The shutdown is over! To celebrate, we’re giving out all Up arrows this week.
Plus: don’t miss our list of Q3 Fundraising Winners & Losers!
Allyson Schwartz. This week she picked up the backing of Congressman Bob Brady, the powerful chairman of the Philadelphia Democratic Party. It’s a big get for Schwartz and bolsters her status as the frontrunner in the race. Especially because Brady had already committed to state Sen. Mike Stack, who had flirted with a bid for Guv but said this week he’d run instead for lieutenant governor. He made the announcement a few hours before Brady made public his support for Schwartz.
PLCA. The Pa. Legislative Correspondents Association put on another great Gridiron show this week, featuring [redacted – details of the event are off the record]. They raised about $30,000 to pay for their summer internship program. Kudos also to the politicos who attended and performed.
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Tom Corbett. The Governor got good press for the first time in a long time this week when he approved the elimination of the six-month waiting period for children who qualify for CHIP. The end of the waiting period is part of his health care expansion plan, which received mixed reviews, and goes into effect immediately. And his Gridiron bits were a hoot.
Rob McCord. The McCord campaign answered the Brady endorsement with 23 of their own from current and former state legislators. The predominantly non-SEPA lawmakers are the results of years of bridge building by the state Treasurer.
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Philly schools. At long last, Philadelphia public schools will receive the $45 million in funding that the district had been promised for months. It’s good news in the immediate present for students and 400 re-hired school employees. But Gov. Corbett’s decision to release the funds in the absence of a long term agreement with the Philly Federation of Teachers raises some troubling prospects for next year.
Adrian Shanker. He’s the President of Equality PA, the state’s leading LGBT advocacy organization. He will conclude his tenure this fall having spearheaded successful efforts in numerous municipalities across eastern Pa. including same-sex partner benefits and non-discrimination. And he was one of six LGBT speakers at the 50th Anniversary March on Washington: The National Action to Realize the Dream. Rumor has it that political office is in his future.
Tweet of the Week: Kasie Hunt, NBC News, for this catch from the NYT.
"…this article misspelled, on second reference, the surname of a representative. He is Charlie Dent, not Debt." http://t.co/ukilzK54Bn
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) October 16, 2013
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2 Responses
THANK YOU JEFF ROMOFF AND SCOTTY BAKER FOR ALLOWING GROMIS-BAKER TO BORROW YOUR LOBBYIST! tHANK YOU MR. DECOURSEY FOR LOOKING AFTER THE PUBLIC INTEREST!!!! DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL SERVICES
Wrapping up this week’s Beat is a pair of no-bid contract being sought by the Corbett administration for lobbying services in Washington, D.C.
Both are one-year contracts, valued at no more than $120,000 annually, according to the administration. The contracts do contain the potential for four additional one-year renewals of the contract.
According to the governor’s office, prior administrations have obtained federal government relations services by either operating a separate Washington office -requiring office space and full time personnel – or hiring law firms for this work. The administration says the full time office option would likely cost $900,000 annually, while contracting with a law firm would carry a cost of approximately $500,000 annually.
They claim a far less expensive option would be to enter into sole-source contracts with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney and the Ridge Policy Group LLC , both of which the governor’s office states have extensive government relation expertise, particularly in Washington, D.C.
The plan appears to be to have Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney provide consulting and government relations services regarding healthcare and other federal issues , while the Ridge Policy Group would supply general federal government relations consulting services .
The Beat will keep tabs on both no-bid contract requests and update readers when something happens with either request.
Tom Corbett commits another Super Gaffe:
http://www.keystonepolitics.com/2013/10/corbett-marijuana-addictive-gateway-drug/ So this legendary public safety official has morphed into Tea Party Tom: Johnstown (home of PAGOP CHAIR-Rob Gleason) go hire your own George Zimmermans to clear out the riff-raff. Or maybe COS Gromis-Baker and acting Governor John Brabender are praying for a drive-by to get their own PAGOP Chair.