Where Do They Stand?
On November 8, Pennsylvania’s voters will be selecting candidates to serve in the legislature for the next two or four years. On 2016, all 203 seats in the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives are up for election; half of the 50 seats in the State Senate are also up for election. According to the Pennsylvania Department of State Bureau of Commissions, Elections, and Legislation, Republicans are fielding unopposed candidates in 51 districts, while Democrats have 47 unchallenged candidates. Fifteen incumbents—eight Republicans and seven Democrats—are not running for reelection in 2016. Ten of those seats have general election competition. If Democrats intend to make any gains, it will be in the 105 districts that have general election competition between two major party candidates; only nine seats were competitive or mildly competitive in 2014.
Regional volunteers who serve on PASR’s L/PEC Committee are attempting to secure information from the candidates in districts where PASR members are faced with a choice. The L/PEC Committee developed and sent a questionnaire to both the Republican and Democratic candidates in all contested legislative races across the state. Candidates were asked the following questions:
Health Insurance/Premium Assistance: If elected, would you support legislation that would financially strengthen the Health Options Program (HOP) administered by PSERS and maintain the current level of premium assistance that is provided to eligible retirees?
Pension Reform: If elected, would you support legislation that would support preservation of the defined benefit plan of PSERS, support the Public Private Partnership Plan to reduce the unfunded liability of the public school and state pension systems, and continue to advocate for an ad hoc cost-of-living adjustment for all school retirees?
Pension Contributors’ Protection Act: If elected, would you support legislation that would charge Pennsylvania’s Auditor General with the responsibility of periodically reviewing the retirement system’s actuarial assumptions, projections, and practices, require the Public Employee Retirement Commission to schedule public hearings on all proposals to amend the retirement codes before issuing its actuarial notes to the General Assembly, require the legislature to provide no less than two weeks from when the Commission issues an actuarial note before either the House or Senate can vote final passage on a bill to amend the retirement codes, empower the PSERS Board of Trustees to express opinions on proposals affecting the retirement system and enable PSERS to challenge legally those who might seek to force them to abdicate their fiduciary responsibilities, and increase from one the number of retired members who serve on the PSERS Board of Trustees?
The members of the committee followed up and personally contacted these candidates, making sure that they received the survey, reminding them of the deadline to return the completed surveys by September 30 and urging them to take the time to complete and return the survey so that we could assist them in communicating their positions to the school retirees living in their areas.
For candidates who elected not to return the surveys, PASR will list the telephone numbers and/or email address that they provided to the Department of State. If you want to know a candidate’s positions on the proposals your association has been advocating, you may contact him/her directly. Appearing below, by district, are the legislative races in which PASR sent surveys to both candidates. Please note, PASR L/PEC did not survey the candidates who are running unopposed.
CONTESTED PENNSYLVANIA STATE SENATE RACES
5th Senatorial District
Ross Eric Feinberg (R), (609) 506-1177
John P. Sabatina, Jr. (D), (215) 821-7606
9th Senatorial District
Thomas H. Killion (R), (610) 358-5183
