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Candidates disccuss term limits, campaign finance reform

By Natalie Bruzda nbruzda@heraldstandard.Com 4 min read
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John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard

Republican Ryan Warner (left) and Democrat A.J. Boni (right) , candidates for the 52nd State Legislative District discuss the issues facing the district during a debate moderated by herald-Standard editorial page editor Mark O’Keefe.

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Boni

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Warner

The following is the first of three articles on the race for the state House seat in the 52nd District of Fayette and Westmoreland counties.

Two candidates who are vying for the 52nd District seat in the state House of Representatives recently met with the Herald-Standard’s editorial board to discuss issues of concern relevant to the district.

The seat is open as Deberah Kula, incumbent, is running for the open seat in the 32nd Senatorial District.

Democratic candidate A.J. Boni, a 14-year Perry Township supervisor, and Republican candidate Ryan Warner, a lifelong resident of Fayette County will appear on the Nov. 4 ballot. Warner secured his place on the ballot after waging a write-in campaign in the May primary, and Boni earned his spot by receiving the most Democratic votes.

The 52nd District includes part of Fayette County, which consists of the city of Connellsville; Bullskin, Dunbar, Lower Tyrone, Menallen, North Union, Perry, Saltlick and Upper Tyrone townships; and Dawson, Dunbar, Everson, Perryopolis, Seven Springs, South Connellsville and Vanderbilt boroughs.

It also includes East Huntingdon Township and Scottdale in Westmoreland County.

The candidates met to discuss issues related to cash gifts to legislators, daily allowance vs. vouchered expenses, campaign finance reform and term limits.

Per diem expenses

Legislation has been proposed that would require lawmakers to turn in receipts to collect reimbursements for work-related expenses, instead of claiming per diem payments up to $159 per day.

Warner said he is in favor of turning in taxable expenses, rather than claiming per diem payments.

“I will make the pledge right now that I will not take per diems if elected to this office,” Warner said. “I think it’s just another perk that a lot of our politicians in Harrisburg are getting away with. I will absolutely refuse it.”

Boni referred to his experience as a supervisor to address this topic.

“We’ve done it for 14 years in Perry Township — if you don’t have a receipt, you can’t get reimbursed for it,” he said. “There’s no reason for a per diem to be there. I will provide the receipts for my reimbursements.”

Campaign finance reform

Common Cause, a nonprofit, nonpartisan citizens’ lobby organization, and others in Harrisburg have called for reform, which would include limits on the size of contributions that can be given to candidates and the amount of money that candidates can spend on statewide races, such as governor, attorney general and treasurer.

Boni said he believes campaign finance reform is necessary.

“Some of these races can be very expensive,” he said. “It shouldn’t be an issue where you’re buying the race. We need the one whose qualified to be your next state representative.”

Warner said money definitely affects elections, as well as policy.

“One thing I would like to promise is that I will not personally ever been affected by any special interest group, or any type of money that would ever persuade my vote,” he said.

Term limits

Warner said he’s in favor of reducing the size of the legislature, but he’s not sure by how much it should be reduced.

“It’s very expensive. You’re paying legislators and senators $80,000 on top of pensions and per diems,” he said. “At the same time, it’s nice that you have that many local government officials around here that you can talk to.”

Boni shared a similar point of view. He said Fayette County should have two state representatives instead of five, but referred to it as a “double-edged sword.”

“You need to be available to your constituents — that’s the main job is to help your constituents. And we need staff to do that,” he said. “I like the personal, one-on-one communication. I usually answer my phone anytime. I pride myself on that. I agree that the legislature is too big, but we need to provide a service that everybody expects and is entitled to.”

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