State Representative and former West Chester Mayor Carolyn Comitta had big aspirations from an early age, writes Emily Pisano for The Unionville Times.

Growing up during the Cold War, Comitta used to daydream about becoming friends with Nikita Khrushchev and ending the conflict. This desire to bring people of various backgrounds together laid the groundwork for her future career.

Comitta first ran for the Borough Council at the urging of Bill Scott, a local politician. Then, Dr. Madeleine Wing Adler, the first female president of West Chester University, encouraged her to run for mayor, as Comitta became both the first female and the first bi-partisan mayor in West Chester history.

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“I won the Democratic and Republican Primary twice,” she said. “I had the support of all the voters.”

This support helped Comitta get elected State Representative for the 156th District, typically a Republican stronghold.

“You get people who don’t regularly talk with each other together at the table, and it creates an opportunity for some very important new ideas and better communication,” she said.

Read the entire interview in The Unionville Times here, and check out previous VISTA Today coverage of Carolyn Comitta here.

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