The Bucks County Courier Times
Endorses Steve Santarsiero for State Representative

The incumbent state representative has been a leader on reform issues.  He deserves another term.

Some of the things that occur in Harrisburg defy logic or are so wrapped up in politics, power struggles or other issues that have nothing to do with what's best for citizens, they can be impossible to figure out.  That's when our editorial board, which includes two community members, would call in Dave Steil.

The former state representative, probably the smartest guy in the House during his tenure, never failed to help us understand them.  Steil had a habit of taking on complicated, seemingly irresolvable issues and finding ways to solve them - not that his colleagues were always inclined to embrace his ideas.  It's partly why he got out.  Nonetheless, Steil could help us make sense of things when we were hopelessly lost and confused.

When Steil retired, the 31st Legislative District, which includes Lower Makefield, Yardley, Newtown, Newtown Township and part of Upper Makefield, lost a tremendous resource.  So did we.

But the story has a happy ending as the veteran Republican's replacement, Democrat Steve Santarsiero, a former Lower Makefield supervisor, has more than adequately filled Steil's shoes.  Like Steil, Santarsiero has met with our board for periodic updates and informational sessions, with the former teacher deftly and thoughtfully speaking to the vagaries of Harrisburg, the strategies driving it and his own agenda.  Santarsiero, who also holds a law degree, is seeking just his second term.

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Santarsiero favors a [drilling tax on oil and gas companies] to fund state oversight of the growing [natural gas] industry and to pay for local impact, a prudent position in our view.
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[On the issue of teacher contract disputes] Santarsiero makes a strong case for a negotiation process that would start earlier and end with arbitration, with teachers barred from striking if they do not accept an arbitrator's decision, and a district's state money held in escrow if the school board does not accept the arbitrator's decision.

On reform issues, Santarsiero has been a leader.  He doesn't drive a state car.  And he doesn't accept COLAs or so-called per diems, the daily, unaccounted-for expenses lawmakers are entitled to claim for time spent in Harrisburg.  He also is one of just a few House members who contribute to the cost of taxpayer-funded health benefits.  And he was the first member to sign a petition calling for a constitutional convention.  Santarsiero also favors term limits of 12-16 years and believes the Legislature and its work force - the largest in the nation - should be cut in half.

For these reasons among others, the Courier Times endorses state Rep. Steve Santarsiero for another term.