MELINDA RIZZO
On Nov. 3, Americans will elect more than the next president of the United States.
Pennsylvania voters will choose local representatives to state offices who will directly impact their daily lives. The race for the 145th District House of Representatives is among the local seats up for reelection.
In Pennsylvania and across the nation, top issues include: handling the coronavirus pandemic, economic relief for individuals and small businesses, housing safety, medical prescription costs, school sports, policing policies and climate change.
Incumbent Craig Staats (Republican) has served as the 145th representative since 2014, when the former Richland Township supervisor succeeded longtime Rep. Paul Clymer.
Staats believes Gov. Tom Wolf went too far with economic shutdown mandates and restrictions. He said the initial pandemic response was to “prevent our health care system from being overwhelmed” and provide time for personal protective equipment, or PPE, to be acquired.
“However, the longer we kept our economy completely shut down, with no flexibility or guidance for businesses owners to safely operate, the more long-term damage I believe we did to our communities,” Staats said.
He agreed the initial phases of the shutdown were necessary, but said the biggest problem was the handling of the business waiver process to reopen businesses.
Staats said considering more state funding to small businesses to help them weather the economic impact of coronavirus was important in the short term. “Small businesses play a key role in our communities. They employ our neighbors, they sponsor our Little League [baseball] teams, they drive our local economy, and so much more,” Staats said.
He said providing small business owners with consistent guidance and the ability to operate safety are important long-term goals.
Staats said jump-starting the economy and putting people back to work are issues facing the private sector in coming years.
Getting people back to work is critical to economic recovery, according to Staats.
“However, given the unique circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, I believe it is a reasonable measure to extend the time for individuals who qualify to collect unemployment compensation,” Staats said.
Restarting the economy has a direct connection to housing and rental safety as well as evictions, according to Staats.
“Putting people back to work in a safe and responsible manner will allow tenants to pay their rent, and provide real estate owners with the stable income they need to maintain their properties,” he said.
As a co-sponsor of House Bill 2787, Staats supports placing the power to decide on holding or canceling school sports and audiences for games in the hands of local governments and school districts.
“One-size-fits-all solutions from Harrisburg, while well-intentioned, often miss the mark,” he said.
Staats was involved in police policy reform legislation, which he said will improve safety for communities and law enforcement officers.
“I am absolutely opposed to any efforts to “defund” the police, and do not believe that shifting resources away from law enforcement agencies will make anyone safer,” Staats said.
As a Richland Township supervisor and Bucks County native, Staats said the slender thread between economic and environmental health “will be a defining characteristic of the coming decades.”
“Reasonable people can disagree on the specifics related to climate change, but finding a balance between the health of our environment and our economic health will be a defining characteristic of the coming decades. I understand the value of protecting our environment, open spaces, and critical natural resources,” Staats said.
The 145th state House District is made up of more than 65,000 residents from East Rockhill, Milford, Richland, Springfield and West Rockhill townships, as well as Quakertown, Richlandtown, Trumbauersville, Perkasie and Sellersville and boroughs.
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