Centre Daily Times - "Makeup of 5th District Offers Challenges, Opportunities to Primary Hopefuls"
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Centre Daily Times - "Makeup of 5th District Offers Challenges, Opportunities to Primary Hopefuls"
The Centre Daily Times asked each of the nine Republican and three Democratic candidates for the 5th Congressional District nominations to respond to an identical set of eight questions. Below are their responses to the seventh question.
Q:The 5th Congressional District includes part or all of 17 counties and is one of the largest congressional districts geographically east of the Mississippi River. What special problems and/or opportunities does this characteristic present to the district's representative in Congress?
REPUBLICANS
Chris Exarchos,63, of Lemont, Centre County; former county commissioner.
"With 17 counties that cover about 10,000 square miles of territory, any elected representative will have to rely to some extent on having competent staff to provide constituents with the best possible service. The district representative has to be an individual who is willing to travel to meet with the various constituents on a regular schedule."
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John Krupa,56, of Avis, Clinton County; insurance agent and former Pine Creek Township supervisor.
"I only see opportunity here, opportunity in being able to represent this broad and amazingly beautiful expanse of central Pennsylvania. The customs, work ethic, desire to succeed and religious and family traditions celebrated throughout the district while diverse are conversely still so very similar. With the appropriate planning and placement of district offices, use of regular roving town meetings, and staffing every voice of every resident can be heard."
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Lou Radkowski,64, of St. Marys; Elk County coroner.
"We boast a region rich in history, natural resources, and scenic beauty. We are home to some of the best universities in the nation and our quality of life remains high. These assets are second only to our greatest resource ... our people! We possess limitless talent, common-sense wisdom, strong values, and unshakeable hope for the future!
"With every challenge comes an opportunity. The people of our region possess the vision and will to address such issues as: increasing tourism and recreational income for our communities; strengthening State College's position as a preeminent center of commerce and industry; attracting new businesses through tax incentives and modern state-of-the-art technology and telecommunications; and retaining our young people by ensuring that they have competitive long-term economic opportunities.
"Working within the Congressional Rural Caucus, I will promote policies that promote and enhance our region's economic vitality while protecting our vast natural resources.
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Keith Richardson,46, of Clarion; pastor of the First Baptist Church of Clarion.
"The 5th District is so large because of its makeup. It is a wonderful blend of rural communities and small towns with a few larger areas mixed in.
"That really provides some great advantages, such as retaining our small-town values and sense of community, allowing room for economic expansion, and the sheer beauty of this slice of Americana.
"While those advantages extend to all of us, any problem with such a large district is limited to one of us. It is difficult for one man to maintain a personal presence in every area of the district. That problem is minor, however. It can be overcome not only by the traditional values of hard work, good planning, and efficiency, but also by making use of new technologies that are making the 5th District "smaller" along with the rest of the world."
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Matt Shaner,28, of Patton Township, Centre County; real estate developer.
"The next Congressman to represent the 5th District will have both challenges and opportunities associated with the size of the district.
"Attracting business and ensuring an economically prosperous future will be the most important challenge to address in such a large and rural district.
"As Congressman, my top priorities will be in creating and retaining jobs, making the 2001 and 2003 tax-cuts permanent, eliminating earmarks, balancing the budget, controlling our borders, and achieving energy independence. Properly resolving these issues are important for the district and the nation.
"Locally, opposing the tolling of Interstate 80, protecting rural health care, and improving our transportation infrastructure are very important issues.
"These challenges also present the next congressman with the opportunity to make a distinct and lasting positive impression on the 5th District and its citizens."
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Jeff Stroehmann,42, of Linden, Lycoming County; former Woodward Township supervisor.
"The size of the district does not intimidate me. I plan on traveling the district very heavily throughout the campaign and after I am elected. I believe that one of the top responsibilities of a United States Congressman is constituent service. As your next Congressman I pledge to visit every county in the district on a regular basis and will operate a mobile office which will allow me to directly meet with and listen to the concerns of the people that I serve. I also intend on having three regional offices; one in the east, center, and western regions of the district."
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John Stroup,50, mayor of Clarion and executive director of the Clarion Hospital Foundation.
