Candidates for state office square off

By Rick Dandes
The Daily Item

October 23, 2008 05:58 am

— LEWISBURG -- Jobs, energy, taxes and health care were just some of the issues discussed Wednesday by five candidates for state office in two League of Women Voters-sponsored programs in Lewisburg Area High School.
About 50 people attended.
State Rep. Russell H. Fairchild, R-85, of Lewisburg, faced off against Democratic challenger Stephen J. Connolley, of White Deer Township, Union County, in the first debate.
The second debate, for candidates for the seat being vacated by state Sen. Roger Madigan, R-23 of Towanda, featured Louis "Trey" Casimir, a Democrat from Lewisburg; Republican Gene Yaw, of Loyalsock Township, Lycoming County; and Independent Michael A. Dincher, of Williamsport.
In the first debate, Fairchild and Connolly were asked by moderator Susan Warner Mills how they would help people deal with the downturn in the economy.
Fairchild said, "We are facing tough times. We all need to buckle down, but we'll get through this. The first thing we have to do is restore confidence in our financial institutions."
Connolley said people have to look locally for solutions. As one of the leaders in the drive to create a central Susquehanna Valley community college, he said that where people are out of work, "we have to educate them, retrain them if necessary to meet the workforce demands in the region."
Both candidates were strongly against the tolling of Interstate 80 and supportive of the Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway project. Connolley suggested tolling the proposed thruway bridge over the Susquehanna River as a way of generating revenue.
Fairchild and Connolley agreed that some kind of property tax reform is needed.
Connolley said he wants to eliminate property taxes. Fairchild didn't offer a plan to deal with the issue, but said, "Tax reform has been a moving target for years. It has to be dealt with."
In the second debate, Yaw was consistent in his call for creating an atmosphere where businesses can survive and thrive in the region. "Lower corporate net income taxes and repeat Act 44. That's how we can attract new businesses to central Pennsylvania," he said.
Casimir said: "We need to concentrate on local businesses who want to stay here as a way of growing the economy. We've seen what happens when you bring in large businesses that pick up and leave when times get tough."
All of the candidates agreed the region would benefit from the natural gas reserves found in the Marcellus Shale field.
The biggest point of contention between the three candidates was on the question of health care. Casimir said it was inevitable that "we'd move to a government-administered health care system, and that's not a bad thing."
Yaw said he was against any government-run health program. He advocated a Massachusetts-like plan that would make health care private, but mandatory. "Some people, of course, would be subsidized," he said.
Dincher said hospital costs have to be controlled. "The answer is not government health care."