Voter's Guide 2012

Make your vote count at the polls Tuesday, Nov. 6

Meet the candidates

The Sentinelwww.cumberlink.com

Tuesday, October 30

D2 • The Sentinel Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Polling places in Cumberland CountyHere are Cumberland County’s

polling places. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

Camp Hill 1Fredricksen Library100 N. 19th Street, Camp HillCamp Hill 2Prosser Hall2145 Walnut Street, Camp HillCamp Hill 3Schaeffer Elementary School2900 Walnut Street, Camp HillCamp Hill 4Fiala Memorial Community BldgSouth 21st Street & Dickinson Ave,

Camp HillCamp Hill 5Camp Hill High School Band

Room24th & Chestnut Streets, Camp

HillCarlisle 1-1St. John’s Episcopal Church1 N. Hanover Street, CarlisleCarlisle 1-2Carlisle Alliance Church237 E. North Street, CarlisleCarlisle 2Carlisle Band Hall35 E. South Street, CarlisleCarlisle 3-1Grace United Methodist Church45 S. West Street, CarlisleCarlisle 3-2Forest Park Health Center700 Walnut Bottom Road, CarlisleCarlisle3-3Carlisle Baptist Church701 Walnut Bottom Road, CarlisleCarlisle 4-1One West Penn Apartments –

Community Room1 West Penn Street, CarlisleCarlisle 4-2Grace Baptist Church777 W. North Street, CarlisleCarlisle 5Stuart Community Center415 Franklin Street, CarlisleCookeCooke Township Building1700 Centerville Road, NewvilleDickinson NorthDickinson Township Building219 Mountain View Road, Mt. HollyDickinson SouthMt. Zion Evangelical Lutheran

Church4200 Carlisle Road, GardnersEast Pennsboro 1Oyster Mill Playhouse1001 Oyster Mill Road, Camp HillEast Pennsboro 2 and 4West Enola Fire Company118 Chester Road, EnolaEast Pennsboro 3West Creek Hills Elementary

School

400 Erford Road, Camp HillEast Pennsboro 5Midway Fire Company #217 E. Manor Ave, EnolaEast Pennsboro 6West Fairview Goodwill Fire Com-

pany #13rd & Abolition Streets, EnolaEast Pennsboro 7Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic

Church225 Salt Road, EnolaEast Pennsboro 8East Penn Elementary School840 Panther Parkway, EnolaEast Pennsboro 9East Penn Senior Center @East Penn Township Building98 S. Enola Drive, EnolaEast Pennsboro 10Northeast Fire & Rescue202 Third Street, SummerdaleHampden 1Hampden Twp. Recreation Build-

ing – Community Room5001 Park Street, MechanicsburgHampden 2Hampden Township Emergency

Services Building295 S. Sporting Hill Road, Mechan-

icsburgHampden 3Full Gospel Church of God220 St. John’s Church Road, Camp

HillHampden 4St. Timothy Lutheran Church4200 Carlisle Pike, Camp HillHampden 5 & 6Good Hope Middle School451 Skyport Road, MechanicsburgHampden 7West Shore Brethren in Christ

Church1085 Orrs Bridge Road, Mechan-

icsburgHampden 8New Covenant Fellowship Church4500 Creekview Road, Mechan-

icsburgHampden 9Emergency Services Building

North.1200 Good Hope Road, Mechan-

icsburgHampden 10Aldersgate United Methodist

Church1480 Jerusalem Road, Mechanic-

sburgHampden 11St. James Presbyterian Church1425 Orrs Bridge Road, Mechan-

icsburgHampden 12Capital Area Christian Church1775 Lambs Gap Road, Mechan-

icsburg

HopewellHopewell Township Building415 Three Square Hollow Road,

NewburgLemoyne 1Trinity Lutheran Church509 Hummel Ave, LemoyneLemoyne 2West Shore Bureau of Fire, Sta-

tion 1326 Herman Ave, LemoyneLemoyne 3Calvary United Methodist Church700 Market Street, LemoyneLemoyne 4Lemoyne Community Building510 Herman Ave, LemoyneLower Allen 1 and LA 1 AnnexLower Allen Twp. Fire Company #2800 S. Rupp Ave, MechanicsburgLower Allen 2Christian Life Assembly2645 Lisburn Road, Camp HillLower Allen 3Municipal Services Center2233 Gettysburg Road, Camp HillLower Allen 4Faith United Church of Christ1120 Drexel Hills Blvd, New Cum-

berlandLower Allen 5Christ Presbyterian Church421 Deerfield Road, Camp HillLower Allen 6Bethany Village325 Wesley Drive, MechanicsburgLower FrankfordLower Frankford Township Build-

ing1205 Easy Road, CarlisleLower MifflinLower Mifflin Township Building529 Shed Road, NewvilleMechanicsburg 1St. Mark’s Lutheran Church117 W. Keller Street, Mechanics-

burgMechanicsburg 2-1Mech. Presbyterian Church300 E. Simpson Street, Mechan-

icsburgMechanicsburg 2-2Wesley United Methodist Church201 S. Filbert Street, Mechanics-

burgMechanicsburg 3First Church of God Community

Center.201 E. Green Street, Mechanics-

burgMechanicsburg 4Mechanicsburg Municipal Center36 W. Allen Street, MechanicsburgMechanicsburg 5Citizen’s Fire and Rescue #2208 S. York Street, MechanicsburgMiddlesex 1Middlesex Township Building

350 N. Middlesex Road, CarlisleMiddlesex 2Hickorytown United Methodist

Church1677 Trindle Road, CarlisleMonroe 1Monroe Municipal Building1220 Boiling Springs Road, Me-

chanicsburgMonroe 2Monroe Fire Company1225 Peffer Road, MechanicsburgMt. Holly SpringsCitizens Fire Company #1100 Chestnut Street, Mt. Holly

SpringsNew Cumberland 1-1New Cumberland River Rescue319 4th Street, New CumberlandNew Cumberland 2-1New Cumberland River Rescue

Building12th & Market Streets, New Cum-

berlandNew Cumberland 2-2St. Theresa Parish1300 Bridge Street, New Cumber-

landNew Cumberland 2-3New Cumberland Library – Foun-

dation Hall498 9th Street, New CumberlandNewburgNewburg-Hopewell Fire Dept106 N. High Street, NewburgNewville North and SouthFriendship Fire Company #115 E. Big Spring Ave, NewvilleNorth Middleton 1North Middleton Fire Company #22061 Spring Road, CarlisleNorth Middleton 2Lighthouse Church of God910 Cavalry Road, CarlisleNorth Middleton 3North Middleton Fire Company #1310 N. Middleton Road, CarlisleNorth NewtonNorth Newton Twp. Community

Park Building528 Oakville Road, ShippensburgPennPenn Township Volunteer Fire Com-

pany1750 Pine Road, NewvilleShippensburg EastOasis of Love Church303 S. Washington Street, Shippens-

burgShippensburg MiddleFirst Church of God Annex5 N. Prince Street, ShippensburgShippensburg TownshipConference Center at Shippensburg

