Q&A With PA Legislative District 25 Candidate John Yakim

Three people will run in the for two places on the November ballot for the Pennsylvania Legislative District 25 seat.

Republicans Mike Doyle of Plum and John Yakim of Monroeville will face off for the party nomination in the primary. The winner will run against Democrat Joe Markosek, a 30-year incumbent from Monroeville, in November.

Legislative District 25 covers , Monroeville, Pitcairn, Murrysville, North Versailles, Trafford and Wall. For a full map of the areas in the 25th District, click here.

Below is a Q&A with candidate John Yakim, a compounding pharmacist. For an article about candidate .

Patch: Take us up to speed on your background.

I am husband to Sandy and father to Melissa and John. My wife Sandy is a nurse. Melissa is a senior at Penn State University and John is a sophomore at Gateway High School.

I was born and raised in Monroeville. I was a volunteer firefighter and paramedic in Monroeville, and I am a life member of the department. I graduated from Gateway High School. I was involved with the Boy Scouts as a boy, I earned the rank of Eagle Scout and I continue to be involved with Scouting as an adult leader.  I have served in BSA District level positions that serve Monroeville, Plum and Pitcairn. I attended Duquesne University and graduated in 1988 as a pharmacist. I work as a compounding pharmacist in our family business. Our family pharmacy has operated in both Plum and Pitcairn. We served Plum as Shirer's Pharmacy, and we operate in Pitcairn as Yakim's Compounding Pharmacy, so I am the only candidate who has spent my entire life in the 25th District.

Patch: Why are you interested in running?

I have always been interested in public service as evidenced by my involvement with the fire department and the Scouting program. I believe it is an honor and privilege to be asked to serve your community as an elected official.

I was asked to run for this office by Dave Majernik, the chairman of the Plum Republican Committee, when it became apparent that the 25th District was not going to have a nominee. Dave felt that my name recognition in Plum, Monroeville and Pitcairn would serve me well against my eventual Democratic opponent.  Dave also knew that I was an extremely hard working candidate and that to beat an incumbent, hard work would be necessary. I listened to Dave and several other party leaders and spent a few weeks in discernment.
 
I am running because I believe I can serve the people of the 25th District well. I have a desire to serve.  I believe we all have a duty to serve. Since I was asked to run and to serve, I feel I have a duty to respond and to work hard to win this election.
 
I am also interested in running and being elected because I want to work to make our state better for my children. I know it is selfish to want things for your children, but their future truly motivates me.
 
Patch: There are many people who are comfortable with Rep. Joe Markosek having been in office for almost 30 years. What do you want to tell those people? 

I think comfort breeds complacency. Representative Markosek has had a long and distinguished career, but our district and our state will be better served by a representative who is not just comfortable in his job. We need someone with fresh ideas and an eagerness to serve the community. When I mention that I am running against Representative Markosek, the typical response is, "He is a good guy, but he has been there a long time—way too long". I think many people would like to see a new representative; someone with fresh idea and an eagerness to serve

Patch: What makes you a qualified candidate?

A great deal has been made about my "lack of political experience".  I am not naive to the challenges I will face but, both our state and our nation have been served well by many public servants with no formal political experience as they entered public service.  We currently have several members of Congress and state representatives whose first elected office was their current position.  Trading one politician for another is not a solution to our states myriad of problems.

I think the most important qualification of a candidate is that he be firm in his values and convictions, yet humble enough to know that his ideas are not always the best or only ideas. I will never compromise on my core values, but I will always be looking and learning for new and different solutions to the problems in our state. I am willing to listen and to learn. Our system of government is predicated on a citizen legislature. People with diverse experiences working for the benefit of our neighbors.  The ultimate qualification is my lifetime of experiences; facing challenges, solving problems, overcoming obstacles and learning from my mistakes.
 
I have spent a lifetime in the health care world: as a paramedic and a pharmacist and married to a nurse. I have worked with dozens of patients over the years were their health care and their ability to pay for that health care have collided. I have worked directly with patients and physicians to find cost effective solutions for my patients. I will bring to Harrisburg the perspective of a health care provider. Our state's health care problems needs solutions that reflect both a market solution and a health care solution not an insurance industry-driven solution.
 
My experiences as a Scout Leader, serving the public as a volunteer firefighter/paramedic and running a small business have all taught me the skills needed to work effectively as a legislator. I have worked on very complex legislation at the federal level for the benefit of my patients. I understand the need to educate others of the problem and the solution and the importance of bringing different people together to solve complex problems. I worked to create the first pharmacy within a pharmacy in the state of Pennsylvania and one of the first compounding only pharmacies in the state. This taught me a great deal about the over regulation of businesses in our state. I was able to work to create an entire new business model in Pennsylvania, but the lessons learned showed me how difficult it is to create those new businesses. I am the only candidate who has created a new business, and I am the only candidate who has create an entire new industry in our state.

Patch: What are some of the issues affecting this congressional district that you'd like to address?

We have several very complex issues affecting our district. I think these are some of the most critical:

• The need for improvements in the public transportation system.
• Property tax reform.
• Helping our school districts improve the education of our children throughout the area.
• Making our state competitive again so that businesses want to locate here. I tell people I am selfish. I want my children to be able to find good jobs and careers in western Pennsylvania. Right now, unfortunately, our state's greatest export is our young people. We must reverse this.

Patch: What changes would you like to see if you take office? How would you take steps to implement those changes?

I would like to see our state become more business friendly; not for the sake of the businesses themselves but for the fact that these businesses provide the economic engine for our community and they hire our young people—our most precious resource.  We need to lower the cost of doing business in Pennsylvania by reducing burdensome regulations and reducing the taxes paid by businesses.
 
I would also work toward and vote to reduce the pensions of state legislators. Our entire state retirement system is breaking and is an unfair burden on the taxpayer. Legislators, the public servants, need to lead by example. I would also support legislation that would reduce the size of our state legislature.
 
I would want to work to improve our public transportation system by putting in market-based approaches. I would like to see our property tax system dismantled as it hurts our new families and our seniors. And finally, I would work hard to improve the education system within our state.

Patch: Have you received any big endorsements? If so, who?

I received the endorsement of the Monroeville Republican Committee. It was an honor to receive their endorsement because these are the people that know me best.
 
My most important endorsement has been the dozens of people that have stepped up to help me run and will help me ultimately win this race.  Their endorsement means more than you can imagine. When a man or woman looks you in the eye, shakes your hand, and with a tear in his or her eye tells you that they are going to vote for you, it is truly humbling. Their trust is moving because the only promise I have made to any of them is to do my best and they trust that is exactly what I will do.

For more information, visit Yakim's campaign Facebook page.

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