Phase Two of Women's Health Caucus Legislation

This is a mashup of two press releases on the same topic.

The Women’s Law Project and its civic engagement action arm, WomenVote PA, commend the Women’s Health Caucus, a bipartisan, bicameral caucus of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, for today unveiling the second phase of a comprehensive Pennsylvania Agenda for Women’s Health. Led by Representative Dan Frankel and Senators Judy Schwank and Chuck McIlhinney, the Caucus took a proactive, positive approach to helping women by addressing a wide range of legal and policy barriers to women’s health and equality with the first phase of legislation, announced in December.
The bills in phase two of the Pennsylvania Agenda for Women's Health include:

·       Patient trust: H.B. 2303, to be introduced by Frankel; Senate version to be introduced by Sen. Mike Stack, D-Phila. This legislation would protect patients and providers from inappropriate, unscientific legislative intrusion into medical decision-making. It would protect the patient-provider relationship from statutory directives to practice care in a manner that is not in accordance with the standard of care.

·       Requiring a "cliff effect" study: S.R. 62, sponsored by McIlhinney, would require the nonpartisan Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study the "cliff effect," where working parents receive a minor increase in their income that makes them ineligible for various programs that allow them to work such as child care assistance, transportation, food stamps and free and reduced school lunches. The phenomenon often creates disincentives for poor families to achieve self-sufficiency.

·       Creating a task force on women veterans' health care: S.R. 262, sponsored by Sen. LeAnna Washington, D-Phila./Montgomery; House version to be introduced by Reps. Pamela DeLissio, D-Phila./Montgomery, and Kevin Schreiber, D-York. The task force would submit a report by Nov. 30 on health-care issues unique to women veterans, along with the quality of and access to care for women veterans.

·       Increasing Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) benefits: H.B. 2305, sponsored by Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Montgomery. This legislation would increase the maximum TANF grant amount to 50 percent of the poverty guidelines published annually in the Federal Registry. Grants to families under the TANF program have not been increased in over 24 years, while inflation has dramatically eroded their buying power.

·       Exempt more earned income from TANF income limits: H.B. 2306, to be introduced by Rep. Michelle Brownlee, D-Phila.; Senate version to be introduced by Schwank. This legislation would raise the exemption from 50 percent to 75 percent to encourage people to work, acknowledging that low-income working families' expenses use up a large percentage of their take-home pay. At the current level, families in Pennsylvania often find themselves in roughly the same spot financially after they start working as they were before they started working, taking into account taxes, transportation, clothing and child care co-payments.

·       Ensuring fair pensions for widows of state and municipal employees: H.Bs. 2307 and 2308, to be introduced by Rep. Steve Santarsiero, D-Bucks; Senate versions to be introduced by Sen. Vincent Hughes, D-Phila./Montgomery. This legislation would require that a public employee obtain spousal consent for any benefit payment structure that does not provide at least a 50 percent survivor benefit to the employee’s surviving spouse. The federal government and 27 states have a spousal consent requirement to protect spouses, usually women, from being blindsided after a spouse's death when they discover that they are not entitled to any of their deceased spouse's pension benefit. 

·       Protecting all employees from sexual harassment: H.B. 2300, sponsored by Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh; and S.B. 475, sponsored by Sen. Jay Costa, D-Allegheny. These similar bills would end the exemption from state sexual harassment law for those who employ three or fewer people.

 The first phase focused on protecting pregnant women in the workplace, filling gaps in protection for nursing mothers at work, ensuring that women’s health centers are safe and accessible, strengthening the equal pay law and prohibiting wage secrecy, extending health screenings to more women, stopping intimate partner harassment, and ensuring that domestic violence victims are not punished for contacting law enforcement.

Bills from phase one of the Women's Health Caucus agenda that have advanced include:

·       Equitable protections for domestic violence victims: H.B. 1796, sponsored by Rep. Todd Stephens, R-Montgomery. This legislation would ban municipal ordinances that penalize crime victims for calling for help. This bill passed the House 197-0 in January but has been delayed by an unrelated issue in the Senate.

·       Stop intimate partner harassment (ban "revenge by invasion of privacy"). The Senate version, S.B. 1167, sponsored by Schwank, passed the Senate 49-0 in January and awaits action in the House Judiciary Committee. This legislation would ban publishing any photo or video identifying another person, who is naked or engaging in a sexual act, without that person’s consent.

More information about the phase-one bills can be found at http://is.gd/PaWomenPhaseOne.

