Meet
John Zangari
John Zangari is running for Pennsylvania House District 171 because he believes Harrisburg should work for everyday Pennsylvanians – not insiders. Raised in Northampton County in a family that valued service and responsibility, John learned early that hard work and accountability matter.
John has lived the realities families and small businesses face. He worked in his grandparents’ restaurant, earned degrees in criminal justice from Northampton Community College and Kutztown University, and served as a Lehigh County corrections officer – experience that gave him a firsthand understanding of public safety and the reforms needed to strengthen trust and effectiveness. He’s a former small business owner and currently works at Penn State University.
John’s priorities are straightforward: cut unnecessary red tape, lower the tax burden on working people, support small businesses, and make state government more transparent and accountable – by staying accessible year-round and clearly explaining his votes and decisions.
Common-Sense Solutions
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About Our District
Pennsylvania House District 171 is a “small-town and rural Central PA” district that stretches across parts of Centre and Mifflin counties.
It includes communities like Bellefonte, Centre Hall, and Millheim, along with a number of surrounding townships – places where local employers, farms, schools, and main streets are the backbone of daily life.
District 171 is the kind of district where people want practical results: good jobs close to home, reliable roads and broadband, safe communities, and a state government that respects taxpayers and doesn’t make it harder to live, work, or run a business here.
What’s with the goose?
Mr. Puddles – or Puddles for short – is the mascot of the campaign!
Puddles is our campaign mascot because he’s a reminder of who we are in the Valley and what we can become when we move together. He’s rooted in our local Goose Day tradition and represents the power of a united flock working toward real change.
Goose Day roots
Every September 29, communities in and around Lewistown celebrate Goose Day, a more-than-two-century-old tradition that says if you eat goose on that date, you’ll have luck, wealth, and prosperity in the year ahead. What started as a local take on the old Michaelmas holiday has grown into a full regional celebration, with restaurants, small businesses, and neighbors all joining in to mark a uniquely central Pennsylvania holiday.
Why a goose mascot
Puddles stands on that Goose Day heritage and turns it into an everyday symbol of community, good fortune, and pride in our corner of Pennsylvania. He reminds us that our politics should feel local and familiar, like a festival in Monument Square, not something distant and out of reach.
Growing our flock
A single goose wanders and putters around without much direction, but a flock flies in formation with a shared purpose, carrying each other farther than any one bird could go alone. That’s how we see this campaign: not about one candidate, but about building a flock of neighbors who show up for each other, set clear goals, and stay in the fight long enough to outlast any storm.
What Puddles represents
Puddles is here to “make a splash” by inviting everyone in Democrat, Republican, independent, and apolitical neighbors who just want their community to work better. He represents the belief that when everyday people join together, we can rise higher than we ever imagined and turn a quirky local holiday into a year-round commitment to looking out for one another.
