Published November 03. 2022 04:51PM
Democrat Peter Schweyer and Republican Brent Labenberg are seeking the state Representative seat representing the 134th District. The candidates were asked to respond to the following question in 100 words or less:
Issue
What is your plan to address rising crime rates in Pennsylvania?
Democrat Peter Schweyer No response was received from the candidate by our deadline.
Republican Brent Labenberg Although crime is an important issue, when talking to people, inflation, property taxes, and education are ranking higher. With that said, municipalities are finding it harder to find qualified candidates to be officers. More funding from the state for hiring more officers could help. But to lower crime rates you need to prosecute criminals and remove them from the community. This is a local law enforcement issue. Funding for drug addiction treatment and mental health issues would probably help reduce crime. Our kids graduating with good paying jobs would be beneficial. Finally, anything strengthening families would benefit our communities. District 134 includes Part of Lehigh County consisting of the City of Allentown (PART, Wards 02, 03, 11 [PART, Divisions 01 and 03], 12, 13 [PART, Divisions 01, 02 and 03], 16 and 19) and the Township of Salisbury (PART, Wards 04 and 05) and the Borough of Emmaus.