Even though an "act of God" brought a debate Tuesday between state Rep. Michael C. Gruitza and his primary opponent Jim Lumpp to an early end, the two 7th District state House candidates were able to offer their views on what may be the prime issue in the campaign: school funding.

About an hour into the two-hour League of Women Voters of Mercer County debate -- and obviously in pain -- a nearly doubled-over Gruitza whispered "we're going to have to call this one." Painful complications from a recent kidney stone operation, an "act of God," Gruitza said, forced him off the stage in the community room of Artman Elementary School in Hermitage.

Despite Gruitza's early exit and with the League's blessing, Lumpp, a former Republican who changed parties to seek the Democrat nomination, continued to answer questions from the audience and sound his battle cry of "active representation."

"Get over it. It's just a label," Lumpp said in response to an audience question about party affiliation. "You keep re-electing the same people to office. You need some leadership, some people with innovation and ideas. You need to be active."

Lumpp said he was a registered Democrat before becoming a Republican and had jumped back to the Democrats because of the party's registration edge in the 7th District.

Because there are no Republicans in the race, the winner of the May 21 Democratic primary will likely take the seat in November's general election.

The district was redrawn to reflect 2000 Census changes and now includes Delaware and Lackawannock townships in addition to its Shenango Valley core of Farrell, Hermitage, Sharon, Sharpsville, West Middlesex, Wheatland, Clark and South Pymatuning, Pymatuning and Shenango townships.

The Shenango Valley, Lumpp said, has a "one-party system" that has bred complacency and produced stagnant leadership.

"I'm trying to provide the competition," said Lumpp, who as a Republican lost a 1998 bid for the seat to Gruitza by 33 percentage points.

"No one puts a gun to anyone's head in the voting booth," countered Gruitza, who said he's been a registered Democrat for 33 years.

"They (district residents) vote their preference," he said.

The major bone of contention between the two candidates was their response to a question about equitable school funding.

Gruitza disputed the idea that local schools aren't getting their share of state funds.

The "current funding formula is gearing more money to communities with less money," Gruitza said. In the 7th District, he said, Hermitage is the only school district that isn't getting a state subsidy of more than 50 percent of its money from the state.

"The state takes into account the relative wealth of the district," Gruitza said.

Lumpp disputed Gruitza's numbers, saying the state has put more total dollars into education over the years but the percentage of an average school district's budget covered by the state has fallen from 55 percent to 35 percent.

Lumpp said he supported efforts to boost state funding to 50 percent. The idea, Lumpp said, provided the "best framework" for equity. Schools also need help paying for health care and special education, he said.

Lumpp also said schools need more taxing options to relieve the burden on property owners.

Gruitza said local schools spend about the state average of $8,000 a student. Lumpp contended that the $6,200 to $7,700 actually spent by local schools isn't ideal.

"It's because that's what we can afford," Lumpp, a Hermitage School Board member, said. "We can't get money out of a rock."

Lumpp said that low state subsidies for school districts, particularly Hermitage, will result in higher school taxes when budgets are completed in June.

Gruitza was concerned about a formula change affecting the taxpayers. "We could tax our people into oblivion. This isn't rhetoric. Taxpayers better pay close attention or we'll get killed," he said.

Instead of a large tax increase, Lumpp said, the state's share could be subsidized and increased by gambling revenue and cuts in programs, along with a smaller tax hike.

Before Gruitza left, the candidates offered their positions on a few other issues: