Susan Boser sees a need in the state legislature to limit campaign contributions and gifts elected legislators can receive to prevent them from showing favor to donors. And as the Democratic Party candidate for the vacant 41st Senate District seat she hopes to do something about it.

Boser is running against Republican Joe Pittman in the special election to replace former Sen. Don White being held during the May 21 primary. The two Indiana County residents are vying to replace White, who retired in March with two years left in his term due to health reasons.

The district includes eastern Butler County, Armstrong and Indiana counties, as well as part of Westmoreland County.

Boser is a public policy professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The married mother of three received her doctorate in human services policy from Cornell University in 2001. Before that, she worked as a social worker and in drug and alcohol treatment for 20 years.

She unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Rep. Glenn “G.T.” Thompson in the 2018 election for the 15th Congressional District. After discovering the salaries of state legislators are the second-highest in the country, Boser said she looked a little deeper.

“I learned there are no limits to campaign contributions for people running for office and no limits to gifts once elected. I think that's dangerous. It increases the potential for policies that favor particular groups over others,” Boser said. “Ninety-seven percent of legislators are re-elected. We don't have high turnover, which means we don't have accountability.”

School funding

A recent study found Pennsylvania provides school districts with less money than 18 other states, Boser said. While Pennsylvania provides school districts with funding to cover 37 percent of their education costs, Boser argues the state should cover half of those costs. She added that guidelines should be in place to allow districts to set tax rates based on property values and resident income levels.

“We need guidelines for districts with high income and high property values and ones with low income and low property values,” Boser said.

Taxpayers in districts with high property values should have to pay a greater percentage of their income toward their school taxes than taxpayers in districts with lower property values, according to Boser.

“In Fox Chapel, they pay a low percentage of their income toward taxes, but in the 41st they pay a higher percentage of their incomes toward their schools,” Boser said.

Pennsylvania ranks last in the country in public education equality, she said, noting that districts' per-student education spending ranges from $10,000 to $15,000 in some districts to upward of $80,000 in other districts. Boser argues the disparity is a product of the “old boys” mentality in Harrisburg where “legislators are taking care of their own and not looking statewide.” She said schools in the state have lower academic performances than schools in other states, and that has to improve so students are prepared to enter the workforce.

Gas impact fee

Boser said she supports imposing a severance tax on gas well drillers and using the money for improving roads and economic development.

“I firmly support a severance tax on the Marcellus shale gas. Of all states with access to shale gas, we have among the richest deposits, but we're the only state that's literally giving it away,” Boser said. “Profits are significant and (gas drillers) are not sharing with residents. We should support business and industry, but also be stewards of resources and the needs of residents.”

She said she supports Gov. Tom Wolf's proposal to use severance tax revenue for a variety of infrastructure projects, including improving secondary roads, providing rural areas with high-speed broadband Internet service and economic development.

Agriculture

Boser also contends the legislature should find a way to help farmers offer their products in local markets.

“Pennsylvania is the No. 2 producer in organic produce and products in the United States,” Boser said. “We need to expand local opportunities for local producers.

She pointed out that Pennsylvania once had a number of small dairy processing facilities that were bought out by a larger dairy processor that eventually closed. She said small processors are trying to make a comeback.

Boser looked to a 200-cow farm in Cambria County as a prime example of the comeback potential for dairy farmers. She said that farm processes its milk and milk from two other farms, sells milk to local stores and sells door-to-door.

“We can't be dependent on large corporations. We can turn to smaller, local companies for local needs. We've got examples where it's working,” Boser said.

She also believes farmers need high speed broadband to help run their businesses, adding that a huge part of the 41st district has no access to Internet at all.

Hunting, fishing

While Boser agrees the state should be a strong steward of the environment, she argues it takes too much authority from other entities, including the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

She said some land owned by the commission is suitable for gas well drilling and some isn't. She said the state should not give drillers unlimited access to commission property.

“The state tends to prioritize the interests of industry, particularly the shale gas extraction industry, and it needs to give more autonomy and decision making authority to municipalities and townships and groups like the game commission,” she said.