Action Items
Link to Legislators Contact Information
February 22, 2026
Please write or call the County Commissioners
Here's the topic:
Equitable Water Use Standards During Drought Conditions
Dear Westmoreland County Commissioners,
I am writing to raise a growing concern regarding water use equity during periods of drought and water stress in Westmoreland County.
Over the past several years, our region has experienced recurring seasonal drought conditions. During these times, residents and small businesses are routinely asked, and in some cases required, to reduce water consumption to preserve drinking water supplies. Our communities comply in good faith, understanding that conservation protects public health, firefighting capacity, and long-term water security.
However, industrial water users are not consistently held to the same conservation expectations.
Of particular concern is hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations, which withdraw millions of gallons of freshwater from our regional drinking water sources. Unlike many other industrial users whose water is treated and returned to the watershed, fracking represents a consumptive use of water. Once injected underground, the water becomes highly contaminated and is permanently removed from the hydrologic cycle available to our communities. It does not recharge local aquifers or return to our reservoirs in a usable form.
This creates a fundamental imbalance:
• Residential households are asked to restrict lawn watering and car washing.
• Municipalities are urged to conserve and delay maintenance activities.
• Yet large-scale industrial withdrawals may continue uninterrupted, even during declared drought conditions.
Water is a shared public resource. During times of water stress, conservation standards should apply equitably and proportionally across all users.
I respectfully request that the County Commissioners:
1. Review current policies governing large-volume water withdrawals during drought conditions.
2. Evaluate whether additional safeguards or temporary withdrawal limitations should be triggered during declared drought watches or warnings.
3. Advocate at the state level for reforms ensuring that consumptive industrial uses are subject to drought-stage conservation measures comparable to those imposed on residents.
4. Consider transparency measures so communities can better understand industrial withdrawal volumes during periods of water stress.
This issue is not about halting economic development. It is about ensuring responsible stewardship of a finite resource and protecting long-term water security for Westmoreland County residents.
Thank you for your leadership and consideration of this matter.
I welcome the opportunity to discuss this issue further.
Respectfully,
Send to County Commissioners
Skertes@westmorelandcountypa.gov - Sean Kertes
Dchew@westmorelandcountypa.gov - Doug Chew
Tkopas@westmorelandcountypa.gov - Ted Kopas
February 15, 2026
Please write or call your representatives/senators now.
Here's a script:
Pennsylvania’s minimum wage is way behind our neighboring states. The bill is sitting in the state senate.
Dear Senator
I am writing as a resident of Westmoreland County to express my support for a responsible increase to Pennsylvania’s minimum wage and to encourage your leadership on this issue.
Westmoreland County reflects many of the economic pressures facing working families across the Commonwealth. While our cost of living is lower than in some urban areas, it has risen steadily in recent years; particularly for housing, utilities, food, childcare, and transportation. Many full-time workers earning the current minimum wage struggle to meet basic needs, even while holding multiple jobs. This is especially evident in retail, food service, healthcare support, and hospitality; sectors that are critical to our local economy.
At the same time, employers throughout Westmoreland County continue to face workforce shortages and high turnover. A modest, phased increase in the minimum wage would help stabilize the local labor force, reduce employee churn, and support small businesses by improving retention and productivity. Many local employers already pay above the state minimum simply to remain competitive, placing them at a disadvantage compared to neighboring states that have updated their wage standards.
Increasing the minimum wage would also strengthen our local economy. When workers earn more, they spend more locally: supporting Main Street businesses, generating local tax revenue, and reducing reliance on public assistance programs. For communities like ours that are focused on revitalization and economic resilience, this is an important consideration.
I respectfully urge you to support legislation that raises Pennsylvania’s minimum wage in a way that is thoughtful, predictable, and regionally informed. Westmoreland County’s workers and employers alike would benefit from a policy that reflects today’s economic realities rather than those of nearly two decades ago.
Thank you for your time, your service, and your continued attention to the needs of our region. I appreciate your consideration and would welcome the opportunity to discuss this issue further.
