State Representative Addresses Area Concerns

With topics as varied as redeveloping the naval air base, the budget, and education as hot issues among Horsham citizens, those in attendance at State Rep. Todd Stephens' town hall meeting on Wednesday had many questions and concerns to address.

Stephens is holding town hall meetings with municipalities within his district, such as Horsham, Upper Dublin, Ambler and North Penn, to summarize legislation he is working on, what is being done to address the issues of each community and how the larger state legislation impacts the smaller communities.

The first topic of concern was the budget, which incorporated education and welfare.

“It’s never easy,” Stephens said to more than a dozen residents that turned out.  “What can you cut?”

Education is proposed to be cut by $1 billion, according to Stephens. While this amount is high, the amount could be significantly higher. Stephens has advocated for transferring $200 million

This still means cuts for each school budget. Hatboro-Horsham has managed to by potentially furloughing 15 to 20 teachers if enough teachers do not accept an early retirement incentive. 

Stephens said that along with education, he is concerned with getting budget money for programs that assist victims of crime, such as rape and domestic abuse; families with children that have special needs; and breast cancer screenings.

Residents also voiced concerns about state issues of Marcellus Shale, dealing with natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania, and the privatization of liquor stores and prisons.

With natural gas drilling, Stephens believes there are two real issues to consider: business taxation and the environment. He believes taxing these businesses is the wrong decision.

“I didn’t run on a platform of increasing business taxes,” Stephens said. He then continued to question the impact taxes will have on the industry. “Are we hurting an industry that has potential?”

But, even though Stephens is against taxation, he believes the environment needs to be taken into consideration, most notably, the area’s water supply. Stephens said the only way to drill in Pennsylvania would be if it was definitively safe.

The most debated topic of the night, however, was the future redevelopment of the Willow Grove Naval Air Base. Stephens admitted, as he has in the past, that he is not in favor of an airport in Horsham.

While widely debated among the audience, Stephens said opinions should be taken to Horsham’s Land Reuse Authority, since it will have the final decision on the plan passed along to the Department of Defense.

As he took final questions and comments, after being warned that the library would be closing and the discussion cut short, Stephens summarized his feelings of the state, its government and his position as a “freshman.”

“We’re a diverse state,” he said. “This experience has been an interesting one.”