🐪 Good Morning Wednesday. Respect and appreciation for Dorothy Hoffner. RIP.

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What We’re Hearing
“When women ask a question he doesn’t want to answer, he turns to demeaning and dismissing.” – Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill

The Best Political News In The State
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Top Story

1. The Top PA Senate Republican Will Seek Hearing On Shapiro’s Handling Of Sexual Harassment Allegations

“Outrage among Republican women in the state Senate over the Shapiro administration’s handling of sexual harassment allegations against a former cabinet member escalated Tuesday as President Pro Tempore Kim Ward said a legislative hearing would be called to examine the situation.

“We need to know how this happened,” said Ms. Ward referring to the passage of months between allegations of harassment by former Secretary of Legislative Affairs Mike Vereb and his abrupt — and unexplained — resignation announced late last month.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Related

Fetterman To Headline Iowa Democratic Party Dinner In November. “U.S. Sen. John Fetterman will be the headline speaker for the Iowa Democratic Party’s annual Liberty & Justice Dinner early next month. And like Gov. Josh Shapiro’s recent appearance at a Democrats’ convention in New Hampshire, the Fetterman visit to Iowa is all but certain to spark speculation about presidential aspirations.” (Penn Capital-Star)

Meuser Backs Jordan For House Speaker, Cartwright Seeks Consensus Builder. “U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser plans to back Rep. Jim Jordan for speaker when House Republicans meet Wednesday morning.” (Scranton Times-Tribune)

What Swing Voters Think About 2024 Elections, Term Limits And Joe Biden Impeachment Inquiry. “Matt O’Donnell interviews Rich Thau, President of Engagious and founder of the ‘Swing Voter Project’, as he shared his recent findings after polling undecided voters in Pennsylvania.” (6abc Inside Story)

State

2. Four For Two: The PA Superior Court Candidates

Four for two.

While the national spotlight has been shone on the Keystone State for its Supreme Court race, there are two other statewide judicial races on the November 7 ballot – Superior Court and Commonwealth Court.

Today, we take a look at the four candidates for the two open seats on the Superior Court. (PoliticsPA)

Related

What’s at Stake in Pennsylvania’s State Supreme Court Race? “This election is about the future of the court and the people of Pennsylvania.” (Democracy Docket)

Who Are The Candidates For Judges In PA In 2023? “The state supreme court, superior court, and commonwealth court justices might decide the fate of abortion, redistricting, gun laws, and more in Pennsylvania.” (Philadelphia Citizen)

Pennsylvania Universities Are Still Waiting For State Subsidies. It Won’t Make Them More Affordable. “Four of Pennsylvania’s universities are plugging budget gaps while they await hundreds of millions of dollars in aid that has been snarled in a partisan dispute among lawmakers in a state that has one of the nation’s most abysmal records for funding higher education.” (AP)

Bills Meant To Improve Online Ticket-Buying, More, Clear PA House Committee. “A Pennsylvania House committee voted last week to advance three bills intended to enhance transparency for popular online purchases and allow consumers a “fighting chance” to buy red hot tickets for concerts and events.” (CNHI News)

State Rep. O’Neal Proposes Rule Change To Limit Late-Night Committee Votes. “My rule change would simply ensure that committees cannot take votes beyond 11 p.m. – just like the regular chamber,” Tim O’Neal told City & State in an interview.” (City & State)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Your Down-Ballot Votes Have The Biggest Impact, Officials And Candidates Say

“On Nov. 7, Greater Pittsburgh, like the rest of the country, will head to the polls. The region’s patchwork of small municipalities, school districts and magisterial courts means that residents living blocks apart may have very different ballots. Some of these races may not seem glamorous, but candidates and elected officials agree that voting in these local contests has a major bearing on local policy.

Not only do politicians at the local level address needs including trash collection, public transport and infrastructure upkeep, Allegheny County Councilor Tom Duerr says, but they’re much more accessible than state and national figures.” (Public Source)

Related

Gainey-Zappala Dispute Escalates As DA Election Nears. “Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey pushed back on criticism he has received from Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. and said the district attorney is not present enough in the community to be effective at combating crime.” (Tribune-Review)

Rich Fitzgerald Introduces Final Budget As Allegheny County Executive. “Mr. Fitzgerald’s proposed operating budget for 2024 is about $1.05 billion, up roughly $34.7 million or 3.4% over the current adopted budget for 2023. He said on Tuesday that it would require no increase in the property tax millage rate, the 22nd time that has happened in the past 23 years.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Voters Guide to Berks Election 2023. “Election Day for 2023 is Nov. 7 for those heading out to the polls. Reading Eagle reporters have compiled a list of the candidates in contested races in Berks County and asked them to respond to questions.” (Reading Eagle)

Mail-In Ballots To Be Reissued Due To Error. “Mifflin County residents planning to send in a mail-in or absentee ballot should wait before submitting their vote. According to a news release from the Mifflin County elections office, an error in the directions for the number of candidates to vote for in two races was identified.” (Lewistown Sentinel)

This Parent Believes Pennridge School District is Secretly Banning Books. “The books include: Looking for Alaska by John Green, Sold by Patricia McCormick, Allegedly by Tiffany Jackson, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky, Out of Darkness by Ashley Perez, The Haters by Jesse Andrews, Push by Sapphire and Beloved, a Pulitzer Prize winning book by Toni Morrison.” (The Keystone)

Delaware County FOP Endorses Stollsteimer in DA Race. “Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer received the official endorsement of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 27 on Tuesday in a historic first for a Democrat seeking the office.” (Delaware County Times)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

• Feds Must Enhance Transparency Of Corporate Campaign Funding. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Often In Error But Still Seductive: Why We Can’t Quit Election Polls. (W. Joseph Campbell)
• The Roots of Today’s Authoritarianism Come From a 19th Century Supreme Court Ruling. (Sheryll Cashin)
• Fear And Faith — A Jewish Woman’s Experience In Suburban Philadelphia. (Amanda Greenberg)
• Changing Party Alignments Could Lead To Unexpected Results. (David Reel)
• Domestic Violence Bill Would Acknowledge Reality. (Tribune-Review)
• PA Must Invest In Career-Related Learning For High School Students. (Stephen Herzenberg)

1 Thing

5. Appreciation: It’s Never Too Late

“It was wonderful up there. The whole thing was delightful, wonderful, couldn’t have been better.”

Dorothy Hoffner, the 104-year-old who jumped out of a plane last week, likely becoming the oldest person ever to skydive, died Monday night. Skydive Chicago, which is working with the Guinness Book of World Records to certify that Hoffner—who would have been 105 in December—is the oldest tandem skydiver ever, said in a statement, “Skydiving is an activity that many of us safely tucked away in our bucket lists. But Dorothy reminds us that it’s never too late to take the thrill of a lifetime.”

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