Election Day is nearly upon us and, locally, there may be no more fraught race than the battle for the 15th state Senate district.
To help voters make a decision, we asked the two candidates, Democratic incumbent Rob Teplitz and Republican challenger John DiSanto, about their positions, priorities and prospects. They responded with the answers that follow.
Senator Rob Teplitz
Sen. Rob Teplitz (D)
What do you believe are the greatest issues facing voters in the 15th Senate District in this election cycle? What are voters telling you as you campaign?
Over the past four years, I’ve taken on the most important issues in this very diverse senatorial district that includes the City of Harrisburg, most of Dauphin County and all of Perry County—great schools, good jobs, government reform, Harrisburg’s financial recovery, and the preservation of family farms. That’s what I’ll continue to do in my second term, and I’ll also continue to be the most accessible, responsive and transparent public official I can be.
What are your plans to try to solve the most important issue or two?
Details of my positions and accomplishments on these and many other issues can be found on my campaign website at www.robteplitz.com/issues. In this space, I’ll address government reform because it is the key to achieving progress on all other issues. As the founder and co-chairman of the Government Reform Caucus, I lead a bipartisan, bicameral effort to change business as usual in the Capitol. Our caucus has focused on banning gifts to public officials, and I have dozens of my own bills as well. I’ve also tried to lead by example, such as by refusing my own paycheck when there wasn’t a state budget, returning my mid-term cost of living adjustments to the state Treasury and posting my office expenses on my official website for the public to review.
The City of Harrisburg is showing some positive momentum in terms of its local economy. What would you try to do, if anything, to try to sustain and further that momentum?
I’m proud of my work to help the local economy: securing greater state investments in our schools and economic development projects; forcing the state to finally pay the full cost that the city incurs in providing public safety services to the Capitol and other tax-exempt state government buildings; drafting legislation to prohibit the kind of risky financial deals that nearly bankrupted the city; pushing law enforcement to hold those responsible for the financial crisis accountable for their actions; working with local businesses and entrepreneurs through my Small Business Advisory Committee; helping dozens of constituents find family-sustaining jobs; and supporting the efforts of our vibrant nonprofit community. I am committed to continuing to do everything I can to help our capital city and its residents thrive.
The 15th Senate District has changed considerably since the last election. What impact do you think this will have on the race?
As an active member of the Redistricting Reform Work Group, I’ve sponsored legislation to take the politics out of the redistricting process. It’s time for our democratic system to work the way it’s supposed to, with voters choosing their legislators and not the other way around. As the first Democrat to be elected to this Senate seat in almost a century, I wasn’t surprised by the GOP leadership’s attempt to take it back through partisan gerrymandering. That should offend everyone, regardless of their political affiliation. Yet despite the change in geography, I’m running on my record, and I’m confident that the voters will respond favorably.
The budget process in Pennsylvania is, in my opinion, badly broken. Do you advocate reforms to the process? If so, what are they?
Yes. I introduced my “Judgment Day” package of legislation to facilitate a responsible, on-time state budget. My bills create a process for enacting a budget by the June 30th constitutional deadline, and then impose increasingly harsh consequences on legislators and the governor if the deadline isn’t met—suspending our pay, forfeiting our cost of living adjustments, and subjecting us to recall elections. My goal is for the effects of a budget impasse to be felt by those of us inside the Capitol, rather than by our constituents outside the Capitol.
There has been much talk about eliminating or significantly reducing property taxes in Pennsylvania, but nothing has happened. What is your stance on this issue? If you would like property tax reductions, how specifically would that revenue be made up?
We must address the critical issue of high property taxes. However, the proposals most often discussed—increasing and expanding other taxes, as my opponent favors and I oppose—would merely trade one set of winners and losers for another. Instead, I want to see real progress on this issue. I have introduced legislation to provide targeted relief to seniors and others who are most affected, and to fix the dysfunctional process by which all homeowners are supposed to receive the tax relief we were promised when casinos were legalized a dozen years ago. This can be done within a responsible and balanced state budget.
Feel free to take a quick swipe at your opponent regarding any of the issues above.
A campaign is a reflection of the candidate. I’m running a positive campaign focused on the issues that are important to central Pennsylvania families and taxpayers. I trust your readers to judge my record fairly and vote accordingly.
