NARBERTH, PA — At a candidate forum held Tuesday evening at Borough Hall, Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania's 148th House District Leo Solga presented a concrete plan to stabilize and fund SEPTA, outlined a framework for equitable and environmentally responsible AI policy, and publicly challenged fellow candidates for accepting PAC money.

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Speaking before members of the public who had gathered to hear from candidates in the race, Solga laid out his support for the Transit for All PA package, a $700 million annual commitment to SEPTA funded through modest fees on car rentals, leases, and ride-shares, with no new fare hikes on riders.

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"Transit is freedom," Solga argues. "When we defund it, we punish the people who have no choice but to ride. People like my father who use it everyday to get to work. These are the people who need SEPTA the most, and they're the ones who can least afford to pay more for it."

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Solga also addressed the growing role of artificial intelligence in public life, drawing on his two-year research partnership with the United Nations during which he helped draft international AI environmental legislation. He called for state-level protections on three fronts: ensuring that the energy demands of large-scale data centers do not come at the expense of Pennsylvania's environment and power grid, safeguarding children from AI-generated deepfakes, and protecting democratic institutions from AI-enabled election manipulation.

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"I've studied this from the inside," Solga argues. "I'm not guessing at the risks. That's exactly why I take them seriously. Pennsylvania needs legislators who understand what they're regulating."

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In what became one of the forum's sharpest moments, Solga called out other candidates in the race for accepting PAC funding, a practice he has declined throughout his campaign. Solga has accepted zero dollars from political action committees and is running entirely on small-dollar, grassroots donations.

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"There's a simple question every voter should ask: who does this candidate answer to?" Solga said. "I don't take PAC money. That's not a talking point. It means the only people I'm accountable to are you."

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Solga, 22, is a Lower Merion native and University of Pennsylvania graduate who has drafted state legislation that passed committee with Pennsylvania ACLU endorsement, organized the first student union in Penn's history, and served constituents directly in State Representative Mary Jo Daley's district office. His campaign has focused on three core issues: fully funding SEPTA, reforming Pennsylvania's constitutionally non-compliant school funding system, and guaranteeing reproductive freedoms regardless of federal action.

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The "Leo is Listening" truck tour — a series of free, drop-in town halls hosted from a 1970s Chevrolet pickup — continues across the district this spring. The next event is this Sunday at Cup of Gold from 12pm - 3pm.