Tag: Mark McCracken

It’s been a very busy week for the campaign with many highlights:

Monday March 24: I attended the Voices of Central PA dinner in State College.  It was a very nice event and I got the chance to speak with the truly progressive minded people who support Voices.  The questions were tough but fair and I really enjoyed the Indian food on the buffet at the India Pavilion restaurant where the event was held.  The food was a little on the spicy side but was very good.

Tuesday March 25: I spent the late afternoon and evening getting signs out to people.  You always get the chance to speak with your supporters while delivering signs and the feedback was good.  I did get home in time to catch American Idol with Kelly and Amanda.  Not as important as the Obama / Clinton race but Kelly, Amanda and I seem to be pulling for David Cook and Brooke White.

Wednesday March 26: All 12 candidates were on hand for the candidate forum sponsored by the DuBois Chamber of Commerce.  Getting the chance to hear the other 11 candidates, I feel very confident of the message our campaign is spreading.  We recognize the problems of 2008 and we are offering solutions for 2008 and beyond.

Sadly, many of the other candidates keep offering solutions from the 1980’s.  Perhaps most troublesome from several of the candidates are calls for the return to and expansion of the use of fossil fuels.  I will continue to stress throughout this campaign as long as I am part of it that we MUST invest in cleaner, domestically produced alternative fuels.  It will help our economy and our national security.

Thursday March 27: First, I was interviewed on C-Net, the local cable channel in State College.  The interview will run in the State College cable market several times before the April 22nd election.  Then, at the invite of Raymond Snyder, I traveled to Lewistown for the appearance of former President Bill Clinton.  Prior to the public being admitted to the Lewistown High School gymnasium, I had the opportunity to walk the line waiting to get into the event.  I shook hands with approximately 1,500 people who were waiting to get in.  Perhaps the most interesting story was about halfway through the line I met a lady and her young son.  He asked for my autograph, the first time this ever happened.  As I was signing, I saw the young boy reach over and tug his mothers coat and ask “Is that President Clinton?”.

We did have to wait quite awhile in the gym as President Clinton was behind schedule.  When he did arrive after 6:30 he didn’t disappoint.  He gave a rousing speech that lasted approximately 50 minutes and he actually made mention of ethanol as a viable alternative fuel source and even said that ethanol from cellulose material is the way to go in the future.  Then, as he left the stage, he worked his way around the barrier between the stage and the crowd and I was able to shake his hand.  I was 3 rows back but I reached up over the 2 rows ahead of me and got the handshake.

Friday March 28: I attended the opening of the Obama campaign office in DuBois.  I am so encouraged that a presidential campaign has opened an office in Clearfield County.  This is proof that rural Pennsylvania is going to have our say in this election.  I met several people at the opening and they are truly committed to making a difference in 2008.

Saturday March 29: I hosted a visit to the Clearfield area by John Cordisco candidate for State Treasurer.  I first met John last August at Rep. Bud George’s picnic and I was very impressed with him.  One thing that made me interested in him was that he also started his political career by serving on a school board.  I invited John and his staff person to join me at Denny’s Pub, famous as the home of the biggest hamburger in the world.  

He had a nice interview with Jane Elling from our local newspaper and then we all enjoyed one of Denny’s famous burgers.  Not the big one, just one of the regular sized burgers available on the menu.  John was very interested in the alternative fuels industry that we’ve brought to Clearfield County and north central Pennsylvania.  We also talked about state funding and investment issues and his vision to be an active and involved state treasurer.  He is a great candidate and I feel he will make an excellent treasurer for Pennsylvania.

Sunday March 30: Although I was not able to personally attend due to a Commissioners’ Conference, our campaign attended the Obama Rally for Change Event on the campus of Pennsylvania State University.  We had a chance to talk with a lot of young eager minds ready for change in Washington.  Although the gates opened at 11:30am, it was brought to our attention that students and interested citizens started lining up at 5:30am and even earlier.  This is the kind of dedication we need from our young people and from the citizens of the 5th District.  Although the lines were long and the wind brisk, the message of change kept the spectators lively.

Obama’s message of change and a new direction is precisely what the 5th District is looking for.  He pointed out that it is time to move beyond our differences and come together to forge a better future for all Americans.  He addressed the massive amounts of money we send overseas to fight this war and the rising costs of gas.  His solutions, and ours, is to invest in alternative fuel sources like ethanol.  We are proud to join Barack Obama in this fight.

