Republican Amy Bradley and democratic incumbent Frank Burns are awaiting Tuesday’s election day results to see who will be representing district 72 in the Pennsylvania state house.
We spoke with each recently, and one issue that came up was TV advertisements Burns’ campaign runs about Bradley’s involvement at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center when it was sold to Duke LifePoint.
“Those ads have been proven to be false time and time again. He accused me of selling the hospital. I was an employee like everyone else. I had nothing to do with the sale of the hospital and board member after board member has come out and said that’s not true, and yet he continues to still run the ad, Again, that concerns me as a constituent, and it should concern other people that he knows that’s not true and he continues to run that ad.”
But Burns said the ad has a different message in his eyes.
“The hospital had called me about these ads, and we’ve had different conversations about this, and there’s nothing factually incorrect. Everything in there is factually correct She said that selling the hospital would be good news for patients, well it turned out not to be. Now I get that it was her job at the hospital to be the spokesperson and go out there and say that, but you got to own the words that you say. She has to take responsibility for what she said and how she misled the public.”
We asked Bradley if her role at the Cambria Regional Chamber of Commerce is a conflict of interest.
“I was able to keep the two things very separate. The chamber of commerce, it’s an important position and we have a lot of great work underway that I was able to continue to do. I campaigned on weekends and evenings after work and so it has not been a conflict at all,”
And asked Burns to address some representatives saying he takes credit for grants he has nothing to do with.
“We just got money for the police station in Johnstown. Two months before that or a month before that we had the governor in town touring the facility. It’s those types of interactions that make these grants happen Now, of course, my political rivals all of a sudden have something to say about it, but for four years prior they have not said a word about the grants coming in. It’s only because it’s an election and they’re trying to make the grants political. That’s all.”
Both also talk about what message they want to leave with voters before they head to the polls.
“I got into this race because I really love our area and I’m convinced we can do better, so I have a strong background in business, and healthcare, education, communications and I’ve been very successful in all of my careers, and I have every reason to believe this would be the same,
I’m responsive, I listen to people, I get things done, and I love this area and I want to see us do better.”
“I was born and raised here, I love this area. I’ve never forgotten where I came from, I’ve never forgotten how I was raised, and I certainly have never forgotten who I represent,
and I just want to make the people I represent proud of the work that I do.”