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STEPHANIE
BOROWICZ
MIKE HANNA JR.
Both seek party nominations in primary for 76th House seat
LOCK HAVEN -- The Pennsylvania House of Representatives seat for the 76th Legislative District, representing Clinton and Centre counties, is up for grabs this year.
Incumbent Mike Hanna Sr. is not running for re-election to the seat.
Two candidates have announced they are running, one on the Democratic ballot and the other on the Republican ballot.
Both live in Clinton County.
Both are expected to win in Tuesday's Primary Election and then run against each other in the November election.
They are Republican Stephanie Borowicz, who ran for the seat in 2016, and Democrat Mike Hanna Jr., son of the incumbent.
The Express community newspaper asked both candidates to answer the same eight questions as a way to introduce themselves to the voters.
STEPHANIE BOROWICZ
Stephanie Borowicz received her Bachelor's Degree from Vanguard University in Liberal Studies with a minor in Bible.
She is a former fourth-grade teacher and president of a non-profit organization. She lives in McElhattan with her husband and their three children.
Q.: Should the state increase funding for higher education, and if so, where should the funding come from?
A.: "As a former teacher, mother of three boys and current employee at a local school, I am a strong proponent of education. Our children are the future of this great nation. I would support increasing funding for education only if the funds are available. I also believe we need to direct more funding to trade schools and technical education. However, I do not support increasing taxes on the hardworking people of Pennsylvania to pay for such increases."
Q.: The Rand Corp. study of PASSHE schools outlined five options. Which one, if any, do you think could work?
A.: "First, I want to point out that this study itself has cost nearly $650,000. The first option laid out by the Rand Corporation suggests allowing these institutions more flexibility. I believe that increased flexibility would allow all of the schools in the State System to become more competitive and attract more students. I do believe that the changes to the State System must ensure that Lock Haven University remains open."
Q.: Should school vouchers, or the proposed Education Savings Accounts, go into effect?
A.: "As I mentioned before I am strong proponent of education. I am also a strong proponent of allowing parents to send their children to schools of their choice. While we are blessed with great public schools in our community, not every student in Pennsylvania is as fortunate. This is why we must empower parents - not Harrisburg bureaucrats - with more control over their child's educational opportunities.
Q.: What is your opinion on the ability to buy a rifle in Pennsylvania without a background check?
A.: "As a member of the National Rifle Association, a gun owner, and concealed carry permit holder, I know that Pennsylvania's legal gun owners are amongst the most responsible and respectful in the nation. I do not believe that we need more gun control laws. We need to abide by the laws that are already in place."
Q.: What should the Legislature's role be in fighting the opioid crisis?
A.: "The opioid crisis is tearing families apart and fighting it needs to be a team effort. That includes the Legislature working with first-responders, law enforcement, medical professionals and treatment specialists to understand the resources they need to successfully do their jobs. This could include additional funding or new legislation. As State Representative this will be one of my top priorities."
Q.: Do you support Fair Districts PA's proposal that legislative districts be drawn by an independent citizens committee?
A.: "Both parties have been guilty of gerrymandering while they have been in power. I have questions and concerns of how we can ensure that a citizens' independent committee would be truly bipartisan. If a citizens' commission becomes partisan, we are left with the same problem that we have now."
Q.: Has the intense budget-setting climate of the Legislature in recent years been good, harmful, or essentially neutral for Pennsylvanians?
A.: "What I believe has been harmful for Pennsylvanians has been the astronomical amount of spending, taxes, and regulations placed upon businesses, farmers, and the citizens. It is time to put people ahead of politics."
Q.: What should the Legislature do differently, if anything, to better the lives of the average Pennsylvanian?
A.: "The people of Pennsylvania are tired of the heavy hand of state government. The Legislature should represent their constituents rather than making decisions by lobbyist and big city money. The change I am offering is one where the citizens of the 76th District would come first. It is long overdue. We must work to decrease government regulations, government spending and taxes. By doing this, we can return to what President Lincoln envisioned: a government of the people, by the people, for the people."
MIKE HANNA JR.
Mike Hanna Jr., 35, of 102 Susquehanna Ave., Lock Haven, is a lifelong resident of Clinton County and a graduate of Central Mountain High School (2001) and Lock Haven University (2005).
Hanna is an avid sportsman and a member of the Western Clinton County Sportsmen's Association, Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania, Fraternal Order of Eagles, Ancient Order of Hibernians, Holy Spirit Parish, and a Lock Haven University Trustee.
Hanna has been a public servant for almost a decade working in both the legislative and executive branches of government.
