Clarion County needs to field candidate in Senate race

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

A group of American linguists has named "occupy" as the word of the year. And while there are a wide range of opinions regarding the present "occupy" movements in various cities around the globe, most Americans can agree on one thing: 2012 is the year we need to occupy the ballots on election day.
This is a big year for national and state elections. The Republicans are already fighting it out for the presidential nomination, but it's a race much closer to home that we hope a number of candidates will step up to occupy.
State Sen. Mary Jo White (R-Franklin) announced at the end of last year that she will not seek re-election. Already, state Rep. Scott Hutchinson (R-Oil City) has announced his intention to run for the office. We're sure others will follow.
Among that eventual list of candidates, we hope we see at least one who calls Clarion County home.
The 21st Senate District sprawls across all of Venango, Forest, Warren and Clarion counties, and portions of Butler and Erie counties. White, who lives in Venango County, has represented the district for the past 15 years. In that time, we've seen the senator grow into an influential member of the state Senate; however, what we have not seen is White in Clarion County very often.
What we need in 2013 is a state senator representing Clarion County who knows Clarion County - its communities and people, as well as its struggles and needs. We also think it's time Venango County passed that torch to a resident of one of the other counties in the district.
Our opinion might be different if we felt Hutchinson would be the best person for the important office. Our admittedly limited experience with him has left us unimpressed.
Last spring, Hutchinson and other state leaders met in Clarion with school district officials from Clarion and Venango counties to discuss the new governor's proposed funding cuts for education. While state Reps. Sam Smith (R-Punxsutawney) and Donna Oberlander (R-Clarion) appeared ready to work with the school leaders, Hutchinson seemed from the get-go to take a combative, argumentative tone. It was almost as if he seemed to delight in the education funding cuts, perhaps wishing the governor would have cut even more. Our opinion was echoed by several local school administrators with whom we spoke after the meeting.
We hope voters in the 21st District, including those here in Clarion County, are presented with several good choices in the April 24 primary election. As we've seen, the person we elect to the position will likely hold that office for a decade or more, and we must make sure we give that power to someone who will represent the entire district equitably. If a solid candidate from Clarion County surfaces, we can't think of a better option for local voters to support.
It is now up to Clarion County's residents to find that candidate and encourage him or her to run for the Senate seat.