By Tom Waring
Staff Writer
Kevin Strouse, the Democratic candidate in the 8th Congressional District, held a news conference last week at Bristol Borough Waterfront Park to call on Republican Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick to pledge never to become a lobbyist.
“I will never become a registered lobbyist,” Strouse said.
Strouse also pledged that, if elected, he would post information about any meetings with lobbyists on his website.
“It’s an easy thing to do,” he said.
Strouse blamed lobbyists, in part, for the dysfunction and gridlock in Congress. Some 259 former members of the U.S. House of Representatives are registered lobbyists, trying to win votes of their former colleagues. Strouse calls the transition from member of Congress to lobbyist a “revolving door.”
Fitzpatrick was elected in 2004, but defeated for re-election two years later. He won back the seat in 2010, but has pledged to serve no more than four terms, meaning he will not run again in 2016, if he beats Strouse.
Fitzpatrick has never given an indication that he has an interest in becoming a lobbyist.
Strouse is a former Army Ranger and CIA counterterrorism analyst, and is a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He lives in Middletown with his wife and two young children. He works as program director of Teach2Serve, a nonprofit that teaches social entrepreneurship to local high school students.
The district includes all of Bucks County and a portion of Montgomery County.
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Strouse is calling on Fitzpatrick to publicly support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
Four boroughs in Bucks County have ordinances outlawing discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation. They are Bristol, Doylestown, New Hope and Newtown.
Most Fortune 500 companies already have policies in place prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. And many major businesses back ENDA.
In the U.S. House, an ENDA bill has 197 co-sponsors, including eight Republicans.
“Supporting ENDA is common sense, and when elected I will work with members of both parties to bring this bill to the floor for a vote and put an end to the dysfunction of this Congress,” Strouse said.
Strouse argued the economic incentives and the moral justification for ending what he sees as discrimination in the workplace.
“Passing ENDA is not only a moral imperative to expand equal opportunity and put an end to discrimination in the 21st century, but it is also the smart thing to do for business. The vast majority of Fortune 500 companies already include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policies because they know that to be a successful business, you want to attract the best talent, and create a positive work environment for all employees,” he said.
Republican Rep. Charlie Dent, of the Lehigh Valley, is among the co-sponsors.
A Susquehanna Polling & Research survey from February 2013 showed that 82 percent of residents in Southeastern Pennsylvania supported ENDA.
“We should be doing everything we can to make Bucks and Montgomery counties a destination of opportunity for new businesses and the young professionals who will want to seek employment with them in a community free from discrimination,” Strouse said.
Some opponents of ENDA argue there is no discrimination in the workplace. They point out that surveys show gay people have higher incomes than the average household.
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Meanwhile, the National Republican Congressional Committee has funded a robocall critical of Strouse.
A male voice faults Strouse for offering only “generic talking points from Nancy Pelosi,” the Democratic House leader.
The caller mentions Strouse’s support of Obamacare, and contends he hasn’t offered any suggested fixes.
The man wonders whether Strouse will call for an independent special prosecutor to look into the scandal plaguing the IRS, which has been accused of targeting conservative groups and is now being questioned about thousands of lost emails.
Listeners are urged to call Strouse’s campaign office to demand that he answer reporters’ questions on these subjects.
“Instead of communicating his own opinions about key issues to taxpayers in Pennsylvania, Kevin Strouse regurgitates the DCCC’s liberal and tired rhetoric that is sent to him every morning by Nancy Pelosi’s campaign organization,” said NRCC communications director Andrea Bozek. “Strouse owes it to voters to stop relying on cookie-cutter talking points and start substantively explaining his support for Pelosi’s liberal agenda.”
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Fitzpatrick, who is in his third term, last week joined local business owners and employees in Bristol to discuss the challenges facing small businesses.
The visits are part of Fitzpatrick’s annual “100 Businesses in 100 Days” tour. Throughout the summer, the tours, employee meetings and roundtables allow Fitzpatrick to hear about how local businesses can sustain jobs and increase opportunity for working families, and areas where government can empower employers and workers.
