Below are profiles of candidates running in key races in Centre County. The Gazette asked questions of candidates in the 5th Congressional District, and the 76th. 77th, 81st and 171st legislative districts.
5TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
Incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Glenn “G.T.” Thompson will look to defend his position in the 5th Congressional District against Democratic challenger Kerith Strano Taylor. The 5th District is the state’s largest congressional district, and least densely populated. It includes all or parts of 16 counties, including Centre, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, Huntingdon, Jefferson, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Warren and Venango.
Glenn Thompson, incumbent
Party affiliation: Republican
Hometown: Howard Township
A lifelong resident of Howard Township, Centre County Congressman Glenn “G.T.” Thompson had spent 28 years prior to being elected as a therapist, rehabilitation services manager and a licensed nursing home administrator. In Congress, Thompson serves as chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Forestry and Conservation, on the Natural Resources Committee and on the Committee on Education and the Workforce. He is also co-chair of the bipartisan House Career and Technical Education Caucus, which promotes educational opportunities for those seeking job training and good-paying, family-sustaining employment.
Thompson is a graduate of Penn State and Temple universities where he earned a bachelor of science and a master’s in education, respectively. He and his wife, Penny Ammerman-Thompson, have three adult sons, Parker, Logan and Kale.
What are the biggest issues facing your district and what are your plans to address these issues?
Thompson: There are no shortage of issues facing the 5th Congressional District; however, challenges with unemployment, underemployment and low workforce participation remain at the forefront. Our economy is not growing fast enough; at the same time available positions are going unfilled due to a skills gap. We are also facing an environment of uncertainty for small businesses, whether from the outdated tax codes or over-regulation. This combination is leading to fewer employment opportunities, which places those without adequate job training at a distinct disadvantage.
As both a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and the co-chairman of the bipartisan Career and Technical Education Caucus, I have been successful at bringing about a fundamental shift in the way we go about preparing individuals for the workforce. In 2014, Congress overhauled the federal workforce development system to be more responsive to local employer needs and to equip job seekers with the skills they need to be successful. In 2015, we replaced No Child Left Behind with the Every Student Succeeds Act. These were the most historic reforms to education in more than a generation, which will empower local decision making.
In September, the House passed my bill, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act. This will modernize our investment in career and technical education training for high-demand, high-growth industries. This bill will work in coordination with the other two laws to break down barriers to job training and ensure those seeking greater opportunity can achieve the skills they need to make themselves competitive in the modern workforce.
I have often said, “There is no better cure for any social problem than a good-paying job.” These efforts will lead to better job alignment and the ability for individuals to earn positions in good paying, family sustaining jobs.
What makes you the best candidate for this position?
Thompson: I have been greatly humbled by the opportunity to serve my friends, neighbors and the constituents of Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District. Through listening to their concerns and leading with homegrown solutions, we have had many successes. This not only includes education and job training, but my work on the House Agriculture Committee. We were successful at passing a farm bill that helps provide an affordable and safe food supply. This directly impacts one in seven jobs in Pennsylvania. Last fall, we were able to make 20 tax provisions permanent, which provides certainty to families and small businesses.
As the father of a wounded warrior, I know the importance of a strong military. Our homegrown solutions helped create a law that uses telemedicine to lower the military suicide rate. This work is far from done, but we are making great advances and my commitment to our veterans is unwavering. My vision moving forward is one of partnership. My promise is to bring your homegrown solutions from the 5th District to Washington, D.C.
Kerith Strano Taylor
Party affiliation: Democrat
Hometown: Brookville
Through her professional work as a family law attorney and her numerous volunteer efforts, Kerith Strano Taylor has become known throughout the commonwealth as a champion for children and families and was honored to be named the 2016 Child Advocate of the Year by the Pennsylvania Bar’s Children’s Rights Committee.
Since 2004, Strano Taylor has served as guardian ad litem for Jefferson County, representing children who find themselves in the foster care system. Through that work, she became an active member of the Statewide Children’s Roundtable Initiative in 2006.
Growing up in a working-class family in Jefferson County, she and her brother spent most afternoons doing their homework in the auto shop her parents owned in Brookville. She started at Penn State in 1992 at the age of 16. She graduated with a B.A. in political science in 1996 and spent the next two years working in government affairs in Washington, D.C., before enrolling at George Mason University School of Law, where she earned her law degree in 2001.
Taylor lives in her hometown of Brookville with her two children, Laurin and Ethan. She is an avid motorcycle rider and enjoys riding through the district.
