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INSIDER INFO -- FEBRUARY 2009
Disturbia in Suburbia
Failure to Launch II
High Court Drama
Judicial folly
Four Corners of Pennsylvania and More
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Disturbia in Suburbia
A Muhlenberg College survey of former Republicans shows long-term troubles for the GOP brand in Pa.
Pennsylvania Republicans think they are in the pink when it comes to candidates to succeed Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell when Pennsylvania’s chief executive’s job is open again in next year’s election.
Vying for the party’s nomination are four credible candidates -- a sitting attorney general, a former U.S. attorney, a sitting congressman and a former congressman who heads a national fiscal conservative movement.
And then there is history, every eight years Pennsylvania voters swap the parties in the governor’s office. That would make 2010 a banner Republican year.
Yet Democrats are ever as eager to replace the term-limited Rendell with one of their own. And they now enjoy a 1.2 million voter registration edge – the largest gap between the two major parties in any recent memory.
So what gives?
So Borick and his researchers got lists of the thousands of formerly registered Republicans who re-registered as Democrats during 2007 and 2008 and surveyed 400 of them to get some answers.
“As we did presidential polling through 2008, the same anecdotal evidence kept coming up about Republicans who turned into Democrats,” Borick said. “Everyone was speculating on what it was all about but we decided to delve into it as a separate question.”
What Borick found in his Nov. 19-26 survey of the former Republicans is some disturbing data, especially in Philadelphia’s suburbs, for a state and national party trying to rebuild itself after devastating losses at all levels in 2006 and 2008.
Borick said his feedback from the survey has also been largely surprising. “Usually when you take a poll you hear from those who disagree with the findings. But this time, we got lots of calls and e-mails from those same former Republicans who told us – ‘You got it right!’”
“I heard from one longtime Republican from the Pittsburgh area who told me how hard it was for him to leave the party but that the factors we cited are exactly what forced him to leave.”
“The overall feedback has been largely one of complete reinforcement of the findings,” he said. “It is like a support group.”
The Insider used the above headline last month when the media frenzy over the candidacy of Chris Matthews, $5-million-a-year MSNBC celebrity, failed to materialize in the 2010 race for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Arlen Specter. Matthews is sticking with TV.
While not as widely hyped as that one, there was considerable commotion around the nascent candidacy of Tom Wolf for governor.
Indeed, Wolf formed a campaign committee, he hired a cadre of high-priced and veteran Democratic campaign consultants and he appeared headed to developing a campaign juggernaut.
He even made it known that he had rented a luxury apartment on Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square in anticipation of spending lots of time in the state’s largest Democratic stronghold.
And then – in a day – it was all gone. Candidacy ended. Tent folded. Consultants dismissed.
Early in February, Wolf announced that he is likely to rejoin the Wolf Organization, a building supplies company that his family founded in 1844 as a lumber company, as its chairman and chief operating officer.
The Pennsylvania media treated it as a one-day story, pretty much printing Wolf’s statement verbatim without much embellishment.
According to an AP dispatch, Wolf and his partners had bought the company in 1985 from Wolf’s family and turned it from a simple lumber company into the biggest kitchen cabinet distributor in northeastern American. The company was sold in 2006 and shortly after that, Wolf became Gov. Rendell’s revenue secretary.
In discontinuing his candidacy, Wolf said he is working with the company’s present owners to provide additional financing to help it survive the housing and rebuilding slump.
“This decision was not made lightly,” Wolf said in a released statement. “In the current economic climate, my first loyalty must be to my former company and its employees.”
“…I cannot follow though on this promise (to the company) while continuing my campaign. I believe I would have run a successful race. I have assembled an outstanding team and my vision for Pennsylvania – a Commonwealth of healthy communities and broadly shared economic opportunities – is the right one. This has been a difficult decision for me, but I believe it is the right thing to do.”
That was Wolf’s official explanation for his withdrawal.
So where was the probing Pennsylvania political press always on the lookout for intrigue behind such major political developments? The Insider waited for days for the news story that would peel back the layers. But to no avail.
So we embarked on a mission to find out what really happened. And we found out that sometimes -- a cigar is just a cigar.
Wolf agonized over ending his candidacy but in the end his devotion to the company he helped expand and its hundreds of employees won out over his political ambition.
A number of Wolf devotees have described the candidate’s dilemma with this metaphor from the iconic Jimmy Stewart movie and Christmas classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life” from 1946.
But just as George Bailey, the Jimmy Stewart character, is about to depart, he sees a commotion at the savings and loan and returns to find a “run on the bank” because of an economic panic.
Faced with a choice between the savings and loan and the long dreamed of trip, he and his wife break out the $3,000 (in 1930s dollars) saved up for the honeymoon and use it to calm the frenzied savings and loan patrons.
“Tom Wolf is doing just that. He’s a real-life George Bailey!” a number of Wolf supporters exclaimed.
Another observer compared it to Albert Boscov and his brother-in-law repurchasing the beleaguered department store chain that bears his name from investors that the family had sold it to in 2006 when retailers flourished.