Sincerely,
Send to:
Kim L. Ward
1075 South Main Street
Suite 116 Westmoreland Crossroads Plaza Greensburg, PA 15601
(724) 600-7002 (724) 600-7008
https://senatorward.com/contact-me/
Joe Pittman
2400 Leechburg Rd. Suite 102 New Kensington, PA 15068
(724) 216-6165 https://senatorpittman.com/contact-me/.
February 9, 2026
Please write or call your representatives/senators now.
Here's a script:
Dear Representative/Senator
I am writing as a resident of Westmoreland County to share concerns about blighted and abandoned properties in our communities and to ask for your help in strengthening the tools available to address this issue.
Many of us live near properties that have been vacant or poorly maintained for years. These buildings often become eyesores, safety hazards, and magnets for illegal dumping or vandalism. They affect neighboring property values and make it harder for communities to attract new residents and businesses. For families who take pride in their homes and neighborhoods, it can be frustrating to see no clear path forward for properties that continue to decline.
I understand that local governments do what they can through code enforcement and citations. However, those tools are often limited, especially when properties are owned by absentee landlords, tied up in estates, or severely tax delinquent. In many cases, the cost to repair a structure far exceeds its market value, leaving municipalities and neighbors stuck with the consequences.
I respectfully ask you to support policies and funding that would help Westmoreland County communities address blight more effectively, including:
- Greater access to state funding for demolition, stabilization, and rehabilitation of blighted properties
- Stronger enforcement options for repeat offenders and chronic absentee owners
- Faster and clearer pathways to transfer abandoned or tax-delinquent properties to responsible ownership
- Technical assistance for small municipalities that lack staff or legal resources to manage complex blight cases
Blight is not just a local problem. Blight is a statewide, quality-of-life and economic issue. When neighborhoods are allowed to decline, the costs are shared by everyone through reduced tax revenue, increased public safety calls, and lost opportunities for reinvestment. When blight is addressed, communities become safer, more stable, and more attractive places to live.
February 1, 2026
Please call your senators now. Tell them: NO funding for ICE until it's disarmed & reformed. No time for despair. We have work to do.
Background information
Here is this week’s ACTION ITEM. Again, we can use the app “5 Calls” as it is listed there. Please feel free to adapt to your own outrage.
The Department of Homeland Security is completely out of control under the cruel and callous lawlessness of Secretary Kristi Noem. Noem has empowered ICE and other federal agents with the Department of Homeland Security to operate in secrecy and with impunity and contempt for human life.
It must end NOW. Kristi Noem must either RESIGN, be FIRED immediately — or face IMPEACHMENT!
All people of conscience must speak out and DEMAND that Donald Trump FIRE Kristi Noem and hold DHS accountable for the insecurity and violence they have wrought in Minneapolis and in communities across America. Repeated lying to the public about the murder of Alex Pretti by ICE agents, Minority Leader Jeffries states that House Democrats will initiate impeachment proceedings for Noem if Trump does not fire her.
Here's a script:
Hi, my name is _________ and I'm a constituent from ___________.
I’m calling to urge ___________________ to support the IMPEACHMENT of Kristi Noem as Secretary of the Dept. of Homeland Security. ICE’s abuses under her leadership and her continuous lies to the American people, are appalling, deadly, and a threat to everyone living in the United States.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
January 25, 2026
Please call your senators now. Tell them: NO funding for ICE until it's disarmed & reformed. No time for despair. We have work to do.
Background information
The House voted to fund Trump's ICE goons last week. On Thursday, seven spineless Democrats in the House sided with MAGA Republicans and voted to approve funding for ICE. Now, the fight moves to the Senate. Alex Pretti was killed after the House passed the bill. We need to stop it. Please call our Senators.
Donald Trump's ICE and Border Patrol goons have been let loose on Minneapolis to wreak havoc, terrorize communities, and brutalize anyone they set their sights on. And in the time since an ICE agent murdered Renee Good, they've only escalated their campaign of violence and intimidation, including yesterday's killing of Alex Pretti.
Trump doesn't want peace; he wants to provoke a backlash to justify an even more draconian crackdown. And he is again threatening to invoke the insurrection Act, which would allow him to deploy U. S. Military forces against the American people.
This is a national security emergency, and we must take action - peacefully - to stop it. With federal funding scheduled to expire January 30th, the first step is for Democrats to stand up and fight.