What are the biggest issues facing your district and what are your plans to address these issues?
Strano Taylor: Jobs. The unemployment rate in our 5th Congressional District is 8.1 percent. Three points higher than the national average.
Our incumbent congressman claims he is a “national leader on jobs,” yet our district has an unemployment rate higher than the national average. The first thing I would do is add my name to the RECLAIM Act, something that Rep. Thompson and every other Republican congressman in Pennsylvania has refused to do.
The RECLAIM Act is a bill that would tap the $2 billion in abandoned mine reclamation funds to put out-of-work coal miners back to work reclaiming our abandoned mines and over 5,300 miles of polluted rivers and streams. The PA 5th District has more abandoned mines than any other congressional district in the United States and our congressman isn’t willing to put his name to a bill that will help us reclaim our environment for the use and enjoyment of our constituents.
Underemployment is an even bigger problem in our district. Too many of our neighbors are working two or three jobs to try to make ends meet.
We can begin to address our chronic underemployment problem by raising the minimum wage, using a three-phase increase to $10.10 and indexing it to inflation. We have thousands of Pennsylvanians that are working full-time and still fall below the poverty line. No one should work full-time and struggle to sustain themselves and their families.
The opioid epidemic has hit the 5th District particularly hard.
The attention paid to the opioid epidemic is admirable. But the federal approach of increasing funding for treatment is a tacit acknowledgement that there isn’t anything we can do to prevent people from becoming addicted in the first place. The Food and Drug Administration approved the prescription of OxyContin to children ages 11 to 16 in November of 2015. Congress didn’t do a thing to override that foolish decision. I would firstly promote a bill to prohibit the prescription of OxyContin to children. Then I would push to move OxyContin and other time-release to Schedule 1 of the DEA list so that it is only used in hospital, hospice and palliative care settings. This epidemic is the worst drug epidemic we have ever faced in the United States and the movement from our state and federal legislators has been too little, too late, for hundreds of families across our district.
What makes you the best candidate for this position?
Strano Taylor: As a family law attorney, I have had the privilege of serving as a facilitator in custody cases where the parties have no attorneys. Working with parents who are fighting over the most important thing in their lives: their children. I have an 88 percent settlement rate.
I honed this skill of collaboration and negotiation when my ex-husband and I continued to work together for six years after our divorce. We knew what kind of hard work and compromise it takes to raise happy, healthy children.
I firmly believe that every American loves their country more than they hate the other party. Congress has fallen into a state of inertia where they have allowed partisan politics to paralyze them from accomplishing anything that resembles progress for the American people. The obscene amounts of money flowing into their campaign funds makes it even more difficult to break the cycle. Since 2008, our incumbent has raised $4.6 million to get re-elected. He claims to have done it in 30 minutes per week, which means he would have raised $30,000 per hour. I intend to go to Washington to do two things: serve the constituents of the 5th Congressional District and consider and propose legislation to help move our nation forward.
76TH LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Two candidates will appear on the Tuesday, Nov. 8, ballot for state representative in the 76th Legislative District. Incumbent Democrat Mike Hanna will face Republican challenger Stephanie Borowicz. The district covers all of Clinton County, as well as Benner, Boggs, Burnside, Curtin, Haines, Howard, Liberty, Marion, Miles, Snow Shoe and Union townships and Howard, Milesburg, Snow Shoe and Unionville boroughs in Centre County.
Mike Hanna, incumbent
Party affiliation: Democrat
Hometown: Lock Haven
Mike Hanna is a lifelong Clinton County resident who graduated from Lock Haven High School and Lock Haven University. He and his family are active members of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. He is an avid hunter and sportsman, as well as a member of Unified Lock Haven Area Jaycees and the Lions Club.
What are the biggest issues facing your district and what are your plans to address these issues?
Hanna: 1) Property tax reform. This has been a priority for myself and the citizens of the district. That’s why I voted for HB 504, which would have cut about $4.4 billion from school property taxes across the state. It’s now before the senate and we are negotiating its passage with their leadership. Because it was held up in the senate this past year, and not included in the final budget, I successfully urged the governor and legislative negotiators to remove income and sales tax increases from the final budget.
2) Jobs. I plan to continue working to bring jobs into the area. Several area business leaders, including the president of First Quality Inc., have recognized my “passion and leadership in promoting and supporting business.” Just this past week I successfully negotiated to expand unemployment compensation benefits for seasonal workers, helping those who work in construction and other seasonal industries.
