Incumbent Ryan Bizzarro and former Millcreek Supervisor Joe Kujawa, candidates for state consultant within the third District, have very completely different positions on statewide points, together with voter and abortion rights, and a few comparable stances on “kitchen-table” considerations.
Your Flip, Ryan Bizzarro:Proud to champion Erie area in Harrisburg, ship outcomes for all
Bizzarro, 38, a Democrat, is in search of a sixth two-year time period within the 203-member state Home of Representatives on Nov. 8. Kujawa, 66, a Republican, was a Millcreek Township supervisor for 18 years, till 2013, when he was defeated by Democrat John Groh.
Your Flip, Joe Kujawa:Operating to finish excessive partisanship, restore frequent sense
The third District now consists of all of Millcreek and Fairview townships. Legislative boundaries modified statewide this 12 months primarily based on the 2020 census.
Elections
Kujawa has doubts concerning the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election in Pennsylvania and helps proposals to require voters to point out identification on the polls.
“I’ve no downside requiring an ID,” Kujawa stated. “I can not go to the financial institution and money a verify with out displaying my driver’s license. In the event you’re legally driving in Pennsylvania you could have a suitable ID, and Pennsylvania additionally gives ID (playing cards) even if you happen to do not drive.”
There have been points with 2020 election outcomes, Kujawa stated, despite the fact that the Pennsylvania Division of State is conscious of solely 4 documented circumstances of voter fraud from the 2020 election that in convictions.
“I’ve seen some precise documentation on video taken in some elements of Philadelphia at 2 or 3 within the morning the place you may see somebody getting off a bicycle and getting out of a automobile, trying round, and carrying gloves and dropping ballots into poll bins,” Kujawa stated. “I do not assume they have been accumulating ballots from mother and pop and being good and delivering them.
“Do I’ve proof of that? No. All I’ve is the video I’ve seen,” Kujawa stated.
“In Erie, I do not know of issues however had a number of pals who (went to the polls and) have been advised they’d already voted, and hadn’t,” Kujawa stated. “And my spouse and I each obtained 5 ballots although we go to the polls and by no means vote by mail. How did that occur?”
“Nothing will likely be modified until one thing is confirmed. Now we have to just accept the outcomes until one thing modifications,” Kujawa stated.
The main points:Unfounded voter fraud claims have introduced makes an attempt towards stricter voting legal guidelines in Pennsylvania
Bizzarro has no doubts concerning the legitimacy of 2020 election outcomes and helps proposals to make voting simpler and permit ballots to be counted sooner.
“I’m sick of the false narrative on the market that the election was stolen and our elections weren’t safe,” Bizzarro stated. “Simply because one individual doesn’t win election doesn’t imply there are drastic issues with the integrity of our election system.”
In 2020 in Pennsylvania, Republicans gained the state treasurer and auditor normal races however Donald Trump got here in second to Joe Biden in presidential balloting.
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Voting needs to be made simpler to extend participation in elections since massive numbers of these eligible to vote do not vote, stated Bizzarro. Permitting would-be voters to register to vote on the polls on election days can enhance participation, stated Bizzarro, who first authored a invoice to permit same-day registrations in 2014.
“In different states, even Republican states that settle for same-day voter registration, participation has elevated through the years,” Bizzarro stated. “There isn’t any motive that somebody should not have the ability to register on the spot with two legitimate types of identification.”
Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia settle for same-day voter registrations, in keeping with Ballotpedia.
Bizzarro additionally helps permitting county election officers to start counting mail-in, absentee and different early ballots earlier than election day.
“If we’re pissed off not realizing outcomes on election evening, it could maintain that challenge instantly,” Bizzarro stated.
Abortion rights, potential ban:The place Erie’s state delegation stands
Abortion rights
Bizzarro doesn’t assist a state ban on abortion.
“I’m going again to the Invoice Clinton line, that abortion needs to be protected, it needs to be authorized and it needs to be uncommon,” Bizzarro stated. “I can’t justify telling a lady what she will or can’t do together with her physique. It is an extremely private resolution between a lady, her doctor and her God.
“And I do not consider that we will legislate values or morality. All people has completely different values and completely different definitions of morality.”
Kujawa advocates making different info and assets out there to girls contemplating abortion.
“As an individual who was adopted, who’s a pastor, who’s a husband, father and grandfather, who survived most cancers and likewise survived a horrific accident, sanctity of life — for me — is essential,” Kujawa stated. Kujawa is affiliate pastor of Meeting of God church buildings in Albion and Meadville and likewise owns and operates a storage.
“I consider girls who go for an abortion ought to have counseling to allow them to know there are individuals on the market ready to undertake and love kids,” Kujawa stated.