University500 Newburg Road, ShippensburgShiremanstownShiremanstown Borough Hall

1 Park Lane, ShiremanstownSilver Spring 1New Kingstown Fire Company277 N. Locust Point Road, Mechan-

icsburgSilver Spring 2Good News Free Methodist Church124 State Road, MechanicsburgSilver Spring 3Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church208 Woods Drive, MechanicsburgSilver Spring 4Silver Spring Presbyterian Church444 Silver Spring Road, Mechanic-

sburgSilver Spring 5CV High School Gym, Door 106746 Carlisle Pike, MechanicsburgSilver Spring 6St. Katharine Drexel Church1 Peter Drive, MechanicsburgSilver Spring 7Silver Spring Township Social Hall6471 Carlisle Pike, MechanicsburgSilver Spring 8Cumberland Perry Vo-Tech110 Old Willow Mill Road, Mechan-

icsburgSilver Spring 9St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran

Church6389 Wertzville Road, EnolaSouth Middleton 1Mt. Victory United Methodist Church1 Victory Church Road, GardnersSouth Middleton 2South Middleton Township Building520 Park Drive, Boiling SpringsSouth Middleton 3Mt. Holly Springs Church of God602 McLand Road, Mt. Holly SpringsSouth Middleton 4St. Patrick Church85 Marsh Drive, CarlisleSouth Middleton 5Carlisle Evangelical Free Church290 Petersburg Road, CarlisleSouth Middleton 6 AND 7Citizens Fire Co. #1405 Forge Road, Boiling SpringsSouth Middleton 8Carlisle First Church of the Brethren1340 Forge Road, CarlisleSouth Middleton 9Otterbein United Methodist Church647 Forge Road, CarlisleSouth NewtonSouth Newton Township Volunteer

Fire Co.16 Firehouse Road, Walnut BottomSouthampton LowerSouthampton Township Building200 Airport Road, ShippensburgSouthampton Upper 1Middle Spring Presbyterian Church135 Middle Spring Road, Shippens-

burgSouthampton Upper 2

Southampton Township Multi-Pur-pose Center

56 Cleversburg Road, ShippensburgUpper Allen 1Daybreak Church321 Gettysburg Pike, Mechanics-

burgUpper Allen 2Grantham Brethren in Christ Church421 Grantham Road, Mechanics-

burgUpper Allen 3Shepherdstown United Methodist

Church1934 S. York Street, MechanicsburgUpper Allen 4St. Peter Lutheran Church130 Nittany Drive, MechanicsburgUpper Allen 5Bowmansdale Church of God101 E. Lisburn Road, Mechanic-

sburgUpper Allen 6Crossroads Community Church1425 S. Market Street, Mechan-

icsburgUpper Allen 7Messiah Village100 Mount Allen Drive, Mechan-

icsburgUpper Allen 8Upper Allen Township Municipal

Building100 Gettysburg Pike, Mechan-

icsburgUpper Allen 9Immanuel Alliance Church800 S. Market Street, Mechan-

icsburgUpper Allen 10Temple Beth Shalom of Greater

Harrisburg913 Allendale Road, Mechan-

icsburgUpper FrankfordUpper Frankford Fire Company

#14080 Enola Road, NewvilleUpper MifflinUpper Mifflin Township Build-

ing4 5 5 W h i s k e y R u n R o a d ,

NewvilleWest Pennsboro LowerWest Penn Volunteer Fire Com-

pany20 Park Road, PlainfieldWest Pennsboro UpperNewville Assembly of God403 Oak Flat Road, NewvilleWormleysburg 1Knisely HallS. 2nd & Market Streets, Worm-

leysburgWormleysburg 2Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox

Church1000 Yverdon Drive, Camp Hill

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 The Sentinel • D3

Vote the Cumberland CountyRepublican Team!

MiTT RoMney & Paul Ryanpresident & vice president

Paid for by Cumberland County Republican CommitteeJohn Gross, Chairman Paul Fisher, CPA, Treasurer

Tom SmithU.S. Senate

David FreedAttorney General

John MaherAuditor General

Diana IreyVaughanTreasurer

Lou BarlettaU.S. Congress11th District

Patricia VanceState Senate

31st Senatorial District

Scott PerryU. S. Congress4th District

Glen Grell87th District

Rob Kauffman89th District

Mike Regan92nd District

Stephen Bloom199th District

Sheryl Delozier88th District

D4 • The Sentinel Tuesday, October30, 2012

What issues would you want to focus on as attorney general?

As Pennsylvania’s next Attorney General I will bring peace-of-mind to families concerned for the safety of their chil-dren, security to adults who worry about the vulnerability of their ag-ing parents, protections to consumers, and con-fidence to law abiding citizens and businesses that shouldn’t have to worry about political corruption or an over-reaching government.

I will also create a Cyber Crime Center to bring together law enforcement agen-cies across the state and nation to identify and address new tech-nologies used by crimi-nals; a Synthetic Drug Task Force to wage war against the nefarious chemists were devis-ing new formulations to get in the hands of users, addicts and worst of all – experimenting kids; and Special Victims Unit where specially-trained attorneys and victim service personnel will advocate on behalf of victims of crime and

work with community agencies to ensure that they receive the neces-sary, timely services and timely justice.

How have recent news headlines impacted your view on the role of an attorney general?

Public corruption, ille-gal and synthetic drugs, child abuse, technology- driven crimes such as elder abuse and identity theft and the Jerry San-dusky case have domi-nated the news. These crimes aren’t just some-thing we hear about, they are crimes that have had an impact in the lives of our neighbors and our communities.

They also show that Pennsylvania’s next At-torney General must be a highly qualified prosecu-tor who has experience making the tough calls and understands when vigilance must turn into aggressive action. I be-lieve prosecutors don’t just prosecute cases. They must be nimble enough to react to cur-rent trends and able to institute changes to ad-dress the pressing needs

of law enforcement.As a 15-year pros-

ecutor and Cumberland County’s District At-torney since 2006, I have the boots on the ground experience – convict-ing murderers, running grand jury investiga-tions, taking down child pornographers and lock-ing up drug dealers, child molesters and arsonists – that Pennsylvania fam-ilies, seniors, communi-ties and businesses can trust to make them safer and more secure.

What can you bring to the position of AG that no one else can?

Proven experience and unmatched qualifica-tions. Like my opponent I too was an Assistant District Attorney. How-ever my experience goes way beyond that. I was also the First Assistant District Attorney and for the last 7 years I have been an elected District Attorney. I am the only candidate in this race whose name has been on the bottom line; running a law enforcement office and deciding whether there is enough evidence to proceed.

As Vice President of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association, I have also worked with my colleagues across the state to ensure that con-victions are convictions with integrity. I have led the efforts to make bath salts and synthetic mari-juana illegal and helped to close the loopholes in Megan’s Law.

I am also the only candidate in this race to be endorsed by over 40 Pennsylvania District Attorneys.

What do you think voters want from an attorney general?

The voters want an Attorney General with the proven experience and qualifications they can trust to make them safer and more secure. They want an Attor-ney General who is a practicing prosecutor. They want an Attorney General who knows how to navigate the need to be tough on crime and smart on crime at the same time. They want an Attorney General who will protect our rights and state sovereignty by fighting against over-

reaching power grabs by the federal government. They want an Attorney General who will protect the taxpayers by rooting out corruption, waste, fraud and abuse from any source – whether in the board rooms of Penn-sylvania corporations or in the back rooms of Pennsylvania govern-ment. And they want an Attorney General who will always do the right thing for the right reason – regardless of the con-sequences.

How much of a role does politics play into the position of attorney general?

Politics will not play into the position if I am elected Attorney General. I will not act politically expedient. I will not set aside what is right for some larger political cause. What you will see is someone who does the right thing for the right reason, regard-less of the consequence. That is what I have done as Cumberland County’s District Attorney for the last 7 years and that is what I will do as Attor-ney General.

