State Rep. Jerry Knowles, R-Schuylkill, and his Democratic opponent Taylor Picone discussed Schuylkill County’s economy and the impact of COVID-19 during an online debate Thursday night.

While they had different approaches to the economic issues discussed, the candidates only leveled a few attacks at each other during the 90-minute debate hosted by the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce.

Knowles, of Tamaqua, touted his experience with public service, and said he’s been proud to work as one part of a team of local officials who have brought thousands of jobs to Schuylkill County.

“I am hoping that I can continue to work with that team in Schuylkill County, as well as similar teams in Carbon and Berks counties, so we can continue to retain and recruit family-sustaining jobs in the 124th district,” Knowles said.

Picone, of Hamburg, said he wants to serve in the community where he works and lives, just as he has done as an officer in the Army National Guard.

“I’m running for office because a number of issues face our communities. What it really boils down to is a need for proactive leadership in our district,” he said. “Not just for the next election, but for the next generation.”

Schuylkill Chamber Executive Director Robert S. Carl Jr. asked questions ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the state budget and transportation, to training Schuylkill County’s workforce.

Both candidates agreed they would have handled the state’s response to COVID-19 differently from how the Wolf administration did.

Knowles called the administration’s response to the pandemic “just bad.” He said legislators got no input on changes to regulations before they were put in place.

“Our leadership, both Republicans and Democrats, have been trying to work with this governor, but he seems to think that he and Dr. Levine has all the answers,” Knowles said.

Knowles said their decisions were unfair to small businesses, which could have operated safely. He said they still impact small restaurants which can’t break even while observing the current guidelines.

Picone said that while the initial response to the pandemic was correct, there has been an issue of communication between the Wolf administration and legislators. He said the response should be decided not based on party, but on merit of ideas.

“When we have a virus that is destroying economies and people’s lives, we need to come together as adults, set our pride aside and have a conversation with each other,” he said.

They had different ideas for helping Pennsylvania’s state government through the loss of tax revenue from the pandemic.

Knowles said the state needs to rely on the “shadow budget” - investment funds outside the general fund - and anticipated federal stimulus money, instead of raising taxes.

“People can’t afford to have their taxes raised today,” Knowles said.

Picone said the state should consider a tax on natural gas exporters and exploring recreational marijuana.

On energy, Knowles said he supports coal and opposes Pennsylvania joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative because it’s an energy exporter. Knowles said natural gas companies shouldn’t have to pay a severance tax because they already pay an impact fee on top of the other taxes paid by businesses across the state.

Picone said that he believes renewable energy can be a job creator and continue the area’s legacy of producing energy, and if they’re not embraced they’ll go elsewhere.

“There is an opportunity to grow our economy and still honor our heritage and power the nation.”

Asked about the impact COVID-19 would have on transportation funding, Knowles said Pennsylvania has done a good job fixing its roads since the 2013 transportation bill. He said it’s a good thing that some residents complain that there are too many road construction projects going on.

Picone said the state should be investing in public transportation and light rail to connect workers and jobs and build the state’s economy.

When discussing the area’s workforce, Knowles said there are good programs in the area for training young workers. He said the demand for electricians, plumbers and other skilled tradesmen, despite good salaries, shows there is a need to encourage kids to take up those jobs.

“My generation told kids constantly if you want to be successful you have to go to college and get a four-year degree,” he said. “We need to change the mentality.”

Picone also said skill education should be promoted as much as college.

He also proposed attracting medical students to stay in the area by helping fund their education, similar to his experience in the military.

“It’s not about giving it away for free, it’s about giving people the opportunity they might not have financially in exchange for earning it back,” Picone said.

While both candidates remained respectful throughout the debate, there were glimpses of some of the negative campaigning which has been part of the race.

Picone criticized Knowles’ campaign for referring to him as a radical leftist, saying he is a moderate with years of service in the National Guard. And he said Knowles and Harrisburg Republicans could do more to work across the aisle.

“One of the things that motivated me to run is to stop looking at people based on the letter at the end of their name. That is not all-inclusive of the person they are or the positions they take,” Picone said.

With the last word in the debate, Knowles pledged to never defund the police. Without referring to Picone directly, he said the treatment of police by some on the left has been a disgrace.

“As a former police officer, I have great respect for our law enforcement community, and it sickens me to see the way they’re treated by some lefties in our country,” he said.