Currently, I am working to bring 200 to 300 jobs to western Clinton County for the prospective construction of the Renovo Energy Plant. This would result in permanent, family-sustaining jobs if built. I’m also working closely with other job creators in the area, including First Quality, on another possible expansion. Two manufacturing companies are also looking into expanding in our area. Both have expressed interest and have looked at sites. I feel very positive about future job prospects in the area.
3) Opioid/heroin epidemic. In the most recent budget we provided an additional $15 million to help combat the state’s opioid and heroin epidemic. We also provided funding for 45 Centers of Excellence throughout the commonwealth to treat 11,000 residents battling substance abuse disorders. This doesn’t just affect cities. It affects people throughout our district.
Law enforcement also plays a key role in prosecuting those who sell these illegal drugs and I will continue to support them going after those who enable addiction disorders. But it’s also important we continue offering treatment for those suffering from addiction. These folks need to be treated, not incarcerated. Additionally, we need to get these drugs off the streets by providing drop-off places for residents to properly dispose of old opioid prescriptions.
I will continue to prioritize getting these drugs out of circulation, promoting treatment programs and supporting law enforcement.
What makes you the best candidate for this position?
Hanna: I believe I am the best candidate for this position because I am an independent leader who isn’t afraid to stand up to my party, while still getting results for our district. I have earned the endorsements of the NRA, PA Pro-Life Federation, farmers organizations and more. I have been successful in bringing back $2 to our district for every $1 we pay in state taxes. Because of my leadership, we are able to better fund our schools, universities, road projects, senior programs and more. This extra investment also means lower property taxes because there is less of a funding burden on our school districts.
In addition, being the only candidate with a plan and the experience keeping our tax dollars here, I have been a proven reformer. In just the last six years, I have successfully reduced the legislative staff by more than 200 employees, required legislators and state employees to pay a portion of their health insurance, limited to the use of state cars and voted against every pay raise that has come before me. Voters can continue to count on me to be an independent voice delivering for us.
Stephanie Borowicz
Party affiliation: Republican
Hometown: Lock Haven
Borowicz said she is “proud of the place we call home and the values we share. My family and I came to this wonderful community when my husband became an associate pastor at a church in Jersey Shore. We have lived in the Lock Haven community for almost a decade and we are the proud parents of three boys.
“I received my bachelor’s degree from Vanguard University and minored in biblical studies. I am also a former fourth-grade teacher and president of a nonprofit organization.
“I am a Christian, a member of the National Rifle Association and a concealed carry permit holder who will protect the sanctity of human life and defend our Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms.”
What are the biggest issues facing your district and what are your plans to address these issues?
Borowicz: Our state and country are headed in the wrong direction. There’s too much political correctness, government intrusion into our daily lives and disregard for our God-given rights and freedoms.
We need leaders who value principles over politics. We need leaders who will stand up for their community and not cower to political pressure or a liberal governor.
It is time that the people of the 76th District — the farmers, seniors, businessmen and women, doctors and nurses, lawyers, pastors, teachers and stay-at-home moms — link arms and send a clear message to the Harrisburg powerbrokers and special interests that government belongs to us.
Why do you think you are the best candidate for this position?
Borowicz: Unlike our current state representative, I am not a career politician.
Instead, I am a concerned citizen who is weary of the heavy hand of state government. Like you, I am tired of wasteful spending, skyrocketing property taxes, burdensome regulations that put our employers at a competitive disadvantage and the reckless attacks on the religious principles our nation and commonwealth were founded upon.
That is why the voters can trust me to ensure that the needs of our families, seniors and employers will always come first.
77TH LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Just one candidate will appear on the general election ballot for state representative of the 77th Legislative District. H. Scott Conklin, the incumbent, has cross filed as both a Republican and a Democrat. The district is located in Centre County and includes Huston Township, Philipsburg, State College, Rush Township and parts of Ferguson and Patton townships.
H. Scott Conklin, incumbent
Party affiliation: Democratic-Republican
Hometown: Rush Township
Rush Township resident Scott Conklin has been a member of the state House of Representatives since 2006. In his position, he serves as the Democratic chairman of the House Children and Youth Committee. He also serves on the House Democratic Policy Committee and is a member of the Alternative Energy, Early Childhood Education and Veterans caucuses, as well as several others.
Prior to his election, he served as a Centre County commissioner for seven years and served as board chairman, chairman of the Salary Board, Retirement Board, Employee Benefits Trust and Board of Assessment. His community involvement includes the Bellefonte/Intervally Chamber, Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County, Centre Region Metropolitan Planning Organization, C-Net and the United Way. He is a member of the Elks, the Pomona Grange and the Mosquito Creek and Three Points Sportsmen’s clubs.
