November 6, 2012 7:00 a.m. MEADVILLE — FIRST OF TWO PARTS — DON’T FORGET SECOND PART





FOR ELECTION INFORMATION

Contact your county Board of Elections. The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania Citizen Information Center also provides election information. Call toll-free: (800) 692-7281 or Smart Voter at: SmartVoter.org

 

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

The material in this guide was compiled by the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania-Citizen Education Fund. This material may not be altered or reprinted without the permission of the League. Each candidate’s reply has been printed as submitted, except to use standard abbreviations and by editing from the bottom when a candidate’s reply exceeded the word limit. The candidates listed are those whose names appear on the ballot as of Sept. 5, 2012, and they are listed according to their ballot order.

 

PURPOSE AND POLICY

OF THE LEAGUE

The purpose of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania-Citizen Education Fund is to promote political responsibility through informed and active participation of citizens in government. The League is nonpartisan: It does not support or oppose any political parties or candidates. Nothing in this guide should be construed as an endorsement of any candidate by the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania-Citizen Education Fund.





WRITE-INS

Information for write-in voting will be available at the polling place

 

ELECTION DAY PROBLEMS

If your right to vote is challenged at the polls on Election Day and the problem cannot be resolved at the polling place, the judge of elections at the polling place should telephone the county Board of Elections. The problem could be resolved by phone if your name appears on the county records. If it does not and you want to try to resolve the problem, then you can go in person to the county Board of Elections where a judge from the Court of Common Pleas will be on duty to resolve election problems. Alternatively you can ask for and vote by provisional ballot. If it is later determined that you were eligible to vote, your ballot will be counted. You will be given instructions on how to determine if your vote was counted.

 

 

 

IDENTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL VOTERS

Pennsylvania courts have delayed full implementation of the voter ID law until after the Nov. 6 election. Poll workers will still ask voters for a photo ID under the former first-time voter’s law, but no voter will be prohibited from voting if they don’t have one.

 

ON-LINE VOTERS GUIDE

The Voters Guide and other useful information for voters can be found on the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania Homepage: palwv.org

 

CERTIFICATION NOTE

As of the publication date of this guide, the slate of candidates listed below is accurate based upon the Pennsylvania Department of State’s Bureau of Elections unofficial ballot.

 

United States

President

Duties: The President is the head of state of the United States of America and is the chief executive officer and commander in chief of all military forces. The powers of the president are described in the Constitution and federal law. The President appoints the members of the Cabinet, ambassadors to other nations, and the United Nations, Supreme Court justices, and federal judges, subject to Senate approval. The president, along with the Cabinet and its agencies, is responsible for carrying out and enforcing the laws of the United States. The president may also recommend legislation to the United States Congress.

Every four years, political parties nominate candidates to run for president of the United States in a general election that is held on the first Tuesday in November of years divisible by the number four. Although all parties use conventions to nominate their candidates, in most states the Democratic and Republican parties also run state-wide primary elections. The results of the primary influence how the delegates to their respective party’s convention will cast ballots for candidates for president. The degree to which the result of the primary election influences the votes of delegates at conventions varies from state to state.

Term: Four years. Limit of two terms.

Base Salary: $400,000 per year.

Note: The candidate must have made a public announcement of her/his intention to run for her/his party’s nomination for president; and the candidate must meet the Presidential Election Campaign Fund Act’s minimum contribution threshold requirements for qualifying for matching funds, based on the most recent data publicly available on the FEC website.

(Vote for One)

 

Presidential candidate information below was provided by the candidates to Vote411.org.



REPUBLICAN

Mitt Romney

Personal statement: I am running for president because I believe in America and know that our best days are still ahead. I will make it my priority to create 12 million new jobs and get our economy going again.

Website: mittromney.com

Email: info@mittromney.com

Campaign phone: (857) 288-3500

Address: Mitt Romney for President, P.O. Box 149756, Boston, MA 02114-9756

Please identify your top three goals if elected.

The first priority of a Romney Administration will be to create 12 million new jobs and get our economy going again. We must get our fiscal house in order. President Obama has put our nation on an unsustainable course. As president, Mitt Romney will set the country on the path to a balanced budget. And he will ensure we have a military so strong that no adversary would want to test it.

In this time of high unemployment, what are the most important things that should be done to improve our nation’s economy?

