Tina Burns of Tamaqua is a Democrat running for state representative for the 124th District.
A health care consultant and U.S. Coast Guard veteran, Burns, 61, was previously a tractor-trailer driver, human resources director, and owner of an equestrian supply shop and a consulting business. She also has taught at universities and substituted in elementary schools.
Her opponent is two-term Republican incumbent Jamie Barton, a vice president of petroleum products delivery company Jack Rich Inc.
Burns’ answers to questions were summarized, with direct quotes edited for length and clarity.
Her qualifications
“I by nature am a troubleshooter. If I see a challenge, I’m willing to tackle it.
“I think my wide variety of experience would be a great benefit, as would my educational background as an industrial organizational psychologist, which is all about analytics and solving problems in a workplace setting that revolve around people.”
How she differs from her opponent
The minimum wage: “My opponent has voted against increasing it three times. I think it needs to be increased significantly.”
A per-volume severance tax on frackers: “He doesn’t want severance taxes on the fossil fuel companies. I would push for that.”
Closing the Delaware loophole: “He continues to support big business by pushing back on even suggestions that we close the Delaware loophole. We are losing a lot of money by not charging what is due to us by these corporations and industries, while other states have.”
Public education: “His votes indicate that he’s for privatizing education. I am not. Sure, have a private education system, but it should not be at the cost of our public education.”
The major issue Pennsylvania faces
“It all boils down to affordability and major issues that revolve around money.” Pennsylvania can’t keep “catering to large corporations” by giving them grants and tax breaks.
“We have our share of waste and fraud as well. Just like you would operate your own home, you have to decide what’s important and what you can cut back on and where you can gain ground on additional funding. I think where my opponent falls short is he continues to placate the industry he favors at the cost of the people.”
Public education
“Around 2012, (the state government) pillaged our public education, and it has not recovered. I think our schools in general have what it takes, but we need to fund them appropriately.”
Whether Pennsylvania should participate in the federal private school voucher program
“No, because it would take away from public school funding.”
Data centers
“We need to rein in AI and data centers. It’s a bad move to just give carte blanche to an industry when we really have no knowledge of how it’s going to affect the future.
“My opponent says we need to moderate development, but on the flip side, he’s pushing to deregulate and make it easier for data centers to move in.”
How to interact with constituents, whether via telephone town halls, in-person town halls, newsletters, social media, or attendance at local government meetings on hot-button issues
“All of the above. I believe in-person town halls offer a greater value. There’s something about having interpersonal interactions face-to-face.
“I’m not opposed to town halls – without somebody screening the calls. They can also get a bigger group of people because you can offer them at different times.
“But I also think it’s not so much about showing up for the picture because my opponent is very good at showing up for the picture. It’s about taking care of things and listening to people and figuring out the best avenues and the most necessary legislation to help improve the lives of the people in our area as opposed to the industries.”
Campaign finance reform
“It’s so desperately needed. Many qualified people would make phenomenal candidates, but so much dirty money is entrenched in our politics across the board.
“For every candidate that has made it to the ballot, it shouldn’t be determined by the money they have generated to get their name out there. It should be a much more equitable system.”
Election security in Pennsylvania
“I believe they’re fair and secure. Now that’s not to say that at some point, given the federal climate, that they will remain that way, but at this moment, I believe they are.”
Efforts to enact stricter voter ID requirements
“It’s kind of a smokescreen. I would like to make voting less intimidating for anyone that wants to participate. I think in-person voting can disenfranchise some voters, especially in today’s times with ICE floating around the streets.”
The 287(g) agreements with ICE
“It’s an intimidation tactic. If you look at past history, both Republican and Democrat presidents have deported more people than the current administration, who is doing it in such an inhumane, nasty way. It doesn’t need to be that way.”
Protecting her district’s quality of life
“We have always catered to industry in a way that is not particularly friendly to our environment, so I would push legislation that enhances our environmental scorecard.
“I’d also look at supporting small businesses, which generate and improve an area more quickly and more vibrantly than any large industry ever could.
“CRIZ (the state City Revitalization and Improvement Zone program) has done a lot for Tamaqua. There is still a lot further to go, but it’s very beneficial to give our smaller communities facelifts.”
Term limits for politicians
Term limits are needed not only because people slow down as they age but also because they tend to get stale if they are in the job for a long time.
Religion in public schools
It’s OK to have a moment of silence for people to pray but not to subject students to a specific religion.
Canary note: Opinions expressed in any Op-Ed column appearing on this site are the views of the writer and are not necessarily the opinions of Coal Region Canary.
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