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Who Are PA’s Best Party Chairs?

PA CountiesIt takes a special breed of person to be a successful county party chair. They must be savvy and hard-working, good at fundraising, and skillful diplomats, too.

Some are activists, some fundraisers, and still others are behind-the-scenes players. Some are working to build a strong party organization where there hasn’t been one before.

We want to hear from you: who are the best of the best? We’re looking for Republicans and Democrats who get the job done.

Submit your suggestions to Sy Snyder here, or in the comments section below. Naturally, submissions are anonymous.

Looking for inspiration? Check out our 2011 list here.

64 Responses

  1. Michele Vaughn of Chester County. She re-built the party, got lots of locals elected to municipal government, started a training program for candidates, recruited outstanding individuals for county and state offices and elevated fundraising. Even though the State Republican Party has rigged the boundaries and made it almost impossible to win the state rep seats, progress is being made to gain ground on the local level.

  2. Michele Vaughn of Chester County. She has empowered a new generation of leaders to lead and make change.

  3. Michele Vaughn – Dem, Chester County. During her tenure the party has vastly increased in influence and is closing the gap in registrations with the historically powerful Republicans. In 2008 Obama won the county as the first Dem to do so since 1964. If she stays in control, the party will continue to grow in competitiveness even in the smallest county-level and local elections.

  4. Best Party Chair is MICHELLE VAUGHN- Chester County. She is a dedicated and fierce advocate for middle class families and equality. I admire her passion and professional expertise.

  5. I would like to give a shout out to our York County Democratic Party Chairman Bob Kefauver. He is a tireless worker for the causes we Democrats hold close to our hearts. Not only is he focused on moving the party forward in our corner of the state, but he is a compassionate and caring man who really takes an interest in the life and wellbeing of his colleagues and volunteers. I am especially thankful of his efforts in supporting a satellite office in Hanover during the 2012 election cycle. Thanks for your leadership, Chairman Kefauver!

  6. @ Cambria co: I don’t believe “Torquato” is criticizing Long; he’s complimenting his efforts in destroying the Cambria County Democratic Party. Everyone knows Long is a Republican, and the only reason he’s Democratic Chair is that the Cernics needed a puppet. Long has no power in Democratic circles; he does what the Cernics tell him.

  7. The parties are falling apart in in western PA because of slobs like Jocelyn Greco who seems to think the party should be feeding her and not putting her “conservative leadership” to work. Hey Jocelyn, the party isn’t a social club with snacks. Go back to your Facebooking and snacking at the Food Court – leave politics to the committed wokers.

  8. @Joccelyn – you should be stuffing envelopes instead of stuffing your face. It’s volunteer work. You shouldn’t be doing it for free food, you mooch. On a related matter, wasn’t Jim Roddey the languid old buffoon who made a joke about the mentally disabled?

  9. I am a conservative leader and have only one real issue with the GOP leaders in Pittsburgh and that is their lack of food and snacks for those who put in a hard day of volunteer work waiting for phones to ring or stuffing envelopes. They should always have a full spread if chips, pretzels, cheeses and pepperoni slices. I hear from my Democrat friends that Pittsburgh Democrat party leaders buy them Subway and pizza. I went to their party headquarters and confirmed that the food options were spectacular.

  10. Jim Roddey brought the GOP in Allegheny County back from what? Electoral success? They are hopelessly removed from where they were when Jim was a nominal Independent doing errands for Demicratic mayors to get his name in the headlines.

  11. Bob Kefauver of York County Dems gets my vote for best chair hands down. He not only motivates the troops but his concern for people and community unify and strengthen the party

  12. John Torquato: I am not a fan of Heath Long by any means. He’s rather arrogant and self righteous. At the same time, he’s no worse than his predecessors Joseph’s and an indicted criminal, you probably knew him, he has the same name as your using, Torquato.

  13. Northampton County Chairman Robert Kerr for taking the disaster that was created by individuals who had a strangle hold on the NCRC and making it a profitable, transparent, and successful Committee. A Committee where self serving drama and heavy handed tactics were the norm is now technologically advanced with motivated volunteers and candidates that have equal and true support.

    Not to mention the amazing fundraising!

  14. All of the Democratic County Chairs, but three in particular: Bob Kefauver of York County, Roger Lund of Adams County and Nancy Mills, Allegheny County. All of the Democratics Chairs work hard for the party and do a great job!

  15. I can name a few. But, I will only mention two County Republican Chairman in the state that I have worked with very closly and have become very good freinds. Wayne Woodman in my County of Lehigh which I proudly nominated twice in his two times running for Chairman of our party. The other I also have a great deal of respect for my former camapign manager Robert Kerr in Northampton County.