Here's a script:
Hi, my name is _________ and I'm a constituent from ___________.
I'm calling to ask that Senator Fetterman/McCormick push to defund ICE by opposing any appropriations bill that maintains ICE funding and supporting legislation that claws back the $75 billion slush fund created by H.R. 1 last year. This lawless agency is violently attacking and killing immigrants and American citizens around the country and must be defunded and dissolved for good.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
SENATOR JOHN FETTERMAN: 202-224-4254
SENATOR DAVE MCCORMICK: 202-224-6324
GENERAL ACTION ITEMS CALL LIST
Senator John Fetterman - 202-224-4254 1000 Liberty Ave., Pgh 15222 412-803-3501 Fetterman.senate.gov
Senator Dave McCormick 202-224-6324 310 Grant St., Pgh 15219 412-803-7370 Mccormick.senate.gov
Congressman Guy Reschenthaler 202-225-2065 5658 Rt. 981, Latrobe 15650 724-219-4200 Reschenthaler.house.gov
State Rep. Leslie Rossi 724-783-9311 901 Jefferson St., Latrobe 15650 724-537-3300 Reprossi.com/contact
PA State Senator Kim Ward 717-787-6063 1075 S. Main St., Gbg 724-600-7002 Senatorward.com/contact
January 18, 2026
Use the App "5 Calls" to make the process super easy.
Feel free to amend as needed.
DEFUND ICE
BACKGROUND: Following the federal funding deal passed in med-November 2025, Congress faces another January 30th deadline to pass the remaining appropriations bills to fully fund the government for fiscal year (FY) 2026; this includes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill.
Recent atrocities committed against both immigrants and citizens under the Trump administration have shone a light on abuses of power by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and its parent agency, Customs and Border Protection (CPB). However, these abuses ae hardly new. Since ICE and CBP were established in 2003, the agencies have terrorized immigrant communities, conducted unconstitutional border checkpoints, torn apart families, denied immigrants their due process rights, and subjected detained immigrants to physical, sexual, and mental abuse. The killing of Renee Good in Minnesota was the 9th ICE shooting since September 2025.
ICE also received an influx of billions in additional funding from the BBB that placed no guardrails or conditional oversight on the use of the funds. This created a $75 billion slush fund for ICE to continue their violent attacks on our communities.
Call on your representatives to block any DHS appropriations bill or Continuing Resolution (CR) that maintains funding for ICE. This lawless and violent agency must be defunded and dissolved for good.
SCRIPT TO USE:
Hi, my name is ______________ and I'm a constituent from _____________.
I'm calling to urge ___________to oppose any appropriations bill for DHS that maintains any funding for ICE. This lawless agency has been violently attacking and killing immigrants and citizens around the country and must be defunded and dissolved for good.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Guy Reschenthaler (202-225-2065) email: reschenthaler.house.gov
Summer Lee (202-225-2135 email: lee.house.gov
Dave McCormick (202-224-6324) email: mccormick.senate.gov
John Fetterman (202-224-4254) email: fetterman.senate.gov
GENERAL ACTION ITEMS CALL LIST
Senator John Fetterman - 202-224-4254 1000 Liberty Ave., Pgh 15222 412-803-3501 Fetterman.senate.gov
Senator Dave McCormick 202-224-6324 310 Grant St., Pgh 15219 412-803-7370 Mccormick.senate.gov
Congressman Guy Reschenthaler 202-225-2065 5658 Rt. 981, Latrobe 15650 724-219-4200 Reschenthaler.house.gov
State Rep. Leslie Rossi 724-783-9311 901 Jefferson St., Latrobe 15650 724-537-3300 Reprossi.com/contact
PA State Senator Kim Ward 717-787-6063 1075 S. Main St., Gbg 724-600-7002 Senatorward.com/contact
January 11, 2026
Use the App "5 Calls" to make the process super easy. Feel free to adapt to your current outrage.
The trump administration has continually attacked immigrant communities across the country with aggressive ICE raids, abusive and inhumane detention facilities, and targeted attacks on cities and minority groups to create fear and silence opposition. ICE agents have increased their violence against legal observers and peaceful protesters. After an ICE agent murdered U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good, the trump administration went on national TV to attack the victim and LIE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE about what happened.
