The incumbent and challenger for PA’s 22nd District State Senate seat faced off in a debate on Thursday, a little under two weeks before the primary election.
SCRANTON, Pa. — With statewide primary elections just a little over a week away, democratic incumbent Marty Flynn and challenger Jeffrey Lake went head-to-head in a debate at the University of Scranton for the Senate seat of Pennsylvania’s 22nd district.
Data centers were one of the main topics in Thursday evening’s debate. It’s an issue that communities like Archbald in Lackawanna County have been fighting against for months.
Both candidates were asked about their stance on data center development in neighborhoods.
“I am against 1000% data centers in neighborhoods,” said Flynn.
“Nobody wants data centers within a mile of their home, nobody wants data centers within a mile of schools or playgrounds, and that’s not something that I want,” said Lake.
They were also asked if they’d support a three-year moratorium, or pause, on new data center development.
“It’s been my stand that a three-year moratorium is necessary. I’ve been anti-data center since day one. I’ve never changed on that,” said Lake.
“When you have a moratorium, all the ones that are applied for already, they’re all going to be licensed,” said Flynn. “Every data center that’s applied for, that has an application in now, gets approved. A moratorium doesn’t stop them.”
Both candidates say they support recreational marijuana partly due to the amount of money legalizing the drug could bring to the state. But they disagreed on whether corporate taxes would help bring the state even more money.
“Every year for the last several years, the corporate tax rate has gotten lower and lower. First, we need to go back to taxing corporations at 9.99%,” said Lake.
“9.9% is a moot point, they don’t pay taxes, they go to Delaware, they open up a little box there, set up their corporations, and they don’t have to pay taxes,” said Flynn. “We close the Delaware loophole is how we do it.”
As one of the last questions, candidates were asked if they’d support limiting campaign financing.
“Yes, Pennsylvania’s campaign finance laws are abysmal; it’s what allows a state senator to donate $100,000 to a county commissioner’s race,” said Lake.
“Not opposed, not at all, not at all. My opponent is jealous because I know how to raise money,” said Flynn.
The winner of the May 19 primary elections will go on to face the unopposed Republican candidate Sharon Soltis Sparano in November.
To learn how to watch Newswatch 16’s primary election coverage, click here.
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