State Rep. Rick Taylor is running for re-election in the 151st house district. His opponent is Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Todd Stephens. Unlike other areas, Montco doesn't have any rules against ADAs running for office while still working as a prosecutor. This has led to some back and forth accusations in the campaign. From "Criminal defense attorneys filling war chest," by Rich Pietras (Intelligencer 7/26):
The Democrats cited several cases Stephens prosecuted, including a case heard Tuesday against Norman Brooks, who was arrested for allegedly molesting a 13-year-old girl. Democrats point out Michael F. Dunn, the defense attorney representing Brooks, has contributed to Stephens' campaign.
The article also references the same issue in regard to judicial elections. Stephens' campaign responds with some questions of its own for the Taylor campaign. All in good fun!
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3 comments:
Rachael Manzo was dispatched to Taylor by another Montco dem rep who eventually is in trouble. Taylor needs to file an in kind contribution for her services if HDCC paid for her if not an in kind from the tax payers. He is washed up and going down. Say goodbye now Rick Taylor. Have another illegal fundraiser at a state park
That is a very strongly worded comment. Let's take a look at some of those points. Both parties produce and mail campaign material and I don't think that has to be reported as an in-kind donation. Other organizations, such as labor unions and issue-oriented groups often distribute literature and workers for one campaign will often distribute information for races at other levels (state house and state senate, president and congressional, etc). I'm not sure any of that has to be listed as an in-kind donation.
But, admittedly, I'm woefully ignorant of state election rules. Can you cite the source of your information on what requires an in-kind or what is illegal? It would help me figure out what the rules on this are.
I'm not sure what you are referring to as far as someone dispatching Manzo. It is my understanding that Taylor notified HDCC that he wished to change campaign managers. Unless you are claiming that someone in Montco was running the HDCC I'm not sure how what you say could have happened. The HDCC did hold a contest among candidates and their supporters with the winner getting additional campaign help and volunteers. They were very upfront about that.
You might also want to consider, when posting comments like this, that when you click over from another service it leaves a very clear trail in usage stats. Unless you don't object to me being able to pinpoint you to a very small number of possibilities you should chose your words more carefully or change how you arrive to comment.
Pennsylvanians For Modern Courts discussed the ethical issues for judicial candidates in a little more detail on our blog, judgesonmerit.org. When a judge, no matter how honest, rules on a case involving a campaign donor, the money can create questions about the judge's impartiality. This is a big reason why we're advocating for Merit Selection for Pennsylvania's appellate judges.
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