In our seating location, we were honored to meet up with the great candidate for the 171st State House seat Tim Wilson.  Many state officials were also there including Senator Casey and State Rep. Dan Surra.  We thanked them for the warm welcome.  Luckily for us, we had a great seating location!  We were also informed that this rally was the largest in the history of Penn State and we were honored to attend.

It’s been a busy week and every day between now and April 22nd has something on the schedule.  Please keep spreading the word about the campaign and let us know what you are hearing.

Also, we expect to release some important campaign news on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Mark B. McCracken

Your Candidate for Congress

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This diary is cross-posted at McCracken’s campaign blog, PA’s Blue Fifth

Mark McCracken for Congress

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This week I had the chance to participate in a candidate forum on veteran’s issues held in Franklin, Venango County.  The forum offered a great opportunity to address several issues important to veterans in the 5th district.  Several weeks ago I spoke with Ed Scurry, one of the veterans who set up the forum, and he mentioned to me the frustration that veterans in the north central region feel in trying to get regular attention from the current congressman.

Understanding their frustration, one of the ideas I offered during the forum is that I will employ a person on my district staff in the position of Veteran’s Liaison.  The top priorities of the Veteran’s Liaison will be to meet on a regular basis with veterans and veterans groups on issues important to them on the local, regional and national levels.  Additionally, I will utilize this person to keep me informed and up to date on all issues important to veterans.  Perhaps the most important part of my idea, and a promise I will keep, is the person I hire as the Veterans Liaison will be a veteran from the 5th district.

I also continue to press my idea that the federal Veteran’s Administration should have the ability to subcontract with local health care providers so elderly and disabled veterans can get health care services closer to home.  I’ve told the story several times during the campaign of Clearfield County veterans who have to travel to Pittsburgh to get cardiac care when we have a state of the art cardiac facility at the DuBois Regional Medical Center.

Another issue of great importance to veterans in the 5th district and across the nation is the issue of concurrent receipt.  It is my firm belief that a veteran’s pension payment and military disability compensation should be kept separated – one should not have an affect on the other.  A veteran has earned their pension and it should not have an amount deducted if they also receive disability compensation.  Additionally, if a veteran has served their country and suffered a service related disability, our nation owes them their disability compensation.  In Congress, I will support veterans receiving their full military pension and, for any disabled veterans, they should also receive their disability compensation in addition to their pension.

As a nation, we owe a tremendous debt to our veterans.  My recently deceased father was a proud veteran of World War II and my father-in-law served in Vietnam.  Also, as county commissioner, I work closely with our county VA Director to make sure he has the funding to adequately serve veterans in Clearfield County.  It’s a sad day when we hear the stories coming out of Congress that they fail to adequately fund services for our nation’s veterans.

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This diary is cross-posted at McCracken’s campaign blog, PA’s Blue Fifth

Mark McCracken for Congress

ActBlue page

Clearfield County Commissioner and 5th District Congressional Candidate Mark B. McCracken was invited by officials of BioEnergy LLC to take part in the official groundbreaking ceremony held on Thursday March 13th for the Bionol Clearfield Biorefinery.

Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell was on hand to proclaim Clearfield County as the “Alternative Energy Capitol” of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  During his comments, Governor Rendell gave praise to State Representative Camille George (D-74) for his leadership and determination to bring the project to Clearfield County.  Governor Rendell also recognized Clearfield County Commissioners McCracken, McMillen and Sobel along with former commissioner Rex Read for their “vision and leadership to help bring this multi-million dollar facility to their county”.  Governor Rendell concluded his remarks stating “We’re not only going to make this facility one of the energy capitals of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but I hope of America as well.”

Representative George then took to the podium and said the ethanol plant groundbreaking represented a day of promise and belief.  He stated “I’m not just impressed with the dollars spent, the jobs it will provide and the gallons of fuel to be produced,” he said.  “So many years ago, no one would have believed in this project.  I would like to introduce the naysayers to Clearfield County – the can-do county.  We’re worth believing in and will do you proud.”

Stephen J. Gatto, chairman and chief executive officer of BioEnergy International LLC, spoke of the cooperation and collaboration that went into the project stating “We’ve collaborated on the ushering in of a new industrial revolution.”  Mr. Gatto, at one point in his comments stated “I thank the Clearfield County Commissioners for their cooperation and determination to make this project happen in their county”.

