Sen. John Yudichak says that while he is a registered Democrat, he represents residents of the 14th district regardless of their party affiliation.

Yudichak, who has recently been criticized by some Democrats for working across the aisle with Republicans, defended himself during a telephone town hall Tuesday, using his father, a Democratic township supervisor who also worked with Republicans, as an example."When the bridge goes out, when there's a natural disaster, people don't ask whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, they get together, work together and solve the problem, that's what I try to do every day in Harrisburg," he said.During Tuesday's town hall, Yudichak shared positions that occasionally crossed both sides of the political spectrum, rather than sticking to Democratic talking points.He discussed the $1.8 billion structural deficit in the state's budget, and the nine-month budget stalemate that gripped Harrisburg."It was unconscionable, quite frankly, that the most vulnerable in our society were used as kind of pawns in a political chess game," Yudichak said of the budget impasse that left many nonprofits scrambling for revenue.On top of that, Yudichak said that he is well aware that schools in northeastern Pennsylvania are unable to sustain themselves with the current model of school funding. He praised legislators for passing the basic education funding formula, which should give local cash-strapped schools some budget relief."You can't have 21st century achievement based on 19th century funding model," Yudichak said.Yudichak favors reforming the pension system that has become a huge expense for districts across the state.Yudichak said he still favors property tax reform, but in the meantime would accept waiving property tax on senior citizens - something he said has already begun with the property tax/rental rebate fund, where eligible seniors can get $650 off their tax bill.One caller brought up a gas drilling severance tax. Yudichak said he agrees that the state needs to formulate some kind of tax on gas drillers instead of the current impact fee, where companies only pay when they drill the well. He said many Republicans oppose a tax, but the number of legislators who support it is growing."There is a recognition that we need to have a responsible severance tax, one that creates revenue for environmental protection so we can be good stewards of the environment, but one that is not punitive in nature and does not inhibit the great economic potential of natural gas resources and the natural gas industry," he said.