U.S. Rep. Phil English, R-3rd, got a polite earful from the 16 or so Butler County leaders who gathered at the Community Development Corporation of Butler County offices Tuesday for a bagel and a cup of coffee.

They also came to English's Community Leadership Breakfast with requests for funding and congressional guidance on issues ranging from downtown revitalization to money for education to health care and pension reform.

English, who is running for re-election for his seventh term in Congress, detailed his opinion on many national issues, including his support of a monthlong federal gas tax holiday. He also said he is going to Iraq in May.

Perry O'Malley, executive director of the Butler County Housing and Redevelopment Authority, said he is concerned about the cutbacks being made to housing programs and development projects such as the city's West End Revitalization Project, "which is a job development project.

"We are seeing delays in projects while we look for multiple source funding as costs continue to rise," he said.

Leslie Osche, executive director of the United Way of Butler County, told English the United Way and O'Malley's agencies have been flooded by people in need of subsidized housing and seniors who need repairs made to the homes they own.

"The waiting list for housing rehab is between seven and nine years long," Osche said.

Joe Cunningham, director of the Butler County Vo-Tech, pleaded with English to support Perkins grants. Carl D. Perkins Federal Grants are given to institutions of higher learning to develop academic, vocational, and technical skills of secondary and post-secondary students who choose technical training.

Jim Gallegher, president of Local 3303 of the United Auto Workers that represents AK Steel workers, asked English for Congress to do something to help union workers, and workers in general, in dealing with companies that want to dump workers' health care and pension benefits.

English thanked the United Auto Workers for fighting for the U.S. steel industry and said he supports "rewarding" companies, such as AK Steel, that do not shed their "legacy" costs through bankruptcy filings.

Ed Fink, Butler School District superintendent, told English about the district's loss of more than $550,000 in federal Title 1 money earmarked for reading and math education, but at the same time the No Child Left Behind program requires "special education students pass the tests being taken by our gifted students."

Fink said the school district needs more financial help to accomplish these testing requirements.

English agreed that "performance assessment" programs such as No Child Left Behind are "unfunded mandates," but had no answer for how to solve Fink's problem.

Others who were at the meeting were: Joan Chew, a former county commissioner and current Butler County Community College trustee; Larry Garvin, executive director of the YMCA of Butler County; founder of United Plate Glass Bill Cully; Steve Catt, BC3's development director; Richard Kotter, assistant director of the Butler Veterans Affairs Medical Center; and John Paul, executive director of the Butler Township-City Joint Transit Authority.

"This is just the start of these meetings," English said, adding he plans to have a series of leadership breakfasts and town meetings "to hear what is of concern to the residents of Butler County and throughout the district."

No additional meeting dates were announced.