By Julian Walker
and
Tom Waring
Times Staff Writers

Dr. Melissa Brown thinks the 13th Congressional District needs a change.
Citing an analysis last week by the Associated Press, Brown, the Republican candidate for the U.S. House, thinks incumbent Democratic Rep. Joe Hoeffel has come up woefully short in bringing federal dollars to his Montgomery County district.
“What is Joe Hoeffel doing in Washington?,” Brown asked. “After four years in Congress and almost thirty years in politics, it is unbelievable that Joe Hoeffel hasn’t figured out how to get things done in the corridors of power.”
Responding to that criticism at a Monday-morning news conference in Norristown, Hoeffel said federal assistance to congressional districts is based on income and demographics.
His district has a relatively low number of welfare and Medicaid recipients.
“The current thirteenth is a wealthy district,” Hoeffel told reporters at the Montgomery County Courthouse.
Brown and Hoeffel, who is seeking a third term, are campaigning in a new district that includes much of the Northeast.
The incumbent, who served in the state House from 1977-84 and as a Montgomery County commissioner from ’92-98, expects the new 13th district to receive a greater share of federal dollars because the new city constituents are less affluent.
In addition, the Northeast is home to a greater number of people eligible for Social Security and Medicare.
“The spending is on automatic pilot,” Hoeffel said. “That’s why they’re called entitlements.”
In criticizing Hoeffel, Brown cited an Aug. 7 story by the Associated Press that analyzed federal funding per congressional district based on records maintained by the Census Bureau.
It showed that Hoeffel’s district received $1.2 billion — including $470 million for Social Security and Medicare and $342 million worth of flood insurance — for federal programs last year. That ranks last among all 435 congressional districts.
South Florida’s 22nd district received the most federal funds, $35.6 billion in benefits, in large part because it had more residents 65 or older than any other district and because it needed costly flood insurance because of a high number of upscale beachfront cities.
According to the analysis, the average federal allocation per congressional district in the 2001 budget year was $5.5 billion.
Hoeffel noted that the AP determined that a district’s demographics, location and federal facilities are far more important than the clout of its congressional representative in determining its share of the federal pie.
Hoeffel said the 13th district has traditionally received a little less than 5 percent of Pennsylvania’s federal allotment, whether the district has been represented by Republicans Larry Coughlin and Jon Fox or Democrats like himself and Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky.
“Montgomery County, since 1987, uniformly has gotten almost the same amount of money in federal consolidated dollars given to Pennsylvania each year,” Hoeffel said. “And that’s during the tenure of four different congressmen, including both Democrats and Republicans.
“In areas where you don’t have as many poor people, you don’t receive as many subsidies,” Hoeffel said. “Melissa Brown does not understand government. Either that, or she isn’t willing to learn how the government spends its money.”
Brown, however, isn’t convinced by Hoeffel’s explanations. She contends that rapid growth in Montgomery County signals the need for transportation infrastructure improvements.
“Either Joe Hoeffel believes Montgomery County doesn’t need money, or he just isn’t willing to speak up for his constituents,” she said. “The pattern is that Joe doesn’t stand up and fight for his constituents. Now that the thirteenth district takes in Philadelphia, we have even greater needs. We can’t afford to have a congressman asleep at the wheel.”
Hoeffel is quick to note that he secured $60 million in federal discretionary dollars for Montgomery County in the last three years, much of which was earmarked for major transportation improvements.
Brown’s cause was aided last week by Rep. Tom Davis, a Republican from Virginia, who addressed the media in a conference call. Davis, chairman of the House Republican Congressional Campaign Committee, thinks the AP analysis shows that Hoeffel needs to be replaced.
“The fact that Hoeffel ranks last in the House in returning taxpayer money to his district, which is ironic considering that he just sent a mailing to his constituents about how much money he brought back to his district, makes him vulnerable,” he said.
Davis promised to play a big role in Brown’s campaign.
“We feel there is great promise in her,” he said. “For that reason, we feel she’s a very good investment. The party needs to change. We have a great message but we have to change the face of the messenger from the middle-aged white guys that you usually see.”
Davis believes the race is much closer than a poll released by the Hoeffel campaign showing the incumbent with a lead of 56 percent to 29 percent, with 15 percent undecided.