Demand your representative push back against these escalating attacks on human rights. These increasingly grotesque, coercive, and illegal policies are glaring indicators of rising authoritarianism in America.
Your script: I'm calling to urge Rep. Reschenthaler to oppose these unlawful attacks on immigrant communities and hold this administration accountable. I demand a full investigation of the Renee Good murder, demand that you refuse to pass the DHS appropriations funding bill, and call for the impeachment of Kristi Noam, the Secretary of Homeland Security. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Guy Reschenthaler (202-225-2065) email: reschenthaler.house.gov
Summer Lee (202-225-2135 email: lee.house.gov
Dave McCormick (202-224-6324) email: mccormick.senate.gov
John Fetterman (202-224-4254) email: fetterman.senate.gov
GENERAL ACTION ITEMS CALL LIST
Senator John Fetterman - 202-224-4254 1000 Liberty Ave., Pgh 15222 412-803-3501 Fetterman.senate.gov
Senator Dave McCormick 202-224-6324 310 Grant St., Pgh 15219 412-803-7370 Mccormick.senate.gov
Congressman Guy Reschenthaler 202-225-2065 5658 Rt. 981, Latrobe 15650 724-219-4200 Reschenthaler.house.gov
State Rep. Leslie Rossi 724-783-9311 901 Jefferson St., Latrobe 15650 724-537-3300 Reprossi.com/contact
PA State Senator Kim Ward 717-787-6063 1075 S. Main St., Gbg 724-600-7002 Senatorward.com/contact
January 4, 2026
Welcome to 2026. Our new Action Item for the start of this new year is to call your representatives and Demand an end to Trump's Dictatorial Rule. We demand Impeachment. Use the app "5 Calls".
- In multiple social media posts, trump called Democratic lawmakers seditious and should be "punished by death" , for reminding the military not to obey illegal orders.
- He has deployed the military against American citizens in U. S. Cities and repeatedly threatened to weaponize the military to attack the "enemy within", i.e., anyone deemed to be his political enemy.
- He has enacted illegal policies by exploiting emergency powers, including tariffs and military strikes.
- He has attacked our freedom of speech by threatening legal action against media companies and news organizations, revoking visas from immigrants for their views, and directing the Justice Department to target political opponents.
- He has withheld federal funding to assert political control over universities and government agencies.
- He has bulldozed Congress' constitutional authority over tariffs, the budget, and military authorizations to consolidate power within the executive branch.
- He has repeatedly defied federal court orders and attacked judges who rule against him.
- He has weaponized the Dept. of Justice to attack political enemies and shield himself and his allies from prosecution.
- He has personally profited off his position by using "donations" and lawsuit threats as tools for bribery.
- He is extorting the Justice Department for $230 million for past cases against him. Any settlement will be approved by DOJ official Todd Blanche and will be paid with taxpayer dollars.
- He demolished the East Wing of the White House, without the necessary approval, to build a ballroom funded by billionaire "donations".
- He filled the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees with political allies, who voted to rename it the Trump Kennedy Center when that can only be done by Congress.
In any other administration, just one of these egregious displays of authoritarianism would merit the removal of a president. It is beyond unacceptable that Congress has ceded their constitutional role (OUR VOICES) to allow this fascist attack on our democracy to continue.
Demand your Representatives DO THEIR JOB as a co-equal branch of government and stop Trumps dictatorial rule.
ACTION ITEMS CALL LIST
Senator John Fetterman - 202-224-4254 1000 Liberty Ave., Pgh 15222 412-803-3501 Fetterman.senate.gov
Senator Dave McCormick 202-224-6324 310 Grant St., Pgh 15219 412-803-7370 Mccormick.senate.gov
Congressman Guy Reschenthaler 202-225-2065 5658 Rt. 981, Latrobe 15650 724-219-4200 Reschenthaler.house.gov
State Rep. Leslie Rossi 724-783-9311 901 Jefferson St., Latrobe 15650 724-537-3300 Reprossi.com/contact
PA State Senator Kim Ward 717-787-6063 1075 S. Main St., Gbg 724-600-7002 Senatorward.com/contact