Metcalfe touts record, battles
PENN TWP — About 30 Butler County residents enjoyed dessert with state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-12th, on Wednesday night.
Metcalfe had a morning town hall meeting in Cranberry Township before the evening town hall in Penn Township.
“It's a benefit for me if I can hear from you,” said Metcalfe to kick off the meeting. “It makes me a better representative.”
Metcalfe talked about the work he has done lately, especially pertaining to his role as chairman of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.
He said part of his recent debates have been over Gov. Tom Wolf's insistence on Pennsylvania joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a multistate partnership dedicated to reducing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants over time.
Metcalfe said he does not see the benefit, believes it will not have the desired effect and is not in the state's best interest.
“I believe it is illegal and unconstitutional,” he said.
Metcalfe then opened the evening to questions, which dominated the rest of the town hall.Mindy Peterman of Mars asked Metcalfe his thoughts on cyber schools. She said Wolf has been trying to interfere with cyber schools.Metcalfe responded by reassuring her that he was fighting back against Wolf's recent attacks on educational freedom.“I always vote to support the cybers (schools),” he said. “I think we need more school choice. I think it will create more accountability.”“I was happy with his response that he supports parents' choices for their children,” Peterman said.Peterman said she was happy to have her voice heard and for a gathering of perspective.“It's nice to hear all the different concerns,” she said.Bill McDonough of Renfrew asked a few questions, but Metcalfe directed him to discuss some of them with his local and federal government representatives.Metcalfe said he could look into the status of Renfrew Road, as it is a state road, referring McDonough to his staff members, who were on site.“He said I could talk to his people about Renfrew Road,” said McDonough who referred to the road as “washboard road” in his question. “The road has been the way it is for 15 years.”McDonough said despite not being able to get all the answers he wanted, he still was glad he attended the meeting.“It's always a good idea to talk to someone, because there's always an outside chance to get something done,” he said.Metcalfe said he enjoys returning for town hall meetings, especially with most of his time being spent in Harrisburg.He said it allows him to bring the stories of his constituents to back him up in his debates in Harrisburg.“I had the opportunity to talk with my constituents about the legislation work I'm doing on their behalf in Harrisburg,” Metcalfe said.
