By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

All political road signs in southern Chester County guided more than 150 area business owners and entrepreneurs to the Mendenhall Inn on Oct. 17, where they heard eight candidates for political office discuss their agendas related to business and the economy at the 2024 Signature Annual Luncheon, presented by the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce (SCCCC).

Appearing at the event were U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pa.’s 6th Congressional District and her Republican challenger Neil Young; State Sen. Carolyn Comitta of the 19th Senate District; Mike Woodin, who is challenging John Kane for the Pa. 9th Senate District; State Representative John Lawrence of the 13th District; State Representative Christina Sappey of the 158th Legislative District and her Republican challenger Tina Ayala; and State Rep. Craig Williams of the 160th Legislative District.

Invited candidates Duane Milne, a Republican vying for Comitta’s seat; Democrat Christian Luna, who is challenging Lawrence; and Democrat Elizabeth Moro, Williams’ opponent, were not present at the event. 

The luncheon’s Diamond Partners included Constellation and Longwood Gardens, and Comcast served as its Platinum Partner.

The candidates focused on several issues facing their respective districts, Chester County and the Commonwealth. While she applauds the state for its thriving economy and low unemployment, Houlahan said that many businesses are struggling to fill skill jobs, particularly in STEM fields.

“STEM is literally everywhere we look,” she said, espousing her Mathematics and Statistical Modeling Education Act bill, which has passed the House and is now in the Senate for final approval. “As an engineer by training and as a former chemistry teacher, I understand that our economy of the 21st Century will require a workforce of the 21st Century, and even the 22nd Century. The way that we can do that is to provide access to those opportunities not just to our students by to our educators as well.”

On a national issue, Houlahan also called for the passage of the bipartisan immigration legislation that was introduced in the Senate last year, and “stop playing political games with this decades-long issue.”

“Our birth rate in this nation is dropping,” she said. “Our workforce is aging, so we need people, but we must have a safe and legal immigration and VISA and asylum process to make sure that we have very clear and legal pathways along with a secure border for people to join us in this great nation so that they can participate fully in our economy.”

Comitta listed several infrastructure projects in southern Chester County, which include the construction of two new train stations in Coatesville and Downingtown; a $120 million investment in new roads and bridges; climate-resilient infrastructure that can withstand excessive rainfall and flooding. As the chair of the state’s Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, she is working to invest more in energy efficiency and clean energy and has introduced the Pennsylvania Climate Emissions Reduction Program that is intended to reduce emissions, create jobs and cut electricity costs.

Addressing the issue of healthcare in southern Chester County, Comitta said she helped secure $2.5 million state funding to establish Christiana Care’s new West Grove campus; secured $2.1 million each for the expansion Paoli Hospital and Chester County Hospital, due to the closing of those two hospitals. 

Lawrence, who has served for the past 14 years in the Pa. House, addressed three key issues that he and his fellow legislators have worked on over the past few years. He thanked his colleagues in collaborating with him to secure $5 million in county, state and federal funding to reopen the new Christiana Care facility in Jennersville. He said that he will continue to block all attempts by the City of Chester to sell off the Chester Water Authority. To that end, he recently appealed to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro to publicly announce that the sale of Chester Water Authority “be taken off the table.”

As a means of preserving it entirely as a natural resource area, Lawrence called the Big Elk Creek Preserve “a critical link between White Clay Creek Preserve and the Fair Hill Natural Resources area is a priority not just for today but generations to come.”

“I will continue to press the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to live up to the commitments they made when they acquired the ground and to retract their ridiculous proposal to turn it into a tourist attraction,” he said.

Seeking a fourth term in the Pa. House, Sappey said that the state is making significant and bipartisan steps to make the state affordable for residents and attractive to potential businesses. She supported a continued reduction of the state’s corporate net income tax, a rate that will continue to shrink until it reaches 4.9 percent in 2031; supported the “Main Street Matters” program to make downtowns safer and more attractive to visitors; introduced a state-level earned income tax credit program for asset-limited and income-constrained individuals and families in the state; and invited Pennsylvania Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll to tour roads in the district and held a town hall meeting to discuss infrastructure issues in the district. 

“It is important to note that that the 158th District and the entire southeast region are the top economic drivers to our state, so we need our roads and bridges to safely efficiently accommodate economic growth and entice new industries to come to Pennsylvania,” she said. 

Young, Woodin and Ayala introduce their candidacies

The event also served as a forum for newcomers to the political scene in Chester County, who shared their first-time platforms. Young, a long-time history teacher in the Great Valley School District, said that one of the largest challenges facing local businesses is the challenge in maintaining and growing its workforce – and the answer lay in public schools.

“I have read estimates that between 2.5 and 3.5 percent of our gross domestic product is lost 

due to ill-prepared or ill-taught students,” Young said. “I firmly believe that we have never spent more on public education, and we have never gotten less of a return from that investment. I want the next generation to believe that the exceptional greatness of this country lies in its people. 

“If we don’t begin to meaningfully focus on excellence in our schools instead of distractions – coming on the federal level – we are going to lose a generation who would never consider stating a business. You can’t start a business if you don’t understand the basic concepts of finance and budgeting.”

Woodin, a CFO/finance director of a business unit for a global consulting firm and a member of the Avon Grove School District board, called himself “a businessman who understands the complexities and dynamics of business both large and small,” and said that if he is el3cted, he will advocate on behalf of businesses.

“I understand how to sit at that table to cast strategy and vision to work through complex scenarios and a lot of that for me is sitting at the table with stakeholders to solve the problems and challenges that we face,” he said. “I am passionate about advocating on behalf of our businesses. I am passionate about restoring prosperity to our business community and to the Commonwealth.”

Woodin called for Pennsylvania to become “a beacon for prosperity and business growth.”

“A recent study showed that Pennsylvania is 41st out of 50 in business friendliness,” he said. “That’s bottom ten. We should be in the top ten state for business friendliness. A vote for me is a vote for business.”

Coming into her first campaign with more than 20 years in mortgage banking, Ayala said she is a proponent of limited government and if elected, will oppose legislation that raises costs for businesses, burden employers and make Pennsylvania less competitive in the business marketplace.

“Government overreach is a huge concern,” she said. “It stifles innovation, and it limits growth we need to create a business-friendly environment and do away with government interference.

“We’re losing not only companies but families to other states. We have come into the top ten of people moving out of the state. We have to prioritize policies that cut red tape, lower taxes and give businesses the flexibility to invest in the operations and do what they do best, which is to create jobs.”

She hopes that the children of today have the same opportunities that she had as a child growing up in a single-family home in New Jersey.

“We literally live in the best country that this world has, and we still have so much to give to our children,” she said. “I chose to run because our children need a strong voice, and if we don’t stand up for what’s happening today, our children are not going to be able to survive the consequences of what may happen. If we don’t solve the education issue and what’s going on with our children, they will not have a great tomorrow. The cost of living continues to go up. We must lower taxes. We have to work on workforce development so that you have a great workforce in the future.”

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].