Author Archives: john.mcdonald

After Serious Consideration, Turzai Declines to Run in 12th District

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Just days after reports indicating that House Majority Leader Mike Turzai was “seriously considering” a run for Congress in the new 12th District, state GOP sources have told Roll Call that Turzai has decided not to jump into the race.

“Two Keystone State GOP sources confirmed Turzai would not run for the southwestern Pennsylvania House seat,” writes Shira Toeplitz.   “A phone message left with Turzai’s official spokesman in the state House was not immediately returned.”

Turzai had previously mulled a run against Democrat Jason Altmire in 2010, but ultimately decided against it.  This latest decision forces Keystone State GOP officials to resume their efforts to recruit a top-tier candidate to run against Altmire and congressional colleague Mark Critz in the Keystone State’s reconstituted 12st District.  Both Democrats, Altmire and Critz were forced into a primary matchup after state Republicans merged their respective districts during the once-a-decade redistricting process.

United Mine Workers Endorse Critz in New 12th District

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Congressman Mark Critz followed the example of his former boss, the late Congressman John Murtha, and announced the early endorsement of the United Mine Workers of America in the newly reconfigured 12th Congressional District on Friday.

“Mark has been a steadfast friend of the United Mine Workers and all working men and women, and he merits the opportunity to continue that work,” Edward Yankovich, the UMW International District 2 vice president, said in a statement released by Critz’s campaign. “We’ll do everything we can to help Mark win the primary and then the general election.”

A source close to Critz told the National Journal’s Scott Bland that more union endorsements are forthcoming, as the Johnstown Democrat seeks to introduce himself to new 12th District voters more familiar with Congressman Jason Altmire, whose 4th District was merged with Critz’s during last year’s once-a-decade redistricting process.

“I am proud to receive the endorsement of the United Mine Workers of America,” Critz said in the statement. “Creating and protecting jobs is my number one priority and that will always remain the case. This endorsement shows that I am the only candidate willing to stand up to the Tea Party and fight for workers regardless of what the polls say.”

Union backing – and more specifically, the Election Day logistical boost it can afford – will likely play a key role in the election.  More than two-thirds of constituents in the new 12th District hail from Altmire’s former district, though Critz has maintained a stronger relationship with organized labor in the past. 

Last week, Altmire released a list of more than 70 Democratic officials who had endorsed his campaign.  Critz released his own list of nearly three dozen endorsements last month.

Prospects Dim for Electoral College Plan

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By Sari Heidenreich, Contributing Writer

After Gov. Tom Corbett made it clear yesterday that he won’t be pushing for movement on a plan to reform Pennsylvania’s electoral college, Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi responded via Facebook saying,  he does “not believe there will be sufficient time to advance [the plan] this year.”

Pileggi said he won’t revisit the bill until the legislature completes their work on education reform, the Marcellus Shale industry and transportation funding.

Corbett’s comments about the plan came at a Press Club Luncheon Monday where he said, “I see no movement on it. I’m not going to push for movement.” However, Corbett said he still supports the bill and believes “it is a fair representation to the people of Pennsylvania, and to all the states across our States.”

Corbett came out in support of Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi’s plan shortly after it was made public in September. The plan would change the state’s current winner-takes-all system and divide up the state’s electoral college votes by congressional district and give an additional two votes to the statewide winner.

If the plan had been in effect in 2008, President Barack Obama would have won the state 11-10 rather than 21-0.

G. Terry Madonna, professor of Political Science at Franklin and Marshall College, said if the legislature does not vote the bill this year “it’s really going to be tough to get it done” by March, when Pileggi has said he thinks the legislation should be completed.

Capitolwire reported earlier today: “Montgomery Democratic Sen. Daylin Leach said the bill ‘is essentially dead’ if its delayed until next year.”

In addition to a crowded legislative agenda, Madonna added, a lack of support in the state legislature and from the GOP’s congressional delegation will hinder the plan.

Charlie Gerow, spokesman for the All Votes Matters, the most prominent group supporting Pileggi’s plan, said Madonna’s views are flat out wrong.

