Newspaper: Elect Fuhs in 11th Senate District

The Pottstown Mercury has endorsed Republican Stephen Fuhs for the 11th state Senate Disrict, which covers most of Berks County.

Fuhs is the reform candidate seeking to unseat state Sen. Mike O'Pake, who has seved in the Legislature for 40 years.

From the newspaper's endorsement editorial:

The race for Berks County's 11th state Senate District features Reading City Councilman Stephen Fuhs challenging incumbent Democratic Sen. Michael O'Pake, who has held the seat since 1972.

O'Pake has accomplished laudable things in the Senate, most notably his work for prescription drug assistance for senior citizens (PACE) and health insurance for children (CHIP), but in recent years he has shown his alliances more than once to the systemic problems in Harrisburg. He voted for the pay raise in 2005 and supported a state budget proposal this year that held known deficits before it was even signed. He was on the board of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency where excessive spending on gifts and lobbyists was exposed.

Although he claims to support tax reform, O'Pake favors his own plan rather than championing support for the property tax elimination bill formerly known as the Commonwealth Caucus Plan.
Fuhs, who has a background in business and the Secret Service, supports the tax elimination plan and reducing state business taxes.

It's time for a change: We endorse Stephen Fuhs in the 11th District.

The newspaper is also endorsing state Rep. Tom Quigley for re-election in the 146th state House District.

For more endorsements, visit the newspaper's Web site.

For more on Fuhs, visit his campaign Web site, http://fuhsforpa.homestead.com/

For more on Quigley, visit his campaign Web site, http://www.votequigley.com/