This interesting graphic just popped up in my inbox. Between this and some rumblings from the Midvalley that Glenn Cashuric may jump into the race in the 112th prompted me to ask. He says he’s thinking about it.
And the race heats up!
You’ll remember from the redistricting fiasco that just occurred that, of all the Lackawanna Districts, Ken Smith’s got sliced up the most. He lost some of South Side, all of North Pocono, and gained the Midvalley. We figured somebody from up there would be running.
Based on the graphic here, Cashuric plans on hitting Smith hard for his rather numerous tax and loan issues. For those who don’t recall, Ken Smith, despite making at least $82,000 per year as a state rep (not counting per diems and whatever household income increases he may get from his wife), didn’t bother paying his taxes on the family restaurant in South Side. Not only that, he took out a government-backed loan and simply stopped paying it when he got elected. How nice is that?
Smith won last time despite these problems, but now he’ll have a tougher time, given that the Midvalley is a rather contentious, contiguous voting bloc that I won’t ever claim to understand.
Cashuric, who ran for Controller the cycle before last (when Ken McDowell and John Mellow were on the ballot sans Gary DiBileo), would join Kevin Haggerty, who has been actively running for this seat for some time.
I will be working with Kevin Haggerty on this campaign, so he was easier to . When asked about another challenger jumping in, he said, “This just goes to show that a lot of people aren’t happy with their current representative.”
Based on Cashuric’s slogan, it seems so.
As for his response, it’s pretty golden and doesn’t spare Haggerty either.
Reasons for entering the race:
1. Replacing Ed Staback with Ken Smith is like trading in an Mercedes S-Class for a used Hyundai Accent.
2. Ken Smith has never fully (or even partially) explained the following: (a) his tax situation, (b) his state loan situation, (c) his employment tax situation, and/or (d) whether or not he has a current country club membership.
3. Greeting people at Dunkin’ Donuts and running around door to door is no substitute for a detailed platform. Kevin Haggerty needs to step up his game a notch and maximize his potential as a candidate.
4. The valley needs some representation from the valley. The city has Kevin Murphy.
5. Ken Smith hasn’t introduced one substantive piece of legislation in six years and in my opinion is one of the most ineffective state representatives NEPA has ever had.
Goals For My “One Term In The Minority”:
1. Legislation allowing (and providing funding for) a school district to offer two “fast forward” classes—one math and one science–during the summer for students who wish to accelerate their learning. These classes will count as a full year substitute so the students completing them may leap one year ahead in the respective area of math or science (or both). Cost? $10,000 per school district. Payment? Funding from the state or a “PILOT” from the gas companies.
2. Ending the “distressed” status of Scranton and severing its relationship with PEL so that it may move forward or fail on its own.
3. A Cisco Telepresence system both in my Harrisburg office and district office so that I may maintain live communication with my constituents and capitol staff (of one) on weekends and evenings no matter where I am.
4. A fully interactive website for district residents and businesses to obtain services.
5. Driving my own car and paying my own insurance.
6. Raising the speed limit to 70 (with a buffer to 72 or 73) on the interstates and rounding many of the state speed limits (eventually) to numbers ending in zero to correspond with real-life speedometers.
Things I Support:
1. A severance tax on the gas companies currently destroying the environment and pillaging the state’s natural resources.
2. More stringent controls on the gas companies currently destroying the environment and pillaging the state’s natural resources.
3. A centralized “estate filing” system to ensure thorough compliance with inheritance tax and estate recovery laws.
4. Initiative, referendum, and recall.
5. Adopting the Delaware corporate code and case law and eliminating the loopholes.
6. Term limits. Four terms for a state rep, two for a state senator. I will not even hit this maximum.
7. Responsible funding for education that includes iPads and iMacs (and creative software) but prohibits school board junkets, any nepotism, and tax hikes above the COLA.
Ken Smith’s response? He will have seniority. Unfortunately, I do not remembering this being a factor in his thinking when he ran a primary challenge against 15-term representative Fred Belardi.
Ken Smith’s response? He brings home checks. Any elected official in the legislature with a pulse can bring home checks. While important, there is much more to the job.
Ken Smith’s response? He ran into tough business times. I understand and sympathize. But there are many questions still unanswered and it seems as though Mr. Smith Goes To Harrisburg simply for the paycheck.
(Programming Note: I used to write “PA-112″ for this district, but I’ll be referring to House Districts as “HD” from now on so as not to confuse them with Congressional Districts.)
