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By JERRY LYNOTT; Times Leader Staff Writer
Thursday, October 08, 1992     Page: 1D QUICK WORDS: STISH FORD

WILKES-BARRE — State Rep. Thomas Stish knows where he’s been and what he’s
done for the past four years but wants to know about his opponent.
   
Stish, a two-term incumbent Democrat, faces James “Skip” Ford in the
upcoming election for the 116th Legislative District in the Hazleton area. The
two men went head-to-head in the 1988 race with Stish winning by approximately
1,400 votes.
    “Where was this guy for four years?” asked Stish while meeting with The
Times Leader Editorial Board on Wednesday. “You don’t have to be an elected
official to let your voice be heard.”
   
Stish pointed to his achievements in the legislature and 99.5 percent roll
call attendance in Harrisburg as proof he has been serving the people of his
district.
   
He said he was instrumental in landing two $19 million PENNVEST
(Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority) loans for the building of
pipelines and pump stations to draw water from the Lehigh River to the
Hazleton area.
   
The water will be drawn as needed to supplement the area’s water supply,
according to Stish, a member of the house Conservation Committee.
   
He described one instance as representative of his efforts to preserve
established industry and attract new ones to the district.
   
He reassured the members of the board that Fabri-Kal and Hershey Foods, two
major employers in the district, are staying. There was talk of them possibly
leaving the area but, he said, he met with officials from both companies to
address their concerns.
   
During the hour-long meeting Wednesday he also spoke about education and
welfare reform.
   
Stish said he supported some sort of workfare program in which able-bodied
people will work in return for welfare benefits.
   
“We want to get people to work,” he said, “Not subsidize people who don’t.”
   
Regarding education, he contended schools should focus on preparing
students to enter the work force.
   
“We expect them to solve every social problem and that’s unreasonable,” he
said of the public’s expectation of the school districts.
   
Raising revenues to fund the districts is going to be a problem too, he
said.
   
He suggested looking at alternative methods of taxation to fund education,
including shifting the main local source for education funding from taxes on
property to taxes on wages.
   
Stish, who labeled himself a conservative Democrat, said he was in the
minority of state legislators that voted for property tax reform.
   
He dismissed his opponent’s claims that the legislators were looking at
granting themselves a pay hike.
   
“First of all, there’s no proposal for a pay hike,” he said.
   
He also defended the legislators’ perks, an issue Ford has raised in his
campaign.
   
Stish explained the state-subsidized car he leases, the copies, facsimile
machine and copier are tools of his office. He added that he is reimbursed
only for mileage accumulated driving back and forth from Harrisburg and
Hazleton.
   
“I spend a lot of money out of my own pocket for this job,” he said.