Following the ceremony, Commissioner McCracken commented to the press, “This project will give Clearfield County and the entire region a chance to claim a new industrial identity.  During most of the 20th century we were known for coal and brickyards but now we begin a bright future as the home of domestically produced alternative fuels”.

Facility Background Information – Provide by Corinne Young, Director of Government Affairs for BioEnergy.

The ethanol plant, which has received approximately $22 million in state funding and private funding of $248 million, is currently in the first phase of construction.  “Phase 1 includes the site work leveling and re-grading,” Young said.  She said construction workers are on location six days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

According to Young, the facility’s construction will get underway in April and consists of two plants.  The first facility will be a corn-based ethanol plant, while the second will serve as a pilot, cellulose based plant.  “It’s going to be a $275 million dollar investment for the corn-based plant alone.  The pilot, cellulose plant will require additional funding,” Young said.

“It will have the capabilities to produce more than 100 million gallons each year,” she said of the corn-based ethanol plant.

Young said both plants are expected to be completed and in operation in 2010.  She said the plants will combine to hire about 70 full-time employees, while talks of a third, potential plant would result in 30 to 40 additional jobs.

Ms. Young concluded “We’re proud to be in partnership with the community.  We’re hoping to make Clearfield County the destination for renewable energy.”

It is encouraging to know that the word about our campaign is getting around. This week I was at an event and was approached by a gentleman who told me he was registered Republican. He said he had visited our campaign website and wanted to speak with me about my stance on the issues. He explained that he is thoroughly disgusted with the political process in Washington and specifically is fed up with the partisan politics that cause almost constant gridlock.

He posed the question to me “Mr. McCracken, how can you promise me that you won’t become part of the partisan politics in Washington?” I told him that I could promise him that I would not become part of partisan politics problem and I can offer proof that I know how to work in a bipartisan manner and have success doing so.

During my 10 years on the Clearfield School Board, I had to learn how to work with at least 4 other board members in order to get things done. Frankly, I enjoyed the chance to debate the important issues with the 8 other board members, sharing my positions and listening to the points that the other board members made. I always kept open the possibility of compromise as long as problems could be solved and we were doing what was right for the students, staff, parents and taxpayers.

More recently, I was given a new test of my bipartisan abilities. In November of 2007, I was re-elected as county commissioner finishing first in total votes. However, my fellow Democratic commissioner finished 4th and was not re-elected. I was faced with 2 newly elected Republican commissioners coming into office. Several people asked me, would I help them or would I take on the traditional minority commissioner role and move to the backseat.

My decision was to do all I could do to help the 2 new commissioners come in and learn the job of county commissioner. So many positive things are happening in Clearfield County and I want the Clearfield County Commissioners as a group to be successful and the positive progress for the county to continue. We are into our third month together and we haven’t missed a beat. I’m helping them with any questions they have about the duties of our office and we are working together as a team for Clearfield County with no partisan politics in sight. If I get the opportunity to represent the 5th district in Washington, I will make the same commitment to work in a bipartisan manner to solve the problems facing our country.

After finishing my discussion with the Republican gentleman I feel pretty confident that I may have my first crossover vote for the November election.

MEDIA COVERAGE:

The Centre Daily Times is doing a fantastic job covering the 5th district race. Every Tuesday they will be running the answer to 1 of 8 questions they posed to all 12 candidates. Last Tuesday the question was “What would you do as a congressman to help provide for job-creating economic development in the 5th congressional district? What are the key elements of your manufacturing policy?”

My response was: “I will do as congressman what I’ve had success with as a county commissioner, which is, work in cooperation with elected officials at all levels, community leaders and private business interests to bring economic development to the region. Elected officials and economic development entities must use every available means to bring new business the region and help existing businesses survive and expand. This would include offering incentives from the local, state and federal levels.

On manufacturing policies, I believe we must get back to manufacturing more products here in the United States. Our economy worked best when products were “Made in the USA”. Our existing jobs base is essentially service oriented at one end of the scale and high paid executives at the other leaving nothing in the middle. We need to get back to a strong middle class making a decent living wage with adequate benefits.”