The past three years Hanna has served as Deputy Secretary of Legislative Affairs in the Governor's Office and was promoted to second-in-command dealing with legislative issues this past summer.
He is engaged to be married in September.
Q.: Should the state increase funding for higher education, and if so, where should the funding come from?
A.: "Yes, the current state budget proposal calls for an increase of $15 million for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), which are the state-owned schools. Lock Haven University is one of the PASSHE schools that would benefit from this increase. Investment in higher education should be a top priority. It will help keep tuition affordable for students at LHU, ensuring more students have the opportunity to obtain a degree without being weighed down with heavy student debt.
"The state budget is currently running a $150 million surplus and I would use a piece of that surplus to pay for Lock Haven University's (PASSHE) increase."
Q.: The Rand Corp. study of PASSHE schools outlined five options. Which one, if any, do you think could work?
A.: "All options are worth further evaluation. With declining enrollments nationwide, the system needs to be willing to change to accommodate a changing workforce in need of additional training. Serving as a Lock Haven University Trustee and following higher education issues closely, I know that Lock Haven University is one of the top financially performing PASSHE schools. It needs to be a model for other PASSHE schools in the system."
Q.: Should school vouchers, or the proposed Education Savings Accounts, go into effect?
A.: "It is important to know that Pennsylvania already offers the Education Improvement Tax Credits (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC). We should properly fund these current programs instead of creating new ones.
"I do not support school vouchers or the proposed Education Savings Accounts because these programs take vital money out of our public schools. Unlike the EITC and OSTC programs, vouchers directly divert dedicated state funding from schools. Every dollar that would leave our local school districts for these programs, makes it more difficult to properly educate the students that remain. Making matters worse, these proposals would result in an increase in property taxes, as schools struggle to make up the lost funding. The last thing policymakers should be doing right now is enacting policies that will drive property taxes up, making it more difficult for families and seniors to keep their homes."
Q.: What is your opinion on the ability to buy a rifle in Pennsylvania without a background check?
A.: "It is current law that if you buy a rifle at a gun shop you must go through a background check."
Q.: What should the Legislature's role be in fighting the opioid crisis?
A.: "It is hard to imagine that anyone reading this has not been impacted by this crisis in some way. It is our friends, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters and brothers who are unfortunately addicted to this disease.
"The Legislature has an important role to ensure there is not only the necessary policy changes to combat the growing opioid crisis, but funding for long-term treatment."
"In 2016, the Legislature passed a law limiting the number of opioids prescribed to a patient during an emergency room visit to a seven-day supply. This is just one example of a step I would have supported in tackling the opioid crisis.
"I also support strengthening the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program to ensure that doctors can identify if patients have recently received prescribed opioids from another doctor. This program will help to stop patients from pill shopping at multiple doctors.
"Supplying naloxone to local first-responders also makes a lot of sense. Many first-responders arrive on overdose scenes and are able to save overdose victims with naloxone.
"While these are all important steps, I believe more needs to be done to stop this growing addiction and provide long-term patent treatment for individuals that want help.
Q.: Do you support Fair Districts PA's proposal that legislative districts be drawn by an independent citizens committee?
A.: "Yes."
Q.: Has the intense budget-setting climate of the Legislature in recent years been good, harmful, or essentially neutral for Pennsylvanians?
A.: "The budget fights have been harmful. That is why two of the government reform initiatives I have been pushing should help to fix this. There is no reason why Republicans and Democrats can't come together and pass a budget by June 30. That's why I support 'no budget, no pay' for legislators. If legislators can't pass a budget on time, they shouldn't get a paycheck until it is completed. No other job allows you to not get your job done and still get a paycheck. It's time legislators stop getting paid if they don't do theirs.
"I also support legislation that would require all Democratic and Republican leaders, both in the House and Senate, to step down as leaders, if a budget isn't passed by Sept. 30 each year. If the leaders on both sides of the aisle can't get the job done and pass a budget, others will step up and get the job done."
Q.: What should the Legislature do differently, if anything, to better the lives of the average Pennsylvanian?
A.: "The Legislature needs to cut governmental redtape and encourage job growth. We need to make sure that we can create family-sustaining jobs right here in Clinton and Centre counties.
"In addition, the Legislature needs to continue to invest in workforce development and new apprenticeship programs. We also need to fully fund our Career and Technical Education Programs at both Central Mountain High School and Central Pennsylvania Institute (CPI) in Centre County. There are many jobs in the CTE field that go unfilled each year and we need to make sure our young people are career ready."