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Pennsylvania Senate candidates
Tuesday, March 28, 2000
STATE SENATE
TERM: 4 years
SALARY: $59,246
DUTIES: The General Assembly is the legislative branch of the state government. It is composed of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. A majority vote of both houses is necessary to pass a law. The Senate approves executive appointments while it is in session. Senators will be elected in odd-numbered districts in 2000.
PG Online graphics:
State Senate districts, Allegheny region
State Senate districts, Pittsburgh
State Senate districts, neighboring counties
QUESTIONS: 1) How can the state best meet its constitutional obligation to fund public education? 2) List your top three legislative priorities.
37TH DISTRICT
Vote for one
REPUBLICAN
TIM MURPHY
Age: 47; Upper St. Clair
EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree, Wheeling Jesuit University; master's degree, Cleveland State University; doctorate, University of Pittsburgh.
OCCUPATION: Full-time state senator and licensed psychologist.
QUALIFICATIONS: As the only member of the Senate with a background in health care, I have been intimately involved with children and family issues and have taken the lead with legislation in several health related areas.
ANSWER: 1) Devote a legislative session to educational funding issues, including the perceived inequities in special education. 2) Health care -- quality, accessibility and affordability; education quality; economic development.
DEMOCRATIC
JOSEPH RUDOLPH
Age: 49; South Park Township
EDUCATION: Greensburg Central Catholic High School, 1968; University of Pittsburgh, major in chemistry, minor in calculus, departmental honors, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 1971; Pennsylvania State University Milton S. Hershey College of Medicine, 1975.
OCCUPATION: Physician specializing in allergy and asthma plus family medicine; board certified in emergency medicine; president, Family Professional Center.
QUALIFICATIONS: Extensive experience in business, finance and management; concern for my patients and the barriers to good medical care presented by the current managed care system.
ANSWER: 1) Under the Ridge administration, during the term of my opponent, the share of school financing provided by the commonwealth has plummeted from 50 percent to 35 percent. The state must honor its commitment to education funding at the 50 percent level and stop placing unfunded mandates upon our schools. 2) Affordable health care for all Pennsylvania citizens and eliminating waste from our present system; freezing property taxes for all Pennsylvanians at age 65; proportional funding of our education and judicial systems by the commonwealth.
39TH DISTRICT
Vote for one
REPUBLICAN
GENE PORTERFIELD
No reply
DEMOCRATIC
ALLEN G. KUKOVICH
Age: 52; Manor
EDUCATION: Kent State University, 1969; law degree, Duquesne University School of Law, 1973.
OCCUPATION: Legislator, 19 years in the state House and three years in state Senate.
QUALIFICATIONS: Have authored laws such as CHIP, HEMAP, Attendant Care, Children's Trust Fund, Medicare Overcharge Measure (MOM), Plain Language Law, Family Care Giver Act, and guardianship and elderly abuse prevention laws; received more than 85 statewide and national awards.
ANSWER: 1) Begin to end the disparity in funding between the 501 public school districts by increasing the state's share of the basic education subsidy to 50 percent from today's 34 percent. Provide funding based on true need for special education. Begin to shift from an over-reliance on regressive property taxes to a more progressive tax base to financially support our public schools. 2) The use of capital budget and bond issues for water and sewer funding (bills I have prime-sponsored); reduce the influence of money in politics and make the system more accountable and accessible to citizens (bills I have prime-sponsored); continue to increase access to health care for children, create a new health care plan for working adults and begin providing long-term assistance for older Pennsylvanians with most of the financial help coming from tobacco settlement funds.
41ST DISTRICT
Vote for one
REPUBLICAN
JOHN GRAY
Age: 64; Kittanning
EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree in business, Marietta College, Marietta Ohio; two years law school, Salmon P. Chase Law School in Cincinnati, Ohio.
OCCUPATION: Owner of Gray's Enterprises, a conglomerate that manages real estate properties and operates leadership management institutes.
QUALIFICATIONS: Entrepreneur, successful small business owner, active on community boards, husband and father of two children.
ANSWER: 1) Full funding for education must be a priority for any candidate. My plan calls for the Homeowner's Freedom Act to eliminate the school property tax and allow voters to decide between using a state income tax, state sales tax or combination of both taxes to provide funding for public education. 2) To eliminate the school property tax; create jobs by drastic reduction in business taxes; and strengthen public education by restoring local control of our schools.