  16. Anne Tiracchia, Democratic Chair in Monroe County has done a great job unifying the party and has to be one of the hardest working county chairs in the Pennsylvania.

  17. Democratic chairmen Bob Kefauver of York County and Roger Lund of Adams. Both are swimming upstream in heavily Republican Counties but they keep on going – recruiting candidates, raising money, developing strategy and pulling everyone along. They’ve created strong, active organizations and harnessed a cadre of dedicated volunteers.

  18. Riotto nobody would ever seat your wife or you because you are both lunatics.
    Poprik is a the worst party Chair as she has now entered into a campaign of attacking longtime loyal rowofficer for no other reason then to prevent the Deputy from being appointed by the St. Sen. She is using influence to push local municipalities into a “no bid” bond restructuring all to her own company.
    And the topper, today in the local paper it was revealed she was a party to influence peddling by the party in the court house.

    Harry Fawkes where are you now.

  19. Dante G. Bertani, the greatest chair who is so competent that he managed to get himself fired as chief public defender because he fielded such a great crop of candidates and then proceeded to sue the county.

  20. The greatest county chair without question is Dante Bertani, Chair of the Westmoreland Democratic Party. Not only has he managed to lose every single major election within the county over the last 3 years, causing a once reliable blue county to go red for the first time in 60 years, but he continues to divide with his “leadership” tactics and only recruits new committee people when the time comes for him to be reelected as chairman so he can make the trip to the DNC every four years. Clearly, Bertani is the 1980s era Chuck Noll of Pennsylvania Democratic politics…

  21. In MontCo, Marcel Groen has led, brilliantly, and assembled a highly motivated and competent team. Demographics helped but it was leadership and the ability to attract and organize talent like Sean Kilkenny, Matt Bradford, Tim Briggs and many others that got Josh Shapiro elected

    On Republican side, Wayne Woodman of Lehigh County is outstanding fundraiser and highly competent leader who can work with many diverse perspectives. And he is a common sense fiscal conservative. Keep an eye on the Scott Ott County Commissioner race.

    Pat Braden of Lebanon County, as Katy Abram says, is principled and organized and gets it done.

    Yvonne Morgon of Union County is another principled and effective leader.

    Val DiGiorgio is a phony interested in getting rich from government as is Union Republican Pat Poprik of Bucks Countyand DelCo Rs are Ds in drag.

  22. I nominate Attorney Heath Long of the Cambria County Democratic Party for the honor of being the top Republican Party Chairman in Pennsylvania. Before being becoming Chair of the Democratic Party; Attorney Long and his law firm donated 1000s of dollars to Republican judicial candidates as well as Tom Corbett; in fact, less than two years before becoming Chair of the Cambria County Democratic Party, he made a $200.00 donation to Tom Corbett’s campaign. Is it any wonder that that the Cambria County Democratic Party is almost non-existant: the Dems lost the Commissioners’ Office, Romney carried Cambria, and Keith Rothfus carried nearly 40% of the county. For that, I nominate Heath Long for Republican Party County Chairman of the Year! Go Heath go!

  23. Choose Martha Breene of Venango County. Small counties in far rural parts of the state don’t often get much attention, but Ms. Breene is an unsung hard worker who has done well with fundraising for candidates and promotes traditional conservative Republican values very well. It’s most important that she has successfully warded off attacks from organized teapartiers attempting to pull Venango County to the extreme and potentially unelectable right. The Venango County Republican Party is active and growing and this is very much because of its chair, Martha Breene.

  24. Definitely Pat Braden of the Lebanon County Republicans. Took a struggling organization mired in red ink and put it squarely in the black while populating it with active members rather than dead weight. Also revamped the bylaws to make sure leadership remains true to the will of the membership.

  25. Dwight Weidman of Franklin County. Took a party that was split and going broke and put it on the map. How many rural counties attract speakers such as Mitt Romney, Karl Rove, Rick Santorum and Allen West.

  26. Funny. Mike McGann complains about this post yet he is the worst offender. However, he doesn’t do it in the comment section, he does it in the newspaper he edits in Southern Chester. I’m sure no one knows what I am talking about because besides McGann I might be the only reader.

    Side Note: McGann is a perpetual Democrat candidate and operative. He has never won a race. Yet, he attempts to portray his newspaper as unbiased. Ethical issues there? Yes!

  27. Handsdown I would say Pat Braden of Lebanon County. She turned the county GOP around embracing both establishment and grassroots Republicans. Lebanon County remains a stronghold for Republicans yet despite this Pat has worked dilligently to reach out to the Hispanic community by hosting events and organizing within Lebanon City. She is not taking our stronghold for granted and is working to increase our numbers here. Our meetings are now highly attended, where before not many would show up. Pat has a personal relationship with most of the members and is constantly reaching out to membership personally in order to achieve a goal.

