Brian Gordon announces candidacy for U.S. House

Calling for job creation and environmental protections, Lower Merion Commissioner Brian Gordon officially announced yesterday his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives.

He joins a crowded contest in the Sixth District, which includes parts of Chester, Montgomery, and Berks Counties. Two other Democrats - former Inquirer editorial writer Doug Pike, and physician Manan Trivedi of Reading - are seeking the seat, as are several Republicans, among them incumbent U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach and businessman Steve Welch.

"Together we will reduce the national debt; save the planet from global warming, pollution, and species loss; [and] create jobs by investing in new technologies," said Gordon, 49, a lawyer who lives in Lower Merion.

As he spoke, more than 30 bundled-up supporters flanked him in the frigid outdoors at the Merion Botanical Park. The 13.5-acre park, he said, was chosen for its symbolic value as a location in the heart of the Lower Merion community - his base.

It also is where local Jews come during the High Holidays to cast bread into a stream that runs through the park, as a way of symbolizing the casting off of sins.

"So I believe that this is a fitting place where we can cast away our political sins, sins that paralyze national debate, sins that fail to solve the problems of our time," he said.

"By casting away these sins, we will begin to take back our country from the special interests and the politics of gridlock, and renew our democracy."

Gordon's wide-ranging, half-hour speech echoed many of the themes dear to President Obama. In addition to the issues of jobs and the environment, he called for health-care reform, criticized the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that lifts restrictions on corporate political spending, and supported the use of diplomacy and sanctions over military might.

Gordon was first elected a Lower Merion Township commissioner in 2005, and was reelected last year. He has promoted recycling programs, and the use of green building design for township buildings.

After his comments, Gordon defended the beleaguered Democratic Party, even as he acknowledged defeats in Massachusetts and New Jersey. Not surprisingly, he blamed Republican policies for many of the country's problems.

"You have to have political amnesia to think it's not a good time to run as a Democrat," he said.

His supporters lauded Gordon's leadership skills.

"He's a strong advocate while being civil to other parties," said lawyer Steve Asher, 62, of Merion.

Before the campaign event, Gordon's wife, Julie, ladled hot chocolate into Styrofoam cups for supporters while his 8-year-old daughter, Emma, played. At one point, Gordon asked a cameraman with a local station for advice on his backdrop.

"So how does this work?" he asked. "I'm not a professional politician. Do I have my whole posse behind me?"

He got a nod, and supporters were urged to gather behind as Gordon announced his run for Congress.