00:08 - Representative David maillard

00:10 - your legislative district

00:12 - is Columbia county

00:13 - what's special about that

00:14 - part of Pennsylvania to you.

00:18 - Well Larry if you

00:19 - put a t-bone steak on

00:20 - a map of Pennsylvania.

00:22 - That's rural Pennsylvania

00:24 - that you're rural

00:25 - representation.

00:27 - In Columbia county

00:27 - clearly isn't the center of the.

00:30 - T-bone steak on the map

00:32 - and as a rural legislator.

00:34 - You know you

00:35 - recognize that you're

00:36 - probably from an

00:37 - agricole natural area.

00:39 - As I am.

00:40 - So as we prioritize

00:42 - items

00:43 - and issues when we

00:44 - come to Harrisburg.

00:46 - Most certainly agriculture

00:48 - and tourism.

00:49 - Ecotourism.

00:50 - Number one and two

00:51 - industry in Pennsylvania.

00:53 - Very important here

00:54 - in Columbia county.

00:55 - And bloomsburg

00:57 - of course.

00:58 - The county she.

00:59 - Is shown for

01:00 - bloomsburg university.

01:02 - So in addition to all of our

01:03 - local school districts case

01:05 - well.

01:06 - We have an institution

01:07 - of higher learning.

01:08 - So when it comes budget

01:09 - time obviously those are.

01:11 - Areas of importance that.

01:13 - You know as a rural legislator

01:15 - with a state university.

01:17 - In my.

01:18 - Hundred ninth district.

01:20 - Those are items that.

01:22 - Are a priority to me

01:23 - to pay attention to.

01:25 - In addition to.

01:26 - Numerous other rights.

01:28 - How far back does

01:29 - your experience

01:30 - in Columbia county go anyway.

01:33 - Why have served in the

01:34 - legislature for nineteen years

01:36 - but serving in some kind of a.

01:38 - Public capacity.

01:41 - Near third thirty years I

01:43 - served twenty six years.

01:45 - On the board of

01:45 - the bloomsburg fair.

01:47 - Just having retired in January.

01:50 - And you live there

01:51 - are a number of years

01:52 - representative of what

01:53 - kind of changes have

01:55 - you witnessed over the years.

01:57 - Well we've seeing the

01:58 - growth of the university regime

02:00 - the growth of.

02:02 - A residential areas

02:03 - archeage outside of.

02:05 - Stabler she boroughs and

02:07 - and.

02:08 - Villages.

02:10 - Guy singers to my shelf

02:12 - very large.

02:14 - Hospital in a rural area but.

02:16 - Although the the

02:17 - hospital footprint.

02:19 - May not be in my

02:20 - representative area.

02:22 - Certainly a lot of

02:23 - the professionals works there

02:25 - do live in Columbia county.

02:26 - So there's another

02:27 - area of concern when we

02:29 - talk about items of importance

02:31 - as.

02:32 - A legislator.

02:33 - All those professional licenses

02:35 - and all of those occupations.

02:38 - You know when we

02:39 - again are dealing with

02:41 - issues in Harrisburg

02:42 - regarding licensing.

02:44 - That's something that I pay

02:45 - a great deal of attention to.

02:47 - A minute ago you

02:48 - mentioned how important

02:49 - agriculture is in

02:50 - that part of the state

02:51 - so at this point

02:52 - at this juncture

02:54 - what are the important

02:55 - issues on the table that would

02:56 - concern farmers

02:57 - in your destroy fact.

03:00 - Well there there's

03:00 - actually a handful of items.

03:03 - One is the the

03:04 - absence of farmland.

03:06 - With new development

03:08 - for home so.

03:09 - All of those programs that.

03:11 - Preserve

03:12 - the family farm

03:14 - century farms that.

03:16 - Provide.

03:17 - Other incentives

03:18 - for farm numbers to.

03:20 - Make a difference is

03:21 - related to the weather.

03:23 - Good weather bad weather equals.

03:25 - Good crops bad crops.

03:27 - So there there's years that

03:29 - are productive or years that.

03:31 - Based on the weather

03:32 - that may not be productive.

03:33 - So there are a

03:34 - variety of programs

03:35 - agricultural programs that.

03:37 - Are very important to our local

03:39 - farmers.

