Hansen Thank You

a note from State Senate candidate Jack Hansen:

To all my supporters and helpers;

 

The 2014 elections are behind us. The results are not what we wanted, but they are what they are. What we can learn from this year is that all committee persons have to work harder for the causes that we believe in, and all the volunteers have to stay engaged through every election cycle.

 

Elections are not about just one person, rather a common cause that will benefit all of us. I don't think any one of us saw the repeat of 1994 coming where there was a strong swing to the right.

 

We can take refuge in the fact that we elected Tom Wolf as our Governor, and Mike Stack as our Lieutenant Governor, but now it is our job to support them by staying on top of the issues and making our elected officials do our will and work with them.

 

I ran for State Senate because I believed that we need a change in our state government, and I still believe that! About 22,000 voters also believe that. It is the job of the candidate to deliver a victory for their supporters. I failed to deliver for you. I am not asking for sympathy in that statement. I am just stating a fact. I truly am humbled by all the support that you gave to me, and I will never forget it. I consider all of you friends even if we didn't have the opportunity to meet personally. Over the six months of this campaign I had the opportunity to travel over 17,000 miles in my old station wagon, and never leave the district, I attended town hall meetings, breakfasts with civic groups, luncheons with retirees, dinners with committees, and even a cruise on the Delaware River. I went to community days, parades, and picnics. I had the opportunity to speak with many people who all felt the same way about our government. They are tired of the gridlock and dis-function of our government that has haunted both Washington and Harrisburg. I knocked on doors and spoke with regular folks who just wanted to vent about their displeasure with the status quo. We all want the same thing. A government that works for all of us, not just the privileged few.

 

From what I have heard, with the exception of Tom Wolf, our campaign delivered a better showing than any other challenger in the state. I could not have done this without your support

 

I am proud of my staff, and all of the volunteers who worked so many hours to make a difference. Please stay involved, and informed so you can help candidates in the future.

 

Thank you for all your hard work!

 

Sincerely,

 

Jack Hansen

Jack Hansen's Election Results

Jack Hansen, Democratic candidate for the 24th state senate  seat, ran a write-in campaign in the May primary.  He needed 500 votes in the primary to be on the fall general election ballot.  It's a tricky seat because the district contains parts of three counties.

How did he do?  Overall he received 1,506 votes, triple what he needed.  (That number is what his campaign reported; the write-in vote totals were a few higher which leads me to believe Hansen recieved most of the write-in votes in Berks and Bucks.)  Here's the county breakdown, along with the votes received by Republican incumbent Bob Mensch:

Berks County:  It just lists the number of write-ins (89 D); Mensch received 1153 votes
Bucks County:  D write-ins (484); Mensch 1578
Montgomery:  Hansen 945; Mensch 4,586

Since Hansen is listed by name in the Montco results, and there are other D votes just listed as "write-in" (118) I'm not sure if Hansen was on the ballot in that county or not.  Since his votes were separated out from just write-ins I would think so.

For a write-in campaign he did extremely well.  Even without the Montco results he would have received enough votes to be on the ballot.  Kudos, Mr. Hansen.

Cickay Staying in State Senate Race

partial press release:

Candidate for State Senate (SD-10), Steve Cickay, has indicated he is firmly committed to continue his issue-based campaign against an incumbent career politician.  Cickay has assembled a team of grassroots volunteers who are very busy throughout District 10 spreading the word why the status quo is not acceptable and is confident that the traditional old-fashioned voter outreach will take his positive message of change successfully to the voters.

Damsker Asks for Debate

Ruth Damsker, former Montgomery County commissioner, is the Democratic candidate for State Senate in the 12th district.  She has formally asked incumbent Republican Stewart Greenleaf for one or more debates before the November election.

She lists some of the issues facing the district as:

1. Educational opportunities and costs for all our children. 

2. Fracking, taxing the drillers and the environmental concerns that surround it.

3. Recovering the $3.3 billion in medicaid dollars for 682,000 Pennsylvanians. 

4. Stand Your Ground/Guns Everywhere legislation and how it was narrowly avoided in
Pennsylvania, by a Rendell veto,  in 2010.