Finally, I’m attaching a picture of Kelly and Amanda wearing their McCracken for Congress sweatshirts that we got today. They look great and people will know who we are and what we’re doing when they see us out in public.

Mark B. McCracken

Your Candidate For Congress

This diary is cross-posted at McCracken’s campaign blog, PA’s Blue Fifth

Mark McCracken for Congress

ActBlue page

This week, I came across the saying “Before you try to tell someone how much know, show them how much you care.” I think that sums up what every political candidate should do when trying to connect with voters.

Early last week, I spoke with a family in DuBois about my campaign and what they felt was the biggest problem they are facing. Without hesitation, the mother said “Mark, the rising cost of gas and heating oil is making it tough on my family.”. Another person told me when we talked about the stimulus checks that Washington will be sending out “I hope I get mine soon, I need another tank of oil to get through the cold months.”.

When you hear these two stories, do you think Washington cares and understands? Members of Congress touted when the stimulus package was passed “we’re giving back money to the people so they can go out and buy something”. The reality is that many people will use the funds to pay off existing debt or buy basic necessities. And, if everyone in Washington would be honest, the stimulus package was the incumbent members of Congress sending you a check in an election year so you’ll remember them in November.

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL:

I am encouraged to hear from people that they are concerned about the issues I’m talking about. People are telling me they are tired of the federal government spending beyond its means and running up debt that our children and grandchildren will have to pay for. Regardless of political affiliation, citizens in the 5th district want fiscal responsibility. I am also hearing that people want a congressman who knows north central Pennsylvania and will deal with the problems of the region.

$350,000 SPENT IN 29 DAYS!!!!

The Centre Daily Times reported today that one of the Republican candidates has spent $350,000 in just 29 days of the campaign. That amounts to $12,068.96 dollars per day. Let’s put this into perspective, a person working at the current federal minimum wage of $5.85 per hour x 40 hours a week x 52 weeks in a year = $12,168 before taxes. Is this the type of person you want for your next congressman?

ENDORSEMENTS:

Our campaign was proud to announce the following endorsements during this past week: Keith Bierly former 4 term Centre County Commissioner, Mike Savage Rush Township Supervisor (Centre County), Jeff Pisarcik current second term Jefferson County Commissioner and Raymond Snyder former Mifflin County Commissioner.

FUNDRAISING:

The McCracken for Congress committee is planning a fundraising dinner in DuBois on Wednesday, March 19th. If you are interested in attending and have not received an invitation, provide your mailing address via email to mccrackenforcongress@verizon.net. Also, please tell your friends about our campaign and encourage them to visit our webpage http://www.mccrackenforcongres… where they can find a link to contribute to the campaign online via ActBlue.

QUESTIONS:

We welcome all questions from the progressive blogosphere.  We feel we are in tune with the expectations of what kind of Congressman we need.  Mark has the experience and desire to answer questions from 5th District residents and interested parties.

A FINAL WORD OF THANKS:

I want to thank everyone who sent along condolences on the passing of my father Blair McCracken. He was a lifelong, working man’s Democrat who fought for his country in World War II and was always a big part of my political campaigns. When I spoke with him in January and asked his advice about running for Congress, he paused for a few seconds, pointed his finger at me and said “whatever you do, if you get to Washington, don’t let them change you.”. That was the last advice he gave me and I won’t forget it.

Mark B. McCracken

Your Candidate For Congress

Mark B. McCracken, Democratic candidate for PA’s 5th District, addressed the Jefferson County Democratic Committee last night. He discussed a major issue facing the 5th District: fiscal responsibility. He specifically addressed the upcoming stimulus plan.

His points were that while it may seem that the government is handing out free money, most Americans will use this money to pay down debt, not go on massive shopping sprees. He questioned where the money was coming from and how it would affect the massive debt the government is carrying. He stressed that simply printing money isn’t the solution and will only deepen the hole.

Mark also connected this issue with our Middle East strategy, or lack thereof. He points out that we have now spent 3/4 of a TRILLION dollars on this war ($750,000,000,000). Yet we still find ways to give tax breaks to the rich and subsidies to the oil industry. People of the 5th District end up paying $100+ per barrel in oil and over $3.00 at the pump to give money to a business enjoying record profits.