He resides in Rush Township with his wife since 1984, Terri. They have one son, Spencer, who was born in 1987.
Conklin is a member of the United Methodist Church and, along with his wife, owns Conklin’s Corner Antique Mall in Philipsburg.
What are the biggest issues facing your district and what are your plans to address these issues?
Conklin: 1) Family-sustaining jobs. I am proud to report that Centre County’s economic health has been very strong during my years of public service. However, there are still pockets of unemployment and underemployment that we need to address. I want to continue my work with local leaders to implement a business climate that attracts family sustaining jobs. We have seen much success over the years, but I do not want to stop until all of our citizens benefit from our recovery.
2) The lack of adequate education funding. The lack of adequate education funding. The last administration cut education funding to dangerously low levels. This administration is trying to reverse that course. I want to continue my work in helping to secure more funding for a child’s future. Tuition costs are too high and our local school districts are forced to rely on property taxes way too much. I want to continue to push for a severance fee on natural gas and the closing of the Delaware loophole to ease the burden on property owners.
3) Proper stewardship of our natural resources. Proper stewardship of our natural resources. I am proud of my environmental record and want to continue to foster a climate where we manage growth with an eye on protecting our natural resources. Black Moshannon State Park is in the heart of my district. I want to continue my work in preserving it for future generations.
What makes you the best candidate for this position?
Conklin: I want to continue practicing servant leadership. At the heart of that concept is always listening to those in my district and never forgetting who I represent. I have the experience and humble commitment to continue to get things done for our area.
81ST LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
State Rep. Rich Irvin, the incumbent Republican, faces a challenge by Democrat Rick Rogers in the general election. The district is located in Centre, Huntingdon and Mifflin counties and includes Halfmoon Township, Port Matilda, Taylor Township, Worth Township and parts of Ferguson and Patton townships in Centre County; all of Huntingdon County; and Kistler, Newton Hamilton and Wayne Township in Mifflin.
Rich Irvin, incumbent
Party affiliation: Republican
Hometown: Spruce Creek Township
Irvin was elected to the state House of Representatives in November 2014. He previously served as the Huntingdon County treasurer and tax claim director for 18 years. He graduated from Juniata Valley High School and earned a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1994. He is a longtime member, past president and treasurer of the Huntingdon County United Way. He is also a board member and past treasurer of the Center for Community Action, a human service agency serving Huntingdon, Bedford and Fulton counties.
He resides in Spruce Creek Township with his wife, Jaime, and their children Brent, Emma, Bruce and James. His interests include hunting, carpentry and yard work with his family.
What are the biggest issues facing your district and what are your plans to address these issues?
Irvin: The most important issues facing the 81st district today are family-sustaining job creation so our greatest export is not our educated children; property tax reform to keep our young families, unemployed and seniors in their homes; and the cost of quality education at both the primary and secondary level.
Government should allow economic freedom for job growth to create a more business friendly climate in Pennsylvania. I want to be a legislator who pushes to change laws to attract family-sustaining jobs to our state instead of the status quo that is causing businesses to close their doors and move out. While getting heavy industry to move into the district does not look promising at this time, we must work harder to market the empty buildings and our dedicated workforce.
We must reduce the corporate tax rate, which, at 9.9 percent, is one of the highest in the country. Demand the good of any regulation implemented out-weighs the cost of implementation. Remove the everlasting product liability companies now face in Pennsylvania as other states have done.
What makes you the best candidate for this position?
Irvin: I have been in Harrisburg standing up for our hardworking taxpayers, providing the responsible leadership the 81st District needs to make our great commonwealth’s future better — a future only a growing economy can bring. I was sent to our capital with a shared vision of our district that government exists to work for the people rather than the people working to support a large government bureaucracy. I have stood firm on the principles of the majority of the people I represent to let government work at the most local level so we at the state can focus on the prevailing issues and getting them solved: pension reform to combat the $63 million pension liability; property tax reduction; an education system that puts parents in charge and our teachers teach; and making a more business-friendly climate so our graduating students can find a family-sustaining job right here in Pennsylvania.
