Marla A. Gallo Brown ^[1] (born 1970) is an American politician who currently represents the 9th District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 2023. She is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life and education

Brown was born in 1970, the eldest of six siblings, ^[2] in Edinburg, Pennsylvania. ^[3] She is of Italian ancestry. ^[2] Brown graduated from Mohawk High School in 1988. ^{[2] [4]} She earned Bachelor of Arts degree from Gannon University in 1992 and a Master of Science from Geneva College in 2000. ^[4]

Career

Brown worked for UPS for 15 years, ^[3] including working in London as the company's director of sales and marketing for the United Kingdom and Ireland. ^{[3] [5]} She later ran a medical spa in Georgia for nine years. ^[3]

In 2022, Brown won a three-way Republican primary election to challenge incumbent Democratic Pennsylvania State Representative from the 9th District Chris Sainato. ^[6] She defeated Sainato in the general election. ^[7]

Political positions

Abortion

Brown opposes the right to an abortion. From 2015 to 2018, she was CEO of Pregnancy Aid Clinic, ^[6] an Atlanta-based Catholic anti-abortion organization. ^{[6] [8]}

Criminal justice

Following a spate of local false school shooting reports in 2023, ^[9] Brown introduced a bill to elevate making a false emergency call to illicit a police response, otherwise known as swatting, from a misdemeanor offense to a felony. ^{[10] [11]}

Brown supports decreasing the state parole board vote for clemency from unanimous approval to a simple majority. ^[12]

Election reform

In April 2023, Brown introduced a bill that would create open primary elections in Pennsylvania. ^{[13] [14]} She has argued against closed primary elections, saying that they are unfair to independent votes who cannot participate in elections funded by their tax dollars. In an op-ed with State Representative Jared Solomon, Brown also argued primary election should be open because of the large number of veterans, young people, and minorities who are registered as independents. ^[15]

Brown has called monetary campaign fundraising a "necessary evil of the [election] process," which is nonetheless beneficial because it demonstrates whether a candidate is capable of successfully spreading their message. ^[16]

Legislative perks

During her 2022 campaign, Brown signed a pledge to refuse state per diems, state pension, or taxpayer-funded car. Brown also pledge to only serve eight years in the state legislature. ^[17]

Minimum wage

Brown voted against a bill to incrementally raise Pennsylvania's minimum to fifteen dollars an hour by 2026. ^[18]

Personal life

Brown lives in New Castle, Pennsylvania with her husband Greg Brown. She has three children. ^{[4] [19]}

Electoral history

References