State Attorney General

David Freed - Republican


State Attorney General

Kathleen Kane - Democrat

What issues would you want to focus on as attorney general?

My top priorities as attor-ney general will be:

Fighting violent crimes. I’ll work with state and local law enforcement to prosecute violent criminals and crimi-nal organizations that traffic in illegal drugs and weapons and use violence to further their illegal purposes.

Putting sexual predators behind bars. I specialized in the prosecution of sexual abuse and have called for ending the statute of limita-tions against prosecuting sexual predators. I proposed a Child Protection Initia-tive to dramatically increase the number of investigators and prosecutors dedicated to protecting Pennsylvania’s children, expanded reporting requirements for suspected child abuse, and increase information sharing on sus-pected predators.

Fighting public corrup-

tion. Holding elected officials and government employees accountable, regardless of party, will be a priority. I will use my experience in pros-ecuting corruption, including my work to put away a cor-rupt judge, in helping clean up government in Pennsyl-vania.

Protecting seniors and oth-er Pennsylvanians from fraud and theft. The well-docu-mented corporate activities contributing to the economic downturn and housing crisis have demonstrated the need for Pennsylvania to have an active consumer watch-dog protecting its citizens’ interests. I will aggressively use the civil and criminal en-forcement powers to pursue justice for defrauded indi-viduals and their families.

How have recent news headlines (Sandusky scandal, synthetic drugs, etc.) impacted your view on the role of an attorney general?

The recent headlines serve as an important reminder of the strong impact the Attor-ney General has on the lives of Pennsylvanians and on the importance of having a tough and independent prosecutor in that office. As the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the Commonwealth, the Attorney General is often the last line of defense for victims of crime. From these headlines, it is abundantly clear that politics must be removed from the Attorney General’s Office.

What can you bring to the position of attorney general that no one else can?

What I bring that no one

else can to the Attorney Gen-eral’s Office is my political independence and lengthy experience as a prosecutor of child sexual assault. We need a prosecutor not a politician as Attorney General. I am an experienced prosecutor who has never before run for of-fice. My opponent was hand-picked by Governor Corbett and the Harrisburg estab-lishment. In addition, with over 12 years of experience in the prosecution of child sexual assault, I am the only candidate with the special-ized training and experience needed to prosecute these types of crimes.

What do you think voters want from an attorney general?

Pennsylvanians’ want a tough, experienced Attorney General who is independent from the politics of Harris-burg. Pennsylvanians want to know that politics will never be placed above the safety

of their families. I commit to

them that I will be a prosecu-

tor, not a politician, in that

office.

How much of a role

does politics play

into the position of

attorney general?

I have said since I began

my campaign that politics

should play no part in an At-

torney General’s decisions.

Pennsylvanian’s Attorney

General must be an indepen-

dent watchdog for the people

of our Commonwealth. Poli-

tics has no place in the At-

torney General’s Office, and

if I am fortunate enough to

your next Attorney General,

politics will have no place in

mine.


What are the most important issues? What should PA residents be most concerned about?

The most important issue facing our nation is growing the economy and creating jobs. I am running to preserve the American Dream for our children and grand-children. This country afforded me the oppor-tunity to live that dream – as a union coal miner, I mortgaged everything to start my own energy company. Through hard work and perseverance, I grew that company creating hundreds of jobs here in Pennsyl-vania. It’s time we stop the deficit spending, start paying down the debt and relax the op-pressive overregulation that has stifled eco-nomic growth and left more than a half-mil-lion Pennsylvanians still without work. Partisan gridlock and career politicians like Bob Casey have failed to deliver solutions for the many challenges we face. I will bring a com-mon-sense business approach that is fo-

cused on solutions, not politics.

Government spending is a widespread issue across all the races (from the local level up to the presidential race). What specific ways will you cut spending? How is the budget situation unique in Pennsylvania when compared with other states?

I’ll concede that both parties have played a role in creating the eco-nomic turmoil we are experiencing. However, since Bob Casey was elected, our national debt has nearly dou-bled, now $16 trillion. Senator Casey has voted to raise the debt ceiling seven times, while never offering a single solu-tion to reign in the out-of-control spending. And for more than three years, the career politi-cians in congress have failed to pass a budget. I have a few simple ideas

to get our spending under control. First, if Congress doesn’t do its job by passing a bud-get, they don’t get paid. Second, let’s pass a bal-anced budget amend-ment – the American people deserve elected representatives who will respect their hard-earned tax dollars. Fi-nally, I believe that we need to examine every department, agency and program to root out waste, abuse and dupli-cated services

What do you think is slowing economic recovery in PA?

Economic recovery is suffocated by burden-some regulation, overly complicated taxation, and lack of leadership from the highly par-tisan polarization in Washington. My plan to ‘Restore the Ameri-can Dream’ simpli-fies the tax code, ends out-of-control federal spending, fights over-regulation, empowers domestic energy, and reforms our health care and social security pro-gram through common sense reforms.

How will you help create jobs? What industries are unique to PA that will create jobs and help grow the economy?

I’ve proposed a de-tailed plan to grow the economy and create jobs – you can read it on my website: http://www.tomsmithfors-enate.com. In six years, Bob Casey has not passed a single bill to create jobs, and has failed to propose a plan of his own. I will help to create jobs by work-ing in Washington to get government out of the way and off the backs of the American people. This includes stopping deficit spend-ing by passing a Bal-anced Budget Amend-ment. We need to throw out the current tax code and replace it with a simple flat tax that eliminates special interest loopholes and allows for long term planning. We also must reign in overregulation by the federal govern-ment that is crushing economic recovery. By

doing this we will help grow industries that are essential to Pennsylva-nians. Industries such as the coal and Mar-cellus Shale that will help secure our energy independence. Pennsyl-vania’s largest industry, agriculture, relies on the free market and cre-ates jobs far away from the farm. Other indus-tries will be essential to Pennsylvania’s growth like manufacturing, the medical industry, bio-technology, and infor-mation technology.

What direction would you like to see our country go in?

Hardworking Ameri-cans, allowed to keep more of their hard earned money and dream big dreams, are the path to prosperity. I believe that the private sector creates jobs, not government spend-ing and government programs. We need to empower the hardwork-ing American with a healthy economy to live the American dream.

U.S. Senate

Tom Smith - Republican


What are the most important issues? What should PA residents be most concerned about?

The most important issue facing Pennsylvania and the country is how we grow the economy and create good paying middle class jobs. As Pennsyl-vania’s Senator, I led the fight to pass the payroll tax cut which put more money into the pockets of middle class Pennsylva-nians and I opposed unfair trade deals that ship jobs overseas, while protect-ing and strengthening Medicare for seniors. My opponent is running to implement the Tea Party economic agenda that will crush the middle class and end Medicare as we know it. Tom’s Smith plan would cut taxes for millionaires and billion-aires, allow China to keep cheating and raise taxes on the middle class by $2, 400. Tom Smith’s plan would end Medicare’s guaranteed benefit and increase costs for Penn-sylvania seniors by $6,

400.

Government spending is a widespread issue across all the races (from the local level up to the presidential race). What specific ways will you cut spending?

