Capitol Punmanship

Herr releases planned remarks for Saturday rally

Tom Murse — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:37:52 +0000

The National Organization for Women, which says it will target Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts in next year’s election, is holding a rally Saturday morning in opposition to the health-care amendment the congressman co-authored with Democrat Bart Stupak.

Lois Herr, the Democratic candidate for the 16th Congressional District seat, will be one of the speakers and has released a copy of her prepared remarks. Here they are, in full.

Good morning.
I want to start off with a date, and then a question. The date is January 21, 1973.
How many of you were alive on January 21, 1973? Raise your hands.
What’s important to us today about that date almost 37 years ago? For those who don’t remember, it was the day before the Supreme Court decided Roe v Wade. It was the last day reproductive choice was a crime in America. We hope.
Put simply, Joe Pitts and his radical friends want America to return to a time when women did not control their bodies, the radicals did. When a minority dictated how the majority could live. When personal religious beliefs trumped the Constitution of the United States.
Put simply, we are all here today to say to Joe Pitts and the radicals: “Not on our watch!”
We are here to say that we are morally outraged that you would hijack legislation that begins to solve one of our country’s most pressing problems. You would hijack health-care reform to further your own theocratic vision of the world.
We are here to tell you that we know what your full agenda is: to ban all abortions.
And, Joe, we’re here to tell you and your radical friends that we know you. You are mean-spirited, you are narrow-minded, and you are hypocrites. You are the people of “NO!”
When America needed strong measures to save our economy, you said “NO!”
When Congress voted to extend health insurance to millions of children, you said “NO!”
When the question was cheaper college loans for students, you said “NO!”
Extending unemployment benefits? You said “NO!”
Ban on hate crimes? You said “NO!”
And now this, Joe. You are saying “no” even to private health insurers providing coverage for reproductive health.
Joe, listen closely. Because it begins today, and ends next November. Fifty weeks from right now, on Election Day, November 4, 2010, we the people will have one clear message for you: “NO!”
A couple of days ago, one of Joe Pitts’ senior aides said in the paper that I was “insanely liberal.” Well, I like to think that I am, that we are, that America is, “sanely liberal.”
We believe in caring for and about each other.
We care about each others’ health, education, opportunities in life.
We care about being good stewards of our environment.
We care about creating a productive and sane economy that creates good jobs, rewards those who work and doesn’t punish those who fail to thrive.
We care about peace on this Earth.
We are “sanely liberal.” We are the people of “YES!”
And “yes” will always triumph over “no” in the end.
Thank you very much.

Prison-workers union fires back at county commissioners

Tom Murse — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:53:08 +0000

The county commissioners on Wednesday rejected, by a 2-1 vote, a spring arbitration award that gives county corrections officers raises in 2010 and 2011. The arbitration panel gave the 185 corrections officers, who are represented by AFSCME Council 89, a 7 percent pay this year. The officers are contributing more toward their medical benefits. It awarded similar raises for 2010 and 2011. “The county is, in effect, electing to treat the award as advisory for the years 2010 and 2011. That is, to say, not binding on the county,” county solicitor Don Lefever said. “The most likely result is it will end up in the courts.”

Here’s what the union had to say today:

Mike Fox Lancaster Co Prison

What, did they find out about those tapes?

Tom Murse — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:48:25 +0000

From today’s paper:

Planned for Thursday’s paper:

Pennsylvania: State of Corruption

Tom Murse — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:00:30 +0000

Yeah, we had problems well before Bonusgate. I love the Patriot-News’ not-so-brief history of political wrongdoing — alleged and otherwise — in our fair state.

Madonna & Young: Corbett’s Problem

Tom Murse — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:57:11 +0000

Politically Uncorrected
By G. Terry Madonna & Michael L. Young

TOM CORBETT’S PROBLEM

Attorney General Tom Corbett has a problem. More precisely, he had a problem. More about that in a moment!

Corbett’s problem was the same problem confronted by each of his predecessors since the Office of Attorney General became elective in 1980: how to leverage his statewide office into an electoral springboard capable of catapulting him into the governor’s chair.

It might seem that Corbett’s problem shouldn’t be a problem at all. His office is one of only three independently elected statewide offices, aside from state treasurer and auditor general. It is certainly more visible than the other two. And for reasons best known to the state’s voters, it’s an office the GOP can’t seem to lose. Every attorney general since 1980 has been a Republican. Across eight consecutive elections encompassing 28 years – from 1980 to 2008 – the winner has been the Republican nominee.

Moreover, being elected attorney general in a number of states has traditionally been the fast track to gubernatorial nominations and to the governor’s office itself. Voters like their attorneys general. And in Pennsylvania, they love their Republican attorneys general. Indeed, when making the office elective was first considered back in the 1960s, many assumed that future office holders would become heir presumptive to the governor’s chair.

In Pennsylvania, it hasn’t turned out that way – but not due to lack of trying. Corbett, in fact, becomes the third consecutive attorney general to seek the governorship.

But the electoral fates have not been kind to Pennsylvania’s top law enforcement officers running for higher office. So far for them, the position has been an electoral dead end.

This is – or was – Tom Corbett’s problem.
(more…)

Alert: Allen concedes LT supervisors race

Tom Murse — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:59:30 +0000

Republican Tony Allen conceded the race for Lancaster Township supervisor early this afternoon after a painstaking, 3½-hour manual recount showed his Democratic opponent won by 13 votes. “That’s it,” Allen said after the tally was announced by Lancaster County elections officials shortly before 2:30 p.m.

The results will bring an end to Allen’s 18-year career as a supervisor after 2009, and topple the Republican majority on the three-member board. Lancaster will be the first township in the county to be government by a majority-Democratic board.

