environmental rules, without facing governor vetoes.
According to The Associated Press, proposed amendments must pass both the House and Senate in a two-year legislative cycle, after which they must be advertised. The amendments must pass both chambers in the following two-year session before going to the voters.
Education: As part of the appropriations committee, Schweyer supported Level Up funding originally proposed by state Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-132. It provides additional money to financially struggling districts. “For the first time in a generation or two, the Allentown School District per pupil spending is going to equal spending in the East Penn School District,” Schweyer said. Schweyer opposes giving parents basic education funding via vouchers, calling it illegal and unworkable. He said ASD gets roughly 68% of its funding from the state. “If we gut that, the school district will collapse.” He is a sponsor of a bill that would create an Affordability of College Education Scholarship Program for low-income students.
Guns: Schweyer said a murder occurred in his neighborhood on his 40th birthday. “We aren’t doing a thing to address [gun violence] in Harrisburg in any kind of way,” he said. Schweyer co-sponsored House Bill 770, which would ban owning, selling or making high-capacity, semi-automatic weapons, and voted against Senate Bill 565, which would allow anyone who wanted to carry concealed firearms to do so without going through a background check or having to get a permit. He voted against House Bill 979, which would restrict the ability of local municipalities from regulating firearms. He is a co-sponsor of House Bill 1538, which would allow local governments to pass laws that restrict firearms. He also is a co-sponsor of House Bill 235, which would require guns purchased at gun shows to be subject to a universal background check, and is a co-sponsor of House Bill 980, which would require gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms. Schweyer further is a co-sponsor of House Bill 699, which would require gun owners to store them safely. None of the measures became law.
Voting: Schweyer supports no-excuse, mail-in voting. He is part of an effort to propose a bill that would allow spouses and blood relatives to deliver mail-in voting ballots to drop-off boxes.
Transgender athletes: He voted against House Bill 792, which would have banned transgender girls from playing girls sports at public schools and colleges. The bill, which was passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature, was vetoed by Wolf.
Minimum Wage: Schweyer supports raising minimum wage to $15 an hour, saying it would help reverse decades of growing pay inequality.
BRENT LABENBERG
Background:
Brent Labenberg, 57, grew up and lives in Emmaus, graduating from Emmaus High School in 1983. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1983-87, working as a cook on an aircraft carrier. He recently retired as a chef for Phoebe Homes and has run a disc jockey company called DJ Dutch for 35 years. He is an avid trail runner. Labenberg and his wife have three grown children.
Foray into politics
Labenberg won a seat on Emmaus Council in 1995. Four years later, Labenberg and fellow council members Otto Slozer and Ray Wethehold lost their bid for reelection. Their loss followed a period of infighting on council.
In retrospect, Labenberg said he was trying “to do too much too fast.” He said he learned that change takes time and that you have to gradually implement new ideas.
Labenberg ran for mayor in 2005 and lost to Winfield Iobst. He unsuccessfully ran to become a Lehigh County commissioner in 2007. He won a seat on council in 2009 and has won re-election ever since and has been president for the last seven years.
Campaign finance:
Labenberg listed zero funding in the first two campaign finance reports required under law. He said he has been holding fundraising events.
Political leanings
Labenberg said he is the type of person who looks at the issue and makes up his own mind. If elected, he said, “I am going to do what is right. If I get booted off (state House) committees – whatever.”
Labenberg said he has supported former President Trump, saying “you have to separate Trump the person and Trump and his policies. I really liked President Trump’s economic policy. The country was humming. Trump the person could use some work.”
When asked if he supports state Sen. Doug Mastriano, the Republican candidate for governor, Labenberg said, “Well, I am also a Lehigh County Republican committee person and our job is to get Republicans elected, so …”
Issues
Guns: Labenberg said he supports current laws on gun regulation and would not want to expand or restrict existing law.
Education: Labenberg, who homeschooled his children, believes state education funding should be given directly to families so they can choose where to send their children. Labenberg said he would like to do it on a trial basis, recognizing that urban districts such as Allentown historically rely on the bulk of their funding from the state.
When asked about curriculum, Labenberg said schools should concentrate on core subjects of reading, math, science and history because test scores show students are doing poorly in those areas. “Let’s face it, you only have so much time in the classroom.”
Labenberg believes schools should do more to promote trade careers and careers in public safety. He also thinks personal finance should be a required course in high school.
He believes schools should be prohibited from allowing transgender students who identify as females to compete in girls’ sports. “I just feel girls are put at a disadvantage,” he said.
State spending: Labenberg believes state spending should be slowed down. He noted that the state is using some surplus money to open three new state parks. He said the state needs to concentrate on fixing roads and bridges. He said money from the gasoline tax should not be used to fund the state police, as a portion is, but should go toward infrastructure.
Abortion: Labenberg said he supports life, thus supports restricting abortion with the exception for the physical health of the mother. “They should be rare and few, not common and accepted,” he said. Labenberg said the real issue is unwanted pregnancies. “I support allowing birth control over-the-counter. We already have Plan B (the morning after pill) which prevents conception if taken within 5 days. The public needs to be educated on Plan B which prevents pregnancy. This could be used in rape cases too, eliminating a second time a victim would be traumatized.”
Voting: Labenberg supports making voting more secure. He does not support ballot drop boxes, calling them a “waste of money.” He also said monitoring boxes with a camera is not ideal. He prefers absentee voting over no-excuse, mail-in voting.
He supports requiring a voter ID to vote as long as the state provides and pays for the identification. However, he feels the existing law – which requires an ID for the first time voting at a precinct – provides a secure election.