“We disagree with them … I think Sen Pileggi thinks that as well,” he said, “I also don’t view the world in static terms, I think … there’s some members of the congressional delegation that are warming up to it.”

In his Facebook post Pileggi added that “advancing this legislation will require a concerted and sustained effort involving the Senate, the House and the Governor.”

Gerow said it was important that both Corbett and Pileggi affirmed their support for the plan yesterday but said, “Obviously we would prefer to see it done sooner rather than later but we don’t have a deaf ear to the legislative process.”

Gerow said his group is sill optimistic that this reform will passed the the General Assembly this session and in time for the presidential election.

Days After Election, Bucks GOPers Plead Guilty

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By Ali Carey, Contributing Writer

They say timing is everything. Just days after this year’s county elections, several high-profile Republican officials in Bucks County plead guilty to charges of corruption.

On Friday, Register of Wills Barbara Reilly, who ran the office for more than three decades, and her second deputy Rebecca Kiefer pleaded guilty to forcing employees to do political work while having tax payers foot the bill.

The so-called atmosphere of corruption was one of the Democratic slate’s major campaign issues in the fall. Nevertheless, incumbent Commissioners Charley Martin and Rob Loughery, both Republicans, were re-elected by a wide margin earlier this month. Incumbent Democrat Diane Marseglia kept her seat as well, leaving Doylestown Borough President Det Ansinn on the outside looking in.

The pleas by Reily and Kiefer came two months after Candace Quinn, a former top administrator in the office, offered her own guilty plea to a range of charges that included felony theft and conspiracy, official oppression and obstructing law enforcement.

After an eight-month investigation, a Grand Jury alleged that Reilly forced county employees to do Election Day work on behalf of Republican candidates  in exchange for under-the-table compensatory time.  Upon learning of the investigation, prosecutors say, Reilly and her team actively attempted to destroy pertinent evidence, including the “pink book” used to record the Election Day hours.

Keifer did not contest the charges that she and Quinn used money that residents paid for copies of records to pay for lunches and sodas.

After working in the Register’s office since 1985, Keifer retired in August.  

Quinn also retired but was able to negotiate a separate agreement shortly before the charges were filed in March.  

For more details on the allegations check out Matt Coughlin’s article in the Intelligencer.

GOP Race for 2012 Heats Up; Casey Keeps Cool

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By Ali Carey and Keegan Gibson

The GOP primary for U.S. Senate is heating up, but Senator Bob Casey is doing what he does best: keeping cool.

The first-term Democratic incumbent has the luxury of watching a crowded Republican primary from the sidelines. Meanwhile, he’s avoided the pitfalls of his predecessor Rick Santorum.

“Bob Casey doesn’t pick fights,” said one Republican operative with over a decade of statewide campaign experience. “He isn’t making enemies. It’s not ‘love him or hate him’ with Casey as it was [with Santorum], it’s ‘love him or don’t notice him.’”

Casey boasts over $3.75 million in cash on hand of the most recent campaign finance report, and according to Roll Call last Monday, he has a safe seat.

“Senator Casey is focused on his work in the Senate to create jobs, grow the economy and cut government spending. He is also preparing to run a strong campaign that will allow him to communicate his record of fighting for Pennsylvania jobs and standing up for Pennsylvanians,” says spokesman Larry Smar, whenever his office is asked for comment about the race. Casey says his campaign doesn’t have immediately plans to hire non-fundraising staff.

Dr. Chris Borick, Director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion, agrees Casey is in a secure position going into the election.

“It’s not surprising that Casey has tried to avoid controversy during this year.  One of his great strengths is that he is not a polarizing figure and by staying out of the fray on controversial matters he can maintain that standing heading into an election year,” said Borick.

But Borick says it’s too soon to call his seat safe.

“The volatility of economic and political conditions nationally and in Pennsylvania pose opportunities for the eventual GOP candidate.  Casey is not an easy target, but he has enough liabilities to make his reelection bid a done deal.”

