Dante Santoni Jr. is no stranger to making tough calls and sometimes taking heat for it.
As a Berks County commissioner he helps make decisions that deal with everything from economic development to public safety to social services. The same was true, on a statewide basis, when he served as a member of the House of Representatives in Harrisburg for more than 15 years.
With his day jobs involving so much stress, so focused on high-pressure decisions, it would be understandable if Santoni opted for some low-stakes recreation outside of the office.
Turns out, he’s a glutton for punishment.
That’s why several nights a week during the high school basketball season he swaps his suit jacket for the black and white stripes of a referee, making calls nearly as stressful and sometimes more likely to draw ire.
Santoni said there’s quite a lot of common ground between being a commissioner and being a referee. He said depending on how you make decisions, you can catch quite a lot of flak.
“You know, a friend of mine once told me that I must not want people to like me because I’m a politician and I’m a referee,” he said with a chuckle. “And I thought that was funny. Maybe it’s a character flaw that I have.
“But you do have to make tough calls on the court, and I think there’s a parallel there with being a politician.
“You can’t keep everyone happy. When you make a call on the court 50% of the people love you and 50% of the people hate you — it’s the same way in politics.”
Love of sports
The tough skin he needed to survive the sometimes hostile environment of the political world isn’t what prompted Santoni to become a referee. It’s actually the other way around.
His foray into athletics predates his becoming a politician, dating back to a childhood filled with playing sports. That includes being part of the Muhlenberg High School basketball and baseball teams as a teen and continuing on with baseball at Villanova University.
Santoni’s love of sports continued into adulthood. And in 1985, while working as the township manager and finance director for Muhlenberg Township, he indulged that passion by becoming a basketball referee.
“I really love the game,” the 64-year-old said. “I thought it would be a good way to stay involved and get some good exercise.”
Santoni was a sports official for about eight years before he was elected to the state House. He said he tried doing both for a few years but decided his busy schedule in Harrisburg and the demands of having two young children at home were just too much to juggle.
When he left the Legislature in 2010 he decided he wanted to return to officiating boys and girls basketball. He also added another sport to his repertoire, serving for a few years as a college volleyball line judge before running for county commissioner.
On-court reaction
While he does see some similarities between politics and officiating, Santoni said those two worlds are kept pretty separate — most of the time.
“There was one funny story when I was a state representative,” he said. “I was refereeing a game between Oley (Valley) and Brandywine (Heights) one year when they both were having unsuccessful seasons. They only had one combined win and no one was there.
“And there was this guy sitting up in the stands that was just yelling at me the whole game saying, ‘You’re as bad as a ref as you are a state rep.’ I probably should have thrown him out of the game, but I didn’t.”
Santoni said his fellow referee during that game liked working with him because he took all the heat from the fans.
In another instance, Santoni was officiating a game between Reading and Wilson. It was a tough, close contest that saw Reading fall just short at the end.
“The (Reading) fans were rough on me,” he said. “They were saying: ‘I’ll never vote for you again. You don’t get any votes from Wilson, why did you give them that call?’”
But moments like those are few and far between, Santoni said.
“Overall, I mostly get positive reactions,” Santoni said. “A lot of people probably see me on the court and don’t know who I am.”
In his latest stint, Santoni has been officiating for the past seven years. The fact that he works in Berks has allowed him to get back into it, cutting down on his travel and allowing him to officiate more often.
“I try to do as many games as I can in the winter, and I do a few summer games too,” he explained.
And he doesn’t have any plans to cut back. He simply loves it too much — particularly the connections he makes with the athletes.
“I like to chat with kids,” he said. “As a referee we don’t root for one team over another, but we do hope for good games and that the kids play well. I try to be friendly with everyone on the court.
“I plan on doing this a bunch more years, as long as I’m healthy.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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