The countdown to the May primary election has begun and with 17 days left to deliver his message to the voters of Pennsylvania, Allen Kukovich, candidate for lieutenant governor, took his platform to the people - via a road trip across Fayette County on Saturday. Kukovich, a state senator from Manor, Westmoreland County, visited numerous small "patch" communities and the cities of Uniontown and Connellsville as he campaigned on Saturday. Since Kukovich announced his candidacy, he has visited 40 counties in the commonwealth, said campaign manager Mike Walsh. No candidate has put forth a plan for the office of lieutenant governor other than Kukovich, added Walsh. It was during a stop at the Shop 'n Save in Connellsville that Kukovich stopped to speak with constituents leaving the market, outlining his plan for Pennsylvania's future. Kukovich, elected to the Pennsylvania Senate in 1996, said the issues in Fayette County are the same issues he has encountered in visits to 40 other counties - economy, education and health care. In a press release announcing his candidacy, Kukovich said, "Focusing on the need to build a secure future for Pennsylvania by investing in public safety, education, economic and community development, and increasing access to affordable health care, the position of lieutenant governor is perfectly suited to champion these issues." Noting that Fayette County has the second highest percentage of children living in poverty, Kukovich said health care and education go hand in hand. He created the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) that provides more than 100,000 children each year with health care. Kukovich said about 90 percent of eligible children are enrolled in CHIP but for those with higher incomes, there is 50 percent participation. A family of four with a yearly income of $35,000 is eligible, said Kukovich, but many of these families think the program is too good to be true. He vowed to "continue to expand CHIP until every child has health care." Another aspect of health care is the prescription drug crisis facing older citizens. Kukovich said senior citizens often must decide between buying a prescription or buying food for two or three meals a day. Kukovich's stance on the prescription drug crisis struck a chord with Diane Yoder of Connellsville. Yoder works at Burns Drug Store in Connellsville and waits on senior citizens who must often decide on which prescription to have filled. "You should not have to work your entire life to provide for yourself and others then do it again (after retirement) for the rest of your life because of no control," she said. Kukovich has called for a special session on education in the 2003 legislative year. In a press release, Kukovich said the session would focus on the basic education funding inequities, the need to reduce class size in early grades, fixing dilapidated school buildings and expanding access to higher education and making college more affordable. Kukovich said on Saturday that he would like to see the state do more for schools. He said that Pennsylvania should not rely on property taxes to fund education. This overhaul would relieve the burden placed on senior tax payers. He said that education and health care overlap in that there is concern that jobs will provide health care benefits and will Fayette County children receive education needed to obtain jobs in the county. Kukovich's plan to improve the economy of Pennsylvania includes targeting resources (money) into building infrastructure. Kukovich helped create the PennVEST program which has awarded billions of dollars to communities for safe drinking water. He said PennVEST funds would be awarded to water and sewerage amenities. Redevelopment projects would be financed through the state Department of Community and Economic Development. Kukovich would like the state to triple what is spent from the capital budget for infrastructure developments, use housing rehabilitation money and do more with the bond market. Kukovich said the state, in the past, has been negligent in infrastructure investments. He would like to see manufacturing brought to Brownfield areas in communities rather than tearing up open space to create industrial parks. Speaking briefly about the issue of legalized gambling in the state, Kukovich said he is concerned that it would expand too much and hurt the state lottery benefiting senior citizens. Kukovich said it makes sense to legalize slot machines at Pennsylvania's race tracks. Kukovich fears that if this does not occur, the tracks will be out of business in three to five years because Pennsylvania residents can go to tracks in Delaware or West Virginia where slots are legal. If race tracks were to close, 10,000 jobs related to the tracks would be lost, he noted. He would like to see the revenues from gambling be put towards education and economic development.

---

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---