From school budgets to quality-of-life issues, local primary candidates faced a wide range of voter questions Wednesday in State College.
Candidates in the Centre County judicial, State College Borough Council and State College school-board primary races gathered for a public Candidates’ Night event, put on by the League of Women Voters. All three judicial candidates, seven school-board candidates and five Borough Council candidates who will appear on the May 17 primary ballots were in attendance.
The school-board discussion marked the lengthiest — and perhaps most lively — portion of the evening. On the budget issue, challenger Dave Cannon said the district should put strict limits on how it applies exceptions to the state’s Act I tax-increase guidelines.
Incumbent Ann McGlaughlin, the sitting board president, said she expects the district’s fiscal difficulties to continue for several years. She said the district needs to start thinking now about putting proposed tax increases on ballot referendums in future budget cycles.
Under state law, any proposed school-tax increases in excess of the state-set guidelines must be put on the ballot as a voter-referendum item. Next year’s state guidelines may prohibit any non-voter-approved tax increases in excess of one percent.
Already, McGlaughlin said, the State College school board has started to create more transparency in its fiscal processes, in part to help prepare for the referendum option.
And incumbent board Vice President Jim Pawelczyk said it’s possible that ‘pretty much all school districts (in Pennsylvania) will be forced to go to referendum’ in future budget cycles.
‘I have no problem in going to referendum,’ he said. ‘ … I believe in this community. They do a great job with education. Let’s take it to them.’
Likewise, challenger Samuel Settle called the referendum option for future budgets a good idea. But the board will need ‘to understand there’s a chance’ that proposed increases won’t win approval. And if that happens, he said, the district will need to be ready to redouble cost-control efforts.
Incumbent Dorothea Stahl said she wouldn’t be surprised to see a budget referendum in the future. Challenger Amber Cistaro Concepcion said she thinks a referendum could be a wise move, particularly if there’s a need for a large tax increase.
The other challenger, Laurel Zydney, said that working entirely by referendum can be tough. She said educating the community on what’s happening in the schools is vital; that way, she said, voters will be more informed when budget issues reach referendums.
Another question in the board-candidate discussion centered on Senate Bill I, which would make it easier for public-school tax revenue to be diverted for private-school vouchers. Most candidates voiced deep concern about the legislation, though Settle said he generally supports the idea. He and Cannon appeared more open — more open than other candidates — to the thought that Act I could prove beneficial in some ways.
At another point, moderator Lydia Vandenberg asked if the candidates favor the inclusion of evolution lessons in biology classes. Initially, all but Pawelczyk and Stahl said yes.
Within minutes, though, Pawelczyk said he misheard the question. He thought he’d been asked if he supports the inclusion of creationism, he said.
He went on to clarify that he indeed strongly favors the inclusion of evolution lessons in biology classes.
Shortly thereafter, Stahl said that she, too, had misheard the evolution question. She favors inclusion of evolution curricula in biology classes, as well, she said. (The district already includes those lessons in biology classes.)
A separate question centered on collective-bargaining rights, which the candidates said they favor. The panel of candidates answered six questions in all, and each of them also provided a closing statement.
The entire session will air on CGTV (Comcast channel 7) and will appear on the C-NET website, as well. C-NET also posts, on its website, the CGTV programming schedule.
Five seats on the nine-member school board are in play this year. Of the five members whose terms are up, only Richard Bartnik and Chris Small are not seeking reelection. All the candidates who will appear on the primary ballots have cross-filed to be on the Republican and Democratic ballots. Voters in each party may vote in the May 17 primaries for as many as five candidates.
The nominees will appear on the general-election ballot in November.
In the State College Borough Council candidate forum Wednesday night, conversation centered heavily on quality-of-life and neighborhood-relations issues.
Challenger Cathy Dauler, a former council member and president, said the most important issue facing the borough is ‘to maintain the quality of life we enjoy here.
‘And to do that, we need to ensure we have a good tax base,’ Dauler said. ‘And to have a good tax base, we need to have a lot of people in the borough who are paying taxes and are actually residents.’
She said the borough needs to preserve neighborhoods and protect the downtown’s vitality, as well.
Political newcomer Sarah Klinetob, another challenger, said the borough’s most pressing issue is ‘to keep the community the lens through which we’re making our decisions.’
She said she’s running to keep State College ‘a safe place to live and work.’ She would bring fresh perspective in how to attract and retain young professionals and in how to ‘save money by saving energy,’ Klinetob said. She’s an energy engineer.
Incumbent Theresa Lafer cited ‘maintaining and sustaining neighborhoods’ in the face of change as a prime priority. She said the borough needs to look at how best to encourage both market-rate and workforce housing, and to continue to balance its budget.
Peter Morris, another incumbent, said he would put a key emphasis on maintaining borough services even if there’s a shortfall in state or federal funding in the coming months. ‘I hope we can do that, and I hope the shortfalls are not as serious as we feared,’ he said.
And incumbent Jim Rosenberger said: ‘I think the most important issue for the State College borough is to maintain the vitality and the wonderful quality of life we have here in a very small borough that’s surrounded by townships that are growing in terms of housing and population.’
He said the borough needs to embrace long-term, viable zoning rules and laws that encourage residential growth — including affordable housing for workers — in and near the downtown.
The complete council-candidate discussion will appear on CGTV and via the C-NET website, too. All the five listed council candidates in the May 17 primaries are seeking Democratic nominations and will appear only on the Democratic ballot.
Each resident may vote for only four primary candidates in the council race. Four of the seven Borough Council seats are in play this year. Of the incumbents whose terms are up, only Silvi Lawrence is not seeking reelection.
The judicial-candidate portion of the Candidates’ Night event Wednesday — featuring candidates Stephanie Cooper, David Grine and David Mason — was shorter than the other two sessions.
Mason, an attorney, said he’s practiced law in Pennsylvania for 27 years, having tried ‘cases all across the state.’
‘I’m bringing all of that experience back to Centre County,’ he said. Mason said the experience is valuable in court, particularly in building trust in the system.
Grine, an attorney and eight-year district judge, said he has pushed hard to run a top-tier court system. He emphasized his position on the Pennsylvania Minor Judiciary Education Board, where he was appointed by the state Supreme Court.
The board sets standards for all district judges statewide.
Cooper, a trial attorney for nearly 17 years, said she brings experience from a variety of legal areas, including in marital property matters and children and youth services. She also underscored her involvement in the community, such as leadership roles with the Centre County Community Foundation and the Bellefonte YMCA.
‘I have a good sense of the community needs and the community issues,’ she said.
Grine, Cooper and Mason are competing to succeed Judge David Grine on the county bench. All have cross-filed and will appear on both parties’ primary ballots on May 17.
Their shared appearance on Wednesday also will appear on CGTV and via the C-NET website.
Earlier coverage
