Oct 31, 2012 2 min read

Republican Richard Massafra of Monongahela is trying once again to oust veteran Rep. Pete Daley, D-California, from the state’s House 49th District seat.Two years ago, Massafra lost to Daley by just 1,484 votes. The 51-year-old systems engineer and small business owner hopes voters in the state’s 49th District, including most of southern Washington County and the Mon Valley in Washington and Fayette counties, will recognize his name and cast their ballots in his favor.”Over the last 30 years that Pete’s been there, we’ve been going downhill and it’s never gotten better,” said Massafra. “He’s creating ghost towns instead of thriving communities.”He added, “The state hasn’t been investing in these small cities for a long time.”Daley, who was first elected to the post in 1982, agrees with Massafra in that the small communities in the district need help, but believes voters will recognize that he has continuously fought for their best interest.Daley, the longest-tenured representative in the western half of the state, is seeking a 16th term in office. While Daley is a Democrat, he said he prides himself on his nonpartisan efforts.He agrees with Massafra in that tools need to be put in place to “jump-start the economy.””If you don’t have companies moving in, you don’t have jobs,” Daley stated. While Washington County is growing due to the Marcellus shale boom, Daley said the Mon Valley is not experiencing the growth. However, he believes that the completion of the Mon-Fayette Expressway may help, along with tax incentives and perhaps replacing property taxes with an earned income tax. During his tenure, Daley touts that he has helped to create 300,000 jobs in the district and he will fight for more if re-elected.Massafra, on the other hand, believes that Daley’s time in office should be over as there’s a need for less government and fewer taxes.The candidates differ on what should be done with the Pennsylvania Turnpike and state stores. Daley has been a vocal opponent of the privatization of state stores, while Massafra “liked the free-market solution.””Pete’s ideas are old school, and worse, they are wrong,” said Massafra.