The Republican Party of Pennsylvania announced its support of State Senator John Rafferty for Attorney General, Northampton County Executive John Brown for Auditor General and Berks County businessman Otto Voit for Treasurer during the Party’s Winter Meeting at the Hotel Hershey today.
Rafferty, Brown and Voit join U.S. Senator Pat Toomey on the list of candidates endorsed by the Republican Party of Pennsylvania during the 2016 primary.
“It’s time to restore the public’s trust in Pennsylvania’s row offices,” Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason said. “Over the past four years, two of the Democrats elected to our statewide row offices have come under indictment or resigned in disgrace due to their involvement in public corruption. Democrats have made our state row offices the embarrassment of the nation, and Pennsylvanians deserve better. John Rafferty, John Brown and Otto Voit all share a common-sense commitment to restoring the public’s faith in our state row offices.
“John Rafferty has the experience and qualifications necessary to usher in a new era at the Office of Attorney General. A former Deputy Attorney General, John Rafferty has fought to strengthen the laws that protect our families. John Rafferty will be an Attorney General who restores honor and integrity back to the office with the highest ethical standards.
“John Brown has already successfully rooted out government waste and brought much-needed improvements to Northampton County’s government. John Brown is a proven reformer who will bring the Auditor General’s office the same effort that helped Northampton County save tens of millions of dollars.”
“Otto Voit is ready to use the skills he’s learned as a successful financial executive to reform our Treasury Department. A veteran of the United States Army, Otto Voit is ready to serve and committed to bringing openness and transparency to Treasury during this crucial time in Pennsylvania’s history.
“The Republican Party of Pennsylvania is proud to support U.S. Senator Pat Toomey for re-election, John Rafferty for Attorney General, John Brown for Auditor General and Otto Voit for Treasurer as the reformers we need for Pennsylvania.”
About Pat Toomey
Since his earliest days of public service, Pat Toomey has been a champion for job creation, economic growth, and more prosperity for all Pennsylvanians. He’s been a principled leader fighting for fiscal responsibility as well as for ending the overspending, higher taxes, and excessive red tape coming out of Washington.
Pat also works hard to get things done for Pennsylvania, including working across the aisle on important bipartisan legislation. For instance, he was a leading author of the JOBS Act, which was signed into law by President Obama in 2012 and is helping small- and medium-sized businesses grow and hire more workers. Pat has also worked on bipartisan legislation that will keep our children safe at school, eliminate wasteful subsidies and corporate welfare, and lower energy prices for Pennsylvanians.
Pat was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1998 and stuck to his commitment to serve only three terms. He also was the president of the Club for Growth, operated a small restaurant business in the Lehigh Valley, and worked in the financial services industry.
Pat and Kris Toomey live in Zionsville along with their three children, Bridget, Patrick, and Duncan.
About John Rafferty
Senator John C. Rafferty, Jr. represents the residents of Pennsylvania's 44th Senatorial District which includes parts of Berks, Chester and Montgomery Counties. He was re-elected for a fourth term in the Senate in November of 2014.
A former Pennsylvania Deputy Attorney General, the Montgomery County native has an extensive background in public service at the state and local levels. Senator Rafferty's top legislative priorities include improving Pennsylvania’s transportation system, lowering the property tax burden, protecting the environment, reducing health care costs, providing quality care for senior citizens, fighting drunk driving, combating prescription drug abuse and ensuring that our police, firefighters and emergency responders have the resources and tools they need to do their jobs.
Senator Rafferty currently serves as the Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. The most lauded accomplishment during his tenure to date was spearheading the passage of Act 89 of 2013, which created a multi-billion, multi-modal transportation funding plan for Pennsylvania. Following decades of underinvestment throughout the state’s transportation system, Senator Rafferty helped to gain bipartisan support for one of the most robust transportation funding solutions in the country by increasing investment by an additional $2.3 billion. This critical level of investment is helping to repair structurally deficient bridges and poorly-rated roadways to ensure the safe, efficient and competitive movement of people and goods throughout the Commonwealth. Act 89 also provides a sustainable funding solution for non-highway modes of transportation, including, aviation, rail freight, ports and bicycle/pedestrian. The law has been recognized as a model by transportation leaders from across the nation and its financing mechanisms are being evaluated by other state Departments of Transportation and the United States Congress as they review options to bridge their funding gaps.
Senator Rafferty also serves as the Vice Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and is a member of the Appropriations, Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure and Law and Justice Committees. Senator Rafferty has previously served on the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and in 2013 was appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to serve on the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing. He is well known for working on state and local issues and bringing together members of the Legislature, local officials and community leaders to solve problems and build meaningful consensus.
On the legislative front, Senator Rafferty was a key player in recent efforts to comprehensively rewrite, improve and strengthen Pennsylvania’s child protection laws. He has also fought hard for the protection of children and communities with his sponsorship of Jessica's Law and his strong support of improvements to Megan's Law.