Except like George Bailey, Wolf will be pulling off the rescue with his own money whereas Boscov is seeking state and county government backing as part of his takeover bid.
Wolf’s withdrawal still leaves Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, with a $4.5 million campaign bankroll and wide name recognition in the Pittsburgh TV market, as the front-runner for the Democratic nomination. It also eliminates the candidacy that many considered the most threatening to Onorato.
It might give encouragement to Philadelphia businessman Tom Knox, an unsuccessful 2007 mayoral candidate, now that the other business executive has exited the contest.
Others considering the race are Auditor General Jack Wagner and Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham. Wagner had a large statewide re-election victory but he has just a little more than $300,000 in his war chest while Cunningham has even less and must spend this year for re-election to his current post.
One Wolf campaign strategy had been to encourage Wagner to run for governor instead of U.S. Senate to splinter the Pittsburgh base that he and Onorato share.
High Court Drama The state GOP endorsed Superior Court Judge Melvin for state’s highest court but colleague Shogan defers
Members of the Pennsylvania Republican Committee held its winter meeting on Saturday, Feb. 7 and endorsed six candidates for six open seats on the state’s appellate courts, including one endorsement for the state’s top court.
After defeating a motion to hold an open primary which would leave the decision entirely to party voters, the committee cast its ballots and voted 183 for Melvin, 46 for Shogan, 38 for Philadelphia Judge Paul Panepinto and 20 for Cheryl Allen of Allegheny County, a third Superior Court judge seeking to advance.
On Friday, in a closed-door session with party leaders, Shogan cited family ties to the Republican-controlled Senate as a possible disqualifier for Melvin. She noted that Melvin’s younger sister is state Sen. Jane Orie, R-Allegheny, a member of the leadership team of Senate President Pro Tempore and Lt. Gov. Joe Scarnati.
Shogan said she was disappointed that Scarnati asked members to support Melvin. She said Melvin would have to recuse herself on cases involving the Senate to avoid conflict of interest charges, whereas Shogan would not.
Melvin, in turn, downplayed Shagun’s bid for the top court as premature for someone who was a Superior Court judge for little more than a year. Prior to her election, Shogan was in private practice and she was a registered nurse before attending law school in the 1990s.
Whichever party wins the lone top court spot in November would have control of the seven-member Supreme Court, since there are three permanent members who are Democrats and three who are Republican. The outcome could make a difference if state House and Senate redistricting cases arise from the next census in 2010 and come before the courts for final determination.
As if to underscore the diminishing impact of party endorsements, after the vote, all three losing candidates, Shogan, Allen and Panepinto said they would still run in the May primary, despite a call from leadership for unity. However, Shogan has a history of doing so, having run in 2005 for Superior Court, spending heavily and almost upsetting the party-endorsed candidates.
The state party leader asked the losing candidates to reconsider. “Rebelling against our party’s decision may sound romantic, but ultimately it hurts our party at every level and our nominee in the long run,” said State Republican Chairman Rob Gleason.
Melvin is a former Allegheny County Common Pleas judge and former Pittsburgh city magistrate. She has been on the Superior Court since her election in 1997. She lost a general election bid for a single seat on the high court in 2005 to Democrat Max Baer, an Allegheny County judge.
Less controversial were the endorsements for three open seats on Superior Court. Allegheny County Judge Judith Olson, Philadelphia lawyer Sallie Updyke Mundy and Pittsburgh lawyer Templeton Smith Jr. were all endorsed.
Three Republicans sought the party endorsement for two open seats on Commonwealth Court. The party nod went to Harrisburg lawyer Kevin Brobson and Al Frioni, a commissioner on the Pittsburgh Workers’ Compensation Board of Appeals. The third unendorsed candidate was Pittsburgh lawyer Patricia McCullough.
Judicial folly Democrats endorse 6 candidates for appellate court even though others will likely run without party nod
Not surprising, the Pennsylvania Democratic Committee met Jan. 31 to endorse candidates for six seats on the appellate courts. Also, not surprisingly, the candidates who failed to win party endorsement vowed to stay in the race through the primary.
Such is the case for Democratic State Committee which has always had problems trying to discipline candidates who ignore the party’s wishes.
The reason is that very often Democratic voters ignore the party endorsement as well and nominate the rebels anyway.
The most famous recent most example was 2002 when then-Auditor General Bob Casey Jr. was endorsed for governor but former Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell beat him handily in that year’s Democratic primary.
So party discipline is a well known character flaw in state Democratic circles.
Sarmina told committee members she decided to run for the high court at the last minute and that she realized most people had already made their commitments to Panella. But she insisted she can raise the money and the support to win in a primary with Panella.
Earlier in the weekend, Panella, who spent 12 years in family law, told members of the women’s caucus that “There are no more important cases.” He also cited his work with the Pennsylvania Coalition against Rape.
Both candidates emphasized the importance of fairness in death penalty cases, while Sarmina said any change in the state’s death penalty policy is, “more of a political question” for the General Assembly.
Both agreed that mandatory sentencing takes “options away from judges” but they differed about what was most critical facing the courts.