BILL RUSH
Age: 50; Kittanning Township.
EDUCATION: Two years at Indiana University of Pennsylvania; associate degree in computer programming, Institute of Computer Management in Pittsburgh.
OCCUPATION: Has owned the Bill Rush Agency, an insurance agency in Kittanning Township, for 24 years.
QUALIFICATIONS: Active in civic, economic and political activities for 20 years; active in economic development; former president of Partners for Armstrong County's Economy.
ANSWER: 1) Eliminate the state Department of Education, which is the biggest stumbling block for public schools' ability to compete with private schools. Let local school boards determine the curriculum and standards in their districts. 2) Property tax reform; school reform; and jobs.
DON WHITE
Age: 49; Indiana
EDUCATION: Attended Juanita College for five years; did not graduate.
OCCUPATION: A financial services broker who sells insurance, annuities and pension plans.
QUALIFICATIONS: Member, Indiana Chamber of Commerce, and past president, Jaycees.
ANSWER: 1) Local school boards need to do a better job in controlling the costs.
2) Improving the infrastructure; creating more jobs and a bigger tax base; and property tax reform.
DEMOCRATIC
CHARLES FOX
Age: 54; Vandergrift
EDUCATION: 1969, Lycoming College, Williamsport; 1974, Widener University Law School
OCCUPATION: Lawyer
QUALIFICATIONS: Practicing lawyer for 25 years, concentrating on municipal, labor and government law; longtime member and past president of the Kiski Area board of education; former board member of Westmoreland County Community College.
ANSWER: 1) We have to reform the tax laws to do away with property tax. That means raising income tax or sales tax or some combination of both. 2) Economic development; representing all of the 41st District; and education.
JAMES MCQUOWN
Age: 45; Indiana
EDUCATION: 1976, bachelor's degree, Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
OCCUPATION: Indiana County commissioner.
QUALIFICATIONS: County commissioner for 16 years; active in regional planning and economic development organizations; active in numerous community groups.
ANSWER: Pennsylvania currently funds from 35 percent to 37 percent of our public education, a far cry from the intended 50 percent of many years ago. With a budget surplus estimated to be nearing $1 billion, the time is now to appropriately and substantially increase the state's share. Increased state subsidy would ease class size and special education strains while at the same time give relief to local property taxpayers. 2) Using significant portions of the tobacco settlement to provide a base level of health insurance for both children and adults, many of whom are currently uninsured; tax reform -- The Homestead Act is clearly a failure. Introduce a local tax reform plan similar to one introduced by former Gov. Casey, which would allow citizens, county by county, to reduce local property taxes in return for either a 0.5 percent personal property income tax or a consumption tax. Voters could decide by referendum; economic development -- Promote efforts which would steer infrastructure development projects, including highways, toward a prioritized basis as opposed to using a politicized system, and insure the completion of the proposed elimination of the corporate stock and franchise tax.
43RD DISTRICT
Vote for one
REPUBLICAN
No candidate filed
DEMOCRATIC
JAY COSTA JR.
Age: 42; Forest Hills
EDUCATION: Allegheny County Community College, 1977; Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 1979; Allegheny County Police Academy, 1985; Duquesne University School of Law, 1989.
OCCUPATION: State senator; lawyer
QUALIFICATIONS: Four years serving in the Senate of Pennsylvania; five years serving as register of wills, Allegheny County; practicing attorney; former deputy sheriff, Allegheny County; member of numerous civic and community organizations throughout the 43rd Senatorial District.
ANSWER: 1) Pennsylvania should restore its financial commitment to our schools and once again be an equal partner in providing the cost of education. We should target funds to struggling schools and ensure that every child has access to a quality education, regardless of geography. 2) Reduce or eliminate the state inheritance tax; use surplus revenue to provide property tax relief to homeowners; make college more affordable by providing income tax credits to families with students in college.
45TH DISTRICT
Vote for one
REPUBLICAN
LAURIE ZACHARIA MACDONALD
Age: 41; Elizabeth Township
EDUCATION: Carnegie Mellon University, 1980, bachelor's degree in English; Pennsylvania certification, secondary education.
OCCUPATION: Volunteer, Mon Valley Education Consortium fund-raiser, Carnegie Free Library fund-raiser, Long Run Children's Center fund-raiser, American Cancer Society fund-raiser.