Working with community leaders and law enforcement officials, he sponsored a new law to significantly strengthen Pennsylvania’s arson laws, create the new crime of aggravated arson and set tougher sentencing guidelines for those that intentionally sets a fire with the intent to hurt or kill someone inside, or if a firefighter or first responder is injured as a result of the crime.
Senator Rafferty authored legislation to crack down on those who recruit members into criminal street gangs, particularly children. Additionally, he was also instrumental in the passage of Brad Fox Law that raises penalties for firearm straw purchasers. The law is named for Bradley Fox, a police officer in Plymouth Township who was fatally shot by a man using a gun illegally purchased for him.
Senator Rafferty also authored a law to close a loophole that enabled repeat DUI offenders to avoid more serious penalties and has introduced legislation that requires interlock devices for first time DUI offenders with high blood alcohol levels.
Senator Rafferty has received numerous accolades from various organizations in the 44th Senatorial District and across the Commonwealth including the March of Dimes Service to Humanity Award in 2014, the Chester County Chamber of Commerce 2014 Salute to Leadership Award, the NFIB Guardian of Small Business Award, the Montgomery County Community College Presidential Award 2014, the Chester County District Attorney’s Commendation 2015 and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) honored him with its 2013 and 2014 Legislator of the Year Award.
Prior to running for the Pennsylvania Senate, Senator Rafferty served as an attorney in private practice focusing on education, real estate, zoning, business and estate law. As Deputy Attorney General for the Commonwealth from 1988 to 1991, he was assigned to the Criminal Law Division where his primary duty was investigating and prosecuting Medicaid fraud.
Senator Rafferty also gained valuable knowledge of education issues as a member of the Methacton School Board from 1980 to 1984. Senator Rafferty also represented Methacton in the operation of the Vo-Tech School as a member of the North Montco Vo-Tech Joint School Authority from 1981 to 1984. After serving on the Methacton School Board he was elected to serve as a member of the Lower Providence Township Board of Supervisors.
Senator Rafferty earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, his master's degree from Beaver College and his law degree from Temple University.
About John Brown
John A. Brown was sworn in as the seventh (7th) Northampton County Executive on January 6th 2014. As County Executive, John manages an annual budget of $ 360 million and oversees a workforce of 2,200 employees with eleven unions.
With over 30 years of global executive management experience and a successful results oriented track record in both private and government sectors, John brings a unique combination of skill, experience, dedication and resolve to the office of County Executive.
During his term in office, John has worked to reform county government by rooting out waste, inefficiencies, fraud and abuse. He has restructured the county’s finance department to provide enhanced oversight of the county’s spending and implemented changes to the employees’ healthcare and workers’ compensation plans to reduce costs to the county and taxpayers.
As County Executive, John’s efforts have returned $37 million to the general fund, tripled the general fund balance and eliminated structural deficits for two consecutive years.
Prior to being elected Northampton County Executive, John served as Mayor of Bangor Borough. He was voted Mayor of the Year in 2011 by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce in recognition of his leadership towards revitalization of Bangor Borough and the Slate Belt region. Under his leadership Bangor Borough cut taxes for 2013 and 2014 and took its general fund balance from a negative to a positive fund balance.
John draws heavily upon his senior executive, management and leadership skills developed over the past 30 years with broad experience in the financial, and global chemical and pharmaceutical industries focusing on business expansion, start-up, and turn around.
Critical to his success has been bringing people together in pursuit of a common goal, maximizing limited resources and making tough choices. John recognizes that for any municipality and region to succeed we have to be pursuing programs that cross municipal borders.
John is a past member of the Pennsylvania State Mayors’ Association, Association of Mayors of the Boroughs of Pennsylvania. He is a member of UNICO International, and Bangor Elks Lodge # 1106 and served two years on the Board of Directors Renew Lehigh Valley. He also serves on a variety of local planning, revitalization and economic development committees.
John and his wife Tina Sbrocchi Brown live in Bangor with their son Zachary. John is a 1979 graduate of Bangor Area High School and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from the University of Notre Dame 1983.
About Otto Voit
Otto W. Voit, III is a life-long Pennsylvania who has answered the call to service time and again and is doing so once more.
Otto has the business acumen and financial sense needed in Harrisburg and brings with him over 30 years of experience in finance, accounting, and operations.
Throughout his illustrious career, Otto led several businesses in the role of chief financial officer, manager, president, and partner, including serving as CFO of an Inc. 500 company and serving as president of a privately-held investment company. He led Keystone Industries as their CFO and manager and, most recently, as president of the Keystone Dental Group.
Before entering the private sector, Otto served in the United States Army, serving with the 101st Airborne Division and during the Persian Gulf War.
Otto has additionally served on the Muhlenberg Area School Board for 16 years and sits on the governing board of the Pennsylvania School Board Association, where he serves as treasurer. He also sits on the Board of Trustees for the Pennsylvania School District Liquid Asset Fund and previously served as president of the Pennsylvania Public Education Foundation.
Otto is a proud alumnus of Penn State University (We Are!) and holds an Executive Masters of Business Administration, Beta Gamma Sigma, from St. Joseph’s University. He resides in Berks County with his wife of 27 years, Sheryl.
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