Christine Tartaglione Explained

Christine Tartaglione
State:Pennsylvania
State Senate:Pennsylvania
District:2nd
Term Start:January 3, 1995
Predecessor:Bruce Marks
Successor:Incumbent
Office2:Chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party
Term Start2:June 21, 1998[1]
Term End2:June 22, 2002 [2]
Predecessor2:Mark Singel
Successor2:Allen Kukovich
Party:Democratic
Birth Date:September 21, 1960
Birth Place:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Alma Mater:Peirce College
Residence:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Footnotes:a. Acting Chairwoman from January 2, 1998[3] June 21, 1998

Christine M. "Tina" Tartaglione (born September 21, 1960) is an American politician from Pennsylvania currently serving as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, representing the 2nd District since 1995.[4] The district is located in lower Northeast Philadelphia.[5]

Early life and career

Christine Tartaglione was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Eugene M. and Margaret (née Warenecki) Tartaglione.[6] Her mother is a longtime political figure in Philadelphia, serving as a Democratic ward leader and city commissioner (1976-2011).[7] She received her early education at the parochial school of St. Martin of Tours Church and later graduated from St. Basil Academy in 1978.[6]

Tartaglione studied at Peirce College, from where she graduated maxima cum laude in 1980.[8] She served as an assistant to Joan L. Krajewski, a member of the Philadelphia City Council, from 1986 to 1989.[9] She then worked as a senior executive assistant to State Treasurer Catherine Baker Knoll from 1989 until 1992, when she became a business representative for the United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 1776.[8]

Political career

In 1992, Tartaglione unsuccessfully ran against Republican incumbent John Perzel for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the 172nd District.[10] During the campaign, Perzel characterized her as a puppet for her mother while Tartaglione accused him of being out of touch with his constituents.[10] Despite a Democratic registration advantage of about 2,000, she was defeated by more than 3,000 votes.[11]

On March 1, 1994, Tartaglione announced her candidacy for the Pennsylvania State Senate in the 2nd District.[12] During the campaign, she ran on a platform of increased gun control, better day care, racial and ethnic harmony, more jobs, and affordable housing.[12] She defeated Harvey Rice, a lawyer supported by Mayor Ed Rendell and party chairman Bob Brady, in the Democratic primary.[13] In the general election, she narrowly defeated Republican incumbent Bruce Marks by 393 votes.[14] With her victory, she became the fifth woman elected to the State Senate in Pennsylvania.[6]

Tartaglione has subsequently been re-elected to six more terms, never receiving less than 76% of the vote. She has served as Democratic chair of the Aging and Youth Committee, and is currently chair of the Senate's Philadelphia and Southeastern Pennsylvania delegations, as well as Democratic chair of the Labor and Industry Committee.[6] She sponsored successful legislation that raised Pennsylvania's minimum wage, and was a leading advocate for the creation of the Office for People with Disabilities in the governor's office.[6] She served as a delegate to the 2000 Democratic National Convention.[9]

Boating accident and recovery

During the Labor Day weekend of 2003, Tartaglione was severely injured when she fell on the deck of a small powerboat while off the Jersey Shore. A larger boat had whipped up a large wake which caused her boat to rock and resulted in her injuring her spinal cord and needing to use a wheelchair. After a number of surgeries and intense physical therapy, Tartaglione was able to walk for the first time in seven years to her seat in the Senate chambers at an October 2010 ceremony before her colleagues and well-wishers.[15] [16]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Reading Eagle - Google News Archive Search. google.com. April 15, 2015. April 3, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220403235201/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UDQiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=F6cFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4398,1833810. live.
  2. Web site: Philadelphia Inquirer: Search Results. newsbank.com. April 15, 2015. April 3, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220403235201/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PI&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F4618E9030E2ACF&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10. live.
  3. Web site: Observer-Reporter - Google News Archive Search. google.com. April 15, 2015. April 3, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220403235202/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kjpdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IlsNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1543,37729. live.
  4. News: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Legislative Journal. Session of 1995 - 179th of the General Assembly. January 3, 2012. October 5, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181005201722/http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/HJ/1995/0/19950103.pdf. live.
  5. News: State Senator Christine M. Tartaglione. 2nd District. January 3, 2012. March 31, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120331225223/http://www.senatortartaglione.com/2nd-district. live.
  6. News: State Senator Christine M. Tartaglione. About Me. January 3, 2012. March 31, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120331224651/http://www.senatortartaglione.com/about-me. live.
  7. News: December 23, 2011. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Marge Tartaglione decides to go quietly. Warner. Bob. January 3, 2012. March 4, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061610/http://articles.philly.com/2011-12-23/news/30551301_1_poll-workers-election-day-top-election-official. live.
  8. News: Pennsylvania Department of General Services. Pennsylvania Manual. 119. January 3, 2012. April 8, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160408211515/http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_8486_1294_244739_43/http;/pubcontent.state.pa.us/publishedcontent/publish/cop_general_government_operations/dgs/community_content/publications_and_media_services/subcommunities/publications/portlets/pa_manual___home/vol_119___entire_manual.pdf. live.
  9. News: Project Vote Smart. Senator Christine 'Tina' M. Tartaglione. January 3, 2012. October 23, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121023011209/http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/5244. live.
  10. News: April 30, 1992. Philadelphia Daily News. Political Warefare Looms. Burton. Cynthia.
  11. News: November 4, 1992. The Philadelphia Inquirer. In Phila. Districts, State Lawmakers Beat Anti-Incumbent Fever. Rubin. Daniel.
  12. News: March 2, 1994. Philadelphia Daily News. Marks Itching For A Racket. Baer. John M..
  13. News: April 1, 1994. The Philadelphia Inquirer. A NEW FEUD IS BREWING IN THE SECOND DISTRICT. Williams. Vanessa.
  14. News: November 10, 1994. The Philadelphia Inquirer. TARTAGLIONE'S LEAD GROWS. Fazlollah. Mark.
  15. Web site: Tartaglione leaves wheelchair to walk on Senate floor. October 13, 2010. Moran. Robert. Worden. Amy. The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 13, 2010 . October 24, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101024214636/http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/pa/20101013_Targtaglione_leaves_wheelchair_to_walk_on_Senate_floor.html. live.
  16. Web site: Lawmaker leaves wheelchair for walk on Senate floor. October 13, 2010. WHTM ABC 27 News. May 19, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220519110552/https://www.abc27.com/Global/story.asp?S=13315505. live.