SEPTA NIght Owl Service

from our friends at SEPTA:

SEPTA will launch a pilot program to offer 24-hour weekend service on the Broad Street and Market Frankford Lines with the start of summer transit schedules at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, June 15. This initiative is aimed at accommodating the demand for subway service among late night riders on
Fridays and Saturdays.

Trains will replace Nite Owl buses on weekends and holidays, including July Fourth and Labor Day. Buses will continue to operate Nite Owl service on weekdays. The service pilot will be in effect through the Labor Day Weekend for the “Made in America” festival. Other operational changes will include:
 SEPTA cashiers will staff major hubs and high ridership stations overnight on both lines. Where a
cashier is present, riders will pay at the entrance gate.
 At unstaffed locations, signage will direct passengers through turnstiles to the Owl boarding location,
where they will pay fares to the train operator at the head of the train before entering the train.
 Operators will accept exact cash fares, tokens, and passes. They will sell transfers, but will not give
out change.
 Trains will run every 20 minutes between midnight and 5:00 a.m. Arrival times at the City Hall/15th
Street Stations will be staggered by 10 minutes to accommodate transfers.
 Extra SEPTA police officers will be deployed to provide an enhanced level of security
 A passenger guide with additional information and tips for riding is available online at
www.septa.org/service/all-night.html

SEPTA replaced overnight train service with buses in 1991 due to low ridership, and to allow a regular
window for safety and maintenance tasks to be performed. “Philadelphia has changed since that time,” said SEPTA General Manager Joseph M. Casey. “Now with all of the restaurants, increased late-night activity, and people moving back into the city, we’re excited to be able to provide this service that city, business leaders, and customers have been asking us for.”

Nearly 10,000 riders currently use the Nite Owl bus service on weekends. SEPTA’s staff will evaluate
ridership, staffing costs, overall security, and other factors to determine whether 24-hour weekend subway service will continue beyond the pilot program.

Additional information about SEPTA, including maps & schedules, is available at www.septa.org

Update from CeaseFirePA

A note from our friends at CeaseFirePA:

Thanks to all your hard work yesterday, the "guns in parking lots" Amendment was ruled out of order and was not considered on the floor of the House.

But instead of getting to work on serious things, another Rep. has decided to attach the same amendment to a bill about certain electric vehicles scheduled to be voted on tomorrow. And we also know that the gun lobby is doing all it can to have its favorite bill -- the one that would allow gun owners to sue towns that enact ordinances like lost or stolen reporting (HB 2011) -- come to the floor.

We know Harrisburg heard from us yesterday, and we intend to keep sending the message that we want our Reps. to get their priorities straight.

They should be working on policies that will help make our communities safer, like expanding background checks.

As the games continue in Harrisburg, we’ll keep you posted about what’s happening and what we need to do to keep the lawmakers working for us.

A Cleaner, More Efficient Power Sector in Pennsylvania

a note from the White House:

We have a moral obligation to leave our children a planet that’s not polluted or damaged, and by taking an all-of-the-above approach to develop homegrown energy and steady, responsible steps to cut carbon pollution, we can protect our kids’ health and begin to slow the effects of climate change so we leave a cleaner, more stable environment for future generations.

We already set limits for arsenic, mercury and lead, but we let power plants release as much carbon pollution as they want. Yet, the effects of climate change are already being felt across the nation. In the past three decades, the percentage of Americans with asthma has more than doubled, and climate change is putting those Americans at greater risk of landing in the hospital. Droughts are becoming more frequent and more severe in the West. And extreme weather, from hurricanes to heat waves, is hitting communities across the country. Now is the time to act. We have already made progress by moving to cleaner sources of energy and improving the energy efficiency of our cars, trucks and buildings. Now, EPA is setting carbon standards for power plants to protect public health and welfare.

Improving the Health of Pennsylvania Residents

We know climate change will put vulnerable populations at greater risk – including the elderly, our kids, and people already suffering from burdensome allergies, asthma, and other illnesses. According to the most recent estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10.1 percent of Pennsylvania’s adult population and 10 percent of children in the state suffer from asthma. The sooner we act, including by taking responsible steps to cut carbon pollution from existing power plants, the more we can do to prevent impacts to this already-vulnerable group.

