PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Democracy 2020 takes a look at the state house race for the 13th District.
The 106th District covers areas of Dauphin County including Derry Township, Hummelstown, Lower Swatara Township, and Middletown.
Republican Tom Mehaffie is seeking his third term against Democrat Lindsay Drew.
According to her campaign website, Drew is a single mother who was inspired to seek public service after her sister died in a car crash 12 years ago.
Drew is a member of the Derry Township School Board, and runs a marketing & consulting firm called iChase Solutions in Hershey.
Representative Mehaffie and Drew were sent questionnaires from FOX43 about their candidacy and stances on issues. Mehaffie returned the questionnaire with his responses.
1. Why do you want to represent your district?
MEHAFFIE: It is an unbelievable honor to represent the residents of the 106th Legislative District. As your State Representative, I follow the same principal every day. That is “what is best for the people of the 106th Legislative District?” In these uncertain times it is more critical than ever to serve with integrity and to protect Pennsylvania residents. As your State Representative, I have voted to safely restart Pennsylvania’s economy using approved CDC and PA Department of Health Guidelines, voted to allow local small businesses to be treated the same as the big box stores during the pandemic, and authored legislation to prevent bankruptcy of local small businesses due to the shutdown. I will continue to be a leader in the House of Representatives, and I would be honored to earn your support in November.
2. What area of public policy are you most passionate about and why?
MEHAFFIE: I go to Harrisburg every day to fight for our community. The things I’ve worked on have taken many different forms. From sponsoring legislation to provide higher levels of care for individuals with autism and mental health issues to fighting for grant money for the Penn State Children’s Hospital, parks and other important entities throughout the district. I have also introduced bills during the pandemic that have provided paid sick leave for individuals and assistance for businesses during these trying times. Protecting jobs in our community is something I care deeply about. I worked tirelessly to save over 600 jobs in Dauphin County while simultaneously fighting to protect clean energy in our region. I approach every issue with unbridled passion and intensity because I know there are residents in our community who are depending on me.
3. Name three goals you wish to accomplish in the next term if elected?
MEHAFFIE: Should I have the honor of being re-elected, I wish to continue putting people first. There are three bills that I have introduced that I feel are extremely important to the future of Pennsylvania and though they did not get passed this session, I will work diligently to get them passed in the next session. House Bill 2777 provides paid sick leave to individuals during a public health emergency. House Bill 2386 was created to provide business interruption assistance from the Department of Community and Economic Development to assist small businesses during the pandemic. House Bill 1900 provides for licensure of behavior analysts. It is imperative to get these healthcare professionals licensed to provide high level care to individuals with autism and other intellectual disabilities as well as those suffering from PTSD and other mental health issues including suicide prevention support.
4. What is the biggest challenge facing Pennsylvanians in the next couple years?
MEHAFFIE: In addition to keeping our children, families and seniors safe and healthy and rebuilding our economy from the COVID-19 pandemic, I believe improving our infrastructure funding is one of the biggest challenges facing the communities I was elected to represent. The economy in Dauphin County is growing which puts added pressure on our roadways. In order to preserve our quality of life it will be important to ensure that our infrastructure can continue to support increased growth.
5. COVID-19 will continue to be a part of our lives in 2021 and beyond. What should Pennsylvania’s top priorities be as it relates to the pandemic?
MEHAFFIE: We must remain vigilant in our quest to protect the lives and livelihoods of every Pennsylvania resident. We need to make sure our hospitals and health care providers are fully equipped with resources and personnel so that our residents continue to receive the best possible care available, we must increase education funding to support our teachers through this pandemic that will ensure our children and grandchildren are prepared to enter the workforce and we must fight to pass common sense, balanced budgets that protect hardworking families and seniors on fixed incomes.
6. Dr. Deborah Birx of the White House’s Coronavirus Task Force praised Pennsylvania for how it has handled the COVID-19 pandemic. How would you assess the commonwealth’s response?
MEHAFFIE: There was not a playbook, procedures or protocols in place to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, I believe the state made the appropriate decisions to slow the spread and keep people safe. However, as the time went on, a number of elected officials put their political interests over a commonsense, bipartisan approach to safely reopen Pennsylvania using approved CDC guidelines.
7. What needs to be done in order to improve Pennsylvania’s economy?
MEHAFFIE: It is critical that we get Pennsylvanians safely back to work and businesses open. That is why I authored legislation to prevent bankruptcy of local small businesses due to the shut down and support re-opening Pennsylvania safely in accordance with CDC guidelines.
8. Social unrest has played out in front of us as citizens protest the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other Black men and women. What changes are needed to state laws as it relates to criminal justice reform?
MEHAFFIE: As a former local township commissioner, I had the opportunity to work with our police which gave me good insight in working with all police departments in the district as the State Representative. They do a tremendous job keeping us safe and most of them are the unsung heroes in our communities. As a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, we have enacted legislation that would require officers to receive mental health evaluations as a condition of continued employment, legislation that provides for more detailed background checks for potential officers, and an electronic database where police departments around the state can see prior complaints against a potential officer.
9. What changes would you make to Pennsylvania’s unemployment compensation system?
MEHAFFIE: It’s important to listen to the employees in the Unemployment Compensation office to get real feedback on updating an outdated system. Working together with the Department of Revenue implementing new software and providing additional resources will help prevent a situation like this from occurring in the future. I am deeply grateful to my legislative staff for assisting thousands of residents in the 106th legislative district to navigate their claims with the Unemployment Compensation office.
10. Are you confident in the security and results of this election?'
MEHAFFIE: It is important to make sure that Voter Services departments have the resources they need to carry out their basic functions. The election officials in Dauphin County have great integrity and work hard to ensure that our elections are carried out fairly. I want to thank the individuals working inside the polls in Dauphin County for their dedication year after year to ensure that our elections are carried out fairly despite learning new voting machines and procedures during an unprecedented pandemic.