For the second time in three years, some voters in Wayne and Pike counties will elect someone new to represent them in Harrisburg.
Former Rep. Joe Adams, elected only two years ago to replace Mike Peifer to represent the state 139th House District, resigned in February for family reasons in the middle of his first term.
House Speaker Joanna McClinton set a special election to replace Adams for April 23, the same day as the primary election.
The special election will decide who replaces Adams through Nov. 30.
The Republican candidate is Sterling Township Supervisor Jeffrey Olsommer, 56, who co-owns an insurance agency.
The Democratic candidate is Robin Skibber, 59, of Blooming Grove Twp., Pike County. She retired last year after 22 years as director of the Pike County Area Agency on Aging. She works part time as a dietitian now. This is her first run for elected office.
The counties’ Republican and Democratic party committees chose them as the nominees, but all voters can vote in the special election.
Olsommer and Skibber are also on the separate, primary election ballots. Only Democrats and Republicans can vote on nominees in the primary. The winners will face off in the Nov. 5 general election. That winner will serve for the two years starting Dec. 1. The salary is $106,422.33.
Skibber is the only Democratic candidate so she will win the primary unless a write-in candidate gets more votes.
Olsommer faces opposition for the Republican nomination from Matthew Contreras, 49, of Milford Township, Pike County. He owns a staffing company.
Olsommer was first elected a township supervisor in 2013 and re-elected in 2019.
Skibber said she’s qualified because of her experience as aging agency director. She often worked collaboratively with local Republicans on issues, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. She’s knowledgeable on issues as diverse as preventing suicide and drug and alcohol treatment.
“And I've always been accessible. I've always been a good listener,” she said. “And I think that's how the House of Representatives is. I think they're a wonderful support to a lot of the municipalities and the county, and a lot of people don't even realize all the things they do.”
As a representative, she would concentrate on lowering the cost of and improving access to medical care, especially mental health and acute care. She would work on ensuring elderly residents can spend their final years living at home or in whatever setting they choose.
Olsommer said more than two decades running an insurance agency and more than a decade as a supervisor give him the experience necessary to properly represent the district.
“I've been fortunate enough to go throughout the state and some local states and meet with a lot of local business owners -- from mom and pops up to 200 or 300 employees – and really get to know what their issues are over a course of time,” he said.
Serving as a township supervisor made him understand the need to work with other government and local officials to get things done, he said.
Olsommer said he hopes to freeze taxes on property owners’ main home, reduce regulations on small businesses and boost funding for police and volunteer firefighting and ambulance companies.
“The big issue in Pike County, there's no urgent care center. In Pike County, there's no hospital. It’s almost hard to believe,” Olsommer said. “I talk to folks that are 50 and older, they're concerned about what happens if I go down? Where am I going?”
WVIA News contacted all three candidates to explain their positions on issues. Their answers are below. Only Olsommer and Skibber responded.
ABORTION:
OLSOMMER: Believes life begins at conception and opposes abortion except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. Says he would talk to more women before deciding whether to reduce the state’s ban on most abortions after 24 weeks.
SKIBBER: Favors a woman’s right to choose. Believes the choice is between a woman and her doctor.
“It's a personal thing. It should not be a legislative decision,” Skibber said.
She declined to name a time beyond which an abortion should be illegal.
“I am a dietitian. I'm not a doctor,” she said.
EDUCATION:
PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING:
OLSOMMER: Favors reviewing the state’s public school funding formula regularly to ensure fairness but points out Wayne and Pike schools do a good job educating students with current funding.
SKIBBER: Favors developing a fair funding formula as a state appeals court ordered last year.
SCHOOL PROPERTY TAXES:
OLSOMMER: Says he’s open to learning about proposals to lower property taxes by raising sales and/or income taxes, but generally opposes tax increases.
“Property tax is a real issue, but I don't believe there is a one magic bullet to it. I think it's going to take a comprehensive approach and some serious thought to accomplish it,” he said.
SKIBBER: Favors exploring proposals to lower property taxes by raising sales and/or income taxes but worries local businesses could be hurt because New York’s sales tax is higher than Pennsylvania’s. Favors offering tax breaks to people who volunteer in public schools.
SCHOOL CHOICE/CHARTER SCHOOL REFORM:
OLSOMMER: Supports school choice that allows a student to use funding from his/her home school district in a different district or private school.
“I believe if somebody wants to go somewhere, they should have the right to go where they want to go,” he said.
Says he’s not a fan of cyber-charter schools because he believes students learn better in person.
SKIBBER: Opposes school choice without requiring more accountability and transparency for charter schools.
ELECTION REFORM/TERM LIMITS:
OLSOMMER: Favors requiring voters to show identification when voting. Would be more likely to favor mail-in ballots with voter ID.
“It's a great opportunity for folks that maybe don't vote as much or are (having a) harder (time) to get to the polls, but not without the proper voter ID,” he said.
Favors extending representative terms to four years with a limit of two terms.
SKIBBER: Favors mail-in ballots. Opposes voter ID because she believes it’s likely to suppress voting. Favors exploring term limits, but says voters already have the ultimate say.
EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT:
OLSOMMER: Favors replacing per-diem expense reimbursements for legislators with reimbursements based on actual expenses and receipts.
“It'd be foreign to me to be just get get a per diem,” he said.
SKIBBER: Favors replacing per-diem expense reimbursements for legislators with reimbursements based on actual expenses and receipts.
GUN RIGHTS:
OLSOMMER: Opposes expanding gun regulation.
“I’ve never seen a gun fly off the shelf and shoot somebody,” he said.
SKIBBER: Favors banning military-style weapons because they are unnecessary for hunting. Favors limiting ammunition purchases and imposing universal background checks.
MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION:
OLSOMMER: Opposes legalization because he believes a tax would likely accompany that, increasing the cost and the chance that illegal marijuana would flourish.
SKIBBER: Favors exploring legalizing marijuana, taxing and properly regulating it, including standards for driving under the influence.
“There's been benefits for people with cancer treatment, and appetite, stimulation, all kinds of things,” she said. “There's a lot of benefits.”
MINIMUM WAGE:
OLSOMMER: Opposes increasing the minimum wage because he believes “it threatens our competitiveness” and will increase the price of goods. Argues the current market already allows people to earn more than the minimum wage ($7.25 an hour).
SKIBBER: Favors gradually increasing the minimum to $15 an hour. Argues neighboring New York already offers a much higher minimum, which leaves Wayne and Pike county businesses at a disadvantage.
NATURAL GAS EXTRACTION TAX:
OLSOMMER: Opposes the tax.
“I'm not for imposing taxes on businesses, and people that end up raising costs … that trickle down into our economy, creating higher costs and … higher fuel costs at the pump and heating costs,” he said.
SKIBBER: Favors exploring the tax.
“There's a lot of profit that gets made in that realm,” she said. “People are not happy with increasing taxes. But sometimes the alternatives are necessary to keep things under control and paid for.”
