Re-elect Palumbo in 76th District

Ruth Ann Palumbo has represented the 76th House District — which covers the eastern part of Fayette County and east and north of downtown — since 1992.

There’s a reason for that.

She focuses on issues that impact the lives of women, children, families and consumers: protecting Medicaid expansion, lowering costs of payday loans, pushing for increased education funding and objecting to the legal costs of passing anti-abortion laws already ruled unconstitutional

Now with the House under GOP control, she aims to work across the aisle on such proposals as protecting children by requiring gun locks and having mental-health assessments of students.

Her challenger is Richard Marrs, who runs his own advertising and marketing firm. This is the fourth time he has run for the seat, having lost to Palumbo by 9 percentage points in 2012 and by 18 points in 2014.

He certainly exhibits a desire to serve, and his knowledge of legislative actions and GOP politics have improved. Conservative in social and fiscal policy, Marrs argues that Palumbo has been in the job too long and that he would better aid the district now with Republicans in power.

That could be a selling point, if he supported legislation Fayette County leaders have been pushing for such as bonding authority and the right to impose limited taxes for community development projects. But he has not.

Considering the lack of transparency, tone deafness and lack of public accountability on exhibit during the last legislative session, lawmakers like Palumbo are at a premium.

District 76 voters should allow her another term.