Mitt Romney will get America back to work by reforming our tax code so businesses can hire more workers, developing our domestic energy resources to create new jobs here at home, reversing burdensome job-destroying regulations — including Obamacare, and ensuring Americans receive education and training for today’s jobs. His plan will also get spending under control to prevent a debt crisis.

How can the federal government, in collaboration with other levels of government, provide an equitable, quality public education for all children pre-K through grade 12?

Mitt Romney believes that this important goal begins with providing parents with increased choice and information. He has put forth a plan that would allow federal funding to follow low-income and special needs students to the school of their choice. This plan also would support high quality charter schools in scaling up and reward states that recruit and retain the best teachers.

Please explain why you do or do not support cutting Medicare and Social Security to address the federal deficit.

Entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare are large parts of the federal budget. Mitt Romney’s plan to reform these programs will not only protect the benefits and services of current seniors and those nearing retirement, but will strengthen the programs so they are available for future generations.

Please explain why you do or do not support requiring timely and full disclosure of all political expenditures in federal campaigns.

Mitt Romney understands that money can be a corrupting influence in politics. But layers of regulations have not taken money out of politics; they have instead created a system of PACs that are not accountable to the candidates they support. He believes the best solution is swift and full disclosure of all donations to candidates. This allows the American people to hold politicians accountable.

Please explain why you do or do not support the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to enforce strong clean air and clean water standards in America.

Mitt Romney is proud of the environmental progress that we have made to improve our nation’s air and water quality and supports continued progress. However, while our air and water laws have served us well over the years, he recognizes that they are significantly out of date and in need of reform.





DEMOCRAT

Barack Obama

Website: barackobama.com

Campaign phone: (312) 698-3670

Address: Obama for America, P.O. Box 803638, Chicago, IL 60680

Please identify your top three goals if elected.

As a nation, our challenges can by met by rebuilding the middle class and our economy on a stronger foundation. I have laid out a set of concrete goals on manufacturing, energy, education, national security and the deficit that will create jobs, expand opportunity and create an economy build to last.

In this time of high unemployment, what are the most important things that should be done to improve our nation’s economy?

When I took office we were losing private sector jobs at a rate of nearly 800,000 a month. Now we have experienced 30 straight months of private-sector job growth, creating 4.6 million private sector jobs. I have proposed steps to create a million more jobs by preventing teacher layoffs, putting construction workers back to work, bringing jobs back from overseas, and helping small businesses grow.

How can the federal government, in collaboration with other levels of government, provide an equitable, quality public education for all children pre-K through grade 12?

My administration spurred 46 states to raise standards for teaching and learning and strengthened Head Start. Millions of students are paying less for college because we cut student loan subsidies for banks and doubled scholarships. We will recruit 100,000 math and science teachers, train 2 million workers for real jobs through community colleges, and cut the growth of tuition in half.

Please explain why you do or do not support cutting Medicare and Social Security to address the federal deficit.

Social Security and Medicare are sacred compacts with seniors who earned benefits after a lifetime of hard work. I added eight years to the solvency of Medicare without cutting benefits by cracking down on waste, fraud and subsidies to insurance companies. I have proposed steps to strengthen Medicare and Social Security without slashing benefits or subjecting it to the whims of the stock market.

Please explain why you do or do not support requiring timely and full disclosure of all political expenditures in federal campaigns.

Powerful special interests should not drown out the voices of the American people. We need to pass the bipartisan Disclose Act that would establish the toughest-ever disclosure requirements for election-related spending. I also support campaign finance reform, by constitutional amendment if necessary.

Please explain why you do or do not support the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to enforce strong clean air and clean water standards in America.

Nothing is more important than ensuring the air we breathe and the water we drink is safe. We have broken decades of gridlock to double fuel mileage standards, effectively cutting your cost at the pump in half and reducing air pollution. And we’ve set standards for new mercury and other toxic air emissions from power plants and other sources that combined will save up to 21,600 lives a year.



GREEN PARTY

Jill Stein

Personal statement: We can’t afford four more years of Wall Street bailouts and an economy for the super-rich. We must guarantee every individual a job at a living wage, quality health care, tuition-free education, Social Security and a healthy climate and environment.

Website: jillstein.org

Email: HQ@JillStein.org

Address: PO Box 260217, Madison, WI 53726-0217

Please identify your top three goals if elected.

