Published: April 15, 2008 09:32 am            

Tribune-Democrat 2008 Voters Guide: Pa. House 69th District

State House - 69th District



Term: Two years.



Salary: $76,163



(Vote for one)



All candidates were asked the following questions:

1. How can the state best help to instigate economic growth in your district? In the case of a looming recession, should government cut spending in order to hold the line on taxes, or should government spend more as a way to stimulate the economy?

2. How would you approach the long-running issue of property taxes and funding for education?

3. With the state considering changes for both the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Interstate 80, what is your position on the issue of highway privatization?

4. Lawmakers from the Philadelphia area have tried to bring about tighter gun controls in Pennsylvania. What is your position on gun laws at the state level?

5. What should be the state’s role concerning alternative energy programs such as wind energy, which has been somewhat controversial in our region?



Democratic

Stephen Smerbeck

Somerset

Education: Bachelor’s degree in English from Duquesne University; graduate studies at Pitt, Duquesne, Frostburg University, IUP and Wilkes College

Professional background/qualifications for seeking this office: English teacher – Meyersdale Area School District 1985 to present ... President Meyersdale Area Education Association 16 of 23 years during employment; member of negotiating team or chief negotiator for past six contracts, spanning 22 years. No work stoppages during this time. ... President of Somerset Coordinating Council (an organization representing Somerset County teachers) 1992 to present. ... President of Cambria/ Bedford/Somerset Coordinating Council (an organization representing aforementioned counties’ teachers) 1997 to present. ... Member of PSEA Legislative Committee 2004 to present. ... Member of statewide Binding Arbitration task force

Mission or values statement: The partisan bickering in Harrisburg is crippling rural districts like the 69th. It is my goal to make the voices of the residents of our district heard and address their needs.

1. Enough money is being spent in Pennsylvania; not enough of it is being spent here. Economic growth needs the entrepreneur and small business. Finishing Route 219 would improve access to goods and services necessary for economic expansion. Access to technology is critical; many of our residents have no cellular service or access to high-speed Internet.

2. Tax reform must be enacted and soon and will be a major priority for me. Any tax reform I vote for would have to fit three qualifications: Relieve the burden on homeowners, especially seniors; protect the economically vulnerable; fully fund our schools.

3. Privatizing the Pennsylvania Turnpike is deceptively enticing but it’s a quick fix with no lasting effects. What happens if the private entity goes bankrupt? I will never vote to privatize the turnpike.

4. I believe that the current firearm laws are sufficient. The people of Philadelphia are free to enact whatever laws they want. Law abiding citizens of this district should not have their Second Amendment rights restricted because of the misbehavior of criminals in the state.

5. With energy prices at all-time highs, we must be open to alternative energy development. We must also be mindful of the natural beauty of our district, which is second to none. The state’s role is to facilitate a compromise to address the needs of both parties. It can be done.



Ken Warnick

Meyersdale

Education: Bachelor’s degree from Clarion University; master’s degree from IUP; postgraduate work at West Virginia University.

Professional background/ qualifications for seeking this office: 27 years in public education; 12 years as an Allegany College of Maryland administrator in Somerset/Bedford Counties; over 50 meetings in Harrisburg with party leaders, committees and individual legislators advocating legislation and policy changes; testified before House Education Committee and before House Workforce Development Committee; met with the secretary of education, president pro-temps of the Senate and Gov. Ed Rendell’s chief of staff; arranged testimony before Senate Appropriations Committee

Mission or values statement: My mission and values have always centered around family, faith, service to others and my community. I never thought I could change the world … But I always thought I could change someone else’s world. This philosophy guides me in my efforts to make a difference for others.

1. We need to ensure that all residents have access to technical or post-secondary training. We must invest in a well-trained work force that will attract new employers and assist current employers expand operations. We currently spend over $800 million on work force development, with no quantifiable results.

2. Currently, a majority of the tax burden falls on real-estate owners. Pennsylvania needs school property tax and equitable education finance reform. Income tax and sales tax seems a logical approach worth investigating. Legislation has been proposed … It’s time for government to respond and act.

3. I am not in favor of leasing the turnpike or tolling Interstate 80. The state has not shown me it can be good stewards of large sums of money (gas taxes, cigarette taxes, tobacco settlement funds, slots funds). The funds always get diverted to pork projects rather than the original intent.

4. The Second Amendment is quite clear and gives us the right to bear arms. Current legislation is all we need. I think it’s time for Philadelphia to start solving its own problems and stop expecting the rest of the state to continually bail it out.

