PAPRA
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Pennsylvania Property Rights Association
MEET THE TEAM
The Pennsylvania Property Rights Association relies on a team of unpaid consultants from a variety of sources who are willing to volunteer their services in the research and investigation of legislation related to our rights to property. This is true grassroots where individuals are not paid to have an opinion based on the Special Interests that continually work against our individual rights to property. Many organizations focus on symptoms while refusing to accept that the property tax is the root cause of the symptoms. Until it is eliminated the symptoms will just continue to resurface. Our Consultants have been selected because of their years of dedicated work on this issue coupled to being open to discuss all the options and provide their input related to the pros and cons of all the options. They are less interested in partisan bantering and the politics of personal destruction than they are with securing our rights to property from a principled position. Collectively, these consultants represent thousands of hours in research into the issue using outside data and statistics.
Our diverse assortment of consultants have been out there through town halls and other local activities where they have heard the voice of the people of this Commonwealth. They aren't isolated from the problem in the ivory halls of Harrisburg or in their isolated think tanks. We have seen the face of the property tax and have talked to the victims of this heinous and egregious system. We are grateful and willing to work with those legislators who also recognize this problem and understand the problems this is creating for the people of Pennsylvania. We make no attempts at hiding who we are. We are fully transparent in everything we do.
The property tax is an antiquated and seriously flawed method of taxation that has no bearings on a individuals ability to pay. It is reliant on assessments that can be proven to never actually reflect the true value of a home in a constantly fluctuating housing market. Previous attempts at easing the burden of property taxes has only resulted in creating more inequities and working against uniformity. It has created the inequity in education funding that we see across this state. It is time to move Pennsylvania out of the concept of feudal taxation and into a new realm; a realm of tax fairness that can only be achieved through the complete and total elimination of the property tax.
Jim Rodkey
Jim Rodkey founded the Pennsylvania Property Rights Association after years of working for school property tax elimination through HB and SB 76. Chairing a local grassroots advocacy group as well as organizing two successful rallies in Harrisburg about this issue brought him to the forefront of this issue resulting in his testimony before the House and Senate on this issue. He has contributed to articles on the issue as well as appearing on WITF and radio interviews. He has published a well-read blog on the issue of property rights (click here) that has been quoted, even to becoming part of the General Assembly record on the issue. Along with founding the Pennsylvania Property Rights Association, he is in the process of producing a video web series to be titled "COMMON SENSE" where he'll be working with Ron Boltz to bring more light to this issue.
Jim, working with Ron Boltz, has played an active role in working behind the scenes for property rights has contributed to legislative efforts including this years HB 2202, HB 2964, changes made to HB and SB 76, discussion related to the various Homestead Bills and a property tax elimination bill to be introduced during the beginning of next years legislative session.
Jim has served as the elected chair of a local citizen advocacy group since 2010. The organization, The Lebanon 9-12 Project, has been a leading voice in Lebanon County on matters of Property Rights working with legislators and other grassroots organization in advancing the principles of our Sovereign Rights to Property. Jim has also been the media relations director of the 9-12 and representative of the 9-2 through a Tri-County coalition established through Sam Brancadora of the Berks County Patriots group for the purpose of reviewing candidates on property rights related issues during elections. He also served as director of the Lebanon 9-12 Project's local property rights committee until the formation of PAPRA. He currently works in partnership with
the current Lebanon County Property Rights. Committee chair Jim also authors and publishes the organizations extensive monthly newsletter that covers a broad spectrum of coverage on Pennsylvania Politics.
As founder of PAPRA, Jim's role is not a top down control position. Jim established vision for PAPRA as a team of consultants, each with an equal voice in advancing the principles of Property Rights, not to tell them what to do but to allow them to do what they do best in advancing the issues related to Property Rights.
Ron Boltz
Ron Boltz came to property tax elimination effort during his extensive work in school district spot reassessments. He serves as president of one of the most active, boots-on-the-ground organizations working to bring attention to property rights. That organization is the Pennsylvania Liberty Alliance. The Pennsylvania Liberty Alliance has organized many of the town halls on this issue over the last few years where Ron has served as the presenter that led to question and answer sections that have often included Jim Rodkey. Ron has also testified on this issue at hearings and continues to play a leading role during internal legislative meetings related to property rights.