How is the budget situ-ation unique in Pennsyl-vania when compared with other states? I’ve voted to cut over $1 tril-lion in spending from the budget and I think we need to cut more. Earlier this year I supported the Budget Control Act which would actually cap spend-ing on programs to bring down the debt and deficit. As a former Auditor, I know how to find waste and abuse in budget. I’ll continue to insist that Congress tackles waste in the budget and ends duplicative programs that aren’t working. The bot-tom line is that we need to continue to cut spending, and do it in a balanced way that maintains criti-cal investments in educa-

tion and investment while asking millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share.

What do you think is slowing economic recovery in PA?

Pennsylvania has the best workforce in the world. They just need a fair shot. One challenge Pennsylvania’s economy faces - particularly in the area of manufactur-ing - is unfair trade and outsourcing. When China and other countries cheat, hardworking Pennsylva-nians lose jobs. In Con-gress, I led the effort to pass bipartisan legislation that would stop China from cheating and steal-ing our manufacturing jobs and I opposed unfair trade deals to Colombia and South Korea that will cost more jobs. I also have a plan to end tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas and instead give tax breaks to compa-nies that create Pennsyl-vania jobs.

How will you help create jobs? What industries are unique to PA that will create jobs and help grow the economy?

Growing the middle class is the key to moving Pennsylvania’s economy forward. The best way to grow the middle class is to keep their taxes low, invest in priorities that create jobs and ensure that we tackle outsourc-ing. Natural gas devel-opment can provide a major economic boost to the Commonwealth. I’ve authored several pieces of legislation that would increase investments in natural gas development so that more Pennsylva-nians can find work in this growing industry.


This election is a choice between two very differ-ent visions for Pennsylva-nia and the country. I have a plan to strengthen the middle class by invest-

ing in important priorities like infrastructure and ed-ucation, keeping taxes low and fighting unfair trade practices that ships jobs overseas. What we need in the Senate are people willing to reach across the aisle and compromise to get things done. I have a record of working with both parties to find com-mon ground and produce results, and I’ll continue to do so. My opponent is run-ning to enact the Tea Par-ty’s agenda. Tom Smith’s plan would end Medicare’s guaranteed benefit for seniors, privatize Social Se-curity and give millionaires and billionaires a new $250, 000 tax cut while forcing the middle class to pay $2, 400 more. Tom Smith has promised to go to Wash-ington to enact the Tea Party agenda. When I ran for U.S. Senate I promised Pennsylvanians I would always put our state first and be an independent voice and I have.

U.S. Senate

Sen. Bob Casey - Democrat


What do you think about the redistricting process? Is it fair or does it need to change?

Congressional redis-tricting is very different from the process for the State House and Senate. Instead of a committee of five people determining the map, the legislature must approve the reapportion-ment and in drawing the congressional districts this year, there was biparti-san support. When they determined the boundaries for the “new” 11th District, they created a very fair dis-trict. It is 44% Democrat and 43% Republican.

How has redistricting affected your position on issues? Have some issues become more important than others now that the geography of the district has changed?

The geography of the 11th District might have changed, but the issues have not. Whether I’m in Cumberland County or Luzerne County, every-one agrees that gas prices are too high. Farmers in

both Perry County and Columbia County are wor-ried that new Washing-ton regulations will make keeping the farm harder and harder and, if they are lucky enough to hold onto the farm, that their chil-dren will lose it if Presi-dent Obama is successful in bringing back the death tax. And, no matter where I go, everyone agrees that we need people in Washing-ton that understand how to bring people together, solve the tough problems, and get things done with jobs being job number one.

Government spending is a widespread issue across all the races (from the local level up to the presidential race.) What specific ways will you cut spending in your district? How is the budget situation unique in your district? What should resident in your district be most concerned about?

Under President Obama, the debt increased by $5.38 trillion or 51% bringing our debt to $16 trillion for the first time in our nation’s

history. To put it another way, every child born today owes the federal govern-ment more than $51,000 to pay off their share of the national debt.

It is unacceptable to me, as I am sure it is to the American people, to saddle our children and grandchil-dren with inescapable debt.

I’ve only been in Con-gress for two years, but during each of those years, we did our part by passing a budget. The Senate on the other hand, hasn’t passed a budget in four years. Our budgets, like the 39 jobs bills we passed to get Americans back to work, go to the Senate to die.

President Obama did draw up a budget of his own. It raised taxes by $2 trillion and added over $11 trillion to the national debt leaving a debt bomb ticking in the hands of the next generation. No one could support his budget. When it came time for a vote, not a single Democrat – not even Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid – voted for the President’s budget.

We are in a spending-driven debt crisis that we cannot tax our way out of.

It’s time for Washington to get serious about our debt and rein in out-of-

control spending. Wash-ington needs to live within its means, just like most American families do. The President should exert whatever influence he has over the Senate and get them to pass a budget. Then, we should pass a bal-anced budget amendment to prevent this debt crisis from every happening again. In short – Wash-ington needs to live within its means, just like most American families do.

What are the most important issues in your district?

There are still more than 23 million Americans un-employed, underemployed, or have simply stopped looking for work. One in six Americans live in pov-erty and 47 million people still depend on food stamps to feed themselves and their families. Since Presi-dent Obama took office, we’ve lost 600,000 manu-facturing jobs – 38,000 in the last two months alone.

Americans need jobs and a healthy economy to sup-port them.

Another issue of con-cern to many in our district is protecting Medicare. Medicare is scheduled to

run out of money in 2024 – just twelve years from now – if Washington con-tinues to do nothing to save it. Obamacare makes it worse by taking $716 billion dollars from the program. That’s one of the reasons I voted over 30 times to repeal Obamacare and why we developed a plan that saves Medicare, protects benefits exactly as they are today for anyone 55 or older, and creates a new benefit plan for younger workers.

Finally, there is the issue of taxation. At the start of next year, there is a massive tax increase scheduled to go into effect. According to the Heritage Founda-tion, our district alone will see an average tax increase in 2013 of $2,421 per tax return. Across the country, 940,000 small businesses will be hit with higher taxes and we will lose 700,000 jobs. I’ve voted to stop this tax increase but, as is too often the case, the Senate has failed to act to stop them. The American people must demand that

U.S. 11 House

Rep. Lou Barletta - Republican

• See Barletta, D10


What do you think about the redistricting process? Is it fair or does it need to change?

The new 11th Congres-sional district is 200 miles long and contains parts or all of 9 counties from Shippensburg to just south of the New York State bor-der. The new Republican controlled redistricting has destroyed the geographic cohesiveness of the old congressional district lines and Cumberland County’s unique position in the old district. I was opposed to changing the old district lines. The redistricting process should be con-trolled by a independent, non-partisan board that looks at geographic cohe-siveness so all the citizens of Cumberland County would be in the same con-gressional district in the future.

How has redistricting affected your position on issues? Have some issues become more important than others now that the geography of the district has changed?

Protecting our military installations is one of the most important tasks that I would perform as your Congressman. The new 11th Congressional District has six of country’s best military installations with-in or near it’s borders. We have the Army War Col-lege, the Letterkenny Army Depot, the Mechanicsburg Naval Support Depot, the Army’s New Cumber-land Defense Distribution Depot, the Indiantown Gap National Guard base, the Army Heritage center and the Tobyhanna Army Depot. As your Congress-man I would form the 11th Congressional District Military Installation Pro-tection Commission which would work with the Gov-ernor’s Base Commission, the Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce base protection efforts and all other counties’ efforts to

protect all the bases in the 11th Congressional District. We must keep our military strong and our ability to fight the conflicts of the 21st century at the most advanced levels, whether the threat be conventional or from a terrorist source.

