Published: February 01, 2008 09:40 am      

East Taylor Democrat enters 72nd contest

Frank Burns, a newly elected East Taylor Township supervisor and Democratic Party state official, is joining the field of candidates running for a state lawmaker’s seat in Harrisburg.

At age 32, Burns has served on the state Democratic Committee for five years and now will compete for the state House representing the 72nd district.

He is the fifth Democrat to announce that he is running for the seat held by the retiring Tom Yewcic.

Burns, a graduate of Pitt-Johnstown with a degree in management, travels the country doing seminars for a cosmetic dentistry firm.

Three issues will be highlighted in Burns’ campaign: Education, volunteer firefighters and the region’s loss of jobs.

If elected, he said, he would work to improve literacy and give every child the opportunity to attend preschool.

He also advocates after-school programs for homework tutoring. This could be accomplished by lowering some teacher retirements from 35 to 25 years of service, he said, and moving them into homework centers to help students improve study skills.

For volunteer fire departments, new members must be recruited through an incentive plan that would provide a small retirement to members, he said.

“There are people who have served as long as 35 years, and they should have a small type of retirement,” he said.

Burns also advocates tuition reimbursements as a recruitment tool.

The area’s loss of jobs, and the resulting “brain drain,” is another area of concern for Burns.

“So many young people are leaving the area, and there’s that disconnect that results. People in this area are not happy with that. I would work to bring jobs to this area and would try to recruit family-sustaining employers,” he said.

Jan. 22 is the first day for candidates to begin collecting signatures on their election petitions, which must be filed by Feb. 12, said the Cambria County Election Office.