His poll numbers have been less than stellar, hovering around 40 percent job approval and 30 percent disapproval — better than President Obama’s ratings in the state, but far from safe.  Republicans are previewing what seems likely to be a central strategy next year: linking Casey to President Obama.  The latest web video from Steve Welch, a Chester County entrepreneur who twice ran for Congress last year, ticks off the issues:

“He voted for ObamaCare.  He voted for the stimulus.  He voted for every government regulation that is interfering with job creation,” Welch lists in the spot.

Indeed, on the big votes, there has been little daylight between Casey and the President. But it’s how Casey spends his floor time and his time in the state that defines his style. He generally keeps clear of politics and focuses on uncontroversial, wonky issues.

For fun, we took a look at the press releases his office has sent out in the past month. Here are their subject headings, in no particular order:

  • JEC Hearing on the Manufacturing Sector and Improvements in the Nation’s Infrastructure
  • Casey and Bipartisan Group of Senators Urge Strong Resolution on Iran at Tomorrow’s IAEA Board of Governors Meeting
  • Casey Introduces Bill to Strengthen Child Protection Laws
  • Casey Files Amendment to Must-Pass Bill That Would Restore Small Business HUBZone Status to 16 Rural PA Counties
  • Casey Urges VA to Speed Implementation of Successful Program Helping Western PA Vets Recover from Strokes
  • Casey, Toomey and Critz Oppose Closure of NDIC
  • Casey Announces $3 Million for LANTA
  • Casey Calls for Hearing to Examine Federal Reporting Laws on Sexual Abuse of Children
  • Casey Urges Google to Host Small Business Technology Event to Get SWPA Businesses Online
  • Casey To Unveil Bipartisan Bill to Help Individuals with Disabilities Save Money for Care
  • Casey Announces $6.44 Million for SEPTA
  • Casey Urges Administration to Investigate Companies Allegedly Aiding Syrian Regime
  • Casey Introduces Bill to Help Entrepreneurs Start Small Businesses
  • Casey Statement on Arab League’s Vote to Suspend Syria
  • Casey on Senate Vote to Hire Veterans
  • Casey Calls on Army Secretary to Finally Award Hard-Earned Medals to Pre-9/11 Veterans
  • Casey: Syrian Regime Must be Held Accountable for Violence
  • Casey Pushes Legislation to Hire Our Heroes – Nearly 100,000 PA Veterans are Out of Work
  • Casey Introduces Bipartisan Resolution Honoring Life of Philadelphia Boxing Legend Joe Frazier
  • Casey to Chair Hearing on U.S. Policy in Syria
  • Casey: Cuts to Law Enforcement Programs Will Make Neighborhoods Less Safe
  • Casey: Fannie and Freddie Bonuses Are an Outrage
  • With 15,000 Pennsylvanians Still Without Power, Casey Calls for Investigation into Delays in Turning Power Back On
  • Casey Calls on Columbia Gas for Answers After Pipeline Explosion
  • Following Casey Urging, Impact Study of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Moves Ahead
  • Casey: Compromise Needed to Rebuild PA Roads and Bridges
  • Casey Urges SeaWolves Ownership Group to Keep Team in Erie
  • Casey Co-chairs Hearing on Women and the Arab Spring
  • Casey to Lead Bipartisan Meeting in U.S. Capitol on Bloomsburg Flood Relief Project
  • Casey Introduces Legislation to Hold Pakistan Accountable for Roadside Bombs
  • Casey Urges Quick Answers, Open and Transparent Investigation from UGI After Millersville Gas Explosion
  • Casey Makes Major Push for Congress to Adequately Fund Federal Program that Provides Critical Funding for TCMC
  • Casey to Chinese Officials: Unfair Trade Practices Will Not Be Tolerated
  • Casey, Toomey and Coons File Amendment that Would Increase Chances for Delaware River Dredging
  • Casey Announces Grants for Affordable Housing in Philadelphia
  • Casey Introduces Bill to Support Agriculture Jobs and Local Farms
  • Federal Government Should ‘Buy Pennsylvania’
  • Casey Urges Tax Reform to Level Playing Field for U.S. Manufacturing Companies
  • Casey Calls on Obama Administration to Use Upcoming Trade Summit to Crack Down on China’s Unfair Trade Practices
  • Following Casey Request Senate HELP Committee Announces Hearing On Protecting Children From Abuse and Neglect
  • Casey Calls on FTC to Prevent Supermarkets, Retailers from Selling Seniors’ Private Information
  • Casey Calls on BNY Mellon to Commit to Keeping Jobs in Pittsburgh