03:40 - We have a

03:40 - county farm bureau that.

03:43 - Again is a legislator they.

03:45 - They keep me apprised of

03:46 - what they're experiencing.

03:49 - Really a couple of times a

03:50 - year we have meetings and.

03:52 - I get the latest updates

03:54 - and Larry there's always a

03:56 - bleed over of federal programs

03:58 - mixed in with state programs.

04:01 - So you

04:02 - you have to be.

04:03 - Kind of a master to

04:04 - put that puzzle together

04:06 - and obviously want

04:07 - to you know benefit.

04:09 - Food production and.

04:11 - Food to security bio

04:12 - security agricultural

04:14 - security.

04:16 - The chesapeake bay

04:17 - initiative so that there is not.

04:19 - A pollutant runoff

04:20 - so all of those.

04:21 - Tie hand in hand

04:22 - with each other but.

04:24 - Really the priority is to

04:25 - keep them in business or.

04:27 - Dairy farms or.

04:29 - Pro producing vegetable farms

04:32 - and ensure that.

04:34 - You know whatever pesticides

04:35 - are being utilized at.

04:37 - Everything on their

04:38 - artisan compliance and.

04:40 - Not interrupting the food chain.

04:42 - He mentioned a scarcity

04:43 - of land available for farming

04:46 - in your district and

04:47 - given development

04:48 - that's going on what

04:49 - can you do bout that.

04:51 - Well.

04:52 - You know there are

04:53 - farmland preservation.

04:55 - Programs that.

04:57 - Provide for

04:59 - developer.

05:00 - And.

05:01 - Reimbursement to the farmers to

05:03 - keep their land in

05:05 - involve production

05:06 - and then there are other

05:08 - little nuances as far as.

05:10 - Cell phone tower you

05:11 - know you live in a rural area.

05:13 - Having availability to.

05:15 - Your cell phone being

05:16 - active all the time is

05:18 - just as important as being in a.

05:21 - Very high density area.

05:23 - So a lot of the cell

05:24 - phone towers would

05:25 - maybe be located.

05:27 - On a small portion

05:28 - of a foreign land

05:30 - and

05:31 - an acreage that.

05:32 - Perhaps is is

05:33 - non productive but

05:35 - still useful for that purpose.

05:37 - And what we want

05:38 - to do is ensure that.

05:40 - By having farmers participate

05:42 - in various agricultural.

05:44 - Programs that when

05:45 - we make an allowance for

05:47 - updates to technology

05:49 - to benefit everybody

05:51 - that we don't.

05:52 - Eliminate them from the program

05:54 - in the process in other words.

05:56 - We tried to make sure that.

05:58 - Whatever good we're

05:59 - trying to do that there are no

06:01 - unintended

06:02 - consequences.

06:04 - That you said that

06:05 - Columbia county

06:06 - is home to bloomsburg university

06:08 - and in addition to that your

06:10 - home to the bloomsburg fair

06:12 - and if visitors go there that

06:14 - haven't been there before

06:15 - what can they see

06:16 - there anyway just how big

06:18 - of an event is that.

06:20 - What the fare is nearly one

06:21 - hundred and

06:22 - seventy years strong.

06:24 - Two hundred and

06:25 - fifty five plus acres.

06:27 - And we are

06:28 - are very heavily invested

06:29 - at the bloomsburg fair.

06:31 - Being in

06:32 - rural area

06:33 - once again.

06:34 - Heavy on agriculture.

06:36 - The fair highlights agriculture.

06:39 - The fairest various

06:40 - order for age and ffh

06:42 - which is the future and a

06:43 - continuity for agriculture.

06:45 - So when you go to

06:46 - the bloomsburg fair is

06:47 - almost half a million people do

06:50 - every year between

06:51 - four and five hundred.

06:52 - Thousand every year.

06:54 - Over an eight day.

06:56 - Extent of the

06:57 - days of the air.

06:59 - You can look at all

07:00 - kinds of agricultural

07:01 - exhibits.

07:03 - Now there's also a

07:04 - commercial side to it obviously.

07:06 - Over nine hundred concessions.

07:09 - Many many of them which are.

07:11 - Ethnic foods

07:12 - override your food so.

07:14 - You know always like to say that

07:15 - once you pay your aid admission.