Government spending is a widespread issue across all the races (from the local level up to the presidential race.) What specific ways will you cut spending in your district? How is the budget situation unique in your district? What should resident in your district be most concerned about?

In order to bring the country into financial balance, unnecessary programs in each Federal department that waste ten of billions of dollars must be eliminated. Programs that are duplicative must be consolidated. Tens of billions in earmarks for special interests must be eliminated. The strangle-hold that the largest corpo-

rate lobbyists have on our Congress must be broken so that the largest corpora-tions pay their fair tax share and lift the huge tax burden off our small businesses which create a large portion of new jobs. Congress has let 35% of the country’s 275 largest corporations pay minimal taxes because the largest corporations have a strangled on incum-bents through campaign contributions. Unneces-sary private contractors with no-bid, open ended contracts must be stopped. I am committed to working with Congressmen on both sides of the aisle to avoid the extremes of either party and arrive at workable, productive and economi-cally sensible policies for the financial survival of our country. My Congressional goal is to provide leadership for a functioning, produc-tive, responsible Congress that never brings our coun-try to a fiscal cliff again.

What are the most important issues in your district?

The most important interests in the new 11th Congressional district are

the return to full employ-ment, preserving Medicare and Social Security, guard-ing health care access for the middle class and the poor, honoring and helping our veterans, protecting and improving the local employment levels and full missions of all our local military installations, lift-ing the tax burdens from small businesses so that jobs will flourish, giving our students in schools from K through college the financial support help that is necessary to make sure our graduates are the most advanced in the world, lowering the property tax burden, repairing our roads, bridges and infra-structure, and protecting our air,water and lands. To protect our seniors I am for preserving Medicare and against the costly voucher system. I am for preserv-ing Social Security and I am against privatizing Social Security which would open the program to the dangers of Wall Street, stock market financial collapses.

U.S. 11 House

Gene Stilp - Democrat

• See Stilp, D10


U.S. Senators and the President join with House Republicans to stop this tax increase dead in its tracks.


Entrepreneurship is at a 17 year low. The federal government creates a

new regulation every hour and fifty-five min-utes of every day, creating 3,868 new regulations a year. Gas prices have more than doubled in President Obama’s first term. Unemployment hasn’t been this high for this long since the Great Depression. Half of all Americans are now considered poor or low income.

A shocking statistic

that really brings it home to me is this: in a recent poll, only 17% percent of mothers believed their children would have a brighter future.

We must bring cer-tainty to the economy by stopping the massive tax hikes that are on the hori-zon, roll back the red tape that is strangling our businesses, and develop a smart energy policy that both lowers the

price at the pump and stops sending billions of dollars a day overseas to countries that don’t like us very much.

If we do that, if we force Washington to take its foot off the throat of American businesses and work-ers, we will restore promise of America – that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.


The United States must have a functioning Congress that stays away from partisan bickering, and extreme positions from either side. As your Congressman I will work with both sides to find the best solutions for our future. Our citizens are demanding that Congress free itself from the control of the largest corporate lobbyists who give incumbents

huge political contributions and who let the largest corpora-tions pay little or no taxes while small business and middle class families are burdened with over-whelming taxes. Our country must move toward full employ-ment, a streamlined govern-ment, a balanced budget, the best educational institutions in the world, a military with the best capabilities in the world to end any terrorist threats to our nation, and a strong safety net for our most vulnerable citizens.

• Continued from D9

Stilp• Continued

from D8

Barletta

Election Day scenes from around Cumberland County

Sentinel file photos

Far right: Katie Moon, 17, helps Glen Railing begin the voting process at St. John’s Episco-pal Church on the Square in Carlisle.Right: Vera Minnich concen-trates while casting her vote at St. John’s Episocopal Church.Above: Abby Beam, left, and Nicholas Minnich make their way into Carlisle’s St. John’s Episocal Church to cast their votes.


What is your opinion about the redistricting process? Is it fair or does it need to change?

In my opinion, the redistricting process should be handled by a non-partisan commission that uses math-ematical models to draw the districts. Iowa and Colorado use this process and both have highly competitive elections and significantly better voter participation (your vote really does matter).

The geography of the 4th district has changed. How do you think this has changed the priority of issues residents face? What are the important issues in your district?

Different parts of the District have different issues. Two major metro-politan areas in the Commonwealth are now in the 4th Congressional District, Harrisburg and York. Both present a unique set of problems as-sociated with urban environments. Adams County remains predomi-nately dependent on the agricultural industry and presents a different set of issues. Overall the pressing issues in the District include getting the economy going again so that we can have some significant job growth, making sure that the Social Security and Medicare programs are not cut, getting public education into stronger shape, and making sure that individ-uals rights are protected. We also will be facing important questions about protecting our environmental quality in the near future and currently with respect to natural gas drilling in the Commonwealth.

Government spending is a widespread issue across all the races (from the local level up to the presidential race). What specific ways will you cut spending in your own district? How is the budget situation unique in your district?

Government spending has to be trimmed in order to address the debt and deficit issues. But spend-ing cuts is not sufficient and in some ways we need to be spending more money, specifically on infrastructure investment, public education invest-ment, and investment in research and development for new products and processes to build new industries. All of this spending should actually be investment. I will seek to balance spending cuts, revenue increases and investments in order to grow our economy and assure our economic future.

What makes you uniquely qualified for the Congressional seat?

I have a unique combination of edu-cation and life experiences including owning a small business and working for large corporations. I have degrees in English, Engineering and Busi-ness. I have worked low paying hourly

U.S. 4 HouseHarry Perkinson - Democrat

• See Perkinson, D12


All of this is handled at the state level where it should be. However the entire process is treated like political football to ensure that the party in control can keep the majority of their seats and try and obtain other seats by manipulating the voter data by party registration. Is it fair? Not in the least. As a Libertar-ian however, I worry more about ballot access laws and the ridiculous ways that the Republicans and Democrats work together to keep minor parties from obtaining ballot access.


The district has only added Harris-burg. As I explained above, it was done in an attempt to absorb majority Demo-cratic voters into a majority Republican district. The economy and jobs is still the main issue of this and most districts across the United States.


Cutting spending in my own district if elected can be accomplished by eliminating two of the three district offices, and creating one centralized office to serve the citizens. Most con-tact is done by email and telephone, and a Congressman/woman can only be in one place at a time. I feel that it would benefit the citizens directly but if elected, I also plan to do at least one town hall meeting per week

somewhere throughout the district to compensate for having only one dis-trict office. I do not believe the budget situation (federal) is any different in the 4th District over the rest of the country. Work must be done to reduce the size of the federal government, re-duce regulations and eliminate entire departments (see “A Plan” tab on my web site).


I have never held a political office and come from a struggling middle class. Being a police officer, I have integrity and will hold true to my principles, no matter what pressure would be applied by anyone in the federal government. I also believe that being a Libertarian would allow me to work with members of any political party and break the con-stant stream of party bickering that we now witness in Washington.


More freedom, less government! The economy, and eventually the citizens, will recover quicker with no govern-ment attempts to try and stimulate the economy by spending. I would like to see the federal government greatly reduce in size and work on the actual problems that are afflicting our country. I would also like to see a complete rever-sal of our interventionist foreign policy.

Mike Koffenberger - Independent


jobs and have been in man-agement at large and small companies, so I have seen the work environment from many different perspec-tives. I understand how hard being an hourly work-

er can be and the pressures on a business owner to keep a business going from day to day. I am an engineer not a career politician, and pledge to the constituents of the 4th Congressional District that my sole func-tion and priority in Wash-

ington will be to represent

them first and foremost

without regard to the wish-

es of any party, special in-

terests or my expectations

for a political career.