And here are the other candidates for Senate:

  • Tim Burns, Washington County businessmen and former Congressional candidate
  • David Christian, Bucks County veterans’ advocate David Christian.
  • Laureen Cummings, a Scranton-area tea party activist.
  • John Kensigner, Bedford pharmacist and one-time 2010 candidate.
  • Marc Scaringi, Harrisburg-area attorney and former Santorum staffer
  • Tom Smith, coal industry veteran
  • Sam Rohrer, Former State Rep. and gubernatorial candidate of Berks County.
  • John Vernon, retired U.S. Army colonel from Tioga County
  • Steve Welch, businessman and former Congressional candidate of Chester County
  • Brian Kelly (Democrat), retired software engineer and former congressional candidate

 

Wash Post Political Gossip Blog: Toomey Pats Out Fire in Guest’s Hair During Remarks

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Known to some as a conservative firebrand, United States Senator Pat Toomey proved to be more firefighter during his Wednesday night birthday celebration.

Pittsburgh native and political consultant Michael Brody was among the guests – along with U.S. Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina – attending the soiree.

Reports the Washington Post’s Reliable Source political gossip blog:

“As Toomey was delivering his insights from the debt supercommittee, the senator’s wife, Kris, leapt forward and shouted: Brody’s hair was on fire!”

“Wait — how? Brody, who stands about 6-foot-4, had backed up against a row of decorative tea lights, and ‘it’s a full head of hair,’ he acknowledged. ‘It was smoking and [on] fire before I even felt it.’

“The victim said the senator sprang into action, patting out the flames on the back of his head, though Toomey’s office says it was mostly Kris Toomey who did the fire-smothering, with her hands.  Neither of the Toomeys was injured — and Brody, also okay, says his hair looks fine, too.”

Capitol Ideas: Occupy Harrisburg Protesters Disrupt Redistricting Meeting

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For more than a half hour, Friday’s meeting of the Legislative Reapportionment Committee was diverted by members of Occupy Harrisburg, according to post on John Micek’s Capitol Ideas blog. 

Micek reports:

“One after the other, several protesters took up a repeating demand for ‘redress of government,’ as they reminded the panel that voters “pick the government” and not the other way round.”

“The protesters also repeatedly charged that the noontime session had shut out working people who might have wanted to attend but could not because they had to work.”

Click here for video of the meeting.

The vocal protest – driven by chants of “mic check!” and employing “human microphone” technique used by Occupy Wall Street demonstrators and others – took place as Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson ordered local police to evict the Occupy Harrisburg contingent from their gathering place at Riverfront Park along the Susquehanna River.  

The City maintained that the protesters were in violation of at least four local ordinances, most significantly Section 10-301.15: “No person shall camp in any park in other than permanent areas for organized camping provided by the Department and used by groups of persons under adequate supervision.”

Keystone State Protesters March to Spur Infrastructure Investment and Job Creation

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By John McDonald, PoliticsPA Contributor

Hundreds of protesters rallied at several sites throughout Pennsylvania on Thursday, staging their events on or near structurally deficient Keystone State bridges as part of a nationwide effort to spur investment in infrastructure and jumpstart job creation.

In Philadelphia, where Mayor Michael Nutter said the City is “reevaluating” its relationship with demonstrators encamped outside City Hall for the last month, two dozen were arrested after staging a sit-in on the bustling Market Street Bridge near the 30th Street Station transit hub.

George Webb, an unemployed laborer from South Philadelphia who was among those arrested, said he was trying to send a message to other poor Philadelphians.  ““I don’t know what’s going to come out of this in the future, but I hope jobs come out of it, bottom line,” he told PoliticsPA.

The arrests came as the City and protesters negotiated where the remaining Occupy contingent will be situated moving forward.  The demonstrators have thus far gathered in Dilworth Plaza, an area directly outside City Hall which is scheduled to undergo a $50 million renovation that local union leaders have estimated could create nearly 1,000 jobs in the coming weeks.  Some have begun to move their tents and belongings across the street to an area known as Thomas Paine Plaza, while others have vowed to remain at the original protest site.

