Issue Position: Good Government

Issue Position

At a time when the average person's faith in government is at an all-time low, I promise to do everything I can to restore your trust in government. People should expect nothing but the highest standards from their government, and I promise to live up to those standards.

As State Representative, I promise to:

* Support the creation of an independent, non-partisan redistricting commission: As the most recent redistricting effort has proven, politics can destroy any efforts to create a fair and equitable redistricting map. The 2012 revisions sought only to protect Republican incumbents and maximize Republican electoral gains. This leads to atrocious public policy that does not reflect the will of the voters. As State Representative, I will support efforts to create an independent, non-partisan redistricting commission that engages in redistricting efforts based on creating compact and similar communities, not election wins for political parties.

* Campaign finance reform: Currently, Pennsylvania has an unlimited cap on donations to state and local candidates. I believe this is unacceptable and would favor legislation that tied Individual and PAC donations to the federal limits.

* Post all government expenses on my website.

* Demand Cost-Benefit Analysis is done to any spending cuts: It these economic times, spending cuts are necessary; that being said, there are too many instances where spending cuts ultimately create further problems down the road by killing jobs and further reducing tax dollars. As State Representative, I will fight to ensure that any spending cut be subjected to a rigorous cost-benefit analysis, ensuring that all cuts are driven by real numbers, not ideological posturing.

* Encourage performance audits: Financial audits of Commonwealth programs are a common and acceptable practice. I also believe, however, that Pennsylvania should engage in performance audits whenever possible. These specific types of audits can be used to ensure that any program was fulfilling its intended goals and that tax dollars were not being wasted.

Source