By Kathi Cozzone, Chester County Commissioner
Kathi Cozzone
On Tuesday afternoon, we saw over twenty committed citizens standing outside my opponent’s office protesting the Senator’s vote to lease state-owned parkland to drilling companies. In addition to being harmful to our forests and parks, this vote was part of a larger problem happening in Harrisburg right now.
The vote to lease state parkland to drilling companies was a vote for the Fiscal Code, or the vehicle that drives the budget. After years of irresponsible governing from Governor Corbett and Republicans in the Legislature, Pennsylvania was faced with a gaping revenue hole in the budget and we didn’t have enough money to fund even the austere Corbett/Rafferty budget.
Instead of closing the budget shortfall with a few common-sense responsible policies, like a severance tax on Marcellus Shale drilling and the expansion of Medicaid, my opponent supported a budget and Fiscal Code that used a number of one-time fixes to give the illusion of a balanced budget. Included in these one-time fixes and Band-Aid solutions was the leasing of state-owned parkland, something he promised he would not do, and something that he said himself he would have looked closer at if it wasn’t hidden in a bill.
It’s time we have leaders in Harrisburg that care more about Pennsylvania and Pennsylvanians than they do about party politics. It’s time we have a legislature that works for the people and not one that acts as a rubber stamp for Governor Corbett’s bad policies.
It’s time for a change in Harrisburg and I applaud the constituents in the 44th Senate District that are working to hold Senator Rafferty accountable.
Kathi Cozzone is a Chester County Commissioner and the Democratic candidate for state Senate in the 44th District.