5. Equal Pay for women. 

6. Women’s healthcare and reproductive rights. 

7. Small business tax relief and economic growth. 

8. Net Neutrality and the impact on Pennsylvania business and consumers. 

9. Gerrymandering and voter access. 

10. Comprehensive non discrimination protection. 

Ruth’s views on many of these topics may be found on her web­site at VoteRuth.com

Hansen's Write-in Campaign in 24th State Senate District

from the inbox:

Democrat Jack Hansen has announced his write-in campaign for Pennsylvania state senator in the 24th district. Hansen must receive at least 500 write-in votes from registered Democrats in the Primary Election on May 20 to appear on the ballot in the fall general election as the Democratic candidate to challenge Republican incumbent Bob Mensch. No other Democratic write-in candidate for this race is known.

 A member of Lansdale Borough Council since 2008, Hansen is a past president and has served on the following committees: Administration and Finance, Public Safety, Code Enforcement, Public Works, and Electric. Jack is a leader in the Democratic Party on the municipal, area, and county levels. He served in the Navy during the Vietnam War (1968-1972) and owned his own house-painting business for 22 years. He is married with 2 children and 2 grandchildren.
 

Hansen is running on the platform of restoring funding for public education, placing a reasonable tax on Marcellus Shale gas production (“fracking”), accepting the federal government’s offer to fully fund expansion of Medicaid, and creating more good jobs in Pennsylvania so that everyone who wants to work will have a job to support their families. “With people working, our economy will get stronger, the family structure will get stronger, and families will be able to educate their children so they can be even more successful than their parents…. This is the true American dream!” See Hansen’s entire statement on jobs and other information about the campaign—including instructions on how to cast a write-in vote by county—on the official website: www.HansenforPAsenate.com.
 

Jack Hansen’s name will not be on the ballot for the May 20 Primary Election because he is stepping up to fill a vacancy that was created when a previous Democratic candidate dropped out of the race. This occurred after the finite period during which candidates may collect signatures on nominating petitions. Candidates who jump into the race after this period have no recourse but to launch a write-in campaign.
 

The newly proportioned District 24 in effect for this election is substantially different from its current configuration and will include the following municipalities in 3 counties:
•  In BERKS County: the TOWNSHIPS of Colebrookdale, District, Earl, Hereford, Longswamp, Pike, Rockland, and Washington; and the BOROUGHS of Bally, Bechtelsville, and Boyertown.
•  In BUCKS County: the TOWNSHIPS of Bridgeton, Durham, Milford, Nockamixon, Richland, Springfield, and Tinicum; and the BOROUGHS of Quakertown, Richlandtown, Riegelsville, and Trumbauersville.
•  In MONTGOMERY County: the TOWNSHIPS of Douglass, Lower Frederick, Lower Salford, Marlborough, New Hanover, Perkiomen, Salford, Skippack, Towamencin, Upper Frederick, Upper Hanover, Upper Pottsgrove, Upper Salford, and West Pottsgrove; and the BOROUGHS of East Greenville, Green Lane, Lansdale, Pennsburg, Pottstown, Red Hill, Schwenksville, and Trappe.

Cickay Launches Cickay Running Campaign

from the inbox:

Although a newcomer at running for political office, Steve Cickay, currently the Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania District 10 State Senator, has been running for most of his life. “I started running on my high school cross country team at age 11, and that was the start of a great lifetime habit” said Candidate Steve Cickay, who is now age 59 and still running. Steve did his last marathon 10 years ago in New York City, but still can be seen on the local 5K running scene. “Running has kept me fit and focused and has taught me important life-skills related to perseverance, going the distance, and accomplishing objectives.” 

            During a recent run along the Delaware River towpath, Candidate Cickay came up with the idea of combining his two passions of politics and running. He is, therefore, launching on May 10 in Doylestown his CICKAY RUNNING CAMPAIGN as part of his race for state senate. Steve and his supporters will be running on May 10 at 9:30 AM in the “Run, Walk & Roll 5K “which is part of the spring Bucks 5K Series (www.bucks5kseries.com). Rumor has it that his supporters will be getting some new “CICKAY FOR STATE SENATE” T-shirts if they finish the race. “Running in 5Ks is not only a great way to stay healthy, but also an opportunity to support some great causes for the local community. Of course by launching this running campaign, I hope to increase awareness of my state senate campaign and talk directly to voters after the races. But more importantly, I hope to encourage more runners to contribute to these worthwhile causes” says a hopeful and optimistic Cickay. The May 10 race supports teacher grants for students with special needs.

             Cickay hopes many runners will attend this race and wants to run in every 5K in District 10 between now and the November 4^th election. Next up are the two remaining races in the spring series, the May 24 Doylestown 5K and the June 7^th Chalfont Challenge. Check out his Facebook Page “Steve Cickay for State Senate” for his future 5K running schedule and join the fitness fun.  Cickay hopes to see many of you on both the campaign and road race trails in the near future!

