Pittman fields range of topics in town hall
SAXONBURG — State Sen. Joe Pittman, R-41st, stopped by the Saxonburg Museum on Wednesday for a town hall talk.
“I think it's great to have him here and interested in Saxonburg,” said Fred Caesar, a resident and volunteer curator at the museum. “It shows that he cares.”
Pittman marked his 100th day in office Wednesday.
“This is my very first town hall meeting,” Pittman said. “This is new territory for me.”
One of the major issues presented to Pittman at the town hall was property taxes.
“I believe it is archaic,” Pittman said. “We have not as a government or as a people come up with an alternative approach.”
Pittman said the state budget is doing only a little better than it has in the past. He said legislators were able to put money away in reserve funds for emergency use.
He said that last year the state had enough in reserve to cover 12 hours of state government operation. Today, there is enough for four days.
“We have made progress, but we are in a fiscal condition that I would say, 'We're not out of the woods,' ” he said. “We've basically been treading water. For me, that's just not enough.”
Pittman replaced former Sen. Don White who left office early due to health concerns. He served as White's chief of staff through the former senator's tenure, which began in 2000.
Another issue of local concern, stormwater management, was raised.Pittman acknowledged that Saxonburg will have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to analyze the stormwater infrastructure of its borough.He said it has to be done.But, he agreed that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has not made this easy, and there wasn't enough money to go around.“I really get frustrated at the inconsistency in the department's regulations and how they enforce those regulations,” he said.In replacing White, Pittman also was appointed to his seat on the PennVEST board.PennVEST provides grants and low-interest loans to fund sewer, stormwater and drinking water projects throughout the commonwealth.“We're trying to break free some of those dollars, so you as municipalities can focus on this issue,” Pittman said.Pittman also commented on his positions on a range of other topics, including recreational marijuana, turnpike rates and gun rights.
Resident Sandy Brown said she appreciated Pittman's willingness to answer questions, and she liked how honest he was with his constituents. “I am really impressed by his knowledge,” Brown said. “I think the questions we asked were questions that concerned local people.”She said property taxes impact the area because of the high population of retirees with limited income and limited options. She said she felt like he understood that.“I think he listened to us, and he will do a good job for us,” Brown said.John Haven, Freeport school board member and former Buffalo Township supervisor, said Pittman answered complicated questions, and admitted if he didn't know something, instead of talking around the subject.Haven said Pittman had a good handle on the tough issue of teacher pensions.“As those pensions go up, how are we going to come up with the money?” Haven asked.Haven said Pittman struck him as a great communicator. He said White was good with people, and he expects Pittman to be just as good.“Joe is an all-around good guy. He's the kind of guy you want as a neighbor,” Haven said. “We're fortunate to have him as a state senator.”Pittman said he is looking forward to serving his district with his constituents opinions in mind.“My motivation for public service is pretty simple. I want to see our area grow and prosper.”
