By Tom Waring
Wire Staff Writer
Democrats Shaughnessy Naughton and Kevin Strouse found plenty to fault Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick at a debate last week at a forum sponsored by Lin-Pac Civic Association and the NAACP Bucks County Branch 2253.
Naughton said Fitzpatrick spends too much time voting to repeal Obamacare and not enough time meeting with constituents.
“We deserve better,” she said.
Strouse said the real Fitzpatrick is the one who voted for a budget crafted by Wisconsin Republican Rep. Paul Ryan that would cut jobs, slash infrastructure spending and jeopardize retirement security by ending the Medicare guarantee and turning it into a voucher program.
“He hasn’t been transparent with his constituents,” Strouse said.
The April 14 forum took place at Linconia Tabernacle Christian Center, in Trevose.
Fitzpatrick is serving his third term in the U.S. House. He is unopposed in the May 20 primary. The 8th Congressional District includes all of Bucks County and a portion of Montgomery County.
Strouse, a married father of two from Middletown, is a former Army ranger, CIA counterterrorism analyst and veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is program director of Teach2Serve, an education nonprofit that teaches young people to give back to their communities.
Naughton, of Point Pleasant, is a scientist and small publishing company owner.
“I think those are two perspectives we can use in Congress…I’m tired of nothing getting done,” she said in her opening statement.
Strouse contended that Fitzpatrick and some other lawmakers are more interested in getting re-elected than in solving problems. He called for an increase in the minimum wage, public financing of campaigns and a new Voting Rights Act to eliminate any attempts at voter suppression.
The rollout of Obamacare was flawed, Strouse said, but he is running in support of the law.
“We’re bringing health insurance to people who didn’t have it,” he said.
Naughton said she opposes the Ryan budget, in part, because it would lead to cuts in Pell Grants to college students. She favors extending the time period prohibiting former members of Congress from lobbying their ex-colleagues. The crowd applauded when she called for a permanent ban on fracking in the Delaware River Basin.
Health care is too expensive, she said, but Obamacare is a “good first step” because of the consumer protections.
“It’s a good thing for Americans and it’s a good thing for business,” she said.
Naughton had a dustup with an audience member on photo identification to vote and to buy a gun. She also suggested that her donor base was local, while her opponent was taking in more national money.
In response to an audience question on income inequality, she said college student loans should be made more affordable to help more people enter the middle class. She called for investments in science, technology, clean energy and infrastructure, and laws to discourage companies from taking jobs overseas.
Strouse said the path to prosperity goes through education, noting that he wants to start investing at the pre-kindergarten level. He, too, wants more spending on infrastructure.
“We’re letting our roads and our bridges fall apart,” he said.
Both candidates believe there should be a greater focus on mental health issues in schools to help prevent deadly violence. Naughton wants more proactive social workers on staff, saying preventive measures are better than waiting for a shootout to call law enforcement.
When asked whether they would endorse the other after the primary, Strouse said, “Yes,” and Naughton said, “At the end of the day, we’re both Democrats.”
In their closing statements, the candidates were asked why they are a better choice than their opponent.
Strouse said, in a tough general election race, he’d battle Fitzpatrick on key issues such as preserving Social Security.
“We can win the race this year,” he said.
Naughton, too, said she’d protect Social Security, adding that women’s rights are also at the top of her agenda.
“I present a stark contrast to Mike Fitzpatrick and his politics as usual…Mike Fitzpatrick doesn’t want to face me in this race…I know this district as well as he does,” she said.
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Rep. Fitzpatrick spoke with nearly 40 students and community anti-drug leaders at the annual Indian Valley Character Counts Coalition breakfast.
Fitzpatrick focused his remarks on his involvement in the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse and bipartisan support for legislation that empowers local organizations to tackle drug abuse in their communities.
The congressman has been vocal in supporting the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America’s drug-free community initiatives and has been a leader in the bipartisan effort to reauthorize and fund the federal Drug Free Communities program.