"As a native to the 5th Congressional District, I value the unique character that blesses this area and understand the help that it provides to the district's Congressional representative. It is a character of hard work, devotion to community and family, and dedication to making things better. Despite the hundreds of communities that make up this district, that unique character cuts through them all, tying the district together in a way that is rare among areas so large and varied.
"While that character makes the district seem smaller than its 10,000- plus square miles, the opportunities are huge. Bountiful natural resources and tourism opportunities, talented youth, world-class educational institutions, businesses small and large, and residents who wake up every day to make their community a better place to live means that the district has a big advantage over many areas as it looks towards the future."
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Glenn Thompson, Township, Centre County, health care professional and county Republican Party chairman.
"The 5th Congressional District's 17 counties share what is best and most challenging for rural America. The citizens of our communities believe that the American dream is still achieved by hard work, personal responsibility and self-discipline. They want government that does not create barriers and more bureaucracy. Rather, government should serve to promote personal achievement and facilitate access to new opportunities when change is required. As the next member of Congress representing our district, I share these values and principles. Geographic size of the district will not restrict the availability, communications and service of me and my staff when needed in any of the 17 counties. Town hall meetings, electronic and teleconference communications, strategically placed offices, customer-focused congressional staff and a traveling congressional office will assure the citizens are served. As a lifelong rural small-town 5th District resident, I am best prepared to represent our rural values.
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Derek Walker,32, of Bigler, Clearfield County, financial consultant.
"With the exception of the State College metropolitan area which serves as the economic engine for the eastern part of the region, the district maintains a strictly rural identity. Rural districts consistently struggle to deliver the same services at an affordable rate compared other areas in the country. This includes health care, technology, infrastructure and transportation. As a Congressman, I will fight to preserve our rural identity and give residents access to the same opportunities others throughout the country enjoy.
"Our region is fortunate to have a tremendous amount of natural resources and strong educational facilities. I will work hard to give students the ability to stay in the region after they finish school by creating more jobs and opportunities. I will also fight to allow our region to use every energy resource available in the most efficient and effective way possible."
DEMOCRATS
Bill Cahir,39, of Bellefonte, Centre County, former Washington correspondent for Pennsylvania newspapers.
"The next congressman will have to work hard to match limited federal funds to local economic development rural recovery strategies. In some counties, that will mean promoting responsible management of forests and obtaining logging royalties for schools. In other counties, it will mean fighting for mine reclamation and rehabilitation of polluted rivers and streams. It will mean trying to save manufacturing jobs and trying to create alternative energy jobs. It will also require properly funding of higher education and research and development projects that spark spin-off businesses."
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Mark McCracken,44, of Clearfield; Clearfield County commissioner.
"While the district is geographically large, I don't feel that is an insurmountable problem. I plan on putting together a very experienced staff of people from communities throughout the 5th District. I'm also a hands-on person and I will visit all areas of the 5th District on a regular basis. Additionally, I give the same pledge I've made to the citizens of Clearfield County which is, if you need me somewhere, tell me and I'll be there.
"The opportunities that exist are many. The region is full of many wonderful communities that are home to good, hard working people. Progress has been made in a large portion of the district utilizing tourism through the Pennsylvania Wilds initiative to spur growth and economic development. Further progress will be made throughout the 5th District if elected officials and community leaders work together towards common goals to bring growth to the region."
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Rick Vilello,42, of Lock Haven, Clinton County; Lock Haven mayor.
"The challenge is obvious: driving around the district to serve the constituents.
"The opportunity is to find creative ways of staying in touch with all the people in the district. As Mayor of Lock Haven I believe in being accessible. My home phone number is 570- 748-3886 and I answer the phone when I'm home. I've been fortunate to work with outstanding staff people who keep Lock Haven the top priority. To serve the 5th District I will hire the very best people available, not political cronies, to keep the 5th District as priority number one. I will not move to Washington D.C. My roots are here, my constituents are here.
"People will know I'm only a phone call away, and my local government experience will clearly show through because I'll come to you and not expect you to go to Washington D.C. for solutions. Together we can do better."
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