We surveyed Republican Valerie Gaydos and Democrat Debra Turici, the candidates for Pennsylvania's 44th State House District, on top issues for the 2022 election.
About the WESA Candidate Survey: WESA sent surveys to all candidates running in competitive races for federal and state offices in our listening area, including Allegheny, Armstrong, Cambria, Beaver, Butler, Fayettte, Greene, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland counties. Our candidate survey was based upon input we solicited from voters.
We followed up with candidates multiple times via both phone and email. If a candidate did not respond, we have noted that below. (If you're a candidate and would like to complete the survey now, please email Patrick Doyle, pdoyle@wesa.fm).
We have fixed basic capitalization and punctuation issues, but have not otherwise edited candidates' answers.
In the wake of the Dobbs decision, some state lawmakers believe Pennsylvania should ban abortion after six weeks, with no exceptions. Would you support such a proposal — yes/no?
- Please explain your stance and identify other changes, if any, you would like to make to the state’s abortion laws.
Gaydos: Did not respond.
Turici: Absolutely no, I would not support any such proposal. I literally entered this race late in the primary season in direct response to the news that the Supreme Court was likely to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that has protected women’s and girls’ health for nearly 50 years. I am a long time supporter of Planned Parenthood and wholeheartedly agree that we won’t go back. Reproductive health care should be made accessible to everyone who needs it. Abortion is healthcare.
Pennsylvania's minimum wage has been set at the federal rate of $7.25 an hour since 2009. Do you favor state action to change the minimum wage? Yes/no?
- Please explain our stance and, if you support a change, identify the minimum wage rate you believe is appropriate.
Gaydos: Did not respond.
Turici: Yes, this is a high priority for me. Pennsylvania’s minimum wage lags behind every single neighboring state, including even those with less robust statewide economies. Raising the minimum wage to at least fifteen dollars will help many thousands of Pennsylvanians by simultaneously lifting them out of poverty wages and by giving them back their precious time with family. Local communities will benefit from the increase in tax revenues and local economies will be strengthened as well. I have met with my opponent on this issue, and she falsely claims that a robust minimum wage hurts small business, when virtually every study nationwide refutes that notion.
Do you support no-excuse mail-in voting in Pennsylvania — yes/no?
- Please explain your stance and identify any other changes you believe should be made to state voting laws.
Gaydos: Did not respond.
Turici: Yes. I supported this when Republican legislators proposed it and I continue to strongly support it now. Democracy can only thrive when citizens can make their voices heard, and their vote is their voice. Other states have had secure no-excuse mail-in voting for many years, and it has been proven time and again to be a supremely safe and secure method of voting. The availability of ballot dropboxes should be expanded. Mail in ballots should be able to be pre-canvassed starting at least three days before election day, ensuring that election results can be determined within hours as opposed to days.
Do you support Pennsylvania’s involvement in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which sets pricing for carbon emissions — yes/no?
- Please explain your stance, and describe any changes you wish to see to state energy or climate policy.
Gaydos: Did not respond.
Turici: Yes. Science is real. There isn’t a more urgent issue facing the living things of Earth than man-made climate change. Devastating heat, fires, severe storms, floods, sea level rise – these calamities are getting worse every year. There are many actions Pennsylvania can take to fight this crisis, but joining the RGGI like every neighboring state already had has added one more vital tool to our toolbox. There is a lot of “low-hanging fruit” that the state can pluck, like capping unused oil and gas wells, and thanks to the federal government, there is finally funding available to start plucking it.
Inflation is a concern for Pennsylvanians, and some legislators have called for either reducing or suspending the 58-cent-a-gallon gas tax. Would you support such a measure? Yes/no?
- If yes, how would you replace the revenue to pay for State Police and road spending — and are there other inflation-fighting policies you would pursue?
Gaydos: Did not respond.
Turici: Yes. We’ve already had over 80 days of falling fuel prices and they will likely continue to decline. At the very least there should be a temporary reduction or suspension of the gas tax while we continue to monitor the steadily dropping prices. The elevated fuel costs are still hammering people who drive for a living. I strongly support our State Police and would investigate alternate sources of revenue, including funds received from the federal government for economic recovery. Enforcement of anti-trust regulations is also critical to stop price gouging in many industries.
In the face of rising homicide and other crime rates, would you support requiring universal background checks for gun purchases? Yes/no?
- Please explain your stance, and describe other approaches to fighting crime that you would support.
Gaydos: Did not respond.
Turici: Yes. In a nation that has more guns than people it is critical to do every reasonable thing we can to stem all gun violence, including suicide and accidental shootings. Strong background check systems are proven to reduce gun violence keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of those who would abuse them. I support the Second Amendment and strongly believe in the right to bear arms, but military-style weapons should not be available for non-military users to purchase. I will fight for Pennsylvanians’ right to feel secure at their grocery store, place of worship, and, most importantly, in their schools.
School funding in Pennsylvania is heavily supported by property taxes. Would you support efforts to change that system — yes/no?
- Please explain your stance and describe the changes you would support to how public education is funded.
Gaydos: Did not respond.
Turici: No. Our Constitution clearly states that we must support a “thorough and efficient system of public education.” Good public schools lead to good communities, and every homeowner has a vested interest in seeing their property located in a robust school system. Strong schools lead to higher property value. Using property tax as the funding mechanism also spreads the cost of public schools remarkably evenly. Even people who rent their living spaces are contributing to school funding; their rent helps defray costs of the owner’s school tax liability.
