Alois Addresses Delco Chamber of Commerce

Beth Alois, Democratic Candidate for State Representative for the 168th District, addressed the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce at its Candidates Forum on Tuesday evening.

Alois’s well-received speech focused on her three major positions that represent the interests of the voters of the district. First, as the pro-public education candidate, she identified education, specifically the state funding of public schools, as the No. 1 concern of the voters. She criticized the Corbett Administration for its efforts to make it easier for the for-profit charter school industry to drain money and resources from our public schools. Alois said she will fight in Harrisburg to restore cuts in funding to public schools. She noted that the voters want a Representative who will fight for their public schools, not for Governor Corbett’s largest campaign contributors. Her opponent, Tom Killion, has taken the lead for Governor Corbett in proposed legislation to favors the for-profit charter school industry.

As the pro-women’s rights candidate, Alois talked about Bill 1077, the mandatory,
invasive ultrasound bill that was sponsored by Tom Killion. She said, “Governor Corbett says ‘you just have to close your eyes,’ but I say this is meant to be a cruel form of intimidation of a woman who is simply exercising her constitutional rights.”

As the pro-business candidate, Alois called for tax incentives that reward job creation and retention, the research and development of technologies that will bring jobs to Pennsylvania, and increased funding to our public colleges and universities that are preparing Pennsylvanians for the skilled jobs of the 21st Century. Alois noted that unreasonably low impact fees on the Marcellus Shale natural gas extraction in Act 13 resulted in the loss of millions of dollars in revenue which could have been used for education, transportation infrastructure and environmental protection. These in turn could have created thousands of jobs for Pennsylvanians. Alois’s opponent, Tom Killion, voted for these low impact fees when he voted Yes on Act 13.

Alois finished by asking the voters of the 168th for their votes on November 6.

Alois was followed by her opponent, Tom Killion, who once again demonstrated his willingness to back away from his votes and positions. His characterization of the last two budgets as increasing state funding to our public schools ignored his enthusiastic support of Governor Corbett’s cuts. He declined to address his weak
flip-flopping on the issue of women’s reproductive health care rights or his support for Governor Corbett’s profit-making charter school campaign contributors.

Beth Alois is a local Realtor and member of the Board of Directors of the Chadds Ford Business Association. She looks forward to continued dialogue with the members of the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce.

The 168th Districts includes parts of Delaware County (Media, Middletown, Edgmont, Thornbury, Rose Valley, and parts of Upper Providence, Nether Providence, and Newtown) and Westtown Township in Chester County.