Martin W. Molloy II (D), (215) 510-6444
13th Senatorial District
Scott F. Martin (R), (717) 615-8427
Gregory Paulson (D)
15th Senatorial District
Giovanni M. Disanto (R), (717) 963-8639
Robert F. Teplitz (D)
17th Senatorial District
Brian Gondek (R), (610) 789-8722
Daylin B. Leach (D), (610) 768-4200
19th Senatorial District
Andrew E. Dinniman (D), (610) 363-9608
Jack Samuel London (R), (610) 429-1481
25th Senatorial District
Jerri Buchanan (D), (814) 590-8223
Joseph B. Scarnati III (R), (717) 614-0158
31st Senatorial District
John Bosha (D), boshaforsenate@gmail.com
Michael R. Regan (R), (717) 903-9890
35th Senatorial District
Wayne Langerholc, Jr. (R), (814) 659-7645
Ed Cernic, Jr. (D)
37th Senatorial District
Edward H. Eichenlaub (D), (412) 330-0370
Guy Reschenthaler (R), (412) 628-6241
41st Senatorial District
Anthony J. Deloreto (D), (724) 840-5661
Donald C. White (R), (724) 357-0151
49th Senatorial District
Daniel J. Laughlin (R), (814) 450-4070
Sean Wiley (D), (814) 453-2515
CONTESTED PENNSYLVANIA STATE HOUSE RACES
1st Legislative District
William E. Crotty (R), (814) 823-8294
Patrick Harkins (D)
2nd Legislative District
Florindo J. Fabrizio (D), (814) 455-6319
Patrick J. Fuller (R), (814) 403-2820
3rd Legislative District
Ryan A. Bizzarro (D), (814) 520-5350
Gregory S. Lucas (R)
6th Legislative District
Bradley T. Roae (R), (814) 336-5154
Peter Andrew Zimmer (D), (814) 573-2679
8th Legislative District
Judith D. Hines (D), (814) 573-2679
Tedd C. Nesbit (R), (724) 264-4884
10th Legislative District
Aaron Joseph Bernstine (R), (724) 201-5200
Jaret A. Gibbons (D)
12th Legislative District
Daryl D. Metcalfe (R), (724) 776-9628
Christian M. Rieger (D)
13th Legislative District
Nancy Dean (D)
John Adda Lawrence (R), (610) 255-0572
15th Legislative District
James J. Christiana (R), (724) 371-0293
Michael Rossi (D), (724) 630-1922
17th Legislative District
Wayne E. Hanson (D), (814) 587-3418
Parke H. Wentling (R), (724) 588-0962
25th Legislative District
Joseph F. Markosek (D), (412) 298-7711
John D. Ritter (R), (412) 403-4749
28th Legislative District
John Craig Hammond (D), info@johncraighammond.com
Michael C. Turzai (R), (724) 934-5355
29th Legislative District
Larry Mullins (D), (724) 934-5355
Bernard T. O’Neill (R), (215) 675-1780
31st Legislative District
Ryan W. Gallagher (D), (267) 614-8500
Perry S. Warren Jr. (R), (215) 530-5557
35th Legislative District
Marc J. Gergely (D), (412) 737-4054
Fawn Walker Montgomery (R), (412) 229-7620
38th Legislative District
William C. Kortz II (D), (412) 466-2766
Rod A. Salka Jr. (R), (412) 980-4422
39th Legislative District
Peter Kobylinski (D), (412) 303-2447
Richard Saccone (R), (412) 751-7394
40th Legislative District
John A. Maher (R), (717) 743-5361
Andrew J. Zahalsky (D), (724) 413-9813
41st Legislative District
Brett R. Miller (R), (717) 291-4630
Nicholas Selch (D), (717) 291-9369
43rd Legislative District
Keith J. Greiner (R), (717) 413-5046
Steven Elliot (D), (717) 393-2944
46th Legislative District
Jason A. Ortitay (R), (724) 554-6462
Joseph R. Szpara (D), (412) 779-6957
49th Legislative District
Alan Benyak (D)
Donald Cook (R), (724) 330-5700
50th Legislative District
Elizabeth L. Rohanna McClure (R)
Pamela Snyder (D)
51st Legislative District
Matthew David Dowling (R), (724) 550-4493
Timothy S. Mahoney (D), (724) 984-6651
52nd Legislative District
James M. Mari (D), (724) 970-4984
Ryan James Warner (R), (412) 691-6118
53rd Legislative District
Leon Angelichio (D), (215) 429-2675
Robert W. Godshall (R), (267) 664-0777
55th Legislative District
Michael Geiselhart (R), (724) 333-7424
Joseph A. Petrarca (D), (724) 567-6982
57th Legislative District
Linda L. Iezzi (D), (724) 837-7202
Eric R. Nelson (R), (724) 216-6383
58th Legislative District
Mary E. Popovich (D), (724) 972-3779
Justin M. Walsh (R), (724) 986-1570
62nd Legislative District
Patrick S. Edwards (D), (724) 762-4591
