The Tomalis episode drags on, Dwight Evans gets some bad news, and a Philly sensation graces the cover of SI. See who made this week’s list.
Tom Corbett. The Corbett team must have hoped that the furor surrounding Ron Tomalis would subside after his resignation. Unfortunately for them, though, the revelation by Steve Esack of the Morning Call that Tomalis would receive additional pension benefits thanks to his year as an adviser kept the story alive for another week. Late August could’ve been a time for the Governor to re-group in preparation for the fall onslaught. Instead, he has spent even more valuable time addressing questions about a low-level employee.
Mike Fitzpatrick. This time last year, Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick was considered a key target of the Democratic Congressional Committee. It’s becoming increasingly clear, however, that the DCCC views Fitzpatrick as a tougher opponent than perhaps they envisioned. For instance, a recent article in Roll Call omitted PA-8 as one of the five top House races to watch in the mid-Atlantic. Part of this change could be the result of the competitive Democratic primary nominee Kevin Strouse had to deal with. Regardless, Fitzpatrick enjoyed a calm summer and expect him try as hard as he can to extend that streak into the fall.
Dwight Evans. The influential State Rep. found himself in the headlines this week and not in a good way. Earlier this week the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corp. (OARC), a nonprofit that Evans founded, was under investigation by the FBI. The state legislator’s career has been on a bit of an upswing since he lost his job as ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee in 2010. Evans is a close ally of Tom Wolf’s and that relationship could pay dividends later on. Therefore, the result of this investigation will likely be of critical importance to Evans’ future.
Philly’s 2016 DNC Bid. After weeks of good news concerning Philly’s bid for the 2016 Democratic National Convention, including indications that the city had emerged as the front-runner, the streak has finally been broken. The bad news came in the form of labor unrest and the fear Democratic officials have that the union battles over the Convention Center could spill out into the open in 2016. After the uproar among labor when the 2012 DNC was held in the “right to work” state of North Carolina, the party may be wary of stepping into those waters again. For what it’s worth, those involved feel the issues will be settled long before 2016, but a decision is expected in just a few months.
Sure it doesn’t relate to politics, but we have to give the Tweet of the Week to Mo’ne Davis, who did the commonwealth proud by becoming the youngest person to ever grace the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Remember Her Name! #LLWS2014 sensation @Monedavis11 is on this week's national cover http://t.co/LAwVgubpCS pic.twitter.com/sENsPMF7ew
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) August 19, 2014