Ruth Damsker Runs for State Senate

from the inbox:

Two term Montgomery County Commissioner Ruth Damsker announces that she will run as a candidate for State Senator in Pennsylvania’s 12th Senatorial District. Ruth seeks to replace 36 year incumbent Republican Stewart Greenleaf.


Damsker has served in Europe with the US Army Community service Program and was Cheltenham Finance Officer and Controller for 12 years as well as Montgomery County Commissioner from 2000 to 2008. In addition to her role as County Commissioner Damsker has also served in leadership roles in the American Cancer Society, Rotary International, the American Association of University Women and the United Parent Group.

Damsker is a member of the League Of Women Voters and was appointed by Governor Rendell to serve on the Pennsylvania Intra-Governmental Council on Long Term Care and the Pennsylvania Targeted Community Revitalization and Crime Prevention Committee.Damsker will be a fresh new voice with innovative ideas. As State Senator Damsker plans to restore education funding including early childhood education for all children; introduce a fair share extraction tax on natural gas; protect state lands, forests and streams; create jobs and grow the economy of Pennsylvania by providing grants and loans for small businesses--such as those using renewable sources of energy.

“My opponent, 36 year incumbent Senator Greenleaf has gone along with the right wing agenda of Governor Corbett, voting for a $1 billion cut in education funds, supported the tax giveaway to natural gas drilling companies as well as placing state lands, forests and natural resources at risk.” said Damsker. “Greenleaf supports Republican policies which are hurting hard working Pennsylvania families.”  

A resident of Upper Gwynedd, Damsker was married to the late Dr. Jeffrey Damsker for 35 years, a Radiation Oncologist. She graduated from Temple University and has three sons, Jason, Keith and David, who are physicians and a daughter, Rebecca who is a secondary Social Studies teacher. Damsker is the proud grandmother of 6.

Cickay in State Senate 10th District

Steve Cickay is challenging State Senator Chuck McIlhenny for the Pennsylvania State Senate seat in the 10th district (Bucks County).  Cickay is currently the Communications Chair of the Bucks County Democrats.  He has been active in community organizations, including his synagogue, for many years.  A more recent interest is rescue dogs.  Locally he may be best known for his op-eds and letters to the editor of the Bucks County papers. 

You can read more at "Newtown Democrat to Challenge McIlhenny," by James McGinnis, Bucks County Courier Times, 2/26/14.

No campaign website but reportedly one is underway.

Here is the introductory press release:

At the Bucks County Democratic Committee’s Endorsement Meeting on Saturday, February 22, 2014, in Southampton, Steve Cickay, Democrat and resident of Newtown since 1985, declared his candidacy for the Pennsylvania District 10 Senate seat, now occupied by Senator Chuck McIlhinney. Steve spent a lifetime dedicated to public service as a federal employee in the Departments of Army, Navy, Labor, and Treasury and ended his career as a member of the Senior Executive Service in the field of information technology, managing over 600 employees and providing service to over 35,000 customers.

                               

“I am appalled at the direction Governor Corbett and his Republican legislators have taken Pennsylvania over the past few years, “ said candidate Cickay. “Pennsylvania’s transportation infrastructure is crumbling, investments in our children’s education have been drastically cut, and our precious environment is being destroyed by greedy energy corporations who fail to pay their fair share of taxes. “ Candidate Cickay also expressed dismay over the failure to support Medicaid expansion, which has hurt Pennsylvania’s working poor and turned away millions of federal dollars from Pennsylvania that could have stimulated our economy.  “Failure to raise the minimum wage, failure to support marriage equality, and failure to support women’s freedom and pay equality make Pennsylvania seem like a state that is heading backward instead of forward into the 21^st century,” said Mr. Cickay.

 Mr. Cickay feels that a Democratic governor will definitely be elected in the fall and that, therefore, it is critical that a Democratic Senator be elected in District 10. Otherwise, he feels we will simply see a period of obstruction and inaction from the legislature during a critical time where action is necessary on a variety of critical fronts. Mr. Cickay is looking forward to meeting with voters all across District 10 over the next few months to assess their dissatisfaction with the current Republican leadership and hear directly from the voters their ideas for moving Pennsylvania forward.

Steve Cickay has been married to his wife Susan for over 33 years and raised two children through the Council Rock School system. He is currently retired and very active in local Newtown and BCDC politics, as well as various volunteer activities.