Last April, Fitzpatrick announced a $1.5 million federal grant for the construction of a public access pier and docks on the Bristol waterfront. The funding is expected to spur local business traffic throughout the area as well as increase recreational use of the park and waterfront in Bristol.
“Small businesses — like those in Bristol — are at the heart of our economy and our communities. For the families who own them, and the workers they employ, they’re more than a statistic — they are the embodiment of an America where hard work pays off,” Fitzpatrick said.
“In talking with these business owners and employees, I’m hearing more and more about the need for legislation that empowers them to succeed; things like reducing regulatory burdens that raise prices and cost time, creating a flatter, fairer tax code that leaves more money for families, and representatives focused on their success, not politics as usual.”
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Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick welcomed Julia McGehean of Yardley to Capitol Hill to recognize her as the winner of the 2014 Congressional Art Competition for Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District.
“It was a pleasure to have Julia join me in Washington and be recognized as this year’s Congressional Art Competition winner from Bucks County,” Fitzpatrick said. “Her amazing piece of artwork shows not only her artistic prowess, but highlights the level of creativity of students across our district when it comes to the fine arts. Congratulations to Julia and all those who participated in this year’s successful competition.”
McGehean, a recent Pennsbury High School graduate, won the county-wide competition with her work Hidden in Plain Sight after her teacher submitted the graphite piece into the contest without telling her. For winning first prize, McGehean’s artwork will be on display inside the United States Capitol for the next year alongside other winners from across the country.
“Winning this competition has provided me with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that many people will never experience,” she said. “Seeing our work valued in a government setting truly provides us young artists with a sense of purpose.”
McGehean plans to attend the University of Pennsylvania’s Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
The local competition is run through Fitzpatrick’s office in partnership with Bucks County Community College and the Michener Art Museum.
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In other news Fitzpatrick is accepting applications for fall semester internships in both his Washington, D.C. and Langhorne offices.
The unpaid internships are an opportunity for any students interested in the legislative process, public service and learning more about the inner workings of the federal government.
The opportunity is open to college students, law students, and recent graduates. Responsibilities include answering phone calls from constituents, organizing mail and faxes, leading constituents on tours of the Capitol Building, greeting visitors and assisting the congressman’s overall legislative efforts through research and writing.
The deadline for applications is Aug 8.
If interested in working in Washington, contact Anna Marie DiMascia at 202–225–4276 or annamarie.dimascia@mail.house.gov.
If interested in working in Langhorne, contact Jen Nawalinski at 215–579–8102 or Jennifer.Nawalinski@mail.house.gov.
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The state had not passed a budget by press time, but Steve Cickay, the Democratic candidate in the 10th Senatorial District, is concerned that the leading proposals do not meet the needs of Pennsylvania.
Cickay, who is challenging Republican Sen. Chuck McIlhinney, worries that the budget will help big business and natural gas drillers at the expense of the education system and working-class citizens.
The challenger wants money to protect parks, fully fund schools and expand Medicaid. He’d pay for it with a severance fee on natural gas companies.
“The Republicans in Harrisburg are just kicking the can down the road instead of addressing the real problems Pennsylvanians are facing,” he said.
Cickay, of Newtown, is a retired IT executive. He worked with the U.S. Departments of Army, Labor, Navy and Treasury.
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Democrat Tom Wolf has a big lead over Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, according to the Franklin & Marshall College Poll that was released last week.
Wolf owns an advantage of 47 percent to 25 percent, with the rest undecided.
The poll consisted of responses from 502 registered voters.
President Barack Obama did not fare well in the poll. Asked to rate his performance in office, 42 percent said he was doing a poor job. Another 22 percent rated him fair, with 27 percent saying he was doing a good job and 7 percent giving him excellent grades.
Voters were also asked whether they supported efforts by the state to sell liquors stores to private owners. They favored such a sale by a count of 49 percent to 34 percent.