Panella said that legislative redistricting is an issue of great importance to the courts, while Sarmina said death penalty appeals are a pressing issue which could be resolved more expeditiously.
The state Supreme Court election will determine the replacement for retiring justice Jane Cutler Greenspan, a Democrat, and decide which party will hold the one-vote party majority on the state’s highest court.
Six Democrats vied for the party endorsement for three open seats on Superior Court: Philadelphia judges John Milton Younge, Anne Lazarus and Paula Patrick; Allegheny County Assistant District Attorney Kevin McCarthy; Allegheny County Judge Bob Colville; and Lackawanna County Judge Tom Munley.
The committee gave its endorsements to Lazarus and Younge from Philadelphia and Colville from Allegheny County.
The candidates were asked about returning their cost-of-living raises as the governor had requested of other state employees. Lazarus, Younge and Colville all said they would donate their 2009 portions to charity.
They were also asked about ethics and impartial judgment when faced with corruption causes of other public officials. Lazarus commended the Supreme Court for disciplining five judges in the past month for unethical behavior and Colville pointed to that impartiality as key to keeping the public’s faith.
Five Democrats sought the party nod for two seats on Commonwealth Court: Philadelphia Judge Jimmy Lynn and four Allegheny County lawyers: Michael Sherman, Daniel Bricmont, Barbara Ernsberger and Linda Judson.
The committee chose to endorse Lynn of Philadelphia and Bricmont of Allegheny County.
Bricmont and Lynn expressed their views and experiences in the issues of workers’ and inmates rights. Bricmont said he understood workers’ rights from both sides of the worker; representing unemployed individuals and as employer from his time as mayor of Avalon, a Pittsburgh suburb.
“The judge has to be impartial, and be able to fairly apply the laws that the Legislature has passed with impartiality to both parties,” he said.
Four Corners of Pennsylvania and More Regional political news you can use
Southeastern Pennsylvania
He may be relatively unknown but he’s the first. Joe Torsella, 45, of Montgomery County, former executive director of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, filed paperwork with the Federal Election Committee to raise funds for a prospective U.S. Senate bid for the seat now held by veteran Arlen Specter, the moderate Republican from Philadelphia. A native of Berwick in Columbia County, Torsella said: “I intend to be a candidate…and I am taking all the necessary steps for my candidacy, including raising money, hiring staff and traveling around the state.” Torsella is a former deputy mayor of Philadelphia during the Rendell administration in City Hall and he ran for Congress in 2004, losing in the primary by 4 percentage points to now U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, D-Montgomery.
Meanwhile, with the declaration by former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey that he will not challenge Specter in the GOP primary in spring 2010, all eyes are on conservative activist Peg Luksik of Johnstown who previously ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1990, 1994 and 1998. Luksik has run as both a Republican and as a third-party candidate but the current interest is whether she will challenge Specter in the GOP primary. Stay tuned.
Southwestern Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh City Council President Doug Shield, 55, has removed himself from the list of potential challengers to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl in the May primary. One good reason may be that Shields has just under $3,000 in his war chest while Ravenstahl, the 29-year-old mayor, is expected to have $1 million. Ravenstahl’s financial muscle may eliminated all challengers but right now those still pondering a run include Councilman Patrick Dowd of the city’s East End and political newcomer Carmen Robinson, a 40-year-old attorney from the city’s Hill District, who filed papers to form a committee in December. She is a former city police officer. Republican Kevin Acklin, 32, a Squirrel Hill attorney, is also considering running on the GOP ticket. No incumbent Pittsburgh mayor has been unseated since the Great Depression.
Northwestern Pennsylvania
His thinning hair is gray, he has more wrinkles and he now wears glasses. At 61, former Erie County state Sen. Anthony “Buzz” Andrezeski is launching a political comeback saying he will enter the May 19 Democratic primary to challenge incumbent Erie County Executive Mark DiVecchio, 50, who is seeking a second term. Andrezeski has been out of office and largely out of the local limelight since 1996 when he lost a hard-fought challenge from Republican Jane Earll, who is now in her fourth term in the state Senate. Andrezeski, now a lawyer in private practice, said he lives on 28th Street in the City of Erie with his mother and wife, even though his two youngest children, 7 and 11, reside in Camp Hill outside Harrisburg and attend school there. He said they are cared for by his older daughter Rachel, 25, from his first marriage, who lives with them. Andrezeski cites his desire to make county government more “progressive” as his reason for running.
Northeastern Pennsylvania
The Roman-Catholic bishop of Scranton has taken issue with its favorite political son, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr., saying that Casey is “cooperating . . . with evil” by refusing to back legislation that would block U.S. tax dollars from flowing to family planning groups overseas that will not renounce abortion.
Bishop Joseph R. Martino, a major anti-abortion critic, said in a Jan. 30 letter to Casey published in the diocesan newspaper that Casey has o live up to his Catholic faith and “oppose abortion and other clear evils, including contraception.” At issue is Casey’s vote against an amendment to the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Casey supports tax dollars for contraceptives saying it reduces unwanted pregnancies and the number of abortions. He also contends existing federal law prevents tax dollars from being used for abortion overseas.
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