I will deal with the issues that personally affect you or have the potential to endanger our communities, working to mitigate the opioid epidemic in our state. Addiction does not discriminate and we cannot endure nor accept the cost on our communities and families. Protecting our Second Amendment rights to ensure local ordinances cannot keep law abiding citizens from possessing a firearm and fighting to protect our unborn children so an abortion cannot occur when a child has a chance for life. Already, in my first term, I have stood up to protect our religious freedoms and personal privacy all the while holding the line on taxes to keep more money in your pockets because you know how to spend it better than the bureaucrats in Harrisburg.
Rick Rogers, challenger
Party affiliation: Democrat
Hometown: Mount Union
Rogers graduated from Captain Jack Joint High School in Mount Union before earning his bachelor of science degree in community development at Penn State University. He is a retired U.S. Army major with 27 years of military service. He served in Vietnam in the U.S. Navy and Adjutant, Medical Service Corps officer in the U.S. Army. He has experience as a community developer, a vocational substitute teacher and a commander with VFW Post 5754.
He and his wife, Sarah, have two children, Rick Jr. and Caryn.
What are the biggest issues facing your district and what are your plans to address these issues?
Rogers: The biggest issues I believe this district is facing are a stagnant economy and job growth; declining quality education and vocational training; and depletion of morals, value and faith.
I will work bipartisan to exterminate the increasing poverty caused by the unequal amounts of quality resources and services distributed to our small towns compared to our urban districts. I would propose investing in redevelopment of our infrastructure that I believe will vastly improve the connectivity of the industry and community. I’m truly committed to our veterans and will not let one go unattended. I’m a strong proponent of making Pennsylvania a no-homeless veteran state.
It’s critical to make sure senior citizens aren’t overtaxed and to make sure services are provided for seniors. I will seek relief on property taxes that fund schools and consider an alternative, statewide fair sales tax. This policy will not only bring relief for our seniors, but would broaden the pool of demographics that support the public school system, while easing the burden on senior citizens who are most likely to be property owners while simultaneously being the most likely group in society to live on fixed incomes.
I believe we need to put additional focus on empowering our communities to help create a more sustainable future for our commonwealth. We need to invest more on the renewable energy industry, which supports a wide array of local jobs that includes manufacturing in construction while lowering the pollutants in our environment. We need more accountability and less bottlenecking in the way we operate our local and state government and agencies.
What makes you the best candidate for this position?
Rogers: I am the best choice to represent this district because I will listen to my constituents’ needs and take those issues to action in Harrisburg. My purpose of my candidacy will remain intact once I’m elected, which is working for the best interest of people and the community. My word is my bond and every citizen in this district can count on me rolling up my sleeves and putting in the work for them. My constituents will have access to me throughout my term in office and I will reach out to them often to listen to their concerns, questions and needs. With nearly three decades in government service, I know what it takes to find solutions, navigate complicated governmental agencies and get things done. I will be a strong advocate to bring pride and value back in our community.
171ST LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Incumbent Republican legislator Kerry Benninghoff will look to defend his position in the state House against Democratic challenger Melody S. Fleck. The 171st District includes all of Bellefonte, Centre Hall, College Township, Gregg Township, Harris Township, Milheim and the townships of Penn, Potter, Spring and Walker in Centre County, and Armagh, Brown, Decatur and Union townships in Mifflin County. It also involves parts of Ferguson Township.
Kerry Benninghoff, incumbent
Party affiliation: Republican
Hometown: Bellefonte
Kerry Benninghoff was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1996. He is a fiscal conservative and advocate for government reform, lowering taxes and reining in excessive government spending. He serves on the leadership team as the House Majority Policy Committee chairman, and prior to that selection, he served as chairman of the House Majority Finance Committee chairman.
As a former hospital orderly and two-term Centre County coroner, Benninghoff has an interest in health care policies and has been an outspoken advocate for childhood cancer research. He is a founder and current chairman of the Cancer Caucus.
He is a graduate of State College Area High School and attended Penn State. He is a charter member of Leadership Centre County and formerly served on the board of directors of Easter Seals of Central Pennsylvania and the Bellefonte YMCA. He is a member of the Bellefonte Kiwanis Club, the Fraternal Order of Police Bald Eagle Lodge No. 51 and an active member of Faith United Methodist Church in Bellefonte. He resides in Bellefonte and is the father of five children, Michael, Heather, Amy, Kelley and Ryleigh (who passed away in 2010).
What are the biggest issues facing your district and what are your plans to address these issues?
Benninghoff: More secure, family-sustaining employment. My district is somewhat diverse in its challenges. Like most, we need more secure family sustaining employment. A healthy strong employment base reduces many other social challenges. We also need additional quality affordable housing in many areas. Last, the growing opioid addiction and overdose issue is challenging the quality of life for not only those addicted, but for those who reside in the community.
