Debra Miller (above, left) of East Petersburg

Letter to the Editor

Debra Miller, East Petersburg

Dear Editor,

Thank you, Lancaster County League of Women Voters, for hosting a forum for the two candidates in state House District 41 on Oct. 6.

With the retirement of Rep. Katie True, this has become an important race. Katie has been a champion of women's, children's, and special needs rights in Pennsylvania. Katie, thank you for a job well done.

I wish that more people could have attended this forum in order to see the potential and the qualifications of each candidate.

Jerry Policoff shined as being a person with facts, knowledge, wisdom, and an agenda. Jerry has the determination to accomplish the difficult tasks to rein in irresponsible government spending, yet still represent and fight for the least of us.

Ryan Aument paled in comparison with visible inexperience, lack of knowledge and no agenda. Ryan Aument did not offer one example of any programs he would cut in order to lower taxes -- typical of the rhetoric of his party.

If you want a Joe Pitts/Rick Santorum/tea party/corporations-deserve-breaks type of guy representing you in Harrisburg, vote for Ryan Aument.

If you want a moderate, open-minded, intelligent, hard worker serving you, Jerry is the wisest choice.

Republished with the author's permission

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Marcy Dubroff of
East Hempfield Township

Letter to the Editor

Marcy Dubroff, East Hempfield Township

It was disheartening to see a venerable reporter such as Jeff Hawkes laud style over substance following the League of Women Voters debate between Jerry Policoff and Ryan Aument (see Hawkes' column Oct. 11).

If you examine Aument's and Policoff's stances on the issues, it is clear that Aument parrots Republican party line and Policoff is the candidate who proposes real, substantive solutions.

Case in point, the Marcellus Shale --Aument's defense of the gas industry (which pays no severance tax, pays no property tax; pays a 3 percent corporate tax rather than the usual 9.9 percent; and uses a legal loophole to avoid paying hotel occupancy taxes for 70 percent of its work force) is really indefensible.

Being "pro business" is one thing, but Aument advocates giving the companies a free ride while counties in which they are drilling are forced to pick up the tab for damage to their infrastructure.

Policoff, on the other hand, supports a severance tax, is cognizant of the environmental risks posed by the drilling, and is keeping the communities that are impacted as a priority.

This is just one of the issues that makes Policoff the more viable candidate.

It would have been nice if Hawkes had looked beyond Aument's slick presentation and instead had focused on what's really important -- command of the facts and a commitment to the welfare of the people of Pennsylvania -- both exhibited in spades by Jerry Policoff.

Republished with the author's permission