Joshua Young
Only hours after new legislative maps were finalized for the Pennsylvania state legislature, two Chester County Democrats formally entered the race to serve as state representative in the new 45th district that will represent Coatesville, Downingtown, and other areas along the Route 30 corridor.
Joshua Young, a 30-year-old Thorndale resident who has been on the Caln Township Board of Commissioners since 2006, had previously announced his intentions to run but he finalized his bid on Monday after the new maps were made final. Young has also served on the Board of Trustees at Slippery Rock University since 2007, and he became chairman of that board in 2010 despite his young age.
Young, whose name already appears among the list of endorsed candidates on the county Democratic committee’s website, is the youngest person ever to serve as a Caln Commissioner, and is only the third Democrat to serve on the township board since the civil war. He is a part of his family’s automotive repair business as well.
“I’m beginning my seventh year as a Caln Township Commissioner,” Young said in a statement. “I never once raised property taxes. I have preserved over 177 acres of open space and worked to reduce our carbon footprint.”
“This is the kind of work ethic I will bring to Harrisburg,” Young said. “We need a legislator that will stand up for our schools, our environment, and our jobs. This is what I have done in Caln, and this is what I will do in Harrisburg.”
Barry Cassidy
Also entering the race Monday was Barry Cassidy, a 62-year-old resident of Downingtown. He has taken the lead on numerous commercial redevelopment projects and revitalization organizations in the area over the years. He most recently led a revitalization of downtown Phoenixville.
The newly-created 45th district is expected to go Democratic in the near future, given the party’s large edge in registration in the areas represented, especially Coatesville. Currently, no Democrat represents any part of Chester County in the state House, and Andy Dinniman is the only county Democrat in the state Senate. The entirety of the 45th district sits inside the newly-drawn boundaries of Dinniman’s 19th Senate district.