In 2012, 110 million metric tons of carbon pollution were emitted from power plants in Pennsylvania — equal to the yearly pollution from over 23 million cars. In addition to reducing a portion of this carbon pollution, EPA’s guidelines will also cut other forms of air pollution like soot and smog. In the first year of the program alone, these reductions will provide important health protections nationally, including preventing 100,000 asthma attacks in children and young adults and avoiding 1,800 – 4,270 premature deaths and up to 2,100 heart attacks. Pennsylvania residents will benefit from a share of these national health protections.

State Flexibility in Achieving Carbon Pollution Targets 

States will have flexibility to meet EPA’s target using the energy sources that work best for them and by cutting energy waste. To date, more than 35 states already have renewable energy targets, over 25 states have state-wide programs to cut energy waste, and 10 have adopted market-based greenhouse gas emissions programs. EPA’s proposal builds on progress already underway in each state and provides guidelines for states to develop plans to meet their carbon pollution reduction targets. It allows states to work alone to develop plans or to work together with neighboring states to develop multi-state plans, creating thousands of good jobs for Americans who are making our electricity system cleaner and our homes and businesses more energy efficient.

Cutting Carbon Pollution in Pennsylvania 

Through the President’s leadership, and the initiative of the state of Pennsylvania, local communities, and the private sector, a number of common-sense measures to combat carbon pollution in Pennsylvania are already in place. In fact, between 2008 and 2011, carbon emissions

from the power sector decreased by 5 percent in Pennsylvania. EPA’s flexible proposed guidelines for power plants will continue driving cost-effective measures to reduce carbon pollution in Pennsylvania, building off of recent progress:

·         Increased Deployment of Clean Energy: Since the President took office, we have increased U.S. solar-electricity generation by more than ten-fold and tripled U.S. electricity production from wind power. In Pennsylvania, renewable energy generation from these sources increased nearly 100 percent. Since 2009, the Administration has supported tens of thousands of renewable energy projects throughout the country, including 1,154 in Pennsylvania, generating enough energy to power more than 100,000 homes. Pennsylvania already has a goal to generate 18 percent of its electricity from renewable energy resources by 2021.

In addition, the Administration has supported construction of the first nuclear reactors in three decades as well as research and development for new small modular nuclear reactors; made an historic investment of more than $6 billion in clean coal technologies; and worked to streamline permitting of new hydropower as well as the transmission lines that connect clean power to consumers.

·         Improved Energy Efficiency: Using less energy to power our homes and businesses is critical to building a clean and secure energy future. President Obama has made essential investments in research and development to advance energy efficiency, and set new standards to make the things we use every day more efficient. Since October 2009, the Department of Energy and the Department of Housing and Urban Development have jointly completed energy upgrades for nearly two million homes across the country, saving many families more than $400 on their heating and cooling bills in the first year alone, bringing the state of Pennsylvania closer to reaching its goal of having electricity savings that are equivalent to 1.6 percent to 2.9 percent of June 2009 - May 2010 electricity consumption by 2016. Already, local communities are taking initiative:

·         Through the President’s Better Buildings Challenge, Pittsburgh committed to reducing energy intensity 20 percent by 2020 in 1.77 million square feet of its buildings.

·         Allegheny College in Meadville committed to reducing intensity by the same level for its 1.3 million square feet of building space.

·         Philadelphia Housing Authority has also committed 20 percent reduction in energy intensity by 2020 in 7.3 million square feet of buildings in its authority. Action Housing, a multifamily residential partner, has committed to reduce energy intensity 20 percent in 10 years in 815 thousand square feet of affordable housing.

·         Increased Utilization of Natural Gas: The U.S. produces more natural gas than ever before – and nearly everyone’s energy bill is lower because of it. “In fact, in 2012, total electricity generation from natural gas power plants increased by more than 50% compared to 2008.” In Pennsylvania, the average utilization of natural gas combined cycle power plants has increased by more than 165 percent, resulting in over 15 million metric tons of avoided carbon dioxide emissions.

Constitution Center Event on Campaign Finance

from the inbox:

Described as “always intelligent and provocative” (Wall Street Journal), the award-winning NPR show Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates (IQ2US) returns to the National Constitution Center for a no-holds-barred debate on campaign finance, super PAC’s, and the First Amendment. Following the traditional Oxford-style debate format, with one side proposing and the other side opposing a topic, the interactive program asks the audience to vote both before and after the debate, thus judging which team has had more influence in their argument. The debate will take place Thursday, June 26, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. and will feature top scholars including leading First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams, the Brennan Center’s Burt Neuborne, New York Law’s Nadine Strossen, and Fordham Law’s Zephyr Teachout. John Donvan of ABC News will moderate. This program is supported by the Daniel Berger, Esq. Programming Fund and The Snider Foundation, and presented in partnership with Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates (IQ2US).

