20th District race gets hot

ROSS TWP. - A little mischief is to be expected during a hot political campaign, but a recent incident shows just shows how heated the race for the 20th state Senatorial District seat is getting. Someone torched a Russ Bigus sign along state Route 118 in the Sweet Valley section of the township Tuesday night.

Signs are always being stolen during a campaign but this is the first time I remember someone torching one.

The debate went off with surprising little acrimony. The CV write-up emphasizedpropertyt taxes. David Madeira said Act 72 is a disaster and favors eliminating property taxes. Carl Sutton thinks raising the state income tax to 4.5 percent is the way to fund schools. Lisa Baker wants to put school district budgets to a referendum. James Haggerty wants to cut costs. Russ Bigus is in favor of Act 72 and the only Democrat in the race, Robert McNamara, agrees.

Health care costs were also discussed. Madeira felt everyone should pay for his or her own health care, but Baker felt accountability was a better option. She thinks everyone involved, including drug companies, employers, health care providers and patients, should work together to reduce costs. Haggerty believes people need more options so pricing could be more competitive, and Sutton thinks drug companies are spending too much money on advertising. He would like to see pharmaceutical ads banned from television. Bigus, if elected, would immediately order a intensive study on Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania. McNamara thinks the burden is on elected officials. He believes that as leaders, they should make it their priority to find ways to cut costs.