The Issues

Crime

With the 4th highest crime rate per capital in the state of Pennsylvania, the situation is grave and needs a community movement in order for it to stop   This is why Rick Mirabito has worked tirelessly with many non-profit organizations to help improve the lives of the average Lycoming County citizen.  Rick has most recently received the Williamsport Lycoming Crime Commission’s Certificate of Appreciation as a sign of his devotion to the work he has done to prevent criminal activity from spreading throughout the Williamsport Area.  It is Rick’s passion to help this county develop into a booming economy and a caring community that will not allow drug dealers and gang members to take over our city streets.

Jobs and Economic Development

As a small business owner, Rick Mirabito understands the strain that increasing gas prices and a struggling economy has on the small businesses of this community.  Rick believes that it is absolutely crucial to create job growth in this area by creating an environment for which business can truly thrive.  With the Williamsport area soon having one of the premier hospitals in the state and with it’s relatively close proximity to major metro areas such as Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Pittsburgh and New York City, there is no reason why Lycoming County should not be growing right now.  Rick’s plan to decrease property taxes across Lycoming County will encourage business to find a home in the Williamsport Area.

Taxes

The increasing tax levels that have afflicted the city of Williamsport and the surrounding townships and boroughs should be lowered.  Although Republican Candidate Dave Huffman touts that he has never raised property taxes as a member of the Williamsport school board, Rick Mirabito believes that it is not enough to just halt funding for necessities such as the education of our children and the funding of our police force.  Rick believes that you must be creative and not static in your thinking process and find other ways to increase the tax base to create relief for all citizens of Lycoming County.  That is why Rick has proposed a decrease in the astronomical property tax levels in Lycoming County through royalties from gas exploration on state and local gaming lands.  Currently all of this money goes to the state directly and then gets diverted to the Department of Environmental Protection which services all of the state of Pennsylvania equally.  Rick believes that a good portion of this money should come back to this county and help the struggling families that are in need of property tax relief.

Family

Having lived through the his life without a father, Rick understands the necessity of a strong and devout family.  As a single mother raising 5 children, his mother instilled a sense of hard work, honesty, and integrity into the Mirabito family that Rick still carries to this day.  He and his wife Sara share these ideals and will bring their diligent and decent nature to Harrisburg.

Faith

As a devout Catholic, Rick Mirabito sees his faith as a guide for his life.  His Italian roots and his difficult family circumstances have only brought him closer to the lord and he plans to bring the ethical standards and morality that he has learned through his faith with him to Harrisburg.

Alternative Energy and Gasoline Prices

The rising cost of gas and home heating oil is going to be one of the biggest detriments to economic growth in this county.  Rick Mirabito doesn’t believe that it is right for Exxon Mobil to make record profits while the average Lycoming county resident is struggling just to fill up the tank.  It is a fact that this rising price of gas and home heating oil is partially caused by the increased demand from China and India but Rick doesn’t buy into the argument that this is the only reason that we are paying one dollar more per gallon this year then last year.  That is why Rick plans to push for an investigation on price fixing by these companies receiving record profits.  Rick also plans to push for the increase in Alternative Energy throughout the state and particularly in Lycoming County.  Rick sees this trend toward Alternative Energy as a trend that could greatly benefit economic growth and job creation throughout Lycoming county and he will work his hardest to make this economic growth a reality in our area.

Protection of Gun Rights

Rick believes in the right of every person to own a gun and fully supports the second amendment.  Our founders wrote this part of the constitution for a reason and Rick believes that those brilliant men were correct in their judgment.

Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Mandate

Rick believes that the costly nature of this cleanup is unfair to the citizens of Lycoming County.  With the price of gas and home heating oil rising daily, it is necessary to examine the affordability of this unfunded mandate on the citizens of Lycoming County.   This unfunded mandate will cost every household within the seven tributary communities and the city of  Williamsport an average of $400 extra every year for water and sewer service.  A total of $140 million dollars will be the cost of this mandate over a thirty year period with limits on growth and extra costs, per household, to account for the fee to attach every sewer line to a main line goes towards a sanitation plant.  this is an outrage considering the facts that little is being done within the limits of the Chesapeake Bay to repair the damage done by commercial and industrial abuse.  There are still no regulations in the Chesapeake Bay on a limit of the horsepower of motorboat engines or of the oyster farming.  Both of these regulations would bring natural plant and animal wildlife back into the bay and help to neutralize the large amounts of iodine and nitrogen that are currently killing the vitality of the bay.  The issue with these two solutions is the corporate interest that lies behind both oyster farming and shipping.  Rick Mirabito believes that it is a necessity to clean up the Chesapeake Bay but that it is also necessary that the other communities in Maryland, Virginia, Eastern Pennsylvania, and the bay itself sacrifice alongside us.  Without this mutual sacrifice of all parties involved Rick believes that the sacrifice of Lycoming County will be little felt in the conservation efforts of Chesapeake Bay, while putting an unsustainable strain on citizens of the tributary communities and the city of Williamsport.