Maybe the second time will be the charm for Harold Hayes.
The Democratic candidate for the state House of Representatives’ 18th District lost a special election in March to Republican K.C. Tomlinson, who he’ll square off against again in the Nov. 3 election.
The March election was to decide who would finish the term of longtime 18th District representative Gene DiGirolamo, who vacated his seat to join the Bucks County Board of Commissioners. That term ends this year, meaning the winner of the Nov. 3 election – Hayes or Tomlinson – will step into a new two-year term in the state House come January.
Hayes is campaigning hard for a seat that’s been held by Republicans since at least the early 1970s.
Hayes, a union plumber affiliated with Plumbers Local 360, is a married father-of-two residing in Bensalem. He formerly owned a plumbing business, but shuttered it amid the challenges of the Great Recession and returned to the union where he had earned certification as a master plumber.
Hayes says he’d be an advocate for working families. In his platform, he expresses support for raising Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $15, property tax reform and education funding reform that includes bringing a minimum of $3 billion more in state funding into school districts.
Given the brutal economic fallout from COVID-19, Hayes supports additional support to help small businesses survive.
“I understand the drive it takes to build a business, but also what it’s like to struggle to survive and make payroll during downtimes,” he says. “Many of Bensalem’s businesses are suffering today as a result of COVID-19. I will work to secure additional funding for grant opportunities, low-interest loans and additional small business stimulus packages to help our small businesses stay afloat during this difficult time.”
Hayes also supports lengthening the time unemployed individuals are eligible for unemployment compensation. “These are unprecedented times and we must do everything within our power to ensure the hardworking men and women of our commonwealth have needed resources to survive until they are able to safely return to the workforce,” Hayes asserts.
While keenly aware of the impacts that COVID-compelled societal shutdowns have had on businesses and employment, Hayes maintains that the shutdowns were necessary when the pandemic first struck in order to buy time to learn more about the virus and how it spreads. Still, he disagrees with aspects of the lockdowns that “disadvantaged small businesses over large big-box retail. ... The waiver system should have been adjusted to ensure fairness for our struggling small businesses.”
On another coronavirus-related issue, Hayes is in favor of HB 2787, which proposes that local governments have control over determining the playing and audience of school sports.
“Local school boards should seek the advice of medical professionals in determining whether it is safe for school sports to resume, and what restrictions need to be in place to keep people healthy,” Hayes says. “Each community is unique and ultimately local governments should be able to make the call as long as the priority is keeping people safe and healthy.”
Another societal problem the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated is evictions. Hayes has ideas for addressing that.
“We must put forth legislation that requires lenders, landlords and tenants to put in place payment plans that keep people in their homes and landlords from losing their property,” he asserts.
Hayes has a position on another challenge that’s increasingly beset people across the U.S.: The high cost of prescription drugs.
“No one should have to choose between food and medication required to sustain life,” Hayes says. “The state can play a role in fairly regulating certain lifesaving medications. The state and federal government regulate other industries across the spectrum, from banking to insurance to utilities to the price of milk. No one is suggesting that a pharmaceutical company should not turn a profit, but it would be my hope that we can find a balance that would not put in jeopardy the lives the medication is meant to save.”
Amid societal unrest in 2020, there have been calls to restructure or “defund” police departments. Hayes, who is from a family of first responders that includes an uncle who died in the line of duty while serving as a Philadelphia police officer, does not support defunding law enforcement.
Climate change is another important issue for Hayes.
“We must preserve our natural resources to combat climate change for the next generation,” he says. “I will uphold citizens’ rights to clean air and water, as outlined in the Constitution of Pennsylvania, and look to put forth incentives to invest in renewable products and energy, which will also stimulate the economy with new 21st century jobs.”
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