2018 Election: 40th Senatorial District
The 40th senatorial District includes all of Monroe County except Barrett, Coolbaugh and Price townships, and part of Northampton County.
The following Information is supplied by the Monroe County League of Women Voters.
Tarah Probst
Democrat
Address: Stroudsburg
Online: http://TarahProbstForSenate.com; Facebook: http://Tarah Probst For Senate
Education: King’s College, Bachelor of Arts, Communications; Widener University School of Law, Juris Doctor
Qualifications: As Stroudsburg mayor I have worked not just locally, but regionally helping to solve problems in our region from the streets committee to the police commission. I have been to Harrisburg in regards to passenger rail and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation issues. I find solutions.
What are your top three priorities in office?
Real property/school tax relief while 100 percent supporting public education through a severance tax from our natural gas drillers. Pennsylvania is the No. 3 producer in the world and the only state in our country that does not take this tax. Our schools need it and our constituents deserve a break on their upside-down school taxes.
We can NOT cut education, and this tax will help invest in the most important part of communities, our schools. Living wages and tax relief for small and medium-size businesses.
We can cut the Delaware loophole and get hundreds of millions of dollars back in our state. If we cut the corporate tax to 5 percent, we could give relief to companies and help pay living wages. Equal rights for all and women’s rights. I signed an ordinance in my borough called the Human Relations Act. We will not tolerate discrimination and have a committee to help those who have been discriminated against. Reproductive rights are women’s rights and I support them 100 percent.
Do you support reforming our congressional and legislative redistricting process to implement an independent citizen’s redistricting commission? Why or why not?
Yes, I support a nonpartisan citizen commission. Voters should choose their elected officials, not the other way around.
Which voting modernization reforms (such as no-excuse absentee voting, early voting, same day voter registration, additional funding for voting technology upgrades) would you support to ensure that our elections are accessible, efficient and secure?
I support them all. Our voter turnout needs to rise, and making it easier to vote and more accessible is changing with the times and society, and we have the technology to do so.
Adam Reinhardt
Libertarian
Address: East Stroudsburg
Online: Website: http://www.adam4freedom.com/; http://www.facebook.com/Adam4Freedom
Education: Bachelor of Arts in religion from Houghton College, 2012. M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, 2016.
Qualifications: My experience as a clergy person has given me skills in leadership, communication, conflict resolution, crisis management, budget creation and oversight of personnel.
What are your top three priorities in office?
(1) Abolishing taxation on land and property — nobody should have to pay rent to the government to own their home. Property tax hurts seniors on fixed incomes and lower socio-economic status people the most. Homeownership is one of the most critical pieces to breaking the cycle of multigenerational poverty.
(2) Criminal justice reform — I would propose Campaign Zero’s platform as a template. https://www.joincampaignzero.org/solutions/#solutionsoverview
(3) Abolish the Liquor Control Board — because why do we even have one? Most states in the country do not. It is an expensive and ineffective bureaucracy that is altogether too intrusive into the economic and personal lives of Pennsylvanians, and it has nothing to show for it. We are around the national average for alcohol use and abuse as well as drunken driving. So if the LCB isn’t reducing those things then it isn’t worth keeping around. Let the market dictate who sells alcohol and where.
Do you support reforming our congressional and legislative redistricting process to implement an independent citizen’s redistricting commission? Why or why not?
Absolutely. Both major parties are guilty of trying to rig the game and tilt the tables in their favor. Third parties know this all too well, as the big parties often use their dirty trick to try to get us thrown off the ballot. The parties cannot be trusted to draw the district lines. The people are much better suited to do this job because they know their communities and know best how to draw districts that make sense. A citizen’s redistricting commission would strengthen our democratic process and lead to fairer elections and better representation in government.
Which voting modernization reforms (such as no-excuse absentee voting, early voting, same-day voter registration, additional funding for voting technology upgrades) would you support to ensure that our elections are accessible, efficient and secure?
I support most any reform that makes it easier for citizens to vote. No-excuse absentee voting, early voting and same-day voter registration are all fine ideas. Regarding voting technology, I am inclined to think good old-fashioned paper ballots are good enough, as they cannot be hacked or otherwise tampered with. I think the best reform we could make to strengthen our democratic process would be to move to a system of ranked-choice voting, approval voting or a runoff system. Any of those systems would allow voters to vote their conscience rather than cast their vote like they are betting on a racehorse, because there would be less fear of “wasting” your vote on a minor party or independent candidate. I believe one of these systems would produce elected officials who better represent the approval of the people and defuse much of the tribal warfare politics we are currently seeing.
Mario M. Scavello
Republican
Address: Mount Pocono
Online: https://www.facebook.com/scavelloforsenate
Education: Theodore Roosevelt High School; City College
Qualifications: State Senator 2015-Present; state representative 2002-15; chairman of the Monroe County Board of Commissioners 2000-02; Mayor of Mount Pocono 1994-99
What are your top three priorities in office?
(1) School property tax elimination, (2) infrastructure improvements, (3) all-day vocational-technical education to attract quality jobs to the area
Do you support reforming our congressional and legislative redistricting process to implement an independent citizen’s redistricting commission? Why or why not?
Yes. I am the main sponsor, along with Sen. Lisa Boscola, of redistricting reform legislation that would address this issue.
Which voting modernization reforms (such as no-excuse absentee voting, early voting, same-day voter registration, additional funding for voting technology upgrades) would you support to ensure that our elections are accessible, efficient and secure?
I support no-excuse absentee voting and funding for voting technology upgrades.
