PITTSBURGH, KDKA – Five Democrats are running to replace Congressman Mike Doyle who is retiring after 28 years of service.
Jon Delano, the political editor, reports on a rare opportunity that this region has to be represented in Washington.
The new 12th Congressional Division includes Pittsburgh, a portion of the South Hills, Mon Valley and eastern suburbs to Westmoreland County.
Steve Irwin, an attorney and activist from Squirrel Hill is running. Summer Lee, a Pennsylvania Rep. from Swissvale, is also running. Jerry Dickinson, a Pitt Law Professor from Swissvale is also running. Jeff Woodard, an Oakland law firm administrator, and William Parker, a Northside businessman are also running.
Jon Delano of KDKA asked each person how they would combat criminality, especially among the young.
Irwin says that Congress must have the courage and guts to pass background checks. “The answer must be holistic. It must include afterschool programs, school programs, and summer programs for children.
“We need our officers. Our police need our support. Irwin says that we must train our police.
Lee says, “Community violence — it’s a poverty problem.” “If we want to be serious as parties about tackling this, as a nation, then we must talk about the root causes. And that is poverty.”
She says, “If we want crime to be solved and we want it to be serious about it then we must create opportunity.”
Dickinson says, “We need universal background screening.” “We need federal red flag laws that temporarily take away firearms from people who pose an imminent threat,” Dickinson says.
He says, “When you have lots of jobs for young men but also for anybody it helps to keep their trouble away.”
Woodard says, “I would bring federal funding to local governments that they might be able to hire additional police officers and put them on the streets.”
Parker says, “We need more individuals, especially people from color, to own businesses here.”
Another problem is the preservation of jobs in natural-gas development while improving our environment.
“We can have them both. I’m not suggesting that we compromise our environmental laws. We must enforce them, and we need to provide these industries with the tools they need for retooling to comply. Irwin states that we want these businesses to reinvest here in Western Pennsylvania.
“We need to save jobs, but we also need to save the planet. He says that he believes both can be done.
Lee says, “I believe that Fracking is dangerous.” “I believe that we must find, and transition to, renewable resources.”
She said that her home region, the Mon Valley, has the most severe air pollution in the country.
Dickinson says, “I am both a pragmatic progressive, and a consensus builder. So I like to think this is balancing the two.” This is the only way to move forward on these types of issues.
Woodard says, “The jobs here, as well as the oil and gas we have, can supply all of the other states around us.” “Yes, I believe it is possible to balance both and have both.”
Parker notes that “I think we could get rid of some fossil fuels and just make it equal.”
