Description of office: The General Assembly is the legislative branch of government in Pennsylvania. It is composed of two houses: the Senate is the upper house, and the House of Representatives is the lower house. A majority vote in both houses is necessary to pass a law. The PA House of Representatives consists of 203 members representing one district each, with an equal number of constituents. Representatives must be at least 21 years old, have been a citizen and a resident of the state four years and a resident of their respective districts one year before their election, and shall reside in their respective districts during their terms of service. The House develops budget packages, makes taxation decisions, allocates spending, and passes laws (including redistricting in collaboration with the Senate). The House also has the exclusive authority to impeach public officials. Representatives also serve on various policy committees that may propose legislation.Term: 2 yearsSalary: $113,591Vote for ONE.Note: On Democratic and Republican primary ballots, voters will also choose members of the State and County Committees. We do not list these candidates on Vote411. For information on these candidates, we suggest you contact your local Democratic or Republican Party committee.
County
York
Occupation
Professional Engineer, Retired
Education
Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University
Qualifications
Edward Ritter is a York County native - the son of a machinist and a civil servant. He is a husband, father and grandfather. He is a retired engineer with over forty years professional experience in industrial energy systems, food manufacturing, sustainability and construction quality control.
The most important issue to residents of the District is the increased cost of living: utilities, groceries, medical insurance and taxes.
The current minimum wage of $7.25 per hour has not been increased since 2009. For tipped workers, the hourly wage is only $2.83 per hour.
I favor proposals to increase the state minimum wage to $15 per hour with tipped workers paid 60% of the minimum wage. These increases could be phased in over a three-year period.
In addition, some form of property tax relief needs to be considered for retirees living on fixed income. Nobody should lose their home due to tax increases.
Our elections have been free, safe and secure for years. Lawsuits following the 2020 election found no substantial fraud or abuse. Studies by the Heritage Foundation found less than 100 cases of illegal votes in over 1 billion ballots over 24 years – less than 0.000008%. All elected officials should be clear about these figures.
I believe Pennsylvania needs to implement open primaries to guarantee unaffiliated voters fair access throughout the process. We all pay taxes to support election systems. While not part of the stated question, injecting unaffiliated voters in the primary process will reduce the current polarization. What “supports the processes of our elections” better than increasing participation throughout the process?
Last year, the budget was finally adopted on November 12 – over four months late. Our budget process is broken. The State Legislature’s primary responsibility is an on-time, balanced budget.
Sadly, I do not foresee any incentive available to force legislators to do their job. Lacking incentive, I propose one straightforward penalty.
For each day the budget is delayed, legislators forfeit their compensation at a rate of two days lost compensation for every day late, including all benefits and per diems. All legislative staff is laid off and eligible for unemployment benefits until such time as the budget is passed. I firmly believe citizens would view this as a responsible approach. Simply, “No budget – no pay”.
Data centers need to be transparent regarding their potential impact to their neighbors. This includes specific, enforceable limits regarding power consumption (sourced from grid or generated on-site), water / wastewater use (whether municipal or groundwater / sewer or septic), property lighting, noise, and vehicle traffic (employees, contractors and visitors). Employment must be specific as it pertains to number of employees and their compensation as both relate to tax benefits to the municipality.
Coordination between statewide regulations and municipal ordinances is essential to expedite timely permitting for developers while reducing surprises for those most closely impacted - local residents.
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