I stand for a Green New Deal that will deliver a recession-proof economy that provides a job at a living wage for every American willing and able to work; an economy based on clean, renewable energy; replacement of the predatory Wall Street banks with a public interest banking system, and a real democracy in which politicians are accountable to voters not big money donors.

In this time of high unemployment, what are the most important things that should be done to improve our nation’s economy?

My Green New Deal will create 25 million jobs through a nationally funded but locally controlled direct employment initiative. This will eliminate long-term unemployment by letting workers simply go to the local employment office and get a job. It will deliver the most effective stimulus of all: millions of workers with paychecks.

How can the federal government, in collaboration with other levels of government, provide an equitable, quality public education for all children pre-K through grade 12?

I will end Washington’s attempts to promote high stakes testing, corporatization of public schools, and destructive union-busting schemes. I will repeal the misguided No Child and Race to the Top laws and refocus on creating schools that prepare students for lifetime learning: full funding, small class sizes, teachers that are well trained, respected, and compensated, and parental involvement.

Please explain why you do or do not support cutting Medicare and Social Security to address the federal deficit.

Neither Medicare nor Social Security will be cut under the Green New Deal. I will guarantee health care for everyone under a Medicare for All reform that will save trillions by streamlining the massive, wasteful, health insurance bureaucracy and ending runaway medical inflation. I will make Social Security permanently solvent by lifting the income cap on the payroll taxes.

Please explain why you do or do not support requiring timely and full disclosure of all political expenditures in federal campaigns.

I support full disclosure of donor identities. But we must do more to eliminate the poisonous impact of big money on our democracy. We must amend our Constitution to prevent corporations from stealing our democratic rights by claiming the same rights as real people. We also need to end the buying of elections by providing clean money funding for candidates that agree to spending limits.

Please explain why you do or do not support the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to enforce strong clean air and clean water standards in America.

We cannot afford the health injuries, natural resource losses and ecological disintegration that result from lax EPA enforcement. I will require EPA to address new threats to our air, land, water, and climate from hydrofracking, deep water drilling and more. EPA must fully implement the ozone standards that were killed by the Obama Administration.

 

LIBERTARIAN PARTY

Gary Johnson

Personal statement: After having built a successful business, I entered public service by asking the people of New Mexico to give me an opportunity to bring common sense leadership to the Office of Governor. I pledged to reduce taxes, reduce the size of state government.

Website: garyjohnson2012.com

Email: mail@garyjohnson2012.com

Campaign phone: (801) 303-7922

Address: 731 E. South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84102

Please identify your top three goals if elected.

Balance the federal budget. Cut federal spending by the amount necessary to eliminate deficit spending without raising taxes. Remove the United States from unnecessary and costly foreign wars and interventions, including Afghanistan.

In this time of high unemployment, what are the most important things that should be done to improve our nation’s economy?

The federal budget must be brought under control to eliminate the massive deficits that are threatening the economy and our security. Removing the burden of deficits and debt will restore confidence and free up capital to permit the economy to grow.

I advocate a consumption tax which would allow us to eliminate taxes on income, capital gains and businesses — creating millions of new jobs.

How can the federal government, in collaboration with other levels of government, provide an equitable, quality public education for all children pre-K through grade 12?

The federal government cannot and should not try to provide public education. Decades of increasing federal interference in education has done little other than stifle innovation and competition in public education. Education should be left to the states, which will permit the types of innovation and education choices that will allow us to regain its competitive advantage in global education.

Please explain why you do or do not support cutting Medicare and Social Security to address the federal deficit.

It is not possible to preserve health care programs for future generations, while bringing federal spending under control and not reducing Medicare. Not addressing Medicare and Medicaid spending will result in an insolvent system. Under a program of block grants, the states can fashion their own health care programs for those who need assistance, more effectively than the federal government.

Please explain why you do or do not support requiring timely and full disclosure of all political expenditures in federal campaigns.

Full and immediate disclosure and transparency for campaign contributions and expenditures is the only effective way to give the American public confidence in the system and allow them to make their own decisions regarding the propriety of how one candidate or another finances his or her campaigns.

Please explain why you do or do not support the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to enforce strong clean air and clean water standards in America.

