Candidate for
State Representative; Pennsylvania State House of Representatives; District 170

Taxes

After two consecutive years of property tax increases in Philadelphia, residents have seen the cost of maintaining a home in the city rising faster than at any other time in recent memory, even as home values have declined nationwide by over 30% since 2007. These tax increases have hit seniors and other groups who live on a fixed income particularly hard, and state government must do more to relieve the pressure on homeowners and keep property taxes in check. That's why I support the creation of a new, equitable school funding formula that minimizes the property tax burden on homeowners while also providing our schools with the local funding they need to provide the best education possible for our children.

I will also continue to champion tax breaks that provide valuable economic stimulus, such as the Property Tax Rent/Rebate program, as well as a homestead exclusion that would permanently eliminate property taxes for seniors. As peer states such as New Jersey have eliminated various tax rebates in recent years, it is more important than ever that we protect similar programs here in Pennsylvania for the benefit of the members of our population who need them the most.

With the turbulence in our economy over the past several years, stable tax policy has never been more important to our community and our state. I will continue to work to ensure that sensible tax reform is enacted, and that living and owning a home in Philadelphia will be as affordable as possible, providing a powerful incentive to promote continued investment in our community by homeowners and families for decades to come.

Education

Over the past 25 years, the cost of a four year college education has increased by over 95%, while the median household income has only increased by 5% over the same period. For many residents in the Northeast and throughout Pennsylvania, this increase has made college unaffordable or has forced working individuals and families to assume significant student debt in order to finance higher education. These loans may take years to pay off, and deprive our local economy of badly needed stimulus. The overall result of inadequate access to higher education in our city is a population where less than a quarter of our residents have a college degree, compared to other major cities such as San Francisco and Boston, where more than 50% of residents hold college diplomas. Having a well educated workforce is essential to attracting jobs and growing our economy, and we must take steps to make a quality education available to all those who want it.

In 2009, in order to combat the increasing inaccessibility to higher education in our city and throughout the state, I introduced legislation proposing the Reach Scholarship. The Reach Scholarship is a merit-based program that would offer a full four-year college scholarship to any Pennsylvania student with at least a 3.0 GPA and 90% school attendance. Modeled on similar initiatives that have been successfully implemented in Florida, Georgia and other states, the Reach Scholarship would simultaneously increase college affordability and accessibility while also setting the foundation for a better educated and productive workforce for decades to come.

I also want to ensure that our elementary, middle and high school students have access to a quality K-12 education. To this end, I have consistently opposed Republican led cuts to basic education over the past several years. These cuts have threatened the jobs of educators throughout the Commonwealth and will result in larger class sizes over time, jeopardizing hard fought gains made in statewide test scores over the last decade. I have and will continue to battle to give our schools the resources they need to keep class size small, while simultaneously growing the number of high quality charter schools in the region. I have voted to expand the EITC in order to keep the parochial and private schools in our area strong, giving residents the benefit of choosing from many excellent education options and ensuring that our schools act as a magnet to attract residents and investment to our community.

Crime & Safety

Few issues are of greater importance than keeping our community safe. I have spent a great deal of time talking to our police, law enforcement officials and the District Attorney's office, indentifying what issues demand the most attention in order to minimize the destructive impact of criminal activity on our streets.

My plan to combat crime in the Northeast centers around increasing the police presence in our area through the hiring of more officers while strengthening the budget for the Witness Protection Program, allowing those who can help prosecute criminals come forward without fear of reprisal. I also support ending parole eligibility for repeat violent offenders. By eliminating the ability of violent criminals to obtain early release, we can reduce instances of violent crime in our district, while also saving time and resources that might otherwise be spent pursuing and prosecuting violent criminals that have the highest recidivism rates. The overarching goal of the Boyle Crime Plan is to stop crime before it happens.

Finally, I have introduced legislation disqualifying state employees convicted of sexual crimes against children from receiving a public pension, as well as legislation that would strengthen the requirements for the reporting of child sex abuse by public workers directly to law enforcement officials. I am committed to holding our public officials to the highest possible standards of accountability, particularly when the welfare of our children is at stake.