Roughly 50 protesters in Pittston, meanwhile, gathered at Firefighter’s Memorial Bridge and exhorted United States Senator Pat Toomey, the Lehigh Valley Republican, and Congressman Lou Barletta (R-Hazleton) to support President Obama’s American Jobs Act.

Asked for comment, Toomey spokeswoman Nachama Soloveichik declined to specifically address the Pittston demonstration.  “Senator Toomey appreciates feedback from his constituents and knowing their concerns,” she said in response to a question submitted by email.  “It is for this reason that he has traveled across the state to hear their thoughts on the best way to create jobs and get our economy moving, including hosting jobs roundtables, town halls, and other public events.”

Across the state, members of Occupy Pittsburgh joined activists, organized labor representatives and scores of unemployed workers as they marched to the Greenfield Bridge in the Southeastern section of the Steel City. 

In a brief interview with PoliticsPA, Pittsburgh City Councilman Doug Shields, who attended the rally, said it was “good to bring these messages to the community.”

“These are the people whose children’s college costs are going up,” Shields said.  “These are the people watching their jobs disappear.”

PhillyClout: David Oh Wins Final Council Seat in Philadelphia

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Attorney David Oh has edged out Al Taubenberger for the seventh and final Philadelphia City Council At-Large seat, according to the Philadelphia Daily News’ PhillyClout blog.

According to the post: “Oh today finally bested Al Taubenberger in last week’s election, after absentee, military and provisional ballots were counted.  In the final tally, Oh led by 166 votes from election day ballots and absentee ballots.  A count today of 755 provisional ballots, used on Election Day when there are questions about a voter’s registration, did not put Taubenberger ahead.”

Oh was the top vote-getter in May’s Republican primary, but his general election campaign was hampered by reports that he had falsely claimed to be a Green Beret.  Another series of reports detailed several prior instances in which Oh was accused of pulling guns in Philadelphia’s rough and tumble Cobbs Creek neighborhood (he was released after questioning by police in two of the instances).

Oh will join State Representative Dennis O’Brien as the two at-large minority party members on the City’s seventeen-member council.

Welch Fires 2012 Opening Salvo

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By Keegan Gibson, Managing Editor

The 2011 races are over, and the 2012 cycle has begun.

Steve Welch, the biotech entrepreneur and former congressional candidate, has launched the first attack of the new cycle – a web video that highlights United States Senator Bob Casey’s close ties to President Barack Obama.

Welch himself narrates the ad, which begins with the assertion that Casey has sided with Obama at a 98 percent voting clip – including his support for the Affordable Care Act, the 2009 stimulus package and “every government regulation that is interfering with job creation.”  He proceeds to point out that the federal government has grown 46 percent and unemployment has nearly doubled “since Bob Casey has been in office.”

The spot then pivots somewhat positively, as Welch emphasizes the need to send “ordinary Americans that actually have experience creating jobs” to Washington.  “And I assure you, once we get the government out of our job creation, once we get the government out of our businesses, we will see American innovators, American entrepreneurs thrive once again and we will continue to see this economy boom,” he says.

The nature of Welch’s opening salvo is no surprise given the Chester County entrepreneur’s background and President Obama’s sagging popularity in the Keystone State. 

For months, strategists associated with Welch have described him as an ideal foil for Casey, given his business acumen, experiences creating jobs and ability to portray himself as a political outsider.

Welch’s personal wealth – he contributed roughly $650,000 to two aborted Congressional bids during the 2010 cycle and has expressed a willingness to invest in this race as well – could also be a factor as the race’s various factions pick up steam.

According to a Quinnipiac poll released on Thursday, roughly half of Pennsylvania voters disapprove of President Obama’s job performance (52 percent – 44 percent) and believe he does not deserve reelection (50 percent – 46 percent).  Roughly the same percentage of respondents (53 percent) named the economy the most significant issue heading into the 2012 cycle.

Click here to watch the full ad, which is titled “The Same.”