We should not give a blank check to large corporations without considering their impact on the community like electric grid, farmland, water use and infrastructure. I would evaluate each proposal based on facts rather than whether a political party, special interest, or developer supports or opposes it. If a data center wants to come to PA, they should pay their way. Does it improve the community where it is being built without placing the cost on the people who already live there, and ultimately, does that community want it there? Pennsylvania should be open to new technology, new investment, and economic development. But development must make sense for the communities where it occurs.

I will follow these priorities when considering any data center proposals:

1. Protect residential electric customers

2. Protect local control

3. Protect farmland

4. Protect water/environment

5. Provide transparency to the surrounding community

What does affordability look like to me? This could encompass a lot of factors. Property-tax relief, affordable housing, utility costs and even childcare. Property tax, the never ending debate, needs to be discussed but that goes hand in hand with school funding because the bulk of our property tax is the school tax. Affordability is really about whether our residents can afford to live and build a future here.

Our current way of doing things is not working, so something needs done. Let’s think outside the box and come up with a commonsense funding mechanism. We need to reduce the pressure on property owners and those persons on a fixed income. Utility costs have skyrocketed over the last several years. New industry should incorporate the infrastructure costs to operate rather than shift the burden to residents and there should be policies for renewable energy to help with the strain on the grid and the eventual decline of the fossil fuels.

Childcare costs are crazy. Some households have to make a decision: Is it worth one adult working or should they stay home to rear the children until they are of school age? Most people want to work and have that social interaction and bring home a paycheck but at what cost?

Lastly, government spending itself. We need to look at both state and local government and determine if there are proven results. Do certain programs need to be looked at more closely? Stop passing the “unfunded” mandates to the local municipalities without a funding mechanism. Economic growth is important but should benefit the people who already live here with the goal of communities where people can afford to buy a home and raise a family.

I like to hope that everyone wants a strong public education system. I feel all students deserve a quality education. The dollars spent on education need to make it to the classroom and teachers. Education should prepare students for life, not just graduation. We need strong academics, strong career and technical programs, safe schools, quality teachers that are fairly compensated and accountability for taxpayer dollars.

I have no interest in drawing districts to benefit any political party or individual. My priority is making sure every voter has a fair opportunity to elect someone who truly represents their community. I would support a fair and transparent redistricting process that keeps communities together whenever possible. Districts should be balanced, practical, and drawn in a way that respects existing communities and local boundaries. I would support establishing objective criteria, support of an independent council, and public input before maps are created and finalized.

Property tax relief should focus first on people’s primary homes, seniors, and working families. At the same time, Pennsylvania has to address the underlying reason property taxes keep increasing—too much of the cost of education and state mandates continues to fall on local taxpayers. We need to look at the rising cost of special education and how the state could help reduce pressure on local residents.

We also need to look at cyber schools. I believe that virtual learning fills a necessary role. Families should continue to have access to cyber education, but taxpayers should pay what it actually costs to provide that education. Cyber charter funding should be fair, transparent, and consistent so local homeowners are not paying more than necessary through their property taxes. Currently, the home school district sends the same amount of dollars it would spend on a student to the charter school while the charter schools cost to educate that student are lower. The funding formula needs to be looked at and this would reduce the pressure on local residents. I also think other districts could model after Donegal and create their own virtual academy, which gives families an option to keep the student in the current district.

Municipalities and school districts are required to comply with numerous state laws and requirements. While the end goal may be a worthy cause, all too often, the state does not provide enough, or sometimes any, funding to cover the expense of enacting these policies. This results on the local tax base filling that need. I would support having the state evaluate the financial impact of new mandates and provide the funding to implement them. If the state mandates it, the state should help fund it.

I support responsible well-planned growth while accounting for current projects. You can’t get a study when there are multiple projects working or already started and then do more growth until you see the effects and outcome of what has already been approved. We need to prioritize protecting farmland, community character, water resources, and local infrastructure. There also needs to be a more holistic regional planning approach—just because an invisible line separates a municipality does not mean the impact from a project won’t have a direct effect on your neighbor.

Agriculture is the backbone of Pennsylvania. We should work to protect productive farmland and recognize agriculture as both an economic sector and an important asset to the 98th district.

Communities should decide what they’re run, not Harrisburg. We need to preserve municipal authority over zoning, planning, development, and community priorities rather than shifting every decision to the state level.

I support transparency in all aspects of government. Every state program should be transparent, responsible with your tax dollars, and should demonstrate measurable public benefits.

I have chaired the Public Works Committee, so I understand that infrastructure needs to be maintained and cared for. We need to address road conditions, traffic, pedestrian safety, bridges, water and sewer infrastructure, and proactively consider any infrastructure demands created by proposed development.

We must have a dependable power supply and prevent the costs of major new energy users from being shifted onto households and small businesses. Pennsylvania’s current data-center policy requires developers seeking state support to bear the costs of new electric infrastructure associated with their projects.

Small businesses are the backbone of a community. We need to reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens while maintaining reasonable worker, consumer, and environmental protections.

I support police, fire departments, EMS, and volunteer emergency organizations, particularly as communities grow. One of the greatest assets to a community is their volunteer fire department, but getting volunteers is becoming much more difficult, and must be addressed.

I support protecting streams, groundwater, open space, parks, hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation. Environmental protection and strong economic activity are not mutually exclusive