07:17 - You can entertain

07:18 - yourself all day long.

07:20 - At the fair and literally

07:21 - eat your way around affair.

07:23 - With all those different

07:24 - varieties of food.

07:26 - And in addition to that

07:27 - Larry we always try to.

07:29 - Provide entertainment typically.

07:32 - Any evening

07:33 - and you know from

07:34 - the grandstand stage.

07:36 - That.

07:37 - Provide something for

07:38 - everybody whether it's

07:40 - country western.

07:41 - Music.

07:42 - Motorized events.

07:44 - We try to cover everything that

07:46 - that would.

07:47 - You know draw that

07:48 - crowd in for the evening

07:49 - but during the day again.

07:51 - Free entertainment on

07:53 - a free stage that.

07:54 - Goes all day long and

07:55 - then all of Europe seconds.

07:57 - Nine I understand

07:58 - you started a caucus

08:00 - for other lawmakers

08:01 - who have fairs

08:02 - in their districts as well and

08:04 - what advice

08:06 - of value do you have for those

08:07 - other legislators.

08:10 - Well there's over a hundred

08:11 - fares in Pennsylvania.

08:12 - All regulated.

08:14 - Of course you're the department

08:15 - of agriculture Pennsylvania.

08:17 - And I do serve on

08:18 - that fair advisory board.

08:20 - But.

08:21 - Basically

08:22 - you know to to keep

08:23 - our affairs

08:24 - strong

08:25 - show that they can

08:26 - support our future

08:28 - in agriculture.

08:29 - You know three times a

08:30 - day most of US have a meal

08:32 - and

08:33 - those farmers that's

08:34 - that's the gateway to.

08:36 - What's on our plate and we.

08:38 - We have confidence

08:40 - and faith in them that.

08:42 - It is quality that that's with

08:43 - US and the department of ag.

08:45 - Comes in to ensure that quality.

08:48 - In affairs exhibit

08:49 - all of.

08:50 - The good from

08:51 - the different areas.

08:52 - In Pennsylvania that

08:54 - produced Lewis corruption.

08:56 - And

08:56 - you know the

08:57 - dairy related items.

08:59 - So tell US more

09:00 - about your work on the

09:01 - tourism and recreational

09:03 - development committee

09:04 - there must be some

09:05 - overlap as far as

09:06 - having the bloomsburg

09:07 - fair there in Columbia county

09:09 - and other things that you might

09:11 - work on that are

09:12 - of state interest.

09:13 - Well I think that the.

09:15 - My serving on the

09:16 - board of the bloomsburg fair.

09:18 - Really prepared me

09:19 - to be an experienced.

09:21 - Individual serving

09:22 - as majority chairman.

09:24 - For the house tourism and.

09:25 - Recreational

09:26 - development committee

09:28 - and as the chairman of that.

09:29 - We've traveled to

09:31 - all four corners of the state

09:33 - and nb between

09:34 - looking at the

09:35 - successes and failures.

09:37 - Of local tourist

09:38 - promotion agencies

09:40 - and come to find out Larry that

09:42 - what works in one area that.

09:44 - Is their tremendous success

09:46 - may not be that level of

09:47 - success in another area

09:49 - but understanding the

09:50 - importance of tourism.

09:52 - Going to visit areas

09:54 - see the investment.

09:55 - That.

09:56 - Pennsylvania is making

09:57 - seen that investment first hand.

09:59 - In what they're doing.

10:01 - And recognizing the fact that

10:03 - that we as a commonwealth

10:05 - we have a lot to offer

10:06 - to out of state visitors

10:08 - and we just love it when.

10:09 - People from out of state

10:10 - come in and spend their dollars.

10:12 - Every dollar

10:13 - spent.

10:14 - Will affect the.

10:16 - Economy locally

10:17 - and statewide.

10:18 - And if we have

10:19 - visitors coming in.

10:20 - It.

10:21 - You know they're

10:22 - spending helps keep.

10:23 - Our taxes in the

10:24 - commonwealth down.

10:26 - Now before you were

10:27 - elected I understand

10:28 - you worked in the

10:29 - electric power industry so

10:31 - how has that

10:32 - experience informed your

10:34 - priority these as a lawmaker.

