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U.S. Rep. Scott Perry sworn in
[January 04, 2013]

U.S. Rep. Scott Perry sworn in


Jan 04, 2013 (York Daily Record - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Scott Perry walked to the U.S. Capitol building, flanked by family members, media and staffers.

He carried his youngest daughter. And he was preparing to vote for the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and be sworn in as a member of the 113th Congress.

"It's a culmination of something I thought about since elementary school, believe it or not," the 50-year-old Republican from Carroll Township said.

Thursday was an emotional day for Perry, his family members and supporters, as the colonel in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and former state lawmaker began his term as a congressman. He represents York County and the rest of Pennsylvania's newly designed 4th Congressional District.



"It's been great -- very hectic, but a wonderful experience," Perry's wife, Christy, said later in the day.

Earlier, Perry described himself as a reformer to group of reporters, and he criticized the recent compromise over the so-called "fiscal cliff." "It did do some good things, but I'm concerned it didn't do enough for deficit reduction," Perry said Thursday morning, in his Washington, D.C., office, which was still being set up.


And he said that voters from the 4th Congressional District sent him to office with a message: "Do something about this runaway debt," Perry said.

When he walked to the Capitol, he joked with a staffer before entering.

"One of us has to know where we're going," Perry said, "and it isn't me." The House proceedings began around noon, with some procedural business and then the vote for the speaker. Family members and friends watched from a congressional hearing room.

They applauded when Perry cast his first vote, in favor of House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

His mother, Cecile Coble, put her hands to her mouth.

"Oh my gosh," Coble said. "I'm overwhelmed." Later in the afternoon, family members headed over to see the swearing-in inside the Capitol building.

Although there were some complications -- as Perry explained to supporters afterwards.

Chocolate milk and the swearing-in "I'm wondering where they all are ... when it's time for this swearing in," Perry recalled to a group. "...I'm texting. I'm getting nothing." Perry said he finally learned his two daughters -- 3-year-old Ryenn and 20-month-old Mattea -- were right outside the floor. He went to them.

The younger one was crying. And he gave them both some chocolate milk, though he worried they'd spill it on themselves.

He ended up having to scramble back to the floor, carrying Mattea in his left hand. Ryenn let go of his right hand, which allowed him to raise it for the swearing in, and Perry said she started heading down the aisle.

"And they give the oath, and I say, 'I do,'" Perry said. "And then I immediately start looking for my child -- who in the meantime has spotted my wife up in the balcony and said, 'Mommy!'" After telling that story, Perry said he gets a chill thinking about how he walks up the same steps as people "that have crafted the nation." He talked about the "monumental challenges" the country faces. He thanked his supporters and posed for pictures with them.

Then Perry and family members headed to get their picture taken with Boehner.

"His enthusiasm is contagious," said Jeff Gay, a Springettsbury Township resident who volunteered for Perry's congressional campaign and traveled down to D.C. for the day. "We're real proud of him." Perry's offices U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, R-York County, has retained the Adams and York County offices from his predecessor, Congressman Todd Platts, Perry's office announced in a news release.

Perry's Washington, D.C., office opened Thursday, and his office for Cumberland and Dauphin counties will open later this month. It will be located in Wormleysburg, according to the release.

The mailing addresses and contact information for the offices are: --Adams County -- 22 Chambersburg Street, Gettysburg, PA 17325. Phone: (717) 338-1919. Fax: (717) 334-6314; --York County -- 2209 East Market Street, York, PA 17402. Phone: (717) 600-1919. Fax: (717) 757-5001; --Washington -- 126 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515. Phone: (202) 225-5836. Fax: (202) 226-1000.

Perry represents the newly designed 4th Congressional District, which includes all of York and Adams counties, nearly all of Harrisburg and part of Susquehanna Township in Dauphin County and parts of Cumberland County.

About the congressman Age: 50 Residence: Carroll Township Family: Wife, Christy, daughters 3-year-old Ryenn and 20-month-old Mattea Job: Former state representative for the 92nd district; colonel in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard; part owner of Hydrotech Mechanical Services Inc., a mechanical contracting firm that he co-founded in 1993.

Political background: He did not run for re-election to the state House, in which he has served since 2007. He's been active in the Republican party and is a former president of the Pennsylvania Young Republicans and other GOP organizations. He's also a former chairman of the Carroll Township Planning Commission.

Related Read more about Scott Perry here.

Todd Platts: It was a privilege to serve See how it unfolded live Thursday: ___ (c)2013 York Daily Record (York, Pa.) Visit York Daily Record (York, Pa.) at www.ydr.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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