HARRISBURG - Rep. Zach Mako, R-Lehigh/Northampton, Tuesday was joined in Harrisburg by 22 other first-term legislators as he took the oath of office in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The newly sworn-in state representative has vowed to fight for property tax reform, job creation and infrastructure improvements.

"I am eager to begin my work in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and continue in former Rep. Julie Harhart's footsteps," Mako said. "With my background in finance, I am committed to keeping taxes low. We must find creative ways to tackle the current budget deficit in order for Pennsylvania to remain open for business."An almost life-long resident of Walnutport, Mako graduated from Northampton Area High School and joined the Pennsylvania National Guard in January 2008. As a Chinook helicopter pilot, he was deployed to Afghanistan in December 2012 for nine months supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2016, he was selected to be an adviser to Estonia's top military officials. While serving our country, Mako also completed his bachelor's degree in finance from Kutztown University in December 2015.Mako's district office staff is available to help constituents with state-related problems or concerns. The office addresses are 2030 Center St., Northampton, and in the Slatington Borough Hall, 125 S. Walnut St., Slatington. Both offices are open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Northampton office can be reached at 610-502-2701. The Slatington office telephone number is 610-760-9805.More state information is available on Mako's website,

www.RepMako.com, and his Facebook page at Facebook.com/RepMako.The 183rd District includes South Whitehall (part), Washington and Whitehall (part) townships and Slatington Borough in Lehigh County. It also consists of Allen, Lehigh and Moore (part) townships, and North Catasauqua, Northampton and Walnutport boroughs in Northampton County.