The federal government’s most fundamental role is to protect citizens. To the extent that fulfilling that role requires enforcement actions by the EPA, that enforcement should be reasonable, but adequate to protect us from harm. The EPA, however, should not be in the business of managing the environment through regulations that force decisions that should be left to the marketplace, such as energy.

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U.S. SENATOR

The U.S. Constitution prescribes that the Senate be composed of two senators from each state and that a senator must be at least 30 years of age, have been a citizen of the United States for nine years, and, when elected, be a resident of the state from which he or she is chosen. A senator’s term of office is six years and approximately one-third of the total membership of the Senate is elected every two years.

The Senate has several exclusive powers not granted to the House, including consenting to treaties, a precondition to their ratification consenting or confirming appointments of Cabinet secretaries, other federal executive officials, military officers, regulatory officials, ambassadors, and other federal uniformed officers, as well as trial of federal officials impeached by the House.

Term: Six years

Salary: $174,000

(Vote for 1)

 

Question: “What would you do to improve protection and enforcement of our land, air and water quality laws?” (No responses were received from any of the candidates for U.S. Senate)

 

REPUBLICAN

Tom Smith

Residence: Plumcreek Township, Armstrong County

 

DEMOCRAT

Bob Casey Jr.

Residence: Scranton, Lackawanna County

 

LIBERTARIAN PARTY

Rayburn Smith

Residence: Clarion County

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ATTORNEY GENERAL

Duties: The basic duties of the attorney general, as outlined by the Commonwealth Attorneys Act are to serve as the commonwealth’s chief law enforcement officer; collect all debts, taxes, and account due to the commonwealth; represent the commonwealth and all agencies in any action brought by or against the commonwealth; administer the provision relating to consumer protection laws; represent the commonwealth and its citizens in any action brought about for violation of the antitrust laws.

Term: Four years

Salary: $152,443 per year

(Vote for 1)



Question: “If elected, what do you believe to be your most important priority in this office and how will you pursue it?”

 

REPUBLICAN

David Freed

Residence: Camp Hill Borough, Cumberland County

Web site: DavidFreedforAG.com

Date of birth: July 30, 1970

Education: 1992, Washington and Lee University, bachelor’s degree; 1995, Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law

Occupation: Cumberland County district attorney

Qualifications: Cumberland County district attorney, 2005-present; Cumberland County first assistant district attorney, 2001-2005; Cumberland County assistant district attorney, 1998-2001; York County deputy prosecutor, 1997-1998; executive committee member of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association.

Answer to question: The safety of our citizens. I am the only candidate running for attorney general with the proven ability and extensive experience necessary to protect Pennsylvania families, seniors, children, and small business owners from crime and corruption. I have handled thousands of cases during my time as a prosecutor, private practice attorney and district attorney. I am confident that I’ll bring the principled leadership and integrity expected of Pennsylvania’s chief law enforcement officer to the office.

 

DEMOCRAT

Kathleen Kane

Residence: Clarks Summit, Lackawanna County

Email address: Info@kathleengkane.com

Website: kathleengkane.com

Education: 1988, University of Scranton, bachelor’s degree; 1993, Temple Law School

Occupation: Attorney.

Qualifications: Lackawanna County assistant district attorney 1995-2007. Selected to head the first multi-county insurance fraud task force and the auto theft task force.

Answer to question: Fighting violent crimes. I’ll work with state and local law enforcement to prosecute violent criminals and criminal organizations that traffic in illegal drugs and weapons and use violence to further their illegal purposes. Fighting public corruption. Holding elected officials and government employees accountable, regardless of party, will be a priority. I will use my experience in prosecuting corruption, including my work to put away a corrupt judge, in helping clean up government in Pennsylvania.

 

LIBERTARIAN PARTY

Marakay Rogers

Residence: York City, York County

(NO RESPONSE RECEIVED)

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AUDITOR GENERAL

The principal role of the auditor general is to determine whether state funds are being used in accordance with the purpose and guidelines that govern each use of the commonwealth’s dollars. The auditor general conducts financial and performance audits of individuals, state agencies, and organization that receive state funds, including school districts, state liquor stores, and public employee pensions. These audits are designed to measure how effectively government programs are using public money to meet their stated goals and objectives. The office performs more than 6,000 audits each year, and is responsible for auditing all federal funds that are allocated to Pennsylvania state programs

Term: Four years

Salary: $152,443

(Vote for 1)

Question: “If elected, what do you believe to be your most important priority in this office and how will you pursue it?”

