Republican PA State Senator Jarrett Coleman Meets With Constituents

Before the Trump administration, politicians would hold in-person town halls. They would answer questions even if we didn’t like the answers. They would explain their positions on issues. Republicans now avoid talking to constituents because they do not represent our positions on issues. Republicans support the Trump agenda. We are lucky to have the occasional telephone town hall. If we get an email reply, it is an empty reply or a generic reply. 

I email my legislators regardless of party on many important issues very often. I talk to my PA state Representative Mike Schlossberg often by email or in person. We agree on issues so he is not afraid to meet with me. In September 2025, I attended a fire company event and unexpectedly saw Congressman Ryan Mackenzie. His staff knows me since I protested in front of his Allentown office for over a year. He doesn’t even have telephone town halls. I actually said to him that we didn’t know he was a real person. We thought he was AI. He laughed.

 As a conservation voter who opposes dirty data centers, I wanted to ask Senator Jarrett Coleman (District 16) to support renewable energy bills. Numerous emails get the same reply saying “Thank you for reaching out to Senator Jarrett Coleman's office to share your thoughts. Senator Coleman truly values hearing from constituents and carefully considers all feedback when looking at legislative issues.” The email didn’t say his position and there would not be a follow up email to say his position.

 A visit to Coleman’s website shows news events in the Republican point of view. There are no links to recordings of telephone town halls. They should be made available to the public. I signed up for the telephone town hall phone call and encouraged friends to do the same. Everyone from Lehigh County was “disconnected”. He answered questions from people who did not know about data centers. He answered questions from people who voted for him and believe him. Now remember that I already know he hasn’t supported any clean energy bills that I mentioned in emails for support. So now I need to meet him in person. 

I’ve been fighting dirty data centers in Lehigh County for a year. I live in South Whitehall Township where I managed to delay the data center on January 21, 2026. On May 27, 2026 I was at Upper Macungie Township to help residents delay the data center proposed at the old Air Products site near Senator Coleman’s home. I was talking to Deena from Food & Water Watch when Senator Coleman walked by us. He hid his face but I recognized him and greeted him. No reply. I spoke with candidate Rachel Cuevas who talked to Coleman’s legislative assistant Patrick Foose (who replies to emails) to arrange a meeting with Coleman and me. Coleman was interviewed by Lori Lee (after she interviewed me) before everyone went home. And then it happened.

Senator Coleman talked to me. I asked for a photo of us together and his staff member took the photo with my camera. Then we discussed data centers and legislation. He skipped the environmental lobby day meeting because he “doesn’t want to talk to people in Pittsburgh”. He said we should schedule a meeting with me and I could bring a few constituents. We were only allowed to discuss data centers. Suddenly, I was getting email replies that mentioned bill numbers in them. And a new staff member scheduled a meeting at his Allentown office. 

I asked a few people if they were interested in talking to Senator Coleman. The replies were entertaining to disturbing. I selected a few friends who oppose data centers, support renewable energy, have knowledge of the data center and clean energy bills, live in district 16 and can have a productive discussion without insults or swearing. Some of the people were not able to attend on Wednesday, June 17, 2026 at 10 am at his Lehigh County office at 7535 Windsor Drive, Suite 200B, Allentown, PA 18106. Thankfully, John, Owen, my husband Don and I spoke to Senator Coleman and his chief of staff Leo Knepper. 

The meeting went as expected. Senator Coleman wants to stop the Atlas data center across from Parkland High School in South Whitehall Township. Well, we found common ground here. Coleman refuses to support the House Bills on clean energy or data centers. He said that House Bill 1834 to make data centers pay instead of ratepayers is “a pipe dream”. Weeks ago he introduced a municipal data center moratorium. Coleman is running for re-election and he is running ads saying he is fighting data centers. Meanwhile, he won’t vote for “Democratic” bills.

 Clean energy is a bipartisan issue. Everyone wants clean energy, a reliable energy grid and lower energy costs. We discussed renewable energy and Coleman mentioned private on-site solar at St. Joe’s (St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church ,1879 Applewood Dr, Orefield, PA 18069 where I had my wedding reception 30 years ago.). Coleman does not support mandates. But we want him to support bills that mandate or incentivize businesses to use renewable energy.

 The meeting lasted an hour and he said we could schedule another meeting. Senator Coleman is open to solar energy. He is willing to talk to us. But he is a NIMBY (not in my back yard) voter. He actually said he doesn’t want any data centers here, but they could put them in Nevada where there are few people. As a conservation voter, that bothers me. We want to protect the environment, wildlife and people. Coleman had a mounted fish and a deer head in his conference room. Coleman’s grandfather caught the fish in Ontario, Canada and Jarrett shot the deer close to my current residence years ago. He said he hunts and fishes and eats the meat. I started the meeting discussing this in the hope he would be interested in clean energy to protect the environment. And maybe he will think about it.

 This is why I talk to local legislators. They live here. They should care about where they live. Too bad not all of them care about everyone else. I will try any angle to find common ground or understand their position but ask for a bipartisan solution to solve problems rather than play the blame game. I remember the line from the movie Mars Attacks when Jack Nicholson plays the president and says “Why can’t we all just get along?”

Senator Jarrett Coleman (PA district 16) will face Democrat candidate Mark Pinsley, who is currently the Lehigh County Controller, in the midterm election in November 2026. Mark Pinsley beat his primary opponent for his opposition to data centers, inflation and the chaos caused by the current administration. Mark Pinsley lives in South Whitehall Township and we have protested together.