John DiSanto
John DiSanto (R)
What do you believe are the greatest issues facing voters in the 15th Senate District in this election cycle? What are voters telling you as you campaign?
People talk to me all the time about how we need to elect decent people with real world experience in solving tough problems. People are frustrated with career politicians and politics as usual, and I’ve been encouraged by people who want to see real change. Jobs are a big issue, and I think that people know that my experience as a job creator for 35 years will be an asset in the state Senate that they currently do not have.
The other issue that keeps coming up is elimination of property taxes. I oppose tax increases, but I do support a shift from property taxes to income and sales taxes to help continue the type of economic development that has started in Harrisburg and to alleviate the burden on seniors.
What are your plans to try to solve the most important issue or two?
When it comes to creating jobs, we need some common sense in Harrisburg— eliminate wasteful spending, stand up to special interests, invest in and improve education, and reform our tax code to make it more business friendly. We also need to eliminate property taxes—and that will help every community, including Harrisburg.
The City of Harrisburg is showing some positive momentum in terms of its local economy. What would you try to do, if anything, to try to sustain and further that momentum?
I believe Harrisburg is the economic hub of our region, and the next state Senator has to know that and believe it. We must provide the city with the tools to manage the high cost of municipal pensions that have become a major burden on its budget and the source of a continuous search for more revenue from city taxpayers. Also, eliminating property taxes will continue the momentum Harrisburg has seen—development and redevelopment will continue to rise thanks to lowering the tax burden in the city.
I would also support efforts to enhance the livability of the city, such as recreational opportunities, parks and bike lanes. And, I would advocate for opportunities for small and minority-owned businesses in the city to grow their markets and expand.
Having a senator in the majority will help the city considerably. This will give us a louder voice in the Capitol, and anyone who knows me knows I won’t be a wallflower.
The 15th Senate District has changed considerably since the last election. What impact do you think this will have on the race?
The addition of Perry and upper Dauphin County to the district requires that the senator be knowledgeable about and involved in rural issues. Because of my varied business experience and farm ownership, I am just as comfortable meeting with developers in Harrisburg as I am talking to farmers in Perry County, and I think that gives me a distinct advantage.
Overall, though, I find that the residents of Harrisburg, upper Dauphin County and Perry County pretty much want the same things: good schools for their kids and grandkids, job opportunities, safe communities, good roads and transportation and affordable taxes.
The budget process in Pennsylvania is, in my opinion, badly broken. Do you advocate reforms to the process? If so, what are they?
Government was set up to have natural tension between the executive and legislative branches, and we saw that in the budget debates in the past. However, our legislators and governor should be able to meet the constitutional deadline of June 30 for a balanced budget. Our current senator’s proposals in this regard are gimmicks that have no chance of passing and, in fact, would lead to higher spending and taxes as self-serving politicians scrambled to protect their pay.
What we need instead is for our legislators to actually do their jobs rather than introduce unnecessary legislation. Imagine someone telling their boss to issue another company policy before they were going to follow their job description. Legislators should start discussions sooner and negotiate in good faith to meet the existing constitutional deadline. The only way we’ll get there is to have fewer career politicians and more citizen-legislators who can actually get things done.
There has been much talk about eliminating or significantly reducing property taxes in Pennsylvania, but nothing has happened. What is your stance on this issue? If you would like property tax reductions, how specifically would that revenue be made up?
I do not think we should make “reductions”—I think we should eliminate them. There should be no excuses for keeping property taxes—they are unfair and anti-growth. This is a big difference in this race—I oppose tax increases, but I would support a shift to income and sales tax to eliminate the property tax that places an unfair burden on seniors and young families.
Feel free to take a quick swipe at your opponent regarding any of the issues above.
My opponent talks a lot about “reform,” but his proposals are nothing but unnecessary, counterproductive gimmicks. Meanwhile, he took a job with a politically connected law firm that lobbies the Senate, so he’s being paid by the same interests that want his vote. He’s constantly spending his constituents’ tax dollars to send self-promotional newsletters. He voted against moving legislators into a 401(k)-style retirement system and refuses to even acknowledge we face a pension problem.
I believe voters want a senator who will lead and can get things done and a senator who will stand up for taxpayers every time, so I feel very good about my chances of winning and finally giving the residents of the 15th district an effective voice in the state Senate.
TheBurg: Election Day is Nov. 8. Please remember to vote!
Author: Lawrance Binda
