Residents of Centre County had the opportunity to get acquainted with the candidates running for the state House of Representatives in their districts last night.

The Centre County League of Women Voters' "Candidates' Night" was held last night in the North Auditorium of State College Area High School.

About 75 people turned out to hear what the candidates in legislative districts 76, 77 and 171 think about the issues facing their areas.

All three of the candidates running for the 77th District seat in State College agreed that the main problems facing the area stem from the construction of Interstate 99.

"The most pressing issue facing the district is the opening and cleanup associated with I-99," Jon Eich, Democratic candidate in the 77th District, said. "PennDOT [ Pennsylvania Department of Transportation] made a mistake with the Skytop and did not address the problem of acid rock; PennDOT is fully responsible for the mess it created."

Rep. Lynn Herman, R-Centre, emphasized the effects of the flawed construction project on local residents. "Homeowners are concerned with their health and safety," he said.

Herman added that he called for two informational meetings in Harrisburg to ensure PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection are working together and are responsible for the loss of construction funds and the cleanup.

A majority of the evening was spent answering questions asked by audience members.

One main concern addressed by the audience was the issue of rebuilding the economy and making Centre County more attractive for potential businesses.

"The government does not support the people, the people support the government," Thomas Martin, Libertarian candidate in the 77th District, said. "We need to make Pennsylvania a free enterprise zone."

John Krupa, Republican challenger in the 76th District, agreed with Martin on the importance of the free enterprise. "It's not the job of the government to create jobs and to regulate energy usage," he said. "Government needs to stay out of the road of the free enterprise system."

Krupa is challenging Democrat Mike Hanna in the 76th District.

The candidates in the 171st District, Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre and Mifflin, and Democratic challenger Rich Rogers, discussed the importance of education throughout the evening. "We need to properly fund our public education, and with that we will bring down property taxes," said Rogers, the former president of the Bellefonte Area School Board. "I will support a tuition tax credit and pay for it; I know how expensive it is to put yourself through college; I did it."

Benninghoff addressed cuts in state appropriations for higher education during his time in office. "There have been four cuts to higher education spending because there's no money to pay for it," he said. "And we don't want to take anymore from you."

Candace Dannaker, a member of the League of Women Voters, said she thought the event went well.

"I wish we had more time; we were a little constrained," she said. "Most people depend on the media to vote, but I think people would get better information if they came to these candidates' nights."