Three Republican state senate candidates met for a debate on Friday in an effort to secure the party’s nomination for the 30th District seat.
Blair County Commissioner John Eichelberger and Huntingdon County businessman C. Arnold McClure are challenging State Senator Robert Jubelirer. The debate was held at the Penn State-Altoona campus and ran for 90 minutes.
The candidates were allowed a two-minute opening and closing statement and each fielded questions on a rotating basis. Each candidate was given one minute to respond to a question with the candidate who answered first getting an additional 30 seconds for rebuttal after the other two had responded.
Education, crime, abortion, government and other issues were discussed during the debate. A number of the questions touched on the state and the area’s economic status.
Eichelberger was asked about how the district’s state senator should work with Gov. Ed Rendell if the governor wins reelection so the area would not be passed over in terms of state money.
“I think government is about principles, is about ethics and about doing the right thing,” said Eichelberger. “People in government respect someone who stands up for the right thing. Ed Rendell has a very good chance of getting reelected. We’ll have to work together and we’ll have to do what’s right. The Republican legislators are the ones that are in control of the budget, making laws (and) passing the laws. They can do the right thing in Pennsylvania despite one person who’s from Philadelphia who sits in the governor’s mansion, but you need the right leadership in the House and Senate to do the right thing for the people.”
Sen. Jubelirer said he disagrees with Gov. Ed Rendell on most issues to the extent of saying he is an “ardent opponent.” However, he said he and the governor had worked together on economic development and jobs.
“I have been more successful than any other legislator in Pennsylvania in bringing state money back to my district,” said Jubelirer. “All you have to do is look at the 205 jobs at American Eagle. John Ferner came into my office and said ‘I have a dream, I have a dream that we can put a paper mill back in Tyrone.’”
Jubelirer said he worked with local people and put Ferner in touch with the governor directly in order to secure the state funding for the reopening of the paper mill. Jubelirer added that the difference between he and Eichelberger is that “he (Eichelberger) cannot work with people.”
McClure noted the need for “respect” in working with people.
“Both parties must have respect for each other,” said McClure. When one party doesn’t respect the other it’s the beginning of the end of the relationship. We have to work with other Republicans (and) our Democratic leadership. It is the nature of our system.”
Eichelberger added in his rebuttal that Jubelirer’s relationship with Rendell is hurting the area’s ability to get help from the state.
In a later question about the district’s business climate, Jubelirer said if Eichelberger had been in the state senate, business development such as the reopening of the paper mill would not have become a reality.
He noted the Altoona Blair County Development Corporation utilizes state programs that the senator said he is able to generate funding from for development. He said Eichelberger doesn’t support those programs.
Eichelberger said, “Bob Jubelirer paints a picture that everything is great. What you need to do is you need to understand that there’s a problem and then you can fix it.”
He said the western half of the state has a much weaker economy than the eastern part of the state.
“In this district, American Eagle is there- Westvaco was there before- they closed and we lost jobs,” said Eichelberger. “We don’t have nearly the amount of jobs that we had before and the jobs that we do have are paying less than we had before.’
Eichelberger touched on recent news of a $50 million contract he said had been lost over a dispute with the state. He said Jubelirer “did nothing to help in that situation.”
Eichelberger said, “W.S. Lee faces bankruptcy and closure and this is right here in Blair County, Pennsylvania.”
Jubelirer responded by saying, “That is an absolute blatant fabrication. We have worked with W.S. Lee at every point. The contract that they negotiated with the state is way over their head. They’re going to come back. That is nothing to do with the economy. He (Eichelberger) should not be able to get away with a statement like that.
“He’s gloom and doom,” said Jubelirer. “I believe in this community, we’re doing better and we’re going to continue to do it.”
In a final question, each candidate was asked if there was an issue or a question that had not been discussed during the three debates that had been held in the Republican 30th District campaign.
McClure cited “leadership style.”
He said, “we have a contentious atmosphere” in many areas of society that “is counterproductive to our overall growth.”
McClure added, “I think we need leadership that promotes, not intimidation, but encouragement.”
Before yesterday’s event, two other debates were held in Huntingdon and Bedford counties earlier in the campaign. This year’s primary is scheduled for Tuesday, May 16.