Ron's experience as a school board director, where he also served as vice-president of that school districts board of directors, has given him valuable insight into property taxation and the duties and responsibility of a school board including matters of budgeting and matters related to local control.
Ron also served as the representative from the PA Liberty Alliance for the Tri-County coalition established through Sam Brancadora of the Berks County Patriots group for the purpose of reviewing candidates on property rights related issues during elections. He is regularly requested to address other organizations concerning bills related to property taxation as well as other issues tied to property rights.
Ron's active role in working behind the scenes for property rights has contributed to legislative efforts including this years HB 2202, HB 2964, changes made to HB and SB 76, discussion related to the various Homestead Bills and a property tax elimination bill to be introduced during the beginning of next years legislative session.
Robert Kistler
Robert Kistler is a retired Distinguished Member of Technical Staff engineer who worked for multiple semiconductor companies through mergers, spinoffs, and acquisitions. Robert Kistler understands the importance of data analysis and how data reveals the true nature of what is driving trends. A supervisor once suggested he was honest to a fault. Supporting the most prominent semiconductor companies in the world he was driven to provide world class products. In this position, there was no room for anything but data backed facts.
Robert’s most cherished years where when he was employed by Bell Laboratories. Bell Laboratories was the technology development arm of the Bell System. When employed in the manufacturing companies he felt most pride when part of a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) team that developed devices which were placed in the Internet backbone to route data packets. Robert voluntarily left the semiconductor industry as age 56 and enrolled at Penn State University as a full time student earning a degree in Medical Laboratory Technology. Upon graduation he worked a Blue Mountain Health Care Systems until retiring.
Robert later opened a pet sitting business where the pet’s would remain in the familiar surroundings of their homes rather than being placed in a kennel. After selling this business Robert has donated much of his time to the goal of Property Tax Elimination.
Joel Sears
Joel Sears is President of Fleet Technologies, Inc., a software design and consulting firm he founded in 1981. Prior to that, Joel served in the US Air Force for 11 years and spent 4 years in private business. He holds a BS in Mathematics (with high honors) from Colorado State University and did graduate studies in Operations Research at Georgia Tech. Joel and his wife Jennifer have 4 adult children and 3 grandchildren. They have lived in the 95th Legislative District since 1997. From 2011 – 2015, Joel served on the boards of school directors of the York Suburban School District and the Lincoln Intermediate Unit (IU12). He was reappointed to the school board in 2017 and currently serves on the facilities, finance and academic standards committees. He also serves as the president of the York County Taxpayers Council, a grass-roots organization dedicated to transparency, accountability, and value from all government entities.
In the 2016 election cycle, Joel was the Republican candidate for State Representative in the 95thLegislative District. His platform called for fiscal responsibility in government, economic development and education finance reform, including the complete elimination of school property taxes.
Joel is a frequent guest editorial writer for the York Sunday News and appears weekly on the Gary Sutton Show on WSBA. In his spare time, Joel is the manager and lead trombonist of the Gettysburg Big Band.
Ray Nelson
(Bio coming soon)
Sue Rodkey
Sue serves as the photographer and archivist for PAPRA. She is also instrumental in establishing the structuring of the legal filings for the official status of PAPRA.
As a grassroots advocate, Sue has been a part of legislative meetings and discussions on School Property Tax Elimination as well as working with other grassroots advocacy initiatives providing valuable insight and direction in planning and advancing of the issues related to Property Rights.
Sue is a legal secretary with many years of service in an predominate local law fir in her community. She is also politically engaged through her active roles as Executive Board Member, Treasurer and organizer/administrator of the Lebanon 9-12 Project's Adopt-A-Soldier Program which, since it's creation, has sent literally 1,000's of pounds of support items to our soldiers serving on foreign soil. These care packages demonstrate her commitment to volunteer activism that includes charitable contributions in support of those who served in the defense of our Country.
Sue also served on the governing body of a church she attended where, among other things, she did extensive research in that's Church's history, She also served as Education director, Building and Grounds Director, Sunday School teacher, and co-director of that churches VBS programs. Her commitment to a better future for all our children is extended through her 12 grandchildren.