State Sen. Lisa Baker: Facts not fiction
As your former Luzerne County Controller, I can tell you numbers don’t lie. Sometimes distorted, lifted from context, or made up, but there is always a bottom line against which everything can be compared. I can also tell you that it is very important to have your facts correct before you release any information. Pennsylvania Senator Lisa Baker’s opponent is totally misinformed and does not have the facts because he’s inexperienced and has not been involved in government.
There is a local record of service that cannot be erased. Senator Lisa Baker has built a reputation as a principled leader who delivers results, who knows what responsive and effective leadership looks like. Those who say otherwise are wrong.
One of the most important audits that I’ve performed in my office was the audit of the protection from abuse (PFA) program in Luzerne County.
The ability for Luzerne County to collect the money to perform a PFA warrant, when the local municipalities were performing the work, was a flaw in the PFA law. I identified the problem and spoke to our PA state Senator Lisa Baker regarding this issue, and she immediately went to work and corrected the law to allow them the ability to collect the money instead of the County, which doesn’t perform the actual function of serving the PFA.
Out-of-state gambling interests recruited an unknown person to run a hateful campaign, with the promise of unlimited spending to defeat her. The deplorable mail pieces are being driven by Citizens Alliance, a Washington DC super PAC with deep ties to out-of-state money, including millions from Georgia-based skill games.
Why? They know they can’t pressure Senator Baker to vote contrary to our interests. Her position is that we have sufficient gambling opportunities in the state, and these illicit operators will strip funds away from grants to support seniors and priority community projects. What they seek is a lose-lose proposition for taxpayers and residents.
In response to the dark money given to influence the 2024 elections, also known as “Zuckerbucks,” Lisa changed the law to require disclosure of the principals behind such groups. That terrifies every behind-the-curtain manipulator.
They lie about nonexistent wrongdoing, distort votes from her extensive public service, and try to turn her positives of working with others and negotiating needed legislation into a partisan indictment.
This election should be decided by the people of NEPA, not outside groups trying to buy influence and reshape our representation. We deserve honesty, transparency, and leadership that is answerable to us. We are fortunate to have this in our 20-year Senator Lisa Baker. I hope voters will join me in re-electing her and keep her on the job for us.
Walter L Griffith Jr
Luzerne County Controller 2021-2025
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