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He has the edge over Hart in the 4th District
Sunday, October 22, 2000
The outcome of the bitter race between Melissa Hart and Terry Van Horne will be pivotal for more than just people in the 4th Congressional District. Not only could it affect which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives, but it also could determine whether the spirit of Newt Gingrich rises again.
The United States is better off now that the former speaker and his policies are gone from the House, but every race for an open seat that features a conservative Republican forces a question on the voters: Will this candidate be good for me and the needs of my district, or will she serve the higher call of ideology?
To her credit, Republican Melissa Hart, 38, has done much for Pittsburgh and the region in her 10 years in the state Senate. She has fought for economic recovery, Downtown revitalization and, though unpopular with some, using public funds when necessary to make key community investments. She has enthusiasm, drive and likability. But her conservative voting record, played out in Washington, could be just what the economically struggling 4th District does not need.
Democratic state Rep. Terry Van Horne, 54, has been as committed as his opponent to fighting for this area. Like Sen. Hart, Rep. Van Horne pushed for the Regional Renaissance Initiative in 1997, the ill-fated 11-county sales tax proposal that would have helped fund two new stadiums and an expanded convention center. Like Sen. Hart, Rep. Van Horne backed home rule reform for Allegheny County in 1998.
Where they parted company on a watershed issue was the county's 1 percent Regional Asset District sales tax in 1993 - the closest the region has come to true tax reform. The package reduced reliance on property taxes and eliminated nuisance taxes, provided revenue sharing for boroughs and townships and gave public assets (like parks, the zoo, libraries and Three Rivers Stadium) a steady, broad-based revenue source.
Rep. Van Horne championed RAD as a progressive tool to help his county. Sen. Hart voted against it. Although we don't possess a crystal ball, we worry that Ms. Hart will show a similar negativism if she goes to Washington.
While the Lower Burrell legislator lacks the polish of the senator from Bradford Woods, he's a scrappy politician who is comfortable with the people. In 20 years in the House, he's been a staunch defender of public education (his opponent backs vouchers for private schools). He has voted, courageously, to raise taxes when Pennsylvania needed it and, now, in an era of surplus, he has voted to roll them back.
On the national level, he favors using the federal surplus to pay down the debt and make targeted tax cuts, rather than for the enactment of an indiscriminate tax cut.
While neither candidate is a scholar on foreign policy or the military, they're in sync on trade - which to them means support for Western Pennsylvania industries, even if it leads to restrictions on global commerce.
This is a tough choice for voters who live in the 4th District - Beaver and Lawrence counties, northern Allegheny County, southern Butler County and northwestern Westmoreland County. But the Post-Gazette has watched both candidates closely for years, and we give the edge - and our endorsement - to Terry Van Horne.