Candidate for
State Representative; Pennsylvania State House of Representatives; District 93

• The biggest problem facing Pennsylvania is the economic recession and the resulting loss of employment for Pennsylvania residents. The economic recovery to date has been mostly a jobless recovery. Pennsylvania businesses need to be empowered to create and preserve jobs. Significant reform of the Prevailing Wage law and Unemployment Compensation law reform are needed to allow employers to create more jobs and to protect Pennsylvania taxpayers. Improving the economic climate in Pennsylvania and creating more jobs will reduce the costs of social support programs and provide the revenue to provide more education and training programs so we have an educated and trained workforce to attract and retain business.

• The backlog of transportation projects is severe in Pennsylvania with the focus being on safety and maintenance out of necessity created by loss of highway dollars. Capacity expansion for growing areas like York County is not being addressed due to the lack of funding.

As cars become more fuel efficient the revenue for maintaining our transportation infrastructure declines and it becomes more difficult to expand capacity. If public/private partnerships do not supplement the revenue shortfall it is necessary to reexamine how we fund transportation and comprehensive funding system changes need to be adopted.

• Property taxes to support public education have become a major problem in Pennsylvania but the degree of impact is greatest in areas of the state like York County that have experienced the greatest level of population growth. The funding formula changes enacted in 1991 stopped counting new students in the calculation of the state subsidy to support public education. Compounding the problem is that a "hold harmless" provision has benefited areas experiencing population decreases. Approximately 30 to 35% of the state representatives are elected from growing areas of the state. There is little incentive for the remaining 65 to 70% of state representatives to help us with our funding problem.

In the interim, I am also supporting legislation that will enable school districts and counties in growing areas of the state to consider shifting from a property tax base to an income or sales tax base. This is the least preferred option, as compared to total elimination through state legislation, but may be the most acceptable to some of the 60 to 65% of the representatives who see no reason to help us with our property tax issue.