  28. Once again, the annual PoliticsPA Tournament of Character Assassination/Irrational Grandizing.

    Here’s a crazy thought: why don’t you guys on staff rank the chairs, ask questions of people on the ground and make fair and reasoned evaluations of the efficacy of each chair?

    Oh right: a food fight in the comment section — as opposed to actual journalism — generates more page views.

    Well played, sir.

  29. For those that want to attack Jim Roddey, don’t forget that he brought the Allegheny County GOP back from the brink and leads a very diverse county that continues to improve and grow. He does a great job and is a well respected man. He deserves to be on the list again in 2012.

  30. Chester County’s Democratic Chairperson, Michele Vaughn, is possibly the most self-congratulatory, divisive and obstructionist Party chair in the brief history of Chester County Democratic politics. As a result of Ms. Vaughn’s specific lack of leadership and total ineptitude in organizational policies and leadership; for the past seven years,Chester County Democrats continue to lose elections. In short, the Chester County GOP is allowed to continue their undiminished domination of Chester County politics. Some now even ponder, is Ms. Vaughn a Republican paid operative?

  31. Picking the “worst” list seems more popular.

    Brady in Philly keeps putting his own interests over the party’s and promotes the machine-style politics that leads to corruption rather than reform. Brady was behind getting all those Philly Dem legislators who betrayed the voters by supporting the GOP congressional redistricting map. Brady got a “whiter” district out of it which reduces his chances of a viable black challenger. Coincidence?

    Landau in Delco has taken Democratic visibility/vitality in the county to a new low. He campaigned on the (obviously false) claim that he could raise $250,000 in his first year. At present rate it will take at least 3 years.

  32. Pat Poprik has to be the worst of the lot for county chariperson. She refused seating my wife for county committee after my wife received 29 write in votes. We still don’t have a woman as committee person in our precinct. Yet she seated others who had only 1 write in votes. We have county rules that haven’t been changed since 1970’s.

  33. I believe that Northampton County Republican Committee Chairman Robert Kerr is one if not the best Chairman in Pennsylvania. He took the reins of the Committee in a special election in January of 2012 and was re-elected to the position in July of 2012 during the regular re-organization meeting.

    Under Chairman Robert Kerr’s leadership the Committee has had positive grown in every way possible.

  34. Chairwoman Pat Poprik with the Bucks County Republican Committee has been a great leader and motivator. In this past election cycle the Bucks County GOP knocked on more doors than any other county in the state and in some cases, in the nation, hosted the largest Republican Rally in the history of the state and for the entire Romney campaign, and Mrs. Poprik as Vice-Chairwoman and Chairwoman has been a big supporter in helping start, grow, and educate the Bucks County Teenage Republican Committee, one of the most organized teenage Republican groups in the nation. Thanks to her hard work and committed leadership much has been changed for the better in Bucks County and Pennsylvania.

  35. You’d have to consider Marcel Groen of Montgomery County Democrats as among the best. Brilliantly, he got rid of the anchor that was Joe Hoeffel (who had become a laughing stock). That move alone paved the way for the big Democrat victory at the Commissioner level. He has since managed the big picture politically unchecked because his counterpart Bob Kerns on the GOP side is completely ineffective. He leaves the governing to his commissioners Josh Shapiro and Leslie Richards who, themselves, work effectively with the actual, though reluctant, leader of the GOP Bruce Castor. Because Groen manages with a light touch and because on the GOP side everyone ignores Kerns awaiting the day when he just goes away, Groen shines all the more brightly.

  36. Any of the county chairs who defied Gov. Corbett and Felon Bob Asher on the Welch for Senate State Committee ramrod should be on the list. Those who fell in line behind the losing quartet of: Welch, Freed, Maher Irey and ran off the cliff should all lose their posts along with Corbett himself. The GOP in this state is a joke.

  37. What GOP county party chair raised $1.2 million this year? Led the only SE county party that won for Mitt Romney? (26k vote swing from 2008)

    Hint: The answer is not Bob Kerns.

    Answer: Val DiGiorgio, Chairman of the Chester County Republican Committee

    I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw him at a State or even National Party post in the future.

  38. For the 10th Congressional District, the best are Anne Tirrachia (Monroe) Bob McNamara
    (Susquehanna) and Joan Gustin (Bradford)

  39. One thing is for sure, Greg Stewart of Centre County doesn’t deserve another year on list. Didn’t deserve it the first time.

  40. Anyone who suggest Bob Kerns of Montgomery County needs to have their head examined. The MCRC doesn’t even function from the central Party anymore. Hell, it doesn’t even have a functioning website!

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