As a legislator, I try to vote on good taxes and less regulation policy to encourage business in Pennsylvania and to also encourage current state businesses to grow while hiring more employees. I believe we need to continue our aggressive highway/bridge replacement/repair schedule to better and more safely move products and people in commerce. Last, the state needs to encourage the build out of the natural gas lines in rural Pennsylvania for both business and home owner use. This will help provide cheap, reliable clean energy.
What makes you the best candidate for this position?
Benninghoff: I would like to believe my 19 years of experience and comprehension of the workings of state government will be meaningful to not only passing legislation, but advocating for the citizens of our community. My diverse private sector employment hosting gives me a hands-on experience when connecting legislators. I have been told I am a consensus builder in bringing people together on issues. I work very hard and make myself available to those I serve.
Melody S. Fleck
Party affiliation: Democrat
Hometown: Ferguson Township
Melody Fleck is a retired attorney and State College Borough solicitor. She has practiced real estate law, estate planning, business formation and tax law for more than 30 years — 20 years in Centre County. Before moving to State College in 1985, she was the law clerk for Erie County Judge William Pfadt and Pennsylvania Superior Court Judge Peter Paul Olszewski in Wilkes-Barre and was part of the in-house counsel team for a mortgage serving corporation in Dallas, Texas.
She has lived in Ferguson Township for the past 20 years and is the mother of one daughter, Lauren. She said she has a lifelong commitment to protection of wildlife habitat, environmental stewardship and serves on a number of committees of the Pennsylvania Sierra Club, including as chair of the statewide Radiation Committee. She has lobbied on behalf of environmental and faith groups and for Wolf-PAC.com, a bipartisan nationwide organization to reverse Citizens United and end what she said is the corrupting influence of money in politics.
What are the biggest issues facing your district and what are your plans to address these issues?
Fleck: Restoring a strong economy and job market. Protecting our slice of paradise from any threats to our health, high quality of our water and air or which would adversely affect native businesses, agricultural pursuits or state game lands. And, resolving our state’s financial crisis so that schools and social programs for our senior citizens and veterans are adequately funded, without increasing taxes.
The solution is clear. Pennsylvania must correct course, break its chains to the dying fossil fuel industry, including natural gas and coal (industries which contribute to my opponent’s campaign) and build a stable future by embracing new technologies and clean energy.
Trickle-down economics does not work. Putting more money in the pockets of workers and consumers does. The federal minimum wage of $7.25 has not increased since 2009, although the costs of groceries, rents, car and home prices, college tuition and health care have all significantly increased. It’s time to raise the minimum wage to at least $10.10 per hour.
Small businesses, construction, agriculture and tourism employ half of all private employees and this sector is ready to grow with the right incentives. Native businesses are the backbone of Pennsylvania’s economy. Business incubators and loans to get our state’s talent to work is what is needed.
A severance tax on the gas industry is overdue, as is a health study of its effects on neaby communities and on our most precious — the kids of Pennsylvania. Failure to consider the externalities of the health costs, environmental impacts and degradation of the quality of life caused by certain industries presents a false view of their economic benefit to Pennsylvania.
We also need an ambitious program to put Pennsylvanians to work to increase energy efficiency of homes and rebuild our failing infrastructure, such as replacing lead water lines and repairing bridges. The Blue-Green Alliance Study and Rep. Leanne Krueger-Braneky report that repairing old, leaking gas lines will not only create 50,000 new, good-paying U.S. jobs over the next 10 years, it will also prevent 100,000 metric tons of methane from escaping in the state, which could heat 65,000 homes.
What makes you the best candidate for this position?
Fleck: New perspectives are needed to deal with the financial drain, insecurity and increased property taxes caused by the state’s pension fund crisis and inability to balance the state budget. The underfunded liability of the state pensions has ballooned in the last six years, from $30 billion to $64 billion — twice the state’s annual budget. According to the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, 60 cents out of each new tax dollar goes to funding the state’s pension payments. This is unsustainable.
I’m committed to representing the hard-working families of Pennsylvania and making sure Pennsylvania is a leader in new technologies so that we can all have a “Future to Believe In.” My legal background in pensions and taxes assures that I will be an asset in tackling the state’s pension crisis.
As a former officer of the court, I take the state and U.S. Constitution seriously. Not only should legislators always strive to assure that laws are constitutional, they should be ever mindful of the fact that their power is limited, by the Constitution, to advancing the health, safety and welfare of the people.