QUALIFICATIONS: Second term as school board member, Elizabeth Forward board of school directors, and president, 1995-present; director, Allegheny Intermediate Unit, 1999-present; Pennsylvania School Boards Association, legislative representative and representative to National School Board Association federal relations network; formerly employed by Proctor & Gamble, Campbell Soup Co. and Prentice-Hall Inc.
ANSWER: 1) The General Assembly is mandated by the Pennsylvania State Constitution to maintain and support a thorough and efficient system of public education. The state needs to equalize funding among school districts and reform the special education funding formula. With increased funding, the state will help local districts reduce their reliance on local property taxes. 2) Taxation/funding public education; improving senior citizen services; building roads and repairing bridges.
DEMOCRATIC
JAMES R. BREWSTER
Age: 51; McKeesport
EDUCATION: Community College of Allegheny County; bachelor's degree in secondary education, California University of Pennsylvania.
OCCUPATION: Vice president, Mellon Bank, for 26 years.
QUALIFICATIONS: Business background; eight years on McKeesport City Council, president of council; 10 years as chairman, McKeesport Housing Authority; active with youths and seniors in the community; family man, married with three daughters.
ANSWER: 1) Utilize existing school board structure to ensure that schools are independent in their management of day-to-day operations. Continue in a structured way to provide funding for special education, security and technology. The state must make education a priority and mean it! If we really believe our children are the future, then we must provide the support necessary for their success. 2) Health care for all; education; business development/jobs.
SEAN LOGAN
Age: 29; Monroeville
EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree in political science, University of Pittsburgh.
OCCUPATION: Director, Office of Consumer Protection, District Attorney Steve Zappala (currently on leave of absence).
QUALIFICATIONS: As the current mayor of Monroeville, former community development representative for U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, and in my current position in the DA's office, I have gained a keen appreciation of how government works and can be an energetic advocate for the Mon Valley, Turtle Creek Valley and eastern suburbs.
ANSWER: 1) First would be to revamp the education funding formula so that all school districts receive their fair share instead of a disproportionate share going to Philadelphia. Second would be to use a fair share of surplus revenues for education in order to reduce the burden of local school district property taxes. Third would be a comprehensive tax reform program that allows for a menu of taxing options for local taxing bodies. Only local communities and school districts know what mix of taxes can best raise revenues necessary to provide their services and reduce property taxes. 2) Job growth; community funding for schools, local fire departments, municipal sewer upgrades, and state flood fund for communities near waterways; protect senior citizens lottery fund benefits.
JOHN ANDZELIK
Age: 56, West Mifflin
EDUCATION: Community College of Allegheny County, Boyce campus, associate degree in administration of justice, 1976; bachelor's degree in administration of justice, University of Pittsburgh, 1979.
OCCUPATION: Retired, chief of police, borough of West Mifflin.
QUALIFICATIONS: My career as a police officer, sergeant and chief of police, and I have interacted with mayors, council persons, chiefs and school administrators in discussing our mutual problems and coming to positive results for our communities.
ANSWER: 1) I would try to find more money to bring school districts in deprived areas up to par with wealthier school districts. The state should be paying for books and materials. 2) With talk about reapportionment, I would fight to keep the 45th Senatorial District intact; also would push for the development of the Mon Fayette Expressway; better paying jobs in the district.
47TH DISTRICT
Vote for one
REPUBLICAN
No candidate filed
DEMOCRATIC
GERALD LAVALLE
Age: 62; Rochester Borough
EDUCATION: Rochester Area High School graduate; bachelor's degree in business administration, minor in education, Geneva College; master's degree in education, Westminster College.
OCCUPATION: State senator.
QUALIFICATIONS: Served as Rochester councilman and mayor and Beaver County commissioner; member of the Pennsylvania Senate since 1990; also served as a public school teacher and guidance counselor; retired U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant.
ANSWER: 1) I believe the commonwealth should begin to meet its obligation in providing sufficient revenues to finance public education at a level of at least 50 percent. Over the years, the commonwealth's commitment to public education has declined to a level of 37 percent in fiscal year 1998-99. As a result, local school districts, which rely heavily on a property tax system to finance the local share, have been forced to increase taxes to offset reductions in state spending. 2) In addition to my interest in bringing about real property tax reform in Pennsylvania, my priorities for the upcoming session include working to provide additional incentives and local initiatives to improve the economic well-being of my district; an in-depth examination into the mistreatment of legitimately injured workers now being tolerated by Pennsylvania's workers' compensation program; and improved access to health care for all Pennsylvania residents.
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