Candidate for
State Representative; Pennsylvania State House of Representatives; District 116

As your representative, there are a few issues that I feel need attention.

The first is Education; I am very concerned about cuts in this area. According to a recent report, $100 million dollars is slated to be cut from the state education budget. A cut of this magnitude would eliminate most of the funding for full-day kindergartens. Last year, almost $900 million was cut from the state education budget. As scary as these numbers sound, it is even more disturbing that the cuts are not being made equally. Some of the more affluent school districts in the state receive very moderate cuts, while poverty-stricken districts receive extreme cuts in funding. These are districts that are already falling behind because of economic challenges. We must work to ensure that all children have equal access to the education they need!

Other areas related to education that cause concern are proposals to eliminate reimbursement to school districts for busing expenses, and the continued cuts in funding to our state universities.

Because of large districts, students sometimes live 15 or 20 miles from their school. Without buses, parents would be responsible to transport their children. Imagine the hardship on a working couple, already struggling to make ends meet, facing the added burden of getting their children back and forth to school. And if the funding cuts continue to state universities, the children of middle class parents may soon be priced out of continuing their education and receiving that very necessary degree. Additionally, I feel we must develop some type of incentive for businesses so that our students who graduate in Pennsylvania can get hired in Pennsylvania. We cannot continue to lose our best and brightest people to other states! I intend to work in collaboration with other State Representatives to address these issues related to education.

The second major issue that needs our attention is Act 13 related to Macellus Shale. The result of this Act means that discretionary decision making of local elected officials has been removed. While it seems unlikely that this district would be affected by drilling or the laying of pipelines, it is very likely that fracking waste water treatment plants will be built here. Act 13 means that a plant could be built right next door to the home of almost anyone in the district, and there would be nothing we could do about it. The appearance of waste water plants in this area would be due to the potential damage or our water supply. My background is farming, and as such, I have a deep feeling for our environment. My sense is that the drilling of these wells has the potential to be as detrimental to our area as coal strip mining did so many years ago!

Additionally, the economic return from these wells is also out of balance. If there were a reasonable excise tax imposed on this project and we eliminated specific tax loopholes, there would be sufficient funding available to reverse the cuts in educational funding and other essential services. I intend to work diligently on these issues!