David L. Reed (R), (724) 388-9511
63rd Legislative District
Joseph Billotte (D), info@joeforstatehouse63.com
Donna R. Oberlander (R), (814) 223-9411
64th Legislative District
Robert L. James (R), (814) 677-4896
John Kluck (D), johnkluckforstaterep@gmail.com
65th Legislative District
Troy Clawson, (D), (814) 563-7047
Kathy L. Rapp, (R), (814) 730-0468
70th Legislative District
Matthew D. Bradford (D), (610) 831-5729
Charles E. Springer (R), (484) 919-0150
71st Legislative District
Bryan E. Barbin (D), (814) 659-4682
Mark Amsdell (R), (814) 673-8262
72nd Legislative District
Frank J. Burns (D), (814) 539-3157
Cecilia E. Houser (R), (814) 244-8382
73rd Legislative District
Thomas R. Sankey III (R), (814) 761-1298
William Frederick Weaver (D)
74th Legislative District
Harry Lewis (R), (484) 354-1994
Joshua Anthony Maxwell (D), (484) 643-0020
75th Legislative District
Matthew M. Gabler (R), (814) 771-1558
Jay Notarianni (D), (814) 929-9802
76th Legislative District
Stephanie Paige Borowicz (R), (407) 358-4080
Michael K. Hanna Sr. (D), (570) 660-6872
81st Legislative District
Richard S. Irvin (R), (814) 312-2242
Richard J. Rogers (D), (804) 943-8902
87th Legislative District
Jim Massey (D), none listed
William Gregory Rothman (R), (717) 571-3345
88th Legislative District
Christopher M. Cowan (D), 717) 761-6362
Sheryl M. Delozier (R), (717) 574-3395
89th Legislative District
Robert W. Kauffman (R), (717) 264-4272
Christine L. Tolbert (D), (717) 658-7711
91st Legislative District
Daniel P. Moul (R), (717) 465-1096
Denise L. Weldon-Siviy (D), (717) 357-2284
96th Legislative District
Robert F. Bigley Jr. (R), (717) 333-5894
Peter Michael Sturla (D), (717) 341-3016
97th Legislative District
Charles J. Klein (D), (717) 569-1429
Steven Curtis Mentzer (R), (717) 203-4942
99th Legislative District
Duane Groff (D), www.groff2016.org
David H. Zimmerman (R), (717) 587-2425
100th Legislative District
Bryan D. Cutler (R), (717) 299-3726
Dale Allen Hamby (D), (717) 239-9216
101st Legislative District
Francis Xavier Ryan (R), (717) 228-1711
Lorraine Helen Scudder (D), (717) 222-8386
102nd Legislative District
Russ Diamond (R), (717) 383-3025
Jacob H. Long (D), (717) 376-6996
104th Legislative District
Susan C. Helm (R), (717) 238-2121
Jody L. Rebarchak (D), (717) 514-8040
107th Legislative District
Michael L. Krankowski (D), none listed
Kurt A. Masser (R), (570) 274-3253
108th Legislative District
John Deppen (D), none listed
Lynda J. Schlegel Culver (R), (570) 286-1434
109th Legislative District
David R. Millard (R), (570) 520-4860
Edward T. Sanders III (D), (570) 733-3343
112th Legislative District
Kevin Haggerty (D), (570) 504-4678
Ernest D. Lemoncelli (R), (570) 230-0456
113th Legislative District
David A. Burgerhoff (R), (570) 862-6798
Martin B. Flynn (D), (570) 499-2596
114th Legislative District
Michael G. Kavulich (D), (570) 499-3411
Cheryl L. Scandale-Murnin (R), (570) 357-8682
115th Legislative District
Maureen E. Madden (D), (570) 894-4611
David C. Parker (R), (570) 656-9232
116th Legislative District
Gary Gregory (D)
Tarah C. Toohil (R), (570) 956-9751
119th Legislative District
Justin Valera Behrens (R), (570) 262-7595
Gerald J. Mullery (D), (570) 406-9568
120th Legislative District
Aaron Kaufer (R), (570) 283-0134
Robert J. McDonald (D), (570) 814-0965
122nd Legislative District
Doyle M. Heffley (R)
Neil Makhija (D), (610) 554-2576
131st Legislative District
Joanne Jackson (D)
Justin J. Simmons (R)
132nd Legislative District
Benjamin B. Long (R), (610) 248-8188
Michael H. Schlossberg (D)
133rd Legislative District
Daniel T. McNeill (D)
David Edgar Molony (R), (610) 264-2755
137th Legislative District
Joseph T. Emrick (R), (570) 629-9751
David Mattei (D), (610) 393-5445
143rd Legislative District
Stephen Fager Kunkel (D), (610) 294-9183
Marguerite Corr Quinn (R), (215) 345-0112
145th Legislative District