5. What direction would you like to see

our country go in?I would like to see us

make Government smart, efficient and responsive. I would like to reduce the waste, fraud and ineffi-

ciency in our Federal Gov-ernment and focus the ac-tivities of the Government on those areas where the most benefit to the greatest number of people can be realized. I would like to see a future in the United States where a person can receive a

great public education and where no one has to fear the power of an unconstrained Government. I want to see an economy that offers full employment and that pro-motes the ability of indi-viduals to create and oper-ate their own businesses.


Perkinson


The process that is in place does work, and as a sitting legislator, I have been a part of it. I think there are checks and balances to ensure that the final plan meets all con-stitutional tests, and this was demonstrated in the most recent review. While obvi-ously it would be ideal that a bipartisan, non-political solution would be developed without any opposition, this is not a realistic vision. It happens every 10 years and hope that we can get the next one done on time.

While the process that is in place isn’t perfect, I believe that for the most part it does work. When it comes to any process in the political arena, there are always going to be pluses and minuses to them. Ultimately we must ensure that the final plan meets all constitutional tests, and this was demonstrated in the most recent review which has yet to be complete with regard to districts in the General Assembly. While ob-viously it would be ideal that

a bipartisan, non-political solution would be developed without any opposition, I am not sure this is a realistic vision. This process occurs every ten years and I hope that next time they able to get it done in a more timely manner and that more defer-ence can be given regarding communities of interest. With that said, the Supreme Court decision with regard to “one man, one vote,” some-times make that difficult to accomplish.


I don’t think resident’s pri-orities have changed because they may or may not be in a new district. The 4th is a microcausm of Pennsylva-nia, and the nation as a whole with cities and urban areas, suburbs, rural settings, a diverse make up of manufac-turing, retail and agricultural concerns, etc. But there are

a few things that affect every citizen regardless of their lo-cation or circumstances. We need to set the conditions for job creation, not just select a few firms or sectors to en-courage. We need to reduce the regulatory burden on our businesses so they can com-pete in the global market-place. We need to reduce the tax burden on our citizens so they can keep more of what they earn and stimulate the economy while they improve their standard of living. And we need to make sure our infrastructure is improved so that we can support that job and population growth.

While there certainly have been some changes to the district, for the most part, I don’t believe that the

changes are that significant. I believe that the new 4th congressional district is a microcosm of Pennsylvania, and the nation as a whole with urban areas, suburbs and rural settings. I find it to have a diverse composi-tion of manufacturing, retail and agricultural concerns. Moreover, I feel that there are a few things that affect every citizen regardless of their location or circumstances. I don’t think a vast major-ity of resident’s priorities are going to change because of the congressional district they reside. I believe we need to create the right environ-ment to spur job creation, not just designate a few firms or sectors for precious federal dollars. We need to reduce the regulatory burden on our businesses so they can com-pete in the global market-place. We need to reduce the tax burden on our citizens so they can keep more of what they earn and stimulate the economy while they improve their standard of living. And we need to make sure our infrastructure is improved so that we can support that job and population growth.


Well, there is no 4th Con-gressional District spending budget, but overall, I support Federal Spending that is related to the core functions of the Federal government. I think that overlap in some areas is acceptable to support the states, but in many cases there is a federal duplica-tion of effort that should be eliminated. There is no valid reason for the feds to take money from the states, only to send it back, less the costs to administer that particular program. The 4th is a grow-ing and expanding district, with commensurate needs, so there may be instances where an increase in specific federal funds is needed, au-thorized and warranted.

U.S. 4 HouseRep. Scott Perry - Republican

• See Perry, D13

What are the most important issues? What should residents in your district be most concerned about?

I’ll continue to look at prop-erty tax reform, and elimi-nating the inheritance tax. I believe families should retain what they’ve earned over a lifetime, it shouldn’t be taken by the government.”

“Prevailing wage is an issue that I’ve monitored in both counties. I’ve co-sponsored legislation that would mod-ernize the law; we need to save taxpayer dollars and generate

local construction jobs.Transportation will continue

to be an issue in the district. We must come up with a plan that will subsidize our crumbling roadways, bridges and infrastructure, without burdening our taxpayers.

Agriculture is an area that I am always looking to protect and promote in my district. We were able to keep cigarette tax revenues allocated toward farmland preservation in this year’s budget. We also passed legislation eliminating the farmland inheritance tax.


We’ve been able to pass a budget, on time, for two consecutive years, under the Corbett administration. We need to continue to control spending in the Common-wealth. We’ve been able to pass

a budget that cut more than $1 billion, with no tax increases.

As always, my biggest com-mitment is that of controlling state spending without having a negative impact on the core functions of government. We must continue to adopt bud-gets that provide the services our local residents need most, without further dipping into the pockets of taxpayers.

Specifically, since taking office in 2009, I’ve cut well over $300,000 from my office expenditures. Also, I drive my personal car to Harrisburg, and don’t collect per-diems. I cur-rently have one of



PerryThere is no 4th Congres-

sional District spending budget per se, but overall, I am in support of federal spending that is related to the core functions of the federal government. I have always believed that the gov-ernment that governs best is the government which governs least. Addition-ally, I believe the best way to get our federal debt under control is to allow the free market to work and create jobs thus creating greater revenues coming in while at the same time reviewing programs and departments throughout the federal gov-ernment for ways to make them work more efficiently and cut waste. While I think that overlap in some areas is acceptable to support the states, in many cases there is a federal duplication of

effort that can and should be eliminated. As a supporter of the tenth amendment, there is no valid reason for the federal government to take money from the states, only to send it back, less the costs to administer that particular program. Wouldn’t it be bet-ter to allow the states to keep that revenue and allow them to administer as they see best in order to get a bigger bang for our buck. Furthermore, the 4th district is a grow-ing and expanding district, with commensurate needs, so there may be instances where an increase in specific federal funds is needed, au-thorized and warranted. I will be a fighter to make sure that our district is not short-changed.


I am the only candidate with legislative experi-ence and a record that all can see. I have been a small businessman, starting a company that still exists, so I know what it is like to make a payroll and meet my accounts receivable. I have served the commonwealth and nation in the military for 32 years, and that has given me first hand experience in defense and foreign policy, two critical components of a US Representative’s job description.

As a father, husband, busi-nessman, soldier and leader in the General Assembly; I believe I am the only candi-date who has the depth of experience needed to repre-sent the constituents of the 4th congressional district

and who can make an impact from day one. I am the only candidate who has legislative experience and a record that all can see. I have already had to make the tough votes for the citizens of the 92nd Dis-trict in Harrisburg and I will continue to do so for those in the 4th District in Wash-ington. I have worked across party lines to pass significant legislation that has made a difference in people’s lives. I have been a small business-man, starting a company that still exists, so I know what it is like to create jobs, make a payroll and meet my accounts receivable. I have served the commonwealth and nation in the military for 32 years, and that has given me first-hand experience in defense and foreign policy, two critical components of a U.S. Representative’s job description. For all these reasons and more, I feel I am

uniquely qualified to serve in the the office that I seek.


I do not want to be so presumptious as to say the country should go in one direction or another. I feel that is what the citizens will decide. I just want to help secure the freedoms for everyone to make their own decisions, to allow them to take the chances to succeed, without an overbearing gov-ernment dictating to them at every turn.

