Election 2022: The race to represent the 48th Senatorial District

Oct. 17—Voters in the 48th Senatorial District will have a choice when they head to the polls.

Retired veterinarian Calvin Clements, a Democrat, is challenging Republican incumbent Sen. Chris Gebhard to represent the district in Harrisburg. The district includes northern and western Berks County as well as parts of northern Lancaster County and all of Lebanon County.

State senators serve a four-year term and receive an annual salary of $95,432.

We asked the candidates to respond to four questions:

Calvin Clements

Residence: Lebanon County.

Age: 71.

Background: Clements is the former owner of Central Pennsylvania Veterinary Associates, a multiple location veterinary medical service provider. Since his retirement he runs a small beef and horse farm in South Londonderry Township and donates veterinary services to a canine rescue. He is also president-elect of the Palmyra Rotary and a volunteer at the Caring Cupboard Food Pantry.

Website: facebook.com/docforsenate

Why should voters elect you and not your opponent?

I am the candidate that will work to fix the broken Legislature in Harrisburg. Last year 4,500 bills were introduced and only 270 got out of committee. Only 30 of those did anything real for taxpayers. We need to get legislation to the floor and stop blocking useful legislation for taxpayers. Currently, six people control all legislation in Pennsylvania.

I will legislate to roll back the $5,000 cost-of-living raise and block the 2023 $6,000 raise. I want all future raises to become a ballot issue. I will also fight to reform property taxes and am the candidate that will answer to the voters and not a political party. My opponent is a party puppet.

Assuming your victory, choose a single issue you would prioritize in the coming term — name it and describe what you want to accomplish.

I will rollback the $5,000 2022 cost-of-living raises and block the $6,000 2023 planned raise. Taking raises in this economic environment is incredulous. I will make future legislative raises a ballot issue and end unfunded pensions for all legislators and judges. We must stop the Legislature from bankrupting Pennsylvania.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade now leaves the decision about how to regulate abortions up to individual states. Describe the abortion legislation that you would like to see enacted in Pennsylvania?

Abortions should be legal, safe and well-regulated to eliminate any notion of open-ended availability.

Pennsylvania, like the rest of the nation, is suffering through a period of severe inflation. What specific steps do you believe need to be taken to address this issue?

Inflation is a function of too many dollars looking at purchasing too few goods. We need to produce more in Pennsylvania. Reducing the business tax to encourage business development in Pennsylvania is vital. The gas tax also needs to be abolished as 48% of it is used to fund state police and not repair roads as intended.

Chris Gebhard

Residence: Lebanon County.

Age: 47.

Background: Gebhard was first elected to the post in a 2021 special election following the death of Sen. Dave Arnold. He owns Hoaster Gebhard & Company, an insurance and risk management firm in Lebanon. He has also served on numerous community organizations, including Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Lebanon Community Library Board, Gretna Theatre Board, The Church of the Good Shepherd, The Lebanon Lions Club and American Heart Association.

Website: gebhardforpa.com

Why should voters elect you and not your opponent?

I believe I have served my constituents well during my first term in office and hope to continue that work for the next four years. I have focused on policies that will improve the everyday lives of Pennsylvanians by restoring personal freedoms and individual liberties. I have also worked to make Pennsylvania more business-friendly in order to provide good-paying jobs for the people of south-central Pennsylvania. My efforts in Harrisburg have reflected the hardworking conservative values of the district I represent.

Assuming your victory, choose a single issue you would prioritize in the coming term — name it and describe what you want to accomplish.

The issue I hear most about from constituents is election reform. As Pennsylvanians, I think there are fundamental ideas about elections that everyone can agree upon. Nobody should feel their vote doesn't count or the system is unfair. For instance, in-person and mail-in voters should be treated equally; signature verification is necessary. Each county should use the same rules; you can't let one county 'cure' ballots while others discard them. Also, ballot drop boxes are a perfect way to promote ballot harvesting. We need a massive dose of common sense regarding how we vote in Pennsylvania.

That's why I am supportive of scrapping Act 77 and in favor of voter ID laws. You can't buy cold medicine, video games or even get into a concert without an ID. We are at a point where we can efficiently deliver a legal ID to anyone who requires one. The validity of our elections here in Pennsylvania never needs to be questioned again.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade now leaves the decision about how to regulate abortions up to individual states. Describe the abortion legislation that you would like to see enacted in Pennsylvania?

I happily accepted the endorsement of the Pro-Life Federation. I was proud to co-sponsor Sen. Judy Ward's bill offering a referendum for the people of Pennsylvania to weigh in on this subject.

Pennsylvania, like the rest of the nation, is suffering through a period of severe inflation. What specific steps do you believe need to be taken to address this issue?

Government must enact policies allowing businesses to operate at the lowest possible cost in order to offer affordable goods and services to Pennsylvanians. This can be accomplished by cutting taxes, which we did this year by lowering the onerous corporate net income tax to attract more industries to the commonwealth and increase our workforce. I also support slashing burdensome government regulations and bureaucracy, which hamper business and industry in their day-to-day operations.