Rudolph Clarke Moves

Rudolph Clarke, LLC, a law firm operating in Bucks and Montgomery Counties is moving their Bucks County office.  The new location is Seven Neshaminy Interplex in Trevose.  The Montco office remains on Sentry Parkway in Blue Bell.  So, update your contact list accordingly.

A Note From Daylin Leach

from the inbox, a note from Daylin Leach's campaign:

Since the end of my Congressional campaign, hundreds of people have written to me to ask what I'm going to do next. After all, we have thousands of supporters in all 50 states who want to see the causes important to progressives move forward. The one thing we can all agree on is that the single best way to move progressive causes forwarded is to elect progressive candidates.

As I contemplate the best way to do that I have been trying to assess what would have helped me as a progressive candidate, and one thing jumps out: As others have recognized, early money and support is crucial to helping nascent campaigns get off the ground and to recruiting quality liberal candidates.

Ultimately, many great liberal organizations got involved in my race and were enourmously helpful. But I was campaigning with only the support of a few courageous organizations for a full year before I received the bulk of the liberal institutional support. A progressive group with credibility, resources, and access to a network of activists and potential supporters could be extremely useful. It could vet and recruit progressive candidates, and put the best of them, with the greatest chance of winning, in touch with a large group of like-minded, politically committed donors and advisors.

So I am going to explore the feasibility of organizing such a group. There is much to do; guage interest, raise money, set up a PAC, recruit a board of directors, develop a political model, etc. And that is what I am going to do for the next few weeks.

I am not asking for anything from you at this juncture, other than any thoughts you may have as to how to make this idea a success. I will keep you posted as events unfold. Thank you for your past support of my campaign, and for your commitment to the causes which improve the lives of so many around our nation and the world.

Thank you for always being there, and I'm looking forward to an exciting future!

 

Thanks Note from Jack Hansen

from the inbox:

Dear Voters: I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone in the 24th Senatorial District who made the extra effort to cast a write-in vote for me in Montgomery, Bucks, and Berks Counties. I am so humbled by the outpouring of support! The count is not yet certified, but unofficially we received more than 500 write-in votes in Montgomery County alone, with another approximately 400 in Bucks and Berks. To secure my position on the ballot as the Democratic candidate for State Senate in the November 4 election, I needed at least 500 write-in votes total. You showed what we can do when we all pull together!

I am proud of my platform, which includes restoring funding for public education, placing a reasonable extraction tax on Marcellus Shale drillers, accepting the federal government’s offer to expand Medicaid for those who need it, creating jobs in Pennsylvania, and defending women’s rights. If you would like to learn more or contact us for any reason, please visit my campaign website at www.HansenforPAsenate.com. 

We can all expect a spirited race this summer and fall. My Republican opposition’s coffers will undoubtedly be sloshing with oil company money. Nevertheless, on November 4 we can pull together once again and elect Tom Wolf as Governor, Mike Stack as Lieutenant Governor, Jack Hansen as State Senator, and your local Democratic candidate as State Representative. Together we will set Pennsylvania on the right path for all of its citizens.

 

I ask for your vote on November 4, and I look forward to serving you as your next State Senator in 2015 and beyond.

Sincerely,

Jack Hansen                                                                                                              

 Democratic Candidate for Pennsylvania Senator in the General Assembly District 24

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

Statement from Berks County Dems

from the chair of the Berks County Democrats:

Dear Committee and Democratic Activists,

The Primary election is behind us and my heartfelt thanks to all of you who worked hard in support of our candidates.  Turnout Statewide was not great, but a good consolation is that the Republican turnout was even worse. Governor Corbett got less votes than the Lt. Governor and for a sitting incumbent that is telling of the support he has statewide.

Democrats are now excited to rally behind our Governor Candidate Tom Wolf and Lt. Governor Candidate Mike Stack. Tom Wolf was the decisive victor in every County in the State. We now will work doubly hard to retire one-term Tom Corbett and send our candidate, Tom Wolf, to Harrisburg.

Locally, our Party worked to make sure we have good candidates to send to the legislature. Tom Caltagrione and Mark Rozzi will return. Fred Sheeler is our nominee in the new 5^th Legislative District and Russ Diesinger will run in the 130^th. Kathy Cozzone will run for the 44^th Senatorial seat and Jack Hanson garnered the votes needed in Montgomery County to be our Candidate for the 24^th Senatorial seat.