 

REPUBLICAN

John Maher

Residence: Upper St. Clair, Allegheny County

Web site: None listed

Date of birth: Nov. 4, 1958

Education: Duke University, bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude; Oxford University, scholarship studies; Australian Graduate School of Management, fellowship studies

Occupation: CPA/Legislator

Qualifications: Three decades of real world experience as a CPA and business builder. Legislator known for fiscal conservatism, fighting waste and improving government accountability including open records and lobbying reforms.

Answer to question: Pennsylvanians deserve to have an auditor general who actually knows how to audit. I am a CPA expert in government accounting and auditing. I have co-authored a textbook about government accounting and taught government auditing to audiences drawn from Pennsylvania and across the world. As the accountant for accountability, I’ve passed laws to increase sunlight — opening government records to the public and forcing lobbyist disclosures. As auditor general, I will find and fight waste.

 

DEMOCRAT

Eugene DePasquale

Residence: West Manchester, York County

Web site: None listed

Date of birth: Aug. 3,1971

Education: 1993, College of Wooster, bachelor’s degree; 1997, master’s in public administration, University of Pittsburgh; 2002, Widener University School of Law.

Occupation: Pennsylvania State representative, 95th District (York)

Qualifications: State representative, 2007-present; deputy secretary Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 2003-2006; director of Economic Development, City of York, 2002-2003.

Answer to question: I will order a performance audit of water protection programs to ensure our drinking water is safe. I will also work for middle-class Pennsylvanians, protecting education, job-creation programs, and public safety. I will order audits that identify any wasteful and inefficient spending to save taxpayer money and enable reinvestment in critical programs.

 

LIBERTARIAN PARTY

Betsy Summers

Residence: Wilkes Barre, Luzerne County

(NO RESPONSE RECEIVED)

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STATE TREASURER

The duty of the Pennsylvania Treasurer is to safeguard the Commonwealth’s financial assets, which total more than $120 billion in public moneys. The office manages several programs in order to better serve the financial needs of Pennsylvanians. The Treasury Department is also responsible for: reuniting unclaimed property with its rightful owner; investigating loss, theft, and fraud involving Commonwealth checks; reviewing real estate leases and contracts entered into by Commonwealth agencies; maintaining the Pennsylvania contracts electronic library.

The treasurer has specific duties in addition to the oversight of the department: serves as Chair of the Board of Finance and Revenue, which selects banks to serve as depositories for state money; sets interest rates paid on Commonwealth deposits; hears and decides state tax appeals.

Term: Four Years

Salary: $152,443

(Vote for 1)



Question: “If elected, what do you believe to be your most important priority in this office and how will you pursue it?”

 

REPUBLICAN

Diana Irey Vaughan

Residence: Nottingham Township, Washington County)

Web site: friendswithdiana.com

Date of birth: Aug. 20, 1962

Education: 1981, West Virginia Business College; business, accounting and legal studies coursework at Fairmont State College and California University of Pennsylvania.

Occupation: Washington County commissioner, fifth term, managing 52 departments and nearly 1,000 employees and overseeing county-owned nursing home, airport, parks, and bridges.

Qualifications: County commissioner, 16 years, led long-range planning resulting in job growth; member of Washington County Pension Board, managing pension funds of employees and retirees; member of Washington County Prison Board, overseeing operations of correctional facility which maintains lowest cost per day per inmate in the state.

Answer to question: As commissioner, I fought for fiscal responsibility and good government, balancing seven consecutive budgets with no tax increase, keeping taxes low, and putting inmates to work in our community. I provided stewardship for pension funds and formed a strict investment policy statement, with a conservative approach, that met or exceeded industry benchmarks over the past 16 years. I will bring the same discipline and fiscal restraint to serve Pennsylvania.

 

DEMOCRAT

Robert McCord

Residence: Lower Merion, Montgomery County

Web site: robmccord.com

Date of birth: March 15,1959

Education: 1982, Harvard, history and economics; 1989, Wharton School of Business, master’s in business administration.

Occupation: Pennsylvania State Treasurer

Qualifications: Current Pennsylvania State Treasurer, 2008-present; CEO/chairman and co-founder of the Eastern Technology Council; co-founder and managing director of PA Early Stage Partners; senior executive at Safeguard Scientifics Inc.