I do believe or country is headed in the wrong direc-tion. One of the reasons I decided to run for this office, was that I fear for the future of it and I wonder what shape it may be in for my young daughters when they become adults and become

parents themselves. Will they have the same op-portunities that existed for me? And as I have traveled the campaign trail, I have heard this same thing time and again from the voters. I believe we must reduce our country’s debt, stimulate economic growth and job creation, reduce bureau-cratic red tape and regulation to allow business to thrive, make sure we are educat-ing and training our future generations to compete and succeed in today’s world economy and protect indi-vidual freedoms. I want to help secure the freedoms for everyone to make their own decisions, to allow them to take the chances to succeed, without an overbearing gov-ernment dictating to them at every turn

State Senate 33rd DistrictSen. Rich Alloway - Republican

• See Alloway, D14


lowest-district operating budgets in the State Senate, with one of the smallest staffs.”

How will you create jobs? What specific industries are unique to this district that you feel are strong job creators?

“We can promote job growth and new business

opportunities in the dis-trict by keeping taxes low – I’ve never voted for a tax increase.”

“Also, during my first term in office, I’ve spon-sored several job fairs in Franklin and Adams coun-ties. Thousands of job-seekers attended, as well as hundreds of employers.”

“I’ve supported legisla-tion that would give tax-breaks to various new and small businesses. In this current economic climate, we need to be promoting

and encouraging small-business opportunities, not limiting them.”

What do you think of the way the Senate redistricting map has been handled? Is it a fair process or does it need to change?

“There was much debate over the original map, which was thrown-out by the State Supreme Court. The process is mandated by the constitution, every

10 years, and is based on population. It’s not a per-fect process but the public spoke its mind, and the court listened.”

“Under the new map, I lose a portion of Franklin County, retain all of Adams, and pick up Hanover in York County. Essentially, the center of my district shifts to Adams County. I’m also excited to repre-sent Hanover, with the eco-nomic development that’s occurring over there.”


“As legislators, we must strive to change govern-ment for the better, and remember that we are civil-servants.”

“Specifically, in the Com-monwealth of Pennsylva-nia, we have strengthened our Right-to-Know laws, but the fight is not over. We need to continue to reform state government.”

“We must continue pro-

tecting the core values of our constituents.”

“There is much more work to be done and I look forward to the challenges of the next four years. Some goals include holding the line on taxes and further reducing spending; creat-ing opportunities for busi-nesses to hire employees; and finding ways to shift taxes from property levies to a more equitable form of taxation.”


Alloway

What are the most important issues? What should residents in your district be most concerned about?

Family sustaining jobs are the most important issue. If we don’t bring more jobs to the district, people don’t work and they don’t pay their taxes. Bringing more businesses

with jobs to the entire 92nd district will bring in more tax dollars to the district, relieving hom-eowners of some property taxes.

Government spending is a widespread issue across all races (from the local level up to the presidential race). What specific ways will you cut spending in your district? How is the budget situation in your district?

York County has kept its spending $3.8 million be-low 2009 spending. Cum-berland County is on track in saving $1.2 million. One of the only places I seefor cutting spending is in the Governor’s office and the Legislature. That said, I

was under the impres-sion that the State Budget was the only budget, that the 92nd District didn’t have it’s own budget other than what the Represen-tative uses to run his own district.

How would you create jobs? What specific industries are unique to this district that you feel are strong job creators?

I would look for busi-nesses that are willing to work with our school districts that the business would come into the high schools and test our high school students aptitude to see if it’s compatible to their business. If it is then work out a plan where the business comes in and instruct our student’s and with the possibility of

unemployed local adults looking for work, on their manufacturing process. Hopefully this business would be able to interact with other machine shops and businesses that they would need to complete their products to help create family sustain-ing jobs. As far as specific industries unique to our area are machine shops, warehousing and some assembly. We need to at-tract businesses that will work together to a com-mon goal.

What do you think is slowing economic recovery in this district?

I know in my own school district, we have about 1% of business in the whole district. We need to ex-pand our business oppor-

tunities to this district and the whole 92nd District. This means all the munic-ipalities working together. After all, this would be to the benefit to everyone, especially homeowners, possibility stabilizing property taxes. Bring-ing more service oriented business would certainly increase the district’s tax base also.


We need to bring more manufacturing jobs, fam-ily sustaining jobs, back to the United States. If this means bringing more manufacturing auto parts for assembling new autos and manufacturing parts for new energy technol-ogy, what ever we need to do to attract this type of business to America.

State House 92nd DistrictCharles Comrey - Democrat


What are the most important issues in your district? What should residents in your district be most concerned about?

The most important issue facing our district is elect-ing a state representative who will advocate for the interests of our children and communities, and work to solve the problems facing our state today.

Unfortunately, the career politicians who control our state government, including our own state representative Rob Kauffman, have become discon-nected and indifferent to the challenges facing families in our state. Sadly, our elected officials seem more interested in partisan games and protecting their own jobs and perks than seriously tackling issues. They defend their right to $52 a day of taxpayer-funded lunch money while slashing the programs that help families. We need a state govern-ment that will spend every precious tax dollar wisely, and work to solve the seri-ous problems facing our state.

The most important issues in our district are:

• Creating quality, family-support-ing jobs here in the Cumberland Valley by growing our local economy through investments in infrastructure and job training;

• Controlling local property taxes by ensuring that profitable, multinational corporations pay their fair share for public services; and

•Strengthening our public schools to ensure that every child has the op-portunity for a quality education and a productive future.

How have you connected with the people in your district since there was no in-person debate?

It is unfortunate that our state repre-sentative, Rob Kauffman, has been so unwilling to engage voters or discuss his record in public forums. Residents of the 89th District deserve a representa-tive who is accessible and accountable to voters. No elected official should feel such a sense of entitlement to his office that he is unwilling to listen to his constituents, or attended a public forum where voters can ask questions about his positions or his votes. That is the heart of representative government. I don’t understand how Representa-tive Kauffman thinks he can represent the people of the 89th District if he is unwilling to talk to them.

Because Representative Rob Kauffman refused to engage in public debates, I held a series of open, public forums on the steps of the Franklin County Court-house where I explained my positions on issues and reviewed Representative Kauffman’s voting record. These were well publicized, and well attended by people of all political views. I made myself available to all people

who had questions or wished to discuss issues that mattered to them. I was also the guest speaker at the Citizens for Responsible Government meeting in Franklin County, a meeting that was open to the public and where I answered many questions about my positions on issues.

In the absence of public debates, I have also have reached out directly to voters in the district. Over the last several months, my campaign has contacted 19,000 voters, either at their doors, or by telephone. I personally have been at the homes of over five thousand voters, and I will continue knocking on doors and talking with voters about the issues that matter to them right up through Election Day.

3. Government spending is a wide-spread issue across all the races (from the local level up to the presidential race). What specific ways will you cut spending in your own district? How is the budget situation unique in your district?

We face a time when government resources are tight, and government must make difficult choices. Voters ex-pect thrift and prudence from our state government, and rightly so. I believe it is vitally important that state govern-ment must spend each and every one of our tax dollars wisely, and our elected officials must make tough choices to protect what is important and cut what is not.

Since he took office in 2005, Rob Kauffman has regularly collected $52 per day of taxpayer-funded lunch money—over $34,000 since 2005. In a time when we care cutting funding for our public schools, and cannot afford to repair our state’s roads and bridges, that is unacceptable. If elected, I will pack my own lunch, drive my own car, and pay for my own gas as other working people must do. I will also work to end the wasteful system of unvouchered legislative per diems.

