Butler Headquarters: 133 South Main Street, Butler, PA

Crawford Headquarters: 286 Chestnut Street, Meadville, PA

Erie Headquarters: 183 West 14th Street

Butler, PA – In preparation and honor of the upcoming Labor Day holiday, Mike Kelly (R-Butler) made a series of presentations to businesses in the 3^rd Congressional District on Friday announcing his Pathways to Prosperity jobs plan.  Kelly’s four point plan incorporates both reforms in Washington to create job creating pathways and strategic investments into American small businesses and workers.  Plan highlights include:

• Commitment to supporting federal budget reforms and priority setting processes to ensure economic prosperity for future generations and clearing the way for long term investments into critical national needs that create family sustaining jobs
• Adopting a tax reform plan to restructure and dramatically simplify both personal and corporate taxes that will significantly increase true, private sector job creation
• Supporting, voting and insisting on market driven healthcare reform that will control costs and allow employers to offer more affordable healthcare benefits and allow for more job creation
• Making strategic investments into capital access for U.S. small businesses that allow for more job creation on Main Street and revamping federal job training programs

“Since I decided to run for Congress in January, I have spent a good deal of time listening – listening to employers, listening to employees, listening to people who have lost work.  That’s something this Congress and this Administration has failed to do,”   said Kelly.  “What I have found is that Washington is not creating pathways to prosperity for American businesses and workers, they are actually creating roadblocks.  We have to find a simpler, better way to get our economy back on track and I am proud to offer this four point plan as a way to get the conversation started here in western Pennsylvania.”

Mike Kelly has spent his entire professional career creating family sustaining jobs in the private sector.  He is the owner/operator of Mike Kelly Automotive in Butler, PA.  His dealerships employ over 100 workers with family sustaining jobs.

“I think the best way we can honor American workers this Labor Day weekend is to get them back to work and get as many workers as we can in jobs they should be in.  Our unemployment is unacceptable, and so is our underemployment.  Washington needs to get out of the way where it should and be helpful where it can.  Our recovery will not happen without a change of course.  We need to act now in order for our kids and grandkids to have the same opportunities that we had and restore our proud heritage of a strong middle-class of hard working men and women,” concluded Kelly.

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Butler, PA –Mike Kelly (R-Butler), in response to Congresswoman Dahlkemper’s first round of TV ads in the Erie media market, made the following statement:

“Congresswoman Dahlkemper continues to mislead voters in Erie County and beyond by taking credit for opposing the 2008 bailout (TARP).  Unfortunately for her and the taxpayers she represents, the paper trail just doesn’t support that claim.  The fact is, Congresswoman Dahlkemper had numerous opportunities to railroad this outrageous government spending.  Instead, her loyalty to Speaker Pelosi trumped her commitment to 3rd district voters.”

Background:

What she says…

• In a Sept. 23, 2008, article, The Herald in Sharon, Pa. reported, “Mrs. [Kathy] Dahlkemper [D-Pa.] — a small business owner — called the bailout a necessary evil, and said she also supports a string of Democratic amendments offered so far that would bring some of the relief to Main Street.”[1]
 
• In March 2009, Rep. Dahlkemper said that she voted against “the second Wall Street bailout”
 
• According to a March 15, 2009, Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D-Pa.) press release, “‘At a time when Pennsylvania’s middle class families are struggling to make ends meet, it is simply appalling that AIG would shell out millions of hard-earned taxpayer dollars in excessive bonuses for its executives,’ said Rep. Dahlkemper. ‘Such reckless disregard for the American people’s money is precisely why I voted against the second Wall Street bailout.
 
“‘The executives at AIG have an obligation to reject these bonuses and apologize to American taxpayers for so egregiously violating their trust,’ continued Dahlkemper. ‘Congress and the Obama Administration must take additional steps to further protect taxpayer dollars through increased accountability and transparency.’”[2]
 
Opposed to what she actually does…

• In December 2009, Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper voted against an effort to repeal the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and lower the national debt limit
 
• On Dec. 11, 2009, Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D-Pa,) voted against a Rep. Dent, R-Pa., motion to recommit the bill to the House Financial Services Committee with instructions that it be immediately reported back with an amendment that would repeal the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and lower the national debt limit. (Motion rejected 190-232; D: 19-232; R: 171-0)[3]
 
• In January 2009, Rep. Dahlkemper voted against a bill to require Treasury to develop a plan for repayment of all assistance provided under the bailout and repeal authority to spend the final $350 billion
 
• On Jan. 21, 2009, Rep. Dahlkemper voted against a Rep. Barret, R-S.C., motion to recommit the bill to the Financial Services Committee with instructions that it be reported back forthwith with language that would require the Treasury Department to develop a plan for repayment of all assistance provided under the $700 billion 2008 financial industry bailout law and repeal authority to spend the final $350 billion. (Motion rejected 199-228; R: 172-2; D: 27-226)[4]
 
• In January 2009, Rep. Dahlkemper voted to expand TARP to be used for an auto manufacturers’ bailout and to include support of state and local municipal bonds, consumer loans, and commercial real estate loans
 
• On Jan. 21, 2009, Rep. Dahlkemper voted for passage of H.R. 384 which would set conditions on the use of the second $350 billion provided under a 2008 law to buy certain mortgage assets. It would require the Treasury to commit between $40 billion and $100 billion for foreclosure mitigation, require the Treasury to begin committing funds within a week of enactment to develop a plan to prevent and mitigate foreclosures on residential mortgages, and authorize the Treasury to provide assistance to domestic automobile manufacturers under the program. The bill’s executive compensation restrictions could be applied retroactively to institutions that have already received assistance under the program. It would require fund recipients to report quarterly on the amount of lending and related activities attributable to the program’s assistance and prohibit recipients from purchasing other financial institutions unless authorized by the Treasury. (Passed 260-166, D: 242-10, R: 18-156)[5]
 
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The NRCC has moved congressional candidate Mike Kelly, running against incumbent Democrat Kathy Dahlkemper, into its “Young Gun” program, which is designed to identify the GOP’s top pick-up opportunities across the country, The Hotline reports.

Kelly and Dahlkemper are battling in the 3rd Congressional District in the state’s northwest corner, a seat held for 14 years by Republican Phil English before Dahlkemper narrowly defeated him in 2008. The moderate district is considered prime territory for Republican’s this year in a political far more favorable to them than in 2010.

Dahlkemper holds a significant financial advantage over Kelly, but the Butler County car dealer has the ability to self-fund his campaign and has indicated he plans to do so.  Kelly is one of 52 “Young Guns” for the NRCC nationwide.

NRCC spokesman Tory Mazzola said Kelly’s plan to lower taxes is resonating with voters in the area.  “As Kathy Dahlkemper tries to spin her record with false TV ads paid for with special interest money, Mike Kelly’s talking to voters about his plans to lower taxes, stop reckless spending and create jobs,” the spokesman said. “He’s generating momentum across Northwestern Pennsylvania and will hold Dahlkemper accountable this fall for voting with Speaker Pelosi  94 percent of the time and failing to help put people back to work.”
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Butler Headquarters: 133 South Main Street, Butler, PA

Crawford Headquarters: 286 Chestnut Street, Meadville, PA

Erie Headquarters: 183 West 14th Street