‘Why not?’: Young Lancaster natives step up to the plate to try their hand at politics

• By Jade Campos/LNP | LancasterOnline

Sobeida Rosa laughed when she said her spring 2023 bid for the School District of Lancaster board was in “true millennial and Gen-Z fashion.”

She ran on a whim.

Rosa, a 25-year-old Democrat, actually did give some serious thought to her school board run before gathering enough signatures to appear on the ballot. A 2016 McCaskey High School graduate, she felt in tune with student needs and wanted to make a difference.

Before making a final decision, Rosa weighed the pros and cons of what it means to be a public figure. She would have to be comfortable with public scrutiny and needed to commit to living in the school district for at least four years.

“I was trying to be intentional,” Rosa said. “I think I had a good community and good connections in the community, so I had a lot of support.”

While she didn’t make it past the May primary, Rosa looks back on the experience fondly.

Rosa is part of a younger generation of Lancaster County natives who are wading into the political arena as young voter turnout is on the rise.

A recent study by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Boston-based Tufts University found young voter turnout nationwide has reached record highs in the last five years.

Today, members of a new generation of under-30 politicos are standing up to represent their peers.

Taking the first step

Penn Manor school board member Mitchell Sweigart, 27, never had political ambitions. The first time he thought about getting involved was in 2018 during a holiday break from his senior year at Princeton University.

Sweigart, a Republican, was scrolling through social media and came across an advertisement for a board vacancy for Penn Manor School District, where he graduated in 2014. He said his now-wife encouraged him to apply, saying “Wouldn’t it be great?”

“Deep inside of me, why that was something I was even interested in, was this feeling that Penn Manor shaped me and changed really the trajectory of my life,” Sweigart said. “I thought, ‘What better way to try to give back?’ I could really bring a fresh perspective and lend a lot of insight to the board of what it’s like to be a high school senior.”

A few weeks later, Sweigart secured the appointment, becoming the youngest school board member in the county at 22. Since then, the Republican has won two campaigns for the board — most recently in November, when Sweigart won a two-year seat.

For others, a future in politics always seemed to be on the horizon.

Independent Tony Dastra, 27, figured he would establish a career after securing a political science degree from Arizona State and eventually find his way into politics. Tense conversations around the Lancaster County Convention Center in downtown Lancaster spurred a 21-year-old Dastra to literally throw his hat (he was known for wearing a fedora) into the 2017 mayoral contest. He earned just 149 votes but gained valuable experience.

“I don’t always think I’m the greatest candidate because I’m pretty freakin’ goofy,” Dastra said. “But I knew I needed a candidate out there that I believed in and I decided that I believe in myself enough to do it.”

Dastra later formed the Gold Goose Party when he felt there wasn’t a place for him as a Democrat or a Republican. He continues to be active in the party, winning his first election in the spring for a seat on the Lancaster home rule study commission. A few people join his party every year, Dastra said.

Democrat John Hursh, a 26-year-old, first-time City Council member, also envisioned himself holding public office at some point. He just didn’t think his time would come so soon.

Hursh said his November election was a full-circle moment for him after interning with the Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition as a Penn State student. That work kick-started an interest in “attacking the (housing) affordability crisis on all fronts,” leading him to pursue a council seat and a full-time job at the Lancaster County Housing and Redevelopment Authority, where he is the manager of finance and administration.

Facing challenges

Another recent Tufts University study found that people ages 18 to 25 are more likely than ever to think about running for office, but few end up actually doing it. Many young people, the study said, are worried about potential setbacks they could experience from the time, energy and money it takes to run a campaign.

As a first-time candidate, Rosa said she was intimidated by the world of politics. Despite her experience in raising public awareness — she founded the activist group Lancaster Changemakers’ Collective in 2020 after the death of George Floyd — Rosa had never run a political campaign before and had to learn on the fly all of the legal requirements to secure a ballot position.

“It’s definitely different when you have that firsthand experience,” Rosa said.

Rosa ran her campaign almost entirely through social media, similar to Dastra, who said he didn’t have any promotional political signage during his 2017 mayoral run. He relied mostly on name recognition.

There aren’t strong support systems in the county for independent candidates, Dastra said. He ended up reading the third-class city code in full to prepare himself to become a public official and carefully combed through the guidelines to run for office.

Now, as a three-time candidate (he withdrew from a brief campaign for City Council), Dastra said he’s willing to help any independent who needs a little guidance through their campaign.

A lack of experience can hurt public perception of young candidates because some voters aren’t interested in being served by someone they consider to be too young. Hursh recalled meeting someone on the campaign trail who told him he needed to change a few diapers before running for office.

The generalization offended him, Hursh said, because he has ideas and a vision for the city’s future. If anyone thinks he’s unfit, they should challenge him.

“I think there’s an aspect of running for office where you really, really have to be willing to put yourself out there to, in a sense, be vulnerable. And I think young people are good at doing that,” he said.

---

Want the top headlines sent to your inbox first thing each morning? Sign up for our free daily A.M. newsletter here.

---

Matthew Connelly, a 19-year-old newly elected Republican Conestoga Township supervisor, said his age raised some eyebrows when he was appointed to an open seat over the summer. Over time, Connelly said, he believes he’s proven himself to the small community and wants to see other Gen-Zers run for office.

“We need more younger leaders, and you can only get experience when you’re in it,” he said. “There’s no degree for it.”

‘Young people are the future’

Hursh said it can never hurt to include more young people on local boards and committees. Longevity is important, he said, and younger citizens will be most affected by decisions officials are making now.

“Gen-Z is kind of the youngest generation that is coming of age right now as far as being adults for office, and we’re also the generation that’s going to be around the longest in that sense,” Hursh said. “How are the decisions that City Council and other governmental entities make today… going to impact us?”

Sweigart and Rosa agreed their age can actually be advantageous on a school board, with a smaller generational gap between themselves and the students their decisions would impact. Connelly said the benefits are the same for any board member trying to “be in touch” with young constituents.

Tufts University research emphasizes a need for more opportunities for civic engagement and personal network outreach, like volunteering for political campaigns and attending protests, to encourage young people to run for office.

Rosa would recommend any millennial or Gen Z’er try out politics once if they’re passionate about issues in their community. Like her peers, she hasn’t ruled out the possibility of staying in the game.

“We have the right to run for these open positions. If we qualify for them and meet all of the requirements, why not?” she said. “Young people are the future.”