On an additional note, Mark McCracken continues to rack up endorsements from elected officials. Keith Bierly, a former four term Centre County Commissioner, supports McCracken and states “Mark is making decisions every day that affect the lives of our citizens. He knows the people and the issues and realizes that health care, job opportunities, and alternative sources of energy are the three most important issues facing the citizens of this district.

Jeff Pisarcik, a current Jefferson County Commissioner, adds “I’m supporting Mark McCracken for Congressman of the 5th District because I believe that these positions should be earned and not given to people because of their name or because they have money and buy their position. Mark is a sitting commissioner in his second term and in the past has sat on other important boards. He is the only qualified person for the job. Mark understands what the 5th District needs and understands the aches and pains on those living in the 5th District because he lives with it everyday in his job.”

CLEARFIELD, PA – Centre County attorney Jennifer P. Bierly has been named chairman of the McCracken for Congress Committee by Democratic candidate Mark B. McCracken of Clearfield County.  Mr. McCracken is running for the PA 5th District currently held by retiring Representative John Peterson.

“I am pleased that Jennifer has agreed to chair my campaign for Congress in the 5th Congressional District. She brings tremendous political experience, insight and enthusiasm to our campaign.” McCracken said.

Bierly, a Centre County native, is a 1990 graduate of Penns Valley High School and a 1994 summa cum laude graduate of Virginia Tech, where she earned a B.A. in Urban Affairs. She graduated in 1997 from The University of Pittsburgh School of Law and focuses her practice in the area of family law. She and her husband, Stephen Fast live in Port Matilda.

Also appointed to the McCracken for Congress committee are Henry Guthrie of DuBois as vice chair, Milt Weisman of Clearfield as treasurer and Michelle Kramer of Morrisdale as secretary. Guthrie has been active in Democratic politics at the local, county and regional levels for several years. Weisman, vice president of intercity operations for the Fullington Bus Company, brings a solid management background to the campaign.

“It is important to have individuals with solid experience in key positions within a campaign. Having Jennifer, Henry, Milt and Michelle in these important positions will allow our campaign for the 5th Congressional District to move forward with a strong organization in place,” McCracken stated.

The campaign website, http://www.mccrackenforcongres… has been launched. Voters are urged to visit it often for policy statements, a schedule of events, and other information of interest.

Cross-posted from dKos

We are up to 4 declared Democratic candidates in the hunt for the soon-to-be open 5th district seat. 2 of these candidates have declared in the last week, and I will rehash some of what I’ve written on the other 2 candidates as well, so that it is all in one place.

The latest person to enter the race (and the only female of all 12 candidates for the seat) is Lycoming College education professor, Darcy Gustafson. The CDT has coverage of the race and Gustafson’s announcement:

Patton Township Democrat and Lycoming College education professor Darcy Gustafson said Saturday she is circulating nomination petitions for the 5th congressional district seat and “testing the waters” before committing to the race.

“I would like to be the best candidate I can be,” she said from Pittsburgh, where she has enrolled in a course for political candidates. “If I’m not the winner in the primary, I want to be the best help I can be to whoever wins.”

At the end of last week, Kossack FISG brought us the press release announcing Mark McCracken’s entry into the race. McCracken is currently serving his second term as Clearfield County Commisioner. He was re-elected in 2007 with the most votes of the 4 candidates running. The other 2 spots went to Republicans. He serves on numerous county and regional boards and such, which you can see in his press release. Before being elected County Commissioner, he served 10 years on the Clearfield Area School Board. Clearfield County is a large, mostly rural county of roughly 83,000 people, and includes the city of Dubois. More about him from his press release:

Before entering politics, Mr. McCracken worked in the computer and information technology field from 1983 to 1988 with North American Refractories Engineering Department in Curwensville, PA and served as Director of Information Technology for Clearfield County Government from 1988 to 2004.

In announcing his candidacy McCracken said “I believe I have the experience necessary to serve this vast rural district in north central Pennsylvania. As county commissioner, everyday I deal directly with important issues facing all counties in the district including economic development and job creation, balancing budgets, controlling health care costs and dealing with constituent issues. I also work on a regular basis with officials from all levels of government including the state and federal.”

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Mr. McCracken also serves as chairman of the Northern Counties Heath Insurance Purchasing Cooperative Board. This board was organized in 2005 through the efforts of Commissioner McCracken working with commissioners in Clinton and McKean counties to form a multi-county health insurance purchasing co-op and create a self insured pool account. Participation in the co-op is up to 9 county governments and member counties are bringing health insurance costs under control which is saving tax dollars.