5. The state should be taking the lead in developing alternative energy sources. Wind energy is just one source. We need to develop clean energy, biofuel and solar energy projects to help alleviate our dependence on foreign oil.



Republican

Joe Betta

Somerset

Education: Bachelor’s degree in business education (accounting-management) from Shippensburg University; master’s degree in administration from Central Michigan University.

Professional background/qualifications for seeking this office: Director of financial investigations for the Department of Banking and Finance, Florida, for three years; inspector general, Department of Children and Families, Florida for five years; and deputy commandant corps of cadets and professor of naval science at the Citadel; retired after 35 years of Marine Corps service.

Mission or values statement: Attack political corruption in Harrisburg. Insist upon core values of honor, courage and commitment. Establish an “independent” inspector general’s office to investigate waste, fraud and abuse.

1. Accountability is the issue. I will, at a minimum, identify the bad guys in Harrisburg. Money no longer has an audit trail. There is no accountability. You can’t determine where the money went, permitting them to pay back political favors. We have to re-establish generally accepted accounting principals. Establish balance sheets. We have to know what we are getting for every dollar. The issue is not more taxes. It’s less taxes and stop the waste.

2. No response.

3. The issue is open access to whatever the state is committing to the private industry before it is laid in concrete. Privatization is one thing, selling the state’s only profit-making asset is another. No secret meetings. Everything must be kept in the open.

4. We have a constitution. One should read it before proposing legislation that violates a well-thought out process. Criminal actions in Philadelphia is a Philadelphia problem, and the right to bear arms should not be infringed by their problem.

5. Again, “core values.” If the state acts in the best interest of its citizens versus private political interests, there is a happy medium between the voters’ needs for existence and the environment.



Mike Brendle

Somerset

Education: 1970 graduate of Somerset Area High School; attended Case Institute of Technology; bachelor’s degree in management science from Florida Institute of Technology.

Professional background/qualifications for seeking this office: Past president of Sipesville Water Co.; president of Buffer Creek Sporting Clays, a recreational shooting facility in Lincoln Township; president of Brendle Farms Inc., a 175-head dairy herd and farmed 725 acres of corn, oats and hay; past member of Somerset County Chamber of Commerce board of directors; life member of National Rifle Association.

Mission or values statement: I believe we need a strong outspoken leader from the 69th District who will work hard to: Bring more family-sustaining jobs to the area; help make Pennsylvania more business friendly; help promote and develop the growth of the area while maintaining its beauty; lead in the fight against drugs in our area; help shift the tax burden away from the homeowners to those more able to pay.

1. Many businesses in our area are poised to expand. Resort owners, manufacturers, coal companies and other energy producers have announced a plan to expand in our area by downsizing government and cutting its spending. We can help these people provide family-sustaining jobs which will help stimulate our economy.

2. We need to reform property taxes where they are used to fund only local and county governments. All homeowners should have an exemption for their homes only. To do this, we need alternative funding. I oppose sales taxes on food and clothing. I lean more toward a graduated income tax.

3. Short answer. It should not be privatized.

4. I’m a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and am a life member of the National Rifle Association. We need harsher laws for criminals using guns to commit crimes.

5. As a 14-year member of the Ag Advisory Board to DEP, I have been on record requesting DEP to take self-regulating responsibility concerning wind power. With over 30 years experience in alternative energy from my college days to the building and operation of an anaerobic digester on Brendle Farms, I know how important alternative energy is.



John H. Ferko

Berlin

Education: 1986 graduate Shade High School, Cairnbrook; 1994 AS allied healthcare management, California College for Health Services, San Diego.

Professional background/qualifications for seeking this office: Diverse background including connections to health care, agriculture, hunting and sportsmen’s rights. Business owner and business manager.

Mission or values statement: Pennsylvania needs a leaner, more efficient, user-friendly government. I have the energy, knowledge and integrity to be the right candidate for the position.

1. Economic growth statewide will occur if the corporate tax rate is lowered and a reduction in the capital gains and franchise taxes along with eliminating the cap on loss carry forward/back for business. I believe government should always look to cut spending not only to hold the line on taxes but to lower them.

2. Property-tax reduction is not the answer, elimination is. Several plans have been presented in the Legislature, and I think these types of ideas are much better than gambling will ever be.

3. I’m not in favor of a private firm leasing the turnpike and there have been some issues raised over tolling I-80. That road was built with federal funds and there may be some legal implications against establishing tolls on it.