Answer to question: I will continue to use my business experience to protect taxpayers and invest wisely on their behalf. I won’t allow the office to be distracted by political games of special interest agendas. I will build on our record of success over the last three years and stay focused on creating good jobs and strong public income from investments while making government more accountable and transparent and working collaboratively to find innovative solutions to economic challenges.

 

LIBERTARIAN PARTY

Patricia Fryman

Residence: Polk, Venango County

(NO RESPONSE RECEIVED)



Congressional Representative

A member of the U.S. House of Representatives is elected to represent a district of a state. The Congress has varying degrees of responsibility, but primarily its purpose is to propose laws, write tax codes, regulate both domestic and foreign trade, maintain a fully funded military and vote to declare war on other nations when it is proposed by the president.

Term: Two years

Salary: $174,000

(Vote for One)



Third District

Republican

Mike Kelly

Residence: Butler

Website: mikekellyforcongress.com

Date of birth: May 10, 1948

Education: University of Notre Dame, bachelor’s degree in sociology

Occupation: Member of the United States House of Representatives; owner of Mike Kelly Automotive in Butler.

Experience: Purchased his fathers’ automotive dealership in 1995 and has expanded the business to include Hyundai and Kia franchises. Kelly Automotive employs more than 100 people from western Pennsylvania. Since 2010, when he was elected to Congress, Mike has worked hard to represent the people of northwestern Pennsylvania. Within this first term, it has been the first time that Congress has been able to curb spending.

What is the number one problem facing the congressional district and what specifically would you propose to solve it? (100 words or less)

The number one problem facing this district is the same facing every district in America: For the first time in our history the next generation of Americans is facing a future that doesn’t look as bright as our past. Like you, I am motivated to leave this region in a better place than we found it. That is why I support a “Path to Prosperity” that will improve our economy by eliminating the bureaucratic red tape in Washington, promote fair trade and initiate a more equitable tax code for working families. You can find my plan at mikekellyforcongress.com.



Democrat

Missa Eaton

Residence: Sharon

Website: missaeatonforcongress.com

Date of birth: April 23, 1963

Education: 1995, bachelor’s in psychology (University Honors), The University of Texas at Austin; 1999, master’s in social psychology, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; 2003, doctorate in social psychology (minor in developmental psychology/quantitative psychology), The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Occupation: College educator, most recently at Penn State Shenango

Experience: I have 17 years in higher education, six years as administrative associate in higher education, four years in cosmetics sales, two years in stock car race track management, six years in real estate development/sales/investments and three years in retail sales.

What is the number one problem facing the congressional district, and what specifically would you propose to solve it? (100 words or less)

Jobs and the economy is the most important issue. I propose supporting entrepreneurship with business incubators and incentives, retooling our manufacturing infrastructure with tax breaks for high-tech jobs and support for small- and medium-sized businesses, retaining our businesses through fair trade legislation, supporting Job Corps for Veterans legislation, bringing our manufacturing jobs back home with incentives to keep and create jobs here and rolling back tax breaks for offshoring, and training for the jobs available now with partnerships between businesses, trade schools and community colleges, more funding for Pell grants, and opportunities for displaced workers.



Independent

Steven Porter

Residence: Wattsburg

Website: porter4congress.com

Date of birth: June 22, 1943

Education: Hold bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and post-doctoral degrees.

Occupation: Retired

Experience: Ran previously for Congress

What is the number one problem facing the congressional district and what specifically would you propose to solve it? (100 words or less)

Congress has been bought with trillions from special interests and works not for the people but those who have purchased it. I am un-owned and have a clear plan to fix our problems.

Cut the deficit by restoring the tax rates of 1960.

Pass House Resolution 676 to end America’s health care burden.

Use bank bailout money to create millions of jobs in infrastructure and energy.

Save billions and countless lives by leaving Afghanistan now.

Restore the solvency of Social Security by lifting the earnings cap.

End the purchase of Congress by funding elections with tax dollars, not bribery schemes.