10:37 - Well thirty years.

10:38 - Under my belt working

10:39 - in the power industry

10:41 - and

10:42 - you know it was

10:43 - heavily regulated I I

10:44 - worked there actually

10:46 - was a period of.

10:47 - Deregulation and

10:48 - energy choice.

10:50 - So I I've seen the

10:51 - the cost and effective

10:53 - regulations when.

10:54 - We as legislators.

10:57 - Legislate certain.

10:59 - Laws

11:00 - that lead to propagation

11:01 - of rules and regulations so.

11:03 - I've seen it firsthand

11:04 - I worked in it firsthand

11:06 - and I think that that has

11:08 - added to my strength.

11:09 - As a lawmaker that.

11:11 - Whatever we're working

11:12 - on a law or asking a wall.

11:15 - I always like to put a face to

11:17 - a wall or an example to a law.

11:19 - Shows that I can

11:20 - personalize that you bring net.

11:22 - Right back into my area and say

11:24 - how would that

11:25 - affect show and show.

11:26 - What effect would that have on

11:28 - this business.

11:30 - And you know once

11:30 - you answer that question.

11:32 - I think that

11:33 - it is the duty to

11:34 - make a better

11:35 - foreign vote if you will.

11:37 - Which recent legislative

11:39 - accomplishment

11:40 - has benefited the constituents

11:42 - in Columbia county.

11:45 - Well there are different

11:46 - programs through d c e d that.

11:49 - I was able to

11:50 - provide for what I'm going

11:52 - to call better quality of life.

11:54 - In Columbia county through.

11:56 - Investing in r y m she Asia or.

11:59 - Local historical society.

12:02 - Or children's museum

12:03 - which by the way

12:04 - is adjusted the nation point.

12:06 - Our historical society is also.

12:09 - The destination point.

12:11 - They do a lot of junior logical.

12:14 - Research for individuals

12:16 - numerous requests.

12:18 - So you know those

12:19 - those are investments in.

12:21 - Every community

12:22 - that has those entities

12:24 - and they're

12:25 - not only meaningful to that.

12:27 - Media community

12:28 - but that that net.

12:30 - Goes way beyond that community

12:32 - and benefits others the other.

12:34 - Is of course the investment in.

12:37 - In our state's

12:38 - system of education

12:39 - I'm a product

12:40 - of.

12:41 - The state system education.

12:43 - Having.

12:44 - Gone twelve and a half years of.

12:46 - Night school at bloom university

12:48 - to.

12:49 - Obtain my

12:50 - bachelor's degree.

12:52 - And quite frankly

12:53 - Larry from a you

12:54 - know my very humble beginnings.

12:56 - If it wasn't accessible

12:58 - and affordable.

13:00 - It wouldn't have been possible.

13:01 - So the the importance

13:03 - there is to keep it accessible

13:05 - to keep it affordable

13:07 - and to always have that

13:09 - available to.

13:10 - Not only are our Pennsylvania.

13:13 - Students but you know

13:14 - those from out of state as well.

13:16 - We only have about

13:17 - one minute left in our

13:18 - program representative

13:19 - what do you hope to

13:20 - be working on

13:21 - in the fall when

13:22 - you when lawmakers

13:23 - return to Harrisburg

13:24 - for the next session.

13:26 - I'm always

13:27 - supportive of economic

13:28 - development programs that.

13:31 - Ulster

13:32 - existing facilities that

13:33 - retain their workforce

13:35 - and certainly

13:36 - encourage growth and

13:37 - secondly and

13:39 - equally as important news.

13:41 - We've gone through

13:42 - various

13:42 - flood protection.

13:44 - Throughout the entire

13:45 - county the biggest of which.

13:46 - Involves flood

13:48 - protection in bloomsburg.

13:49 - Protecting

13:51 - all bloomsburg

13:52 - basically when it's done.

13:54 - We've got three

13:55 - parts of that I called done

13:57 - and one more part

13:58 - to do is going to.

14:01 - Be equal in cost to the

14:03 - first tree that we did but.

14:04 - Nevertheless it will protect.

14:07 - Numerous homes

14:08 - and a blimps berg fairgrounds.

14:10 - Representative David maillard

14:11 - thank you for your time.

14:13 - You bet thank you appreciate it.