Pennsylvania Leads the Way to US House Takeover by GOP - BIPAC

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Page 4 House Republicans posted a resounding victory Tuesday, picking up 15 seats held previously by Democrats while only losing two seats they were defending. The net gain of 13 seats means Republicans will return in January with a 112 to 90 majority. [Harrisburg was saddened on November 9, by news of the death of Rep. Robert Donatucci (D- Philadelphia), creating a vacancy.] This marks the most seats Republicans have held in the House since it became a 203 member body in the 1967-1968 legislative session. Pennsylvania House Majority (November 15, 2011) DEM 90 GOP 112 1 vacancy Headlining the Republican onslaught was Tarah Toohil, who defeated Majority Leader Todd Eachus (D-Luzerne) 55% to 45%. (For more on that race, see page 10.) Republicans defeated 11 incumbent Democrats in total including, in addition to Eachus: Rep. Tom Houghton (D-Chester), defeated by John Lawrence; Rep. David Levdansky (D-Allegheny), defeated by Rick Saccone; Rep. John Pallone (D-Westmoreland), defeated by Eli Evankovich; Rep. Jim Casorio (D-Westmoreland), defeated by George Dunbar; Rep. Tim Seip (D-Schuylkill), defeated by Mike Tobash; Rep. David Kessler (D-Berks), defeated by David Maloney; Rep. Rick Taylor (D-Montgomery), defeated by Todd Stephens; Rep. Barbara McIlvaine-Smith (D- Chester), defeated by Dan Truitt; Rep. Paul Drucker (D-Chester), defeated by Warren Kampf; and Rep. John Siptroth (D-Monroe), defeated by Rosemary Brown. Republicans also won four open seats previously held by Democrats including: Kurt Masser, who won the 107th District seat currently held by Rep. Bob Belfanti (D-Northumberland); Doyle Heffley, who won the 122nd District seat currently held by Speaker of the House Keith McCall (D-Carbon); Joe Emrick, who won the 137th District seat currently held by Rep. Rich Grucela (D-Northampton); and Joe Hackett, who won the 161st District seat currently held by Rep. Bryan Lentz (D-Delaware). The two seats that Democrats were able to pick-up were the seat of former Speaker of the House John Perzel (R-Philadelphia), which was won by Kevin Boyle, and the 164th District open seat most recently held by Rep. Mario Civera (R-Delaware), which was won by Margo Davidson. The map below shows geographically where party changes occurred. Redistricting will undoubtedly change some of the district boundaries, but certainly Democrats will look to win back seats they lost this year in 2012. Location of House Seats that Changed Parties in 2010 General Election As the map indicates, five of the Republican pick-ups occurred in the Philadelphia suburbs. The suburban counties have been trending Democrat in recent elections and voter turnout will almost certainly increase in the presidential election year. Another seat to watch in 2012 is the 189th District won by Rosemary Brown. The district includes parts of Monroe and Pike Counties, two of the lowest turnout counties in Pennsylvania this year. The district has seen robust growth, largely through folks moving in from New York and New Jersey, and the expectation is that those new residents will vote in much higher numbers in the presidential election year. The seats of House Majority Leader Todd Eachus and Speaker of the House Keith McCall will also surely be targets for the House Democrat Campaign Committee in 2012. Pennsylvania Political Report
Page 5 The Pennsylvania Political Report sat down for a candid conversation with Republican Representative Sam Smith of Punxsutawney who was elected by his caucus to be their candidate for Speaker of the House when the new General Assembly convenes in January. Smith has started building his team, his policies and plans for working across the aisle for an agenda for Pennsylvanians. PPR: January will mark the first time in eight years that the GOP will control both chambers as well as the governor's office. How do you see that affecting the way in which the caucus does business How do you expect the 2011 budget process to be different Clearly, anytime you have a majority, you build a consensus in that room and work to move forward with your agenda. We certainly look forward to input from the Democrat Caucus, but the taxpayers have already dictated the agenda. Now, as the budget process moves forward, you have to consider the Senate and the governor‘s goals as well. One definite difference from the last eight years will be a true effort by all sides to have a budget in place by June 30. PPR: What are your short-term and long-term goals and or priorities for your Caucus The ultimate goal of our Caucus is to govern efficiently and effectively. In the short term, our goal is to get Commonwealth spending in line with actual revenues. We will also work on identifying the core functions of government; this will help determine where the money should be spent. Our long term goal is simply to establish the legislative process in a way that is more responsive to the people of Pennsylvania. PPR: What specifically are the key legislative initiatives for business and jobs Some specifics our Caucus will look at to improve the jobs climate include dealing with Joint and Several Liability and related issues such as lawsuit abuse. Furthermore, we will work on creating a fair and competitive tax system to help job creators be competitive. PPR: Pennsylvania is facing a budget crisis next year as the state is currently facing its third straight budget deficit. Where do you cut waste Waste and fraud identified in the Department of Public Welfare will be a key area of reform, but we recognize more needs to be done. As we determine the core functions of government, programs which do meet the criteria or fulfill their specified intentions or have been abused will be thoroughly reviewed. In some cases, we may have to roll back mandates that we don‘t have funds to compensate a locally funded program. But budgeting this year will go beyond cutting waste. Our Appropriations Committee will look into greater efficiencies as well as cost cutting initiatives. PPR: The Republicans now hold the largest majority in the house since the 1950s‘. What does that mean for the redistricting process The respective majorities in the House and Senate don‘t have a direct impact of reapportionment. Our goal for legislative reapportionment will be about continuity and consistency within counties and/or communities. With respect to Congressional reapportionment, which is done with actual legislation that passes through the House and Senate and signed by the governor, we will be working to keep communities as together as possible. PPR: Marcellus Shale. What is your position on taxation, the environment and this enormous opportunity for growth in Pennsylvania The Marcellus Shale natural gas field presents a tremendous opportunity for the Commonwealth; our top priority must be to foster and encourage environmentally safe economic growth. Real jobs are being created. In my district alone, three local businesses are growing and expanding just in support of the growth with the natural gas industry, adding family-sustaining jobs. We certainly need to make sure this industry doesn‘t negatively impact the environment or water supplies. But we also need to encourage the, what I call the 2 nd and 3 rd tier business growth; the 1 st tier being the well drilling. PPR: On a lighter note, how did you get interested/started in politics I grew up with politics; my father represented this area in the State House. In fact, I was elected to succeed him. Frankly, I answered constituent calls and letters since I was a kid. PPR: What political figure do you see as your role model On a personal level, my father, having been a legislator as I was growing up is my role model. On a grander scheme, I have always looked up to Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln. PPR: if you could wave a magic wand to change one thing that would make your job easier, what would you change In the world of communications today, we have bloggers and millions of opinions being expressed – nearly instantaneously. In some ways, there is a more accounting of issues and what we do and don‘t do. In today‘s world, emotion seems to rule the day as opposed to the facts. I would change that. Previously, we were able to delve into the issues, discuss the pros and cons with constituents, get into the nuts and bolts of who is affected and why. Patience is missing now. PPR: Is there anything that you want to convey to the business community In the view of our Caucus, growing government does not really help residents. It is when business is allowed to grow and prosper that jobs, family-sustaining jobs are created and retained – that is when families and communities prosper. Pennsylvania Political Report
Page 1 and 2: Chair John T. Tighe, III TMG Health
Page 3: Page 3 More than 2 million Pennsylv
Page 7 and 8: New Lawmakers Page 7 Margo Davidson
Page 9 and 10: Page 9 Some lawmakers had to face t

Pennsylvania Leads the Way to US House Takeover by GOP - BIPAC

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