Blue Pennsylvania: Jarrett Coleman on Why He Voted Against the State Budget

Last week’s email reported the reasons why two of the state senate’s progressives voted against the budget.  For Katie Muth, a big issue was the lack of new revenue from various sources, such as skill games, and combined reporting.  For Nikil Saval, avoiding significant reform on data centers was a top priority. 

On the conservative side, Jarrett Coleman, who hugs the edges of the senate’s political right, was initially mum on why he voted “Nay” on the budget.  In recent days, however, he has divulged his reasons.  And most of what he says in five paragraphs is cogent.  Rather than dip into the state’s rainy day fund, the General Assembly used a tool called a “cycle roll” – basically a delay of payment to Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCO’s) – coupled with funds not included in the budget process, to finalize the budget.  Cycle rolls could cause cash-flow for the MCO’s and Coleman is right to criticize it.  But it was his fellow Republicans who were the ones promoting this process. 

It was the last line of his remarks, however, that was most troublesome: “Taxpayers will ultimately pay the price for this charade and that’s why I couldn’t support this plan.”

While Coleman may have good reason to chastise fellow senators for passing the budget bill, his answer is to take away necessary services – like adequate educational funding, which in turn, means higher property taxes – particularly in Allentown, a city he represents.  Allentown ranks as the eighth highest city in the nation in terms of property tax burden (i.e., property tax as a percentage of household income), according to a SmartAsset report released in December.  That conjures the question of what taxpayers Coleman is interested in.

Like most of his political allies, he has done nothing to find new revenue streams for the state.  That is why we need to make the state senate blue: So that the senate will join with their counterparts in the PA House to make sure that Pennsylvania is receiving revenues from the mining, marijuana, and gambling industries as well as companies incorporated in Delaware.  We also need to make certain that our richest residents are paying a higher rate of taxes than our poorest wage earners.  Pennsylvania has the means to provide all of its citizens with the services they need with a balanced budget.  We just need the right legislators to get the job done.  Here is how we do that.

Below is the list of seats that you should click on to see how you can make a difference.  Remember – we are only two senate seats away from cleaner air and water, good public schools and transportation, sensible gun laws, and affordable health and housing.

PA Senate

Candidate (Democrat)	District	Count(y/ies)	Incumbent (Republican)
Eileen Harnett Albillar	SD-6	Bucks	Frank Farry
Mark Pinsley	SD-16	Bucks/Lehigh	Jarrett Coleman
Chris Thomas	SD-24	Berks/Montgomery	Tracy Pennycuick

PA House

Candidate (Democrat)	District	Count(y/ies)	Incumbent (Republican)
Kristin Egan	HD-142	Bucks	Joe Hogan
Jeff Warren	HD-137	Northampton	Joe Emrick
Elizabeth Moro	HD-160	Chester/Delaware	Craig Williams

Thanks,

Coleman