Congressional Candidate Visits Local Talk Show

Incumbent U.S. Congressional Representative Mike Kelly of Butler will be on General Election ballot Tuesday, and recently answered questions from local callers about his outlook on Family-Life TV’s “Talk of the Town.”

“I think our goal from the first day we were in office was to think of it as a service department. You better serve people the right way – you better be there for them,” Congressman Kelly said. “This federal system is very difficult to navigate. I’ve never asked anybody ‘How are you registered?’ but rather ‘How can I help you?’

“Since Day One, I wanted to take Western Pennsylvania’s voice back to Washington D.C.”

Congressman Kelly – who represents more than 705,000 Pennsylvanians from seven counties (from Armstrong County north to Erie County) and owns a car dealership in Butler – talked on several different issues – including job creation, the effects of last year’s tax transportation bill to allocate money to repair roads and bridges and Pennsylvania’s natural gas opportunities.

Congressman Kelly said he also wants to see grown in industrial development, but even if the high-tech jobs don’t come to the county seat they will have an impact on the community if jobs are made along Route 28 and through discussions on a possible regional airport.

“We have tremendous opportunity for growth right now,” Congressman Kelly said. “Is it going to happen overnight? No its not. We didn’t get to where we were overnight, and it’s not going to be a recovery as fast, but it should be a lot stronger than it is now.”

The transportation bill has raised millions to rehabilitate state and local roads, but it has had a negative impact for some at the gas tank. Congressman Kelly tied it in because of the local economy.

“We have to do these things because the economy’s not growing at a point where people who are working pay wage taxes – 6.2 percent of every paycheck that a person gets goes to social security matched by the employer. You have fewer people making that possible,” Congressman Kelly said. “We want more people making money because it’s going to grow the revenue.”

Congressman Kelly said he believes in Governor Tom Corbett – who is in an election race of his own – especially when it comes to education spending, even though he and callers noted Corbett is not defending himself in regards to that when pressed by Democratic challenger Tom Wolf.

“This governor has spent more money from the General Budget than any governor in Pennsylvania’s history. You’re talking about a man who was a teacher – nobody knows education better than Tom Corbett.”

Republican State Committee Member Bill Rush spoke on behalf of Corbett’s campaign and also spoke favorably about Congressman Kelly.

“I see so much passion – and he’s not doing it for political reasons, but because he believes its right,” Rush said.

Congressman Kelly took office in January 2011 and is running for his third term in office against Democratic challenger Dan LaVallee of Cranberry Township.

Regardless of the results Tuesday, a representative from Congressman Kelly’s office will be available to answer questions at the Kittanning Borough building on South McKean Street Thursday