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Top Story
1. Rozzi Expects To Keep Speaker’s Gavel After Special Elections
Perhaps you have heard of the phrase, “Possession is 9/10ths of the Law”?
Pennsylvania House Speaker Mark Rozzi (D-Berks) certainly has and it is his hope that possession of the gavel will allow him to retain the position after the February 7 special elections in Allegheny County.
Rozzi, who was elected Speaker on January 3, was thought to be a compromise selection of both Democrats and Republicans, as he garnered support from all 95 Democrats and 16 GOP members of the House.
He stated at the time that he would govern as “an independent speaker” which many thought to mean he would change his registration from Democrat to Independent.
That has yet to occur … and most likely will not. (PoliticsPA)
Related
Unexpected PA House Speaker Hopes to Retain Job. “The rank-and-file Democrat who was unexpectedly elected speaker of the Pennsylvania House as a compromise candidate earlier this month is saying he hopes to keep the job even after three vacant Democratic-leaning seats are filled in special elections next week.” (AP)
Harrisburg
2. Culver Wins 27th State Senate Seat
Lynda Schlegel Culver will move from one chamber in the Capitol Building to the other as the Sunbury resident captured the special election for the 27th State Senate District seat.
Culver, a Republican, defeated Democrat Patricia Lawton with 69.7 percent of the vote to keep the seat in GOP hands. Republicans have held the five-county District since 1980. (PoliticsPA)
Related
Culver Wins Election to Represent PA 27th Senate District. “State Rep. Lynda Schlegel Culver, R-Northumberland County, will take over the 27th State Senate seat vacated by John Gordner after winning a special selection Tuesday.” (PennLive)
Culver Wins Election to Represent PA 27th Senate District. “State Rep. Lynda Schlegel Culver, R-Northumberland County, will take over the 27th State Senate seat vacated by John Gordner after winning a special selection Tuesday.” (PennLive)
- Schlegel Culver Wins State Senate Seat. (Daily Item)
- Turnout Low In Special PA Senate Election. (Times Leader)
- Election Smooth, Turnout Low in Valley. (The Daily Item)
- Schlegel Culver Takes Big Lead In 27th State Senate District Race. (Standard-Speaker)
Around The Commonwealth
3. Executive Order to Make People of PA, Customer Service Top Priorities
Another day, another Executive Order from the Governor.
Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an Executive Order on Tuesday to improve the Commonwealth’s licensing, permitting, and certification processes. The order calls for a comprehensive review of how long it takes agencies to process applications and how workers and businesses apply online. (PoliticsPA)
Related
How Josh Shapiro Is Starting His Administration With a Pro-Business Focus – And a ‘Money-Back’ Guarantee. “Gov. Josh Shapiro continued his effort Tuesday to cut red tape and make it easier to work in Pennsylvania by creating a “money-back” guarantee for industries that require different professional licenses.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)
- Shapiro Offers a Money-Back Guarantee On PA’s Licensing and Permitting Process. (PennLive)
- Shapiro Targets State License and Permit Bottlenecks In Latest Executive Order. (WESA)
- Executive Order Refunds Licensing, Permitting Fees For Slow State Processing. (The Center Square)
Moderate Democrat Governors Having a Boomlet. “No, the menacing clouds of angry partisanship haven’t cleared, there hasn’t been a magical double rainbow, and no heavenly chorus has manifested to celebrate an outbreak of productive bipartisanship from sea to shining sea with a joyful singalong to “Kumbaya” (Washington Post)
Democrats Endorse McCaffrey For Seat On State’s High Court. “Pennsylvania’s Democratic Party has voted to endorse an appellate court judge from Philadelphia, Daniel McCaffery, to be the party’s nominee for an open state Supreme Court seat in this year’s election.” (AP)
A New Financial Report Could Complicate PA’s Budget and Tax Scenario. “Economic stressors remain in the forecast for Pennsylvanians and their government in Harrisburg, according to a new nonpartisan mid-year report on the commonwealth’s fiscal outlook.” (USA Today PA State Capital Bureau)
Big Money, and Big Surprises as Campaign Reports, Democratic Filings Flesh Out May Primary. “This year’s Democratic primary isn’t until May 16, and candidates won’t even file petitions to get themselves on the ballot until March 7. But for a couple of reasons, races up and down the ballot this year began to take shape on Jan. 31 — with some big numbers in the looming Allegheny County executive race and some potential surprises on the undercard.” (WESA)
- Filings Show Six-Figure Checks And a Competitive Race For Allegheny County Executive. (Public Source)
Primary Elections Will Test Strength of Pittsburgh-Area Progressives. “When they first started knocking off establishment-friendly incumbents, progressives such as Summer Lee, Sara Innamorato and Bethany Hallam signaled a shift for Pittsburgh-area Democrats: The activist challenge to the party’s status quo had arrived.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Court Blocks DOJ Review of Rep. Scott Perry’s Phone In Jan. 6 Probe. “The House of Representatives has asked to join a secret court battle that since August has blocked the Justice Department from reviewing the contents of Rep. Scott Perry’s phone and related communications in a criminal investigation of events surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, according to people familiar with the matter.” (Washington Post)
Former Police Officer, Attorney Face Off In Special Election to Replace Lee. “A special election is less than a week away to fill Congresswoman Summer Lee’s former Pennsylvania House seat, which is split between affluent Pittsburgh suburbs like Edgewood and less affluent ones like Braddock.” (WESA)
PA Judge Grants Chester City Receiver Permission To Strip Elected City Officials of Administrative Powers. “Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Judge Ellen Ceisler has granted Chester’s state-appointed receiver Michael Doweary permission to strip the city’s elected officials of their administrative powers.” (WHYY)
Franklin Borough Officially Exits Act 47 After 35 Years, Eager To ‘Move Forward.’ “Franklin Borough has exited Pennsylvania’s Act 47 program for distressed municipalities.” (Tribune-Democrat)
Editorial
4. What They’re Saying
A glance around the Keystone State at editorials and opinions.
- Politicians Are Now Feeling Safe In Gutting Ethics In Office. (John A. Tures, PennLive)
- DeFoor’s Clumsy Audit Papered Over The Truth About School Districts’ Finances. (Susan Spicka, PA Capital-Star)
- People Are Fleeing PA At An Alarming Rate. (Nathan Benefield, Andrew Holman, RealClearWire)
- How Much Longer Can ‘Vote Blue No Matter Who” Last? (Thomas B. Edsall, New York Times)
- What Shapiro Got Right On College Degrees. (Elaine Maimon, Philadelphia Citizen)
- City of Lancaster Proposes Home Rule, But It Really Needs Taxation Reform From PA Legislature. (LNP)
1 Thing
5. Before Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Locals Get Hyped For The Hoopla
“The thousands of people expected at Gobbler’s Knob on Thursday for Groundhog Day will have a tough time matching the bedlam to be found Tuesday at the Punxsutawney Area High School gymnasium.
More than 800 students in grades 7 through 12 interspersed with the Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle as Phil himself was lifted into the air to a cheering audience that named seniors Jake Henretta and Sydney Hoffman as the 68th annual Groundhog King and Queen.
“We all kind of get hyped for it,” Hoffman said. “Not everyone goes down to the Knob, (on Feb. 2) but we definitely all get hyped for it, and everybody kind of brings in their school spirit.” (Tribune-Review)
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