Vera J. Cole (D), (215) 872-7042
Craig T. Staats (R), (215) 391-3636
146th Legislative District
Joseph P. Ciresi (D)
Thomas J. Quigley, (R), (610) 948-0183
147th Legislative District
Rachael Lynn Hendricks (D), (484) 300-1547
Marcy Toepel (R), (610) 367-9355
148th Legislative District
Mary Jo Daley (D)
Ed Flocco (R), (484) 686-7375
149th Legislative District
Timothy P. Briggs (D), (610) 513-0720
ChaChira Delphine Smith-Robinson (R), (215) 519-5862
150th Legislative District
Michael N. Corr (R), (215) 421-2855
Linda J. Weaver (D), (610) 792-9853
151st Legislative District
Jimmy J. Fagan Jr. (D), (215) 353-3427
William Todd Stephens (R), (215) 694-3356
152nd Legislative District
Albert J. DerMovsesian Sr. (D), (215) 738-3885
Thomas Paul Murt (R)
153rd Legislative District
Madeleine Dean Cunnane (D), (215) 301-2501
Anthony M. Scalfazo III (R)
154th Legislative District
Thomas G. Estilow (R), (267) 317-8281
Stephen C. McCarter (D), (215) 884-7306
155th Legislative District
James J. Burns (D), (610) 792-5575
Rebecca P. Corbin (R), (610) 269-7568
156th Legislative District
Carolyn T. Comitta (D), (484) 678-9243
Daniel George Truitt (R), (610) 701-7041
157th Legislative District
Warren E. Kampf (R), (484) 320-8123
Hans W. van Mol (D), (610) 296-7173
158th Legislative District
Eric Roe (R), (610) 804-9412
Susan F. Rzucidlo (D)
159th Legislative District
Michael J. Ciach (R), (215) 828-6018
Thaddeus Kirkland (D), (610) 876-6420
161st Legislative District
Leanne T. Krueger-Braneky (D), (215) 817-3312
Patti A. Rodgers Morrisette (R), (610) 213-7684
162nd Legislative District
James Frederick Butt (D)
Nicholas Anthony Miccarelli (R), (610) 586-6152
163rd Legislative District
Barbarann Keffer (D)
James Santora (R), (484) 571-5219
164th Legislative District
Margo Davidson (D), (610) 259-7016
Inderjit S. Bains (R), (484) 254-6858
165th Legislative District
Alexander Tesla Charlton (R), (610) 742-1757
Elaine Paul Schaefer (D), (215) 817-3312
166th Legislative District
James J. Knapp (R), (610) 449-0790
Gregory S. Vitali (D), (610) 789-3900
167th Legislative District
Edward J. Denham (D), (610) 350-9465
Duane D. Milne (R), (610) 644-4633
168th Legislative District
Diane C. Levy (D), (610) 247-8843
Christopher B. Quinn (R), (610) 543-3800
170th Legislative District
Matthew J. Darragh (D), (215) 632-0625
Martina A. White (R), (215) 783-1420
171st Legislative District
Kerry Albert Benninghoff (R), (814) 574-7217
Melody S. Fleck (D)
172nd Legislative District
Kevin J. Boyle (D), (215) 266-2629
James Vincent Pio II (R), (215) 356-3092
177th Legislative District
Joseph C. Hohenstein (D), (267) 289-2101
John J. Taylor (R), (215) 990-1919
178th Legislative District
Neale Dougherty (D), (215) 272-4499
Scott Petri (R), (215) 499-1334
181st Legislative District
W. Curtis Thomas (D), (215) 922-0386
Kenneth T. Walker, Jr. (R), (215) 778-1325
183rd Legislative District
Phillips M. Armstrong, Sr. (D)
Zachary A. Mako (R), (484) 225-1710
189th Legislative District
Damary M. Bonilla-Rodriguez (D), (646) 269-2692
Rosemary Brown (R), (570) 426-0306
193rd Legislative District
Denise Van Essen (D), (717) 357-4514
Will F. Tallman (R), (717) 353-1323
194th Legislative District
Pamela A. Delissio (D), (215) 808-9167
William Francis Pounds (R), (856) 577-9334
199th Legislative District
Jill Sunday Bartoli (D)
Stephen L. Bloom (R), (717) 701-1436
200th Legislative District
Latryse Y. McDowell (R), (215) 954-0058
Christopher M. Rabb (D), (267) 973-9672
PASR does not endorse nor does it contribute monies to any candidates for public office. PASR provides its members with all the information it can gather on what legislators do while in office, and what candidates for the legislature say they will do, but only on the issues that the association advocates. It is our responsibility, as concerned citizens and PASR members, to determine whom we want to represent and serve us in Harrisburg.