Here in the 89th District, I am also deeply concerned about the state law

What are the most important issues in your district? What should residents in your district be most concerned about?

My top legislative priority is the priority of those in our communi-ties that I talk to everyday. Creating new jobs and growing our economy must be number one. When businesses create jobs, the Pennsylva-nia economy grows and tax revenues increase without new or increased taxation. With a robust economy many of our other fiscal challenges can be minimized. As I work for the best for all our families, job creation and growing our economy are critical. Since the end of the Rendell Administration, we have made great strides in moving Pennsyl-vania in a new direction that welcomes new businesses but there is still work to be done. I am committed to helping job creators reinvigorate our economy by making Pennsylvania job friendly and competitive in the national market-place. That’s why I voted for tort reform to curb lawsuit abuse, for a tax credit to encourage investment in job creators, and am leading the effort for fair and affordable business taxes. These are the policies that are bringing new business-es to our community and have helped companies like Volvo, Olympic Steel and Ventura & Schreiber Foods decide to expand right here.

I am pleased that because of my work on behalf of the people of the 89th Dis-trict, I have received the endorsement of the National Federation of Independent Business, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry and the PA Farm Bureau, which represents Pennsyl-vania’s number one industry. These organizations represent Pennsylvania’s job creators and they understand what it takes to keep the Commonwealth moving in the right direction. With your help, we will continue to put Pennsyl-vanians back to work and make sure Pennsylvania’s economy stays on track

so that all our families can prosper and enjoy our way of life here in Franklin & Cumberland Counties.

How have you connected with the people in your district since there was no in-person debate?

My opponent and I debated on live radio on 103.7 FM in the most highly publicized and distributed debate in the history of the 89th district. A recording of the debate is available at:

http://soundcloud.com/jbt-record-ing/rep-rob-kauffman-susan-spicka. As State Representative, connecting with the people I represent doesn’t begin in an election year. As the people’s representative, it is what I have done on a daily basis for eight years at commu-nity events and festivals, at townhall style meetings, via e-mail & one on one meetings, in people’s living rooms, at the grocery store and at church on Sunday. As State Representative, it is not a forced thing. It is a way of life.


Less than two years ago and after eight years of Governor Ed Rendell, Pennsyl-vanians faced a $4 billion budget deficit. During these tough times, I worked in Harrisburg to close this enormous budget gap through smart reforms and by making the tough choices needed to focus state spending on critical priorities while protecting taxpayers and always opposing new debt. When the Obama stimulus money ran dry and the ad-ministration suggested school funding reductions that went too deep, I stood

State House 89th DistrictRep. Rob Kauffman - RepublicanSusan Spicka - Democrat

• See Kauffman, D16• See Spicka, D16

with local families to say no. By prioritizing the money we have, reforming welfare and making other changes, we were able to make sure that Pennsylvania now commits more state tax dollars to basic education than ever before. Importantly, we did this without raising taxes and while making sure the state spends only what it can afford.

The challenges that Pennsyl-vania has been handed by the Rendell Administration and the federal government are great. As we deal with massive public pension obligations, the need to control costs in the Public Welfare system and resist the mandates of Obamacare, we must have leaders who are will-ing to make necessary choices without further burdening the taxpayers. As Representative, I am committed to protecting taxpayers which is why I stood up to Governor Rendell as we defeated a plan to raise personal income taxes 16%. It’s why I worked to eliminate $1 billion in wasteful spending from the budget, much of it from The Department of Public Welfare. We must continue to control Welfare spending by rejecting

Obamacare and its Medicaid mandates. We must control Corrections spending as we continue smart reforms started this year. As we control spend-ing and grow our economy, we will see state revenues grow so

that we can invest more state tax dollars in public education than ever before.


I want to see our Nation and our Commonwealth moving in a direction that provides a great future for my children and all of our children. Just like in Washington, during the eight years of the Rendell Adminis-tration, Commonwealth debt increased by 40%. As your State Representative, I have never voted to incur new debt. I believe that we must stop the generational theft, at every level of government, where we take on new debt for our children to pay back. We need to create a tax and regulatory structure that

encourages businesses to grow right here. As businesses grow, jobs are created and families can thrive. As we have a robust economy and job growth, we will see state government

revenues increase without new taxes. This will allow us to invest even more in the things that matter most to us, like our children’s education, while not asking for more from the taxpayers.

What do you think residents in your district are looking for in a representative?

The people of the 89th District want a representative like them, who is accessible and shares the values that are important to all of us. My family has been from Franklin County for generations. My wife and I grew up here and this is where we are raising our four children. We are active in our church and give our time to numerous civic groups. As State Representa-tive, I bring an understanding of our concerns to Harrisburg that comes from living the same life you do. I am a husband, father and taxpayer who shares our concerns about the future we leave our children, as well as the everyday challenges of paying the bills. That’s why, as Representative, I’m fighting for fiscal discipline that protects our income, as well as initiatives that will help improve education

and the job market for today and tomorrow. Our shared values

of working hard, raising our families and serving in our com-

munity and churches is what we are all about.


Would appreciate your vote...

Senator Pat Vance

Paid for by Voters to elect Vance

that requires our public school districts to over-pay charter schools and cyber charter schools far more than the cost of ed-ucating a child. Accord-ing to the Pennsylvania Auditor General’s Office, this amounts to between $3,000 and $13,000 per student. Charter schools are also reimbursed twice for their pension costs—once by the state, and a second time by the local school districts.

This is wasteful and unnecessary, and costs our local Shippens-burg and Chambersburg School Districts millions

of dollars per year. Fix-ing the state law so that charters schools are fairly compensated for the cost of educating children and for their pension costs will provide our pub-lic schools with badly needed resources, and also provide much-need-ed relief to local property tax payers.

It will also ensure that we can maintain charter schools as an affordable and beneficial part of the educational landscape, providing parents with more choices as they seek the best quality educa-tion for their children.


I’m running for office because I love my fam-ily and my community, and I’m concerned about the impact that our state government’s misguided priorities will have on the future opportunities available to our children. We need to reset our priorities and focus on policies that will create opportunity and ensure a bright future for our children and communi-ties. I know the future of our region, our state, and our country depends on strong, vibrant com-

munities. The founda-tion of our communities are family supporting jobs, a fair tax system, quality public schools, a sound infrastructure, and a safety-net that aids our most vulner-able neighbors. If I have the privilege to serve as the next representative of the 89th district, my focus will always be on finding ways to improve the quality of life for residents of the region and to strengthen the businesses, civic groups, and families that are the bedrock of our commu-nities.

What do you think residents in your district are looking for in a representative?

As I have spoken to people in our communi-ty, they tell me what they really want is a represen-tative who is accessible, who will listen to their concerns, and who will be there for them when they have a problem with state government. They also want someone who will focus on solving problems, and who will work with elected of-ficials from both parties

to provide leadership and develop common-sense solutions to the chal-lenges we face.

I am not a career politi-cian, but a mother, wife, and former educator who understand the challeng-es facing families today, and who has deep roots in our local community. I am committed to serving the people of our district, to making their voices are heard in Harrisburg, and toensuring that state government works for the benefit of all the families in our region.


Kauffman


Spicka

Voter's Guide 2012

Documents

Transcript of Voter's Guide 2012