The candidates for the 7th Congressional District squared off in a debate Friday night in a televised broadcast on PBS39 and the NPR radio station 91.3 WLVR. The 7th Congressional District includes Northampton, Lehigh, Carbon and a small section on Monroe counties.

The debate between U.S. Rep. Susan Wild and her challenger Lisa Scheller is being covered as a three-part story. The first part will cover the first part of the debate, which involved questions specific to the candidate without an opportunity for rebuttal. Coverage will continue Thursday and Friday.

Wild’s voting record

Wild was asked to explain her voting record. She calls herself a moderate but has voted with her party most of the time.

Wild replied that she has been rated in the top 13% of bipartisan members of congress, because she has introduced and co-sponsored several pieces of legislation with many Republican colleagues.

“I work across the aisle all the time,” she said.

Wild explained that many times the bipartisan legislation she has worked on doesn’t make the news, such as the one that made sure there were enough certified nurses in nursing homes during the pandemic.

“The greatest chance of getting a vote on a bill is making sure it is a bipartisan bill,” she said.

Scheller as political outsider

Scheller was asked how she considers herself a political outsider when she has served as a Lehigh County commissioner, received support from a former president, and has donated more than $250,000 to political causes over the past 20 years.

“I’m a political outsider because my record shows that I am one,” Scheller said. “Even as a sitting county commissioner, I made votes that were bipartisan votes that were for the benefit of the people who lived in the county and not necessarily for the benefit of the people who were actually working for the county. My focus has always been on the community.”

Scheller went on to say that she is a job creator and she knows “what it takes to run a business that is global in its nature.”

Wild’s leadership

Wild was asked about her effectiveness as a leader, since she has been the primary sponsor on only one bill that has become law.

“I am especially proud of the one bill that you referenced. It is the Dr. Lorna Breen Act, which brings mental health resources to our health care providers who all too often think only about caring for others and not themselves,” Wild said.

Wild said she has has written many amendments to bills that have passed including one in which 80 Republicans signed on. It makes sure that no administration would be able to arbitrarily raise health insurance prices.

Scheller legislation

Scheller was asked how she can reassure people that she will vote for legislation that will benefit them and not her international business.

“I run an international business and I’m very proud of that,” she said. “The American dream is something that we should all be able to aspire to.”

“I know China and I will be able to stand up to China because you know what, I also know my grandparents came here from Europe seeking that American dream and I will put the American people, jobs and interests first,” she said.

Scheller is the corporate executive officer of Siberline Manufacturing Inc. in Tamaqua. According to the company’s website, she is the granddaughter of Ernest Scheller, the founder of Silberline, and began working for the company in 1987 as a data processing manager. An article in 1999 stated she has a degree in math from the University of Colorado, and went on to earn a master’s degree in manufacturing systems engineering from Lehigh University.

Scheller also worked as vice president of information technology and process engineering at Siberline, and stepped in as CEO after her brother’s death in 1997.

The company’s headquarters and the Ernest Scheller III Center for Technical Functions and Advanced Manufacturing are both in Tamaqua. Additional facilities listed on the website include Silberline Pigmentos, SRL de CV in Puebla, Mexico; Silberline Limited in Scotland; Silberline Brasil Limitada in Sao Paulo, Brazil; Silberline Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. in Singapore; Silberline Specialty Effect Pigments India Private Limited in Mumbai, India; Silberline Pigment (Suzhou) Co. Limited in Jiangsu, China; and Silberline Yasida Pigments (Jinan) Co. Ltd. in Shandong Province, China.