For Congress we have a wonderful candidate for the 16^th CD in Tom Houghton, supported by all three County Chairs. Hats off to the City Committee who helped him get on the ballot and win the primary. Mary Ellen Balchunis will run in the highly gerrymandered 7^th CD having a small part of Berks, but 36,000 votes is still no small amount. Manan Trivedi will run in the open seat in the 6^th CD. All our candidates are top notch and we are committed to doing what it takes to win in November. I am asking all of us to pull out the stops and do what we must to help them win for all of us.

At the Committee level, we returned myself and Rosie Skomitz to State Committee. The rest of our delegation is brand new. Rosie and I look forward to working with our fellow delegates Patti, Peter, Chris, Rebecca and Isamac at the State Party Level. As State Committee members, they are automatically members of our County Committee. We look forward to working with everyone at the State Party level to move our agenda forward. It takes many years to develop the relationships needed to move issues and agendas and we trust our new State Committee members will take the time needed to meet their fellow State members and develop those relationships to the good fortune of Berks County.

On the County Committee side most of those who filed a petition were elected and there are many write-ins that Election Services must canvass and certify.

I look forward to continuing to work with everyone as we continue to build the party. We have a wonderful County Committee who loves a spirited debate and enjoys each other’s fellowship as we work to better our community, our County and our movement.

In closing, I want to again thank you all for all the hard work you’ve done these past four years. We have made significant advances in our goals and with electing Democrats to public office. However, the work is always ongoing and together, we will get it done. For me, you are more than fellow committee people and friends, you are family. Thank you for all you do.

Best Personal Regards,
Tom Herman, Chairman

Classy Statement from Kevin Strouse

The classiest email I have seen this electoral season, from Kevin Strouse, Democratic candidate for the 8th congressional district:

I’m so proud and thankful to have you on my team. Your support paid off last night when we won a tough primary.

My primary opponent, Shaughnessey Naughton, ran a strong, earnest campaign, and I applaud her efforts as well as her vision of America. I also sincerely appreciate her graciousness and willingness to stand with us as we take on Mike Fitzpatrick and bring new leadership to Congress.

It's time for all of us to unite. We have a difficult fight ahead but we can and will win because we share a vision that resonates with all Americans. In our America, we fight for an economy that benefits everybody -- not just big business. We fight for outstanding schools so that every child has access to quality, affordable education. And we fight for a first world infrastructure so that we remain the best place in the world to do business.

Your support means so much to me and I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done.
Thanks for being with me, from the beginning, now, and in the future.
Kevin

Statement from Montgomery County Dems

From the inbox, a statement from Marcel Groen, chair of the Montgomery County Democratic Committee:

Greetings! 

A very difficult primary has come to a conclusion, and regardless of the outcome, we can be proud that all the candidates were of superior quality who, as a testament to our collective hard work over the decades in building our party, reflect the values and principles important to us in Montgomery County.  

Congratulations to Tom Wolf and Mike Stack; to Brendan Boyle and Kevin Strouse; to Art Haywood; to Pam DeLissio; and to Jack Hansen for getting over 800 write-in signatures to be our candidate in the 24th Senatorial district.

Primaries are difficult for the contestants and their supporters. How we react to the results will determine how we, as a party, move forward.  Often, these struggles strengthen us, make us stronger, and are an integral part of our growth as an institution and a party.  I know that will be the case for us, for the victors and for those who were unsuccessful.  And, for those who fell short, we know that they deserve and have earned our respect and admiration.    

In the end, we know that primaries test us, challenge us as a party, which, after all, is the ultimate point.  We share the same goals of making our county, our state, and our nation a better place to live - from the wealthiest to the poorest - to preserve our environment, to ensure that government works for all and not just some, to promote tolerance, to eradicate prejudice, and to help those who need the most help.  We are Democrats and we believe in working for the common good for ourselves and our neighbors, for our time and for generations to come.  

When we talk about this election, let us do it with pride and comfort in the knowledge that we did our best, that those who participated deserve our thanks, and that we will all have to work together as a team to win in November and the future. 

 Marcel L. Groen, Chairman

Statement from Bucks Co Dems

from the inbox, a note from John Cordisco, Chair of the Bucks County Democratic Committee:

Yesterday was an historic day for Democratic values. Not only do we finally have a great nominee to take on Tom Corbett in November, but we welcomed news that the ban on same sex marriage was ruled unconstitutional, making Pennsylvania the 19th state to legalize same sex marriage. 

