For residents of the12th Congressional District – and for the nation – clearly the best choice is incumbent Democrat John Murtha over Republican challenger William Russell.

The strikes against Russell are many:

• He is virtually a one-issue candidate, repeatedly attacking Murtha on his comments concerning Marines in Haditha, Iraq.

• He is a modern carpetbagger, having moved to Johnstown just to run against Murtha with no prior ties to the community, the region or the 12th district.

• When he has addressed other issues, Russell has urged voters in our region to support his plan to do away with federal funding that has brought jobs to Johnstown and the district, without a substantive plan for replacing them or adding more jobs.

We agree with Russell’s assertion that the federal earmark program should be opened up to greater scrutiny. But we also recognize that earmarks account for less than 1 percent of federal spending.

We have a problem with his labeling of Concurrent Technologies Corp. and other agencies as “nonprofit companies not benefiting the local economy.”

CTC alone employs thousands of people, all of whom own or rent homes in the region, shop in local stores and buy local goods and services. Much the same can be said of DRS Laurel Technologies, Kuchera Industries and even the always controversial National Drug Intelligence Center.

For some politicians, “experience” simply means too many years drawing a comfortable salary and nice benefits on taxpayer dollars without giving much back.

That is not the case with Murtha, who has provided leadership and sparked the development of new programs in key areas, especially in the health-care arena:

• He helped increase funding for Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where service personnel returning from combat are treated for their injuries.

• He has increased awareness and helped fund programs aimed at two of our region’s deadliest afflictions: Breast cancer and diabetes.

• He has been a supporter of Walter Reed’s relationship with Windber Research Institute, and has strongly supported programs at Conemaugh Health System.

We have been troubled by Murtha’s statements in recent weeks about racism in his district. He first said that “western Pennsylvania is a racist area,” then tried to clarify that a week later by saying there are a lot of “rednecks” in the region. We would like to see our congressman use better judgment and not attempt to lump all of his constituency into one category.

Murtha has worked with employers to bring many jobs to our region. And he is now working with our area’s defense contractors to help them earn contracts based on their quality work and growing experience rather than Murtha’s presence in Washington.

Murtha continues to be a driving force in the nation’s capital, chairing the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. He remains a powerful advocate of our military, despite what some might assert.

And, beyond all of that, Murtha’s social positions reflect those of his region much more so than those of his party. He opposes gun control and is pro-life, both positions that put him in step with most voters in our region.

Murtha told The Tribune-Democrat’s editorial board: “In Washington, they call me a conservative. ... I vote the way I see it.”

We think folks across the 12th district should see Murtha as the better choice by far to represent them in Washington in the coming term. You should vote to keep him in office.