Here is what I’ve written on the other 2 candidates previously:

3-term Lock Haven Mayor Richard Vilello, a building inspector,  ran unopposed in the 2007 and 2003 elections for mayor. He was appointed in 2007 by Rendell as one of 3 co-chairs of The Governors Advisory Council on Rural Affairs, and also served on that body at least in some capacity going back to 2004. In addition, Vilello serves as the Central District Officer for the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities. I haven’t found anything about his stances on the issues specifically. In his announcement, he played up infrastructure issues:

“I think it’s time to send someone with local experience and quit wasting money,” he said. “Every day in the paper you read about millions and billions of dollars for this and that project, for fixing infrastructure all around the world, and we’re not fixing our own infrastructure.

“The local schools get stuck with No Child Left Behind, and the people who pass laws have never been in a school except when they sat behind a desk.

“The health care system is a mess and rural health care always gets the short end of the stick,” he added.

Journalist and 2-tour Iraq vet, Bill Cahir, has made some worrisome statements about “energy independence” and Iraq.

Like Peterson, Cahir said he also is an advocate of alternative energy sources.

“We need to invest more resources in domestic oil exploration. I also am a big supporter of nuclear power as a means of generating electricity,” he said.

Anyone who knows anything about Peterson knows that to say he was an “advocate of alternative energy sources” is a sick joke. Drilling and digging anywhere and everywhere – that’s what Peterson supported. I’m hoping Cahir was only trying to speak well of the retiring Peterson in this instance – and that he simply didn’t mention real alternative energies that he also supports.

On to Iraq:

“The Democrats in Congress don’t have the votes to override the president on this issue. But we have to look at the fact that we now have a number of things going our way in Iraq,” he said. “The surge (in U.S. military personnel) is going to run its course by July. The next president and the next congress will inherit Operation Iraqi Freedom.”

“As a two-tour veteran, I think I have ideas on where to go next with that mission. As a Marine reservist, I’m not going to criticize the commander-in-chief — I support the mission.

“We need to capitalize on the security gains we’ve made (in Iraq), rather than any kind of a rapid withdrawal. We need to honor the alliances we’ve developed with the Sunni sheiks who are supporting us, and take a look at what the sensible policies are right now,” Cahir said.

But there are some definite positives to Cahir as well:

Besides his military experience, Cahir enters the race with the most knowledge and experience on Capitol Hill of any of the candidates who have announced or who are considering the seat.

Before his career in journalism, which included writing for the Lebanon Daily News, Hanover Evening Sun, York Dispatch and newspapers in New Jersey and New York, Cahir worked as a staff assistant to Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee from 1990 to 1993, and as a staff assistant on health care issues for former U.S. Sen. Harris Wofford, D-Pa., from August 1993 until he left office in January 1995.

He was part of Sen. Edward Kennedy’s, D-Mass., labor and economic policy team that helped pass the Family and Medical Leave Act and other laws.

And finally, to make a long diary even longer, Cahir, McCracken and Vilello have been making the rounds at county Democratic meetings. The CDT covers the Centre County meeting that happened Saturday:

A two-tour Iraq War veteran, Cahir (pronounced care) said the United States can’t quit Iraq overnight and leave the security of U.S. allies such as Saudi Arabia, Israel and Lebanon in jeopardy. He said a bipartisan plan should be forged to get out without abandoning U.S. allies. “We can’t just kick over the apple cart and walk away from them,” he said. “I don’t think we should stay — we do have to map a way out.”

. . snip . .

He agreed with Cahir on Iraq. “You can’t just cut and run,” McCracken said. “You can’t let that whole region fall apart over there.”

Lock Haven Mayor Vilello said that since he became mayor of the old industrial city in 2000 he has helped to steer it through a $6 million downtown beautification project and to establish a summer concert series with a good and growing reputation.

Lock Haven University is the fastest growing of the 14 state universities, he said, the airport that Piper abandoned is home to 55 small businesses and the company First Quality Tissue has invested $550 million to put the city’s old papermill industrial site back into the economy.

He said rural health care is a major concern. “We have to invest in rural health care because we can’t drive 60 miles to State College when there’s a big emergency,” he said.