Fifth District

Republican

Glenn Thompson

Residence: Howard

Website: friendsofglennthompson.com

Date of birth: July 27, 1959

Education: 1981 bachelor’s degree, Penn State University; 1998 master’s in education, Temple University; 2004 postgraduate/nursing home administrator, Marywood University

Occupation: U.S. congressman

Experience: U.S. Congress 2009 to present, Agriculture Subcommittee chairman; co-chair Congressional Health Care Caucus; co-chair Congressional Career and Technical Education Caucus; therapist and rehabilitation services manager 1982 to 2008.

What is the number one problem facing the congressional district and what specifically would you propose to solve it? (100 words or less)

The number one issue in the congressional district and country is jobs. With 23 million to 24 million Americans unemployed or underemployed, too many people struggling to make ends meet. I have sponsored and voted for legislation that promotes job growth. While government has never created one self-sustained job, federal public policy has discouraged small business job creation through high taxes, over-regulation and excessive energy costs. We can make America competitive for business and grow jobs by lowering taxes, peeling away over-regulation, accessing America’s energy resources and educating for a qualified/trained workforce.



Democrat

Charles Dumas

Residence: State College

Date of birth: Sept. 7, 1945

Education: Bachelor’s degree, State University of New York; law degree, Yale Law School

Occupation: Professor and writer

Experience: Devoted husband, father and grandfather; proud union member and AARP member; full professor at Penn State University; former chair of the State College Borough Human Relations Commission; Fulbright Fellow in South Africa; and former chair Mid-Hudson Legal Services

What is the number one problem facing the congressional district and what specifically would you propose to solve it? (100 words or less)

The number one problem facing the district is the growing disparity between the rich and poor. This comes from an economic system which doesn’t provide adequate well-paying jobs. I would increase support for higher tech jobs in alternative energy and infrastructure development. I would support educational programs to prepare people to fill those jobs, the kind of jobs which can not be outsourced overseas. To do it, I would work with the president, Democrats and Republicans in Congress. We need a Congress which works for the people and not just for special interests.





Pennsylvania

State Representative

A member of Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives is elected to represent a specific district of a state. Members of the House propose and vote on laws.

Term: Two years

Salary: $79,613



Fifth District

Republican

Greg Lucas

Residence: Edinboro

Website:

Date of birth: July 15, 1960

Education: 1978 to 1981 California University of Pennsylvania, bachelor’s degree in industrial education; 1978 graduate General McLane High School

Occupation: Fortis Institute, Erie Campus, Erie, Pa., instructor and department head of construction management program.

Experience: Elected — mayor of Edinboro and Edinboro Borough Council; work — Leehan-Lucas Contracting as partner/project manager, Great Lakes SCUBA, SCUBA instructor/business owner; educational — Fortis Institute, as instructor and department head, and General McLane School District instructor.

What is the number one problem facing the Fifth State House District and what specifically would you propose to solve it? (100 words or less)

In one word, jobs. I have contacted over 19,000 constituents in the Fifth District over the last six months and the number one concern is jobs. Government bureaucracies and red tape continue to be major reasons why companies find it difficult to create jobs in our state. This is especially true when it comes to our business taxes which are among the highest in the country. We must make Pennsylvania’s business tax and regulatory structure competitive with other states to stop employers from leaving and encourage new employers to settle here.



Democrat

Jason White

Residence: Albion

Website: jwhite.nationbuilder.com

Date of birth: Dec. 6, 1971

Education: Northwestern High School, Class of 1989; Erie Business Center, practical nursing program, Class of 2009

Occupation: Licensed practical nurse; Great Lakes Home Healthcare

Experience: I have spent half my life listening to people’s concerns and helping them to live to their highest potential

What is the number one problem facing the Fifth State House District and what specifically would you propose to solve it? (100 words or less)

State budget cuts have come at the expense of our children and our most vulnerable citizens. One of the most important roles of government is to protect the citizens, to stand up for those that cannot stand up for themselves. We need to restore education funding so that our children learn the skills necessary to compete in the global economy. These cuts have already had an impact on the economy and they will have consequences in the future. Keeping higher education affordable will allow graduates to have more disposable income when they enter the workforce.





The following two state House races are uncontested on the Nov. 6 ballot



Sixth District

Republican

Brad Roae

Residence: Guys Mills

State representative, first elected in 2006



Democrat

NONE ON BALLOT



17th District

Republican

Michele Brooks

Residence: Jamestown

State representative, first elected in 2006



Democrat

NONE ON BALLOT