Haddock, May face off in 118th debate

Oct. 19—SCRANTON — The two candidates in the state 118th House District race sparred over several issues including inflation, voting rights and gun control Wednesday night.

During a debate hosted by the League of Women Voters of Lackawanna County and the University of Scranton's Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service at the university's PNC Auditorium of the Loyola Science Center, Democrat Jim Haddock, 59, of Pittston Twp., a former Avoca mayor and Pittston Area school director, listed public education, public safety and protecting our rights and freedoms as the top three policy priorities of Pennsylvanians that the state Legislature should address.

"Once we fund public education properly, we can look to reduce residential property taxes," he said.

As mayor of Avoca, Haddock said he increased the number of full-time police officers in the department and was the first mayor to put computerization into police cars.

"Public safety is paramount," he said. "We must fund our state police properly and support them in every avenue we can."

Republican James May, 52, of Ransom Twp., a former state Department of Transportation spokesman and Army chaplain, listed the economy as the top issue facing voters.

"Inflation, jobs, the price of gas and groceries — that's the issue on everybody's mind right now," May said. "Young families are trying to figure out they're going to put food on the table, and they have to make the choice between gas and groceries."

May also cited education and jobs as other key issues facing voters.

Haddock supports expanding voting rights and allowing independents to vote in primary elections.

"Laws are trying to be passed in Harrisburg to stop and deter people from voting," he said. "I would protect and expand those rights. Act 77 was passed bipartisan in this Legislature in Pennsylvania to mail ballot no-excuse voting and there are movements to roll that back. That threat to our democracy is real and I would protect it."

May would support a law to require ID.

"Everybody has the right to vote, but we need to have some safeguards in place," he said.

May is also opposed to independents voting in primary elections.

"It muddies the waters and opens it up for people voting for a candidate they want to run against," he said. "The purpose of a primary is the parties get together and choose who represents them."

Haddock, an avid hunter, supports the right to bear arms but also understands the need to limit gun violence.

"We can look at keeping the current laws in place that are working and expand some common sense gun laws that are easy to pass but would not infringe on the right to own and bear arms," he said.

May believes many of the restrictions put in place to restrict firearms purchases end up putting guns in the wrong hands.

"The problem with many of them is they take the guns away from law-abiding citizens and the bad guys end up with the guns," he said. "You're actually making the problem worse."

State representatives serve two-year terms and earn $95,432.14 this year.

The 118th District includes Glenburn, La Plume, Newton, Ransom and West Abington townships and Dalton, Moosic, Old Forge and Taylor boroughs in Lackawanna County; the city of Pittston, Jenkins and Pittston townships and Avoca, Dupont, Duryea, Hughestown, Laflin, West Pittston and Yatesville boroughs in Luzerne County.

Contact the writer: rtomkavage@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9131; @rtomkavage on Twitter.