4. The only definition of gun control I have is hitting the target that you’re aiming at.

5. Any move toward reducing our dependence on oil is a good move. The state’s most direct role would be in the form of tax incentives for wind energy companies. I think regulation is best left to county and local municipalities.

Carl Walker Metzgar

Berlin

Education: Graduate of Berlin Brothersvalley High School; cum laude graduate of Frostburg State University with degrees in both political science and criminal justice; juris doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law. Recipient of the prestigious Judge Manning Award for Highest Achievement in Trial Advocacy.

Professional background/qualifications for seeking this office: Practicing lawyer in Somerset and Bedford counties; member of the Somerset County Bar Association; member of the Pennsylvania State Bar Association; member of the American Bar Association.

Mission or values statement: My house looks out over the ridge between Somerset and Bedford counties and every morning when I take in that view it reminds me of what a special place it is in which we live. It’s my home and always has been. I owe much to those in this district who helped make me the person that I am today. Running for state representative is my way of trying to repay that debt. I hope to use my legal education and local background to proudly represent our district in Harrisburg.

1. Without a doubt, completion of Route 219 remains the single most important factor in boosting our district’s economy. But provisioning broadband Internet access to rural areas is another priority. For far too long the local phone companies have focused on urban areas at our expense. It’s time to change that. If we wish to stimulate the economy, that’s best done by lowering taxes.

2. Right up front, taxes are too high across the board. Substituting one tax for another doesn’t solve the problem. We need to look for greater efficiencies and accountability so that we may lower all taxes.

3. The taxpayers of Pennsylvania bought and paid for the turnpike’s construction. I see no reason why we should sell it to outsiders. I will use my skills as a litigator to keep those Philadelphia lawyers from selling our turnpike.

4. As a lifelong hunter and shooter I strongly believe that the Second Amendment means just what it says: “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” As a state legislator, I will make gun owner rights a priority. When you consider how the big-city legislators are attacking gun owners, we’re going to need someone with the legal training to beat back their attacks.

5. I am for energy independence, however, wind energy technology today is not viable without government subsidies. In order to be a viable alternative energy source, that technology must be self-sustaining. Any industry that requires “special favors” from our tax dollars may not be the best choice for us.



Ed Sroka

Somerset

Education: Bachelor’s degree in human resources from Geneva College; continuing education courses in uniform construction code, storm water management, national electrical code, EPA certification for refrigeration, business planning

Professional background/qualifications for seeking office: Businessman in own construction company for

30 years. Jefferson Township Republican committeeman for over a decade. Campaign chair for numerous campaigns. Somerset County Comprehensive Plan board member. President of Somerset County Builders Association. Board member for Boy Scouts Landsberry Dinner & Salute to Women. Board member of Pennsylvania Builders Association and National Association of Home Builders. Former Board member of Pennsylvania Association for Affordable Housing and BuildPAC. Member of Somerset Rotary, Habitat for Humanity, Trent Rod & Gun Club, Jenners Rod & Gun Club, NRA, Somerset Lions, Somerset Chamber of Commerce and St. Francis Episcopal Church. Volunteer for Junior Achievement and the Republican Party. Married to Heidi for 22 years and father of Sarah and Helena.

Mission or values statement: To represent the 69th District with my education and life skills in such a way as to give back to my community and ensure that government will be the least intrusive in an individual’s life while providing the necessary services in the most cost-effective manner.

1. The state can best stimulate the economy by getting out of the way of people and business. It is well-documented that states with the least taxation and regulation have the strongest and fastest-growing economies. People free to make their own choices will do the best with their own money.

2. Property taxes have always been hard on the family, particularly the family farm. Shifting taxes from one group to another has been proposed, but too many mandates have been piled upon our education system, driving the costs up. These must be realigned to provide the best education for our children at the lowest cost.

3. Under current proposals, privatization will lead to jobs that do not sustain the family, increased costs for the users and ultimately lead to deterioration of those roads. Giving the job of running those roads to a company that intends to make a profit is a losing proposition for all. Government’s responsibility is infrastructure.

4. The Second Amendment is clear. People have a right to own guns and use them in a lawful manner. Liberals blame the gun instead of the user. This is ridiculous. The state should do everything to prevent criminals and mentally impaired people from having guns while protecting law-abiding citizens’ rights.

5. Government should do everything it can to encourage private industry to find alternative sources of energy. Windmills are part of that equation but it is far too intrusive for the state to regulate the placement of windmills. If needed, it should be done at the local level by the people it affects the most.

        

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