“So far as abortion goes, I respect life. If I needed to vote on banning abortions, I might say, sure, ban them and assist girls make the best resolution,” Kujawa stated.
leisure marijuana
Each candidates agree that legalizing leisure marijuana use and taxing marijuana gross sales would vastly enhance authorities revenues and scale back the necessity for tax will increase. Bizzarro favors legalization, Kujawa doesn’t.
“I perceive that the state would make some huge cash on it and that it would permit a discount in taxes that’s desperately wanted, however I undoubtedly oppose legalizing leisure marijuana use,” Kujawa stated. “Proper now there are such a lot of individuals on medicine who want counseling, and the way a lot is it costing people, households and insurance coverage firms.
“Medical marijuana that individuals can get by a physician’s prescription as a result of they really want it to scale back ache and struggling, tremendous. However leisure marijuana, for anybody to smoke each time, no,” Kujawa stated.
“I believe it is vital to have that further income stream coming into Pennsylvania,” Bizzarro stated. “It could be win-win in not locking individuals up for a petty crime whereas guaranteeing a gradual supply of latest income coming into the commonwealth that in flip ensures that taxes will not be raised.”
Economic system, crime, pandemic restrictions
“What I struggle for are kitchen-table, bread-and-butter points which might be vital at any time, not simply election time,” Bizzarro stated. “Now we have to ensure that the buying energy of the center class continues to develop. The economic system does tremendous when the center class does tremendous. We have to proceed to assist the center class.”
Bizzarro rejects perceptions that “tax-and-spend” Democrats have been answerable for state spending and tax will increase.
“Republicans have managed each chambers of the legislature in Pennsylvania for the higher a part of 30 years,” Bizzarro stated. “The gasoline tax of 2013 was led by a Republican senator, authorized by a Republican-controlled legislature and signed by a Republican governor.”
Bizzarro cites endorsements by the Millcreek Police Affiliation and his work for constituents and Erie County governments as chairman of the Home Democratic Coverage Committee.
“Folks would possibly disagree with my politics however cannot say that I do not work laborious and ship,” Bizzarro stated. “I actually have the busiest workplace within the Democratic Caucus. I consider in caring for individuals no matter boundaries and social gathering.
“I’m a member of the Home management and am happy with that,” Bizzarro stated. “We have shipped an unprecedented amount of cash to Erie County that we hadn’t been in a position to do up to now.”
Kujawa stated that his resolution to run for state consultant was rooted in selections made within the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The state and my opponent really shut down companies, and it was like they picked and selected who might keep open,” Kujawa stated. “Shops like Walmart have been in a position to keep open and do storage work, promote tires and batteries, and do every thing else to do with automotive work, whereas (non-public garages) have been advised to close down.
“Once they shut church buildings down, that actually violated our structure,” Kujawa stated.
Inflation and different financial points are voters’ foremost considerations, stated Kujawa. Rising oil and gasoline manufacturing in Pennsylvania can assist decrease costs, he stated.
“Now we have to do it in a fashion that is protected and that holds these doing the drilling accountable, however Pennsylvania may be very rich in oil and gasoline and could possibly be one of many leaders in serving to get us again to the place we have been in costs for gasoline and pure gasoline.” Kujawa stated. “Folks proper now are struggling and are unable to pay the gasoline and pure gasoline costs on the market. And when truckers pay large bucks for gas, the worth of every thing of their vans is raised.”
Kujawa stated his expertise in native authorities included working with Democratic colleagues and dealing for compromise, together with a lead position find a substitute for closing Powell Avenue for the Erie Worldwide runway extension began in 2011 and accomplished in 2013.
The choice to closing Powell Avenue, which included rerouting the road as a substitute, was an instance of “frequent sense” governing, Kujawa stated.
“Frequent sense options are what I deliver to the desk,” Kujawa stated.
Candidate bios
- Ryan Bizzarro
- social gathering: Democratic
- Ages: 38
- Occupations: State consultant, third District
- Training: Double main in political science and legal justice from Edinboro College, masters in public administration, Gannon College
- Household: Single
- Extra info: pastaterep.com, fb.com/RepRyanBizzarro, RepBizzarro.com
- Identify: Joe Kujawa
- Get together: Republican
- Ages: 66
- Occupations: Meeting of God pastor, proprietor and operator of Joe’s Hilltop Storage
- Training: Southeastern Bible Faculty, Meeting of God Faculty
- Household: Married, two kids, 5 grandchildren
- Extra info: VoteJoeK.com, Fb.com/voteJoeK
Ccontact Valerie Myers at [email protected].