In February, Fitzpatrick addressed more than 2,500 CADCA members from across the country at the organization’s National Leadership Forum. In 2013, CADCA awarded him the Congressional Leadership Award in recognition of his commitment to championing the cause of community-based substance abuse prevention.
“Drug-Free communities can get the attention of Congress and support for the funding of alcohol and drug prevention, intervention and treatment and recovery programs by gathering evaluation and outcome data for the decision-makers. In this economic climate, proof of concept is a very persuasive tool,” Fitzpatrick said. “In this vein, communication is important as we forge relationships with the coalitions.”
Fitzpatrick has sponsored legislation to address underage drinking and reduce the abuse of prescription medications. Recently, he has led a bipartisan push for the Food and Drug Administration to reconsider its approval of a potentially highly addictive pain medicine until proper anti-abuse measures could be built into the drug.
In attendance at the April 16 gathering were representatives from: Souderton Area School District, Montgomery County Office of Drug and Alcohol, Pennsylvania State Police, Drug Enforcement Administration, as well as students from Christopher Dock Mennonite High School and the Souderton Area School District.
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Fitzpatrick joined members of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protections and Security Technologies for a hearing focusing on the protection of personally identifiable information and what has been done in the wake of recent, large-scale data breaches.
“Data breaches at major retailers and banking institutions pose a very real threat to American families — but just as importantly, this faceless crime threatens to stifle growth and job creation at small, mom-and-pop businesses in our communities,” Fitzpatrick said. “For local businesses and families, a stolen identity following a breach can be ruinous — forcing them to fall back on possibly incomplete insurance and pursue additional litigation, all while dealing with damaged credit ability. Our constituents — students and seniors, small businesses and community groups — need us to find innovative ways to address this persisting problem.”
Fitzpatrick, a member of the House Financial Committee, has been active in promoting efforts to prevent data breaches at retailers or financial institutions that could affect consumer personally identifiable information. The committee recently held its own hearing on consumer data protection.
“Protecting personal information and financial data is a shared responsibility. It is going to take collaboration and cooperation among retailers, private institutions and financial services providers,” Fitzpatrick said. “[T]he government has an important role to play in not only law enforcement but ensuring that individuals, businesses and public property are protected — after all, this is a homeland security issue. It is not just criminals who are seeking to exploit security lapses but also nation-states and non-state enemies of the United States.”
Offering testimony at the hearing were: Ari Baranoff, assistant special agent in charge of the Secret Service Criminal Investigative Division; Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan; Richard Quinn, an FBI assistant special agent in charge; Thomas Litchford, vice president of retail technologies for the National Retail Federation; and Ted Peters, CEO and chairman of Bryn Mawr Trust Company.
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Katie McGinty, a Democratic candidate for governor, last week released two new 15-second statewide television commercials.
One ad talks about McGinty’s record as a “job-creating environmentalist” who attracted clean energy companies to Pennsylvania, lured $1 billion in new investment and helped create thousands of jobs as secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection.
Appointed by Gov. Ed Rendell, McGinty served as DEP secretary from 2003–2008. A former chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, she’s been endorsed by former Vice President Al Gore.
The other ad focuses on McGinty’s proposal to impose a severance tax on oil and natural gas companies, and use the money education in kindergarten through 12th grade. In the ad, McGinty states that, “When oil and gas companies don’t pay their fair share, the middle class pays more in property taxes.”
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According to Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, the state’s unemployment rate has fallen to 6.0 percent — the lowest level since 2008 and below the national average of 6.7 percent.
“When I came to Harrisburg, I came here with the promise of less taxes and more jobs, and we are now seeing those jobs reflected in our state’s improving unemployment rate,” stated Gov. Tom Corbett. “I have fought hard to restore fiscal order in our state Capitol, and that is creating the fiscal certainty and stability needed for the creation of good private sector jobs. I will continue making the tough decisions that the people of Pennsylvania elected me to make, because they didn’t send me to Harrisburg to make friends, they sent me here to make a difference.”