Benjamin H. Bamford will join fellow Democrat Kathy Wasong on the board in January. She was elected to a six-year term in 2005.

The manual recount, conducted by nine county elections workers this morning, only added to Bamford’s margin of victory. The new total shows he won by 13 votes, or less than half a percentage point. The unofficial results from Nov. 3 showed Bamford had won by 11 votes.

Bamford got 1,191 votes to Allen’s 1,179, according to the manual recount.

The Board of Elections agreed to the hand recount after receiving a petition from 27 registered voters in Lancaster Township.

Allen said he would not take the case any further.

“We lost two votes. We just felt we wanted to have the correct numbers,” he said. “And it was less than half a percentage point.”

Allen, 71, of 13 Parkside Ave., is a retired industrial electrician who is completing his third six-year term as a supervisor, and is currently the board chairman.

Bamford is a 45-year-old real estate developer who lives at 1031 Woods Ave.

Grand Jury: Perzel targeted Barley

Tom Murse — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:37:17 +0000

You’ve heard about those taxpayer-funded robocalls Rep. John Perzel ordered against fellow Republicans who refused to “adequately conform to his directives” on how they should vote. Perzel also allegedly directed those calls be made against lawmakers he felt had become a “liability” to the caucus, according to the grand jury’s presentment. One of those targets, the grand jury alleges, was former Rep. John E. Barley, a Republican who served in the 100th Legislative District and was chairman of the influential House Appropriations Committee. Here’s a page from the grand jury presentment:

Barley resigned from the House in April 2002, in the middle of his campaign for a 10th term, for reasons never publicly explained.

Perzel’s dirty tricks

Tom Murse — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:24:42 +0000

Of all the things in the grand jury’s 188-page Bonusgate presentment against John Perzel, I found this the most humorous: Perzel allegedly punished a group of Republican House members who refused to “adequately conform to his directives” on how they should vote by directing untraceable “robo” or automated calls against them in their districts. “The calls were scripted in an extremely critical and damaging way against a representative in question and would often allow a constituent to directly connect to the representative’s office to complain about the alleged misconduct portrayed in the call,” Attorney General Tom Corbett’s office said. The company that made the calls charged the Republican caucus. They cost approximately $3,200 each time they were implemented. Perzel directed robo calls against his own members about a dozen times, the presentment alleges.

As they say: Your tax dollars at work.

The PDFs of the presentment are in three parts: One, Two and Three.

Alert: Official canvass confirms Bamford win

Tom Murse — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:06:00 +0000

Lancaster County elections officials completed their official canvassing of votes in the race for Lancaster Township supervisor this morning, and though they found four votes that had not been previously counted, the discovery did not change the outcome of the race. Democrat Ben Bamford picked up two of those votes, bringing his total to 1,190, and Republican Tony Allen picked up two as well, bringing his total to 1,179. The 11-vote margin of victory for Bamford, which toppled the Republican majority on the three-member board and makes Lancaster the first township with a municipal board ruled by Democrats, will stand barring a challenge from Allen.

However.

Yes, there is a “but.” Allen and party observer Immo Sulyok, both of whom attended the canvass this morning at 150 N. Queen St., expressed concern over the lack of a signature from an inspector of elections in the township’s 3rd District. Allen and Sulyok did not allege any fraud, but said that the finding raises questions, namely: Is that inspector the majority or minority inspector, and why did he/she not sign the election results in the district? Where is the inspector’s copy of the returns? Did the inspector of elections there simply forget, or did he/she disagree with the results? Mary Stehman, the county’s top elections official, was looking into the matter this morning. Allen won in that district by six votes, 88-82.

“It’s troubling because returns aren’t valid unless they are signed by the entire board of elections,” Sulyok said. The board includes the district judges of elections and two inspectors.

Also, as we mentioned before, Allen and Sulyok will manually review each vote beginning at 9 a.m. Friday. The Board of Elections agreed to the hand recount after receiving a petition from 27 registered voters in Lancaster Township.”No one has visually looked at the ballots,” Allen said after the canvassing this morning. “They’ve just been electronically scanned. We will be allowed to inspect them and know voter intent.”

Stay tuned.

Keeping tabs on the 41st

Tom Murse — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:26:09 +0000

I like the list of potential candidates for retiring Rep. Katie True’s seat put together by TalkBackers. As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve talked to some of those folks, and so far only ~~four~~ five have confirmed that are considering a run: Ryan Aument, Dave Dumeyer, Brett Miller, Mike Pickard and Scott Wiglesworth. I’ve also talked to many folks who have said, “Thanks, I’m flattered, but no. Count me out.” And lots of people haven’t returned my calls; until I hear from them, I don’t know what they’re up to. There are others who say they have not given the House seat much thought, but that they would not rule anything out. In that camp is Doug Brubaker, an East Hempfield Township supervisor. What I’d like to do is keep a running tab of everyone’s status, based on your list and one I’ve been putting together. So here we go. Feel free to send along your suggestions and input.

(UPDATED @ 9:22 PM, Nov. 11, 2009)

YES, I’M THINKING ABOUT RUNNING

Ryan Aument
Dave Dumeyer
Brett Miller
Mike Pickard
Scott Wiglesworth

WE’LL SEE. I HAVEN’T THOUGHT ABOUT IT, BUT WON’T RULE IT OUT

Doug Brubaker
Pete Shaub

NO, I’M NOT RUNNING OR EVEN THINKING ABOUT IT

Steve Blair
Blaise Conwell
Sheryl Eberly
Kevin Harley (doesn’t live in district)
Marc Lemon (no longer lives in district)
Holly Lyristis
John May
Diane Moore
John Pyfer Jr.
Gary Spangenburg
Bob Still (no longer lives in district)
Nicole Wamsley
Brandon Danz