I applaud Judge Jones' decision and I offer my sincere congratulations to our friends in the LGBT community in Bucks County and all over Pennsylvania whose committed, loving relationships now have equal legal standing. 

Bucks County Democrats could not be more excited for what I think is one of the strongest Democratic tickets ever assembled. Congratulations to our nominee for Governor, Tom Wolf, and for Lieutenant Governor, Mike Stack. The Wolf/Stack ticket put up a resounding win yesterday and I am confident they'll have what it takes to beat Corbett and Cawley in November. 

Congratulations to our nominee for Congress, Kevin Strouse. We were very fortunate to have had two smart, talented, and capable candidates vying for this nomination who each had passionate supporters. 

Congratulations also to nominees Kim Rose, Steve Cickay, Ruth Damsker, and Jack Hansen for State Senate; and Steve Santarsiero, John Galloway, Tina Davis, Gina Kiley and Karen Chellew for State House. 

With the primary behind us, we must come together now as a united Democratic party to take on Tom Corbett and the Republican party in November. We have great Democratic nominees who share our common-sense, progressive values like creating jobs, women's rights, marriage equality, protecting the environment, access to healthcare for all, improving education, and strengthening of Social Security and Medicare. 

Thank you for your hard work on behalf of your candidates and for your continued commitment to the values of our Democratic Committee. I am very proud of what we accomplished yesterday and I'm looking forward to working with our nominees and each and every one of you to Turn Bucks Blue. 

Sincerely,

 John Cordisco

Chairman, Bucks County Democratic Committee

McGinty Concession Statement

from the inbox, statement by Katie McGinty:

“While the results are not what we wanted, I want to congratulate Tom for running a great campaign and a well-earned victory tonight. And I want to make it clear right now – I wholeheartedly endorse Tom Wolf, and I will be all in to help Tom Wolf defeat Tom Corbett in November! I urge all of my supporters to join me in electing Tom in November.

From the beginning of this campaign, I said that we were going to present a positive vision for Pennsylvania. A vision that focused on guaranteeing that children receive an education that will allow them a shot at the American Dream. A vision that any kid who wants to go to college or a trade school can afford to follow their dreams. A vision that anyone willing to get out of bed every day and work hard would not live in poverty.

This campaign has been quite the experience for my family and me. Traveling to every corner of Pennsylvania, meeting people from all walks of life, from big cities and small townships, I came away inspired. Inspired by the work ethic, the compassion, and the drive to make Pennsylvania better for every generation.

I want to thank everyone that supported me throughout this campaign. I thank you for your devotion, your financial support, your hard work, and your prayers. While we were not successful tonight, our fight for a brighter Pennsylvania continues. Our fight to build a Pennsylvania that improves the lives of Pennsylvania families continues. Together, we can defeat Tom Corbett and build a better Pennsylvania for everyone."

Schwartz Concession Email

from the inbox:

I'm writing to you tonight to say thank you.

Since I announced my run for governor, you have all been incredible. Whether you've shared a graphic, had a conversation that mattered at someone's door, or donated when I asked - I am so thankful for everything you have done.

We not only spoke out for public education, for health care for all, and for economic opportunity, but we called for real change in politics in Pennsylvania.

We knew we would change Harrisburg and so many voters agreed with us. And tonight, we did better than any Democratic woman running for governor has ever done in Pennsylvania history, better than any woman running in the city of Philadelphia has done.

We made progress that everyone should be proud of.

Yet, the political pundits, the media, the Harrisburg establishment couldn’t believe a woman could serve as governor -- couldn’t even imagine it. And denied it even mattered. And while it didn’t happen this year -- it will happen in Pennsylvania and across the country.

Because women’s accomplishments, women’s capabilities and talents must recognized and must be utilized as leaders, executives, and yes, governors!

Even though I won’t have the privilege of serving as your governor, I will not stop working to find the answers to our challenges and the opportunity to achieve our shared goals. I have called to congratulate Tom Wolf on his victory, and he has my full support in beating Tom Corbett in November.

Thank you for everything,

Allyson

Arkoosh Concession Email

from the inbox:

I wish I had a different result to report tonight, but unfortunately that is not the case.

That said, I wanted to say thank you tonight for taking a leap of faith to support my run for Congress. 

Over the past 14 months, I know you’ve helped knock on extra doors, stayed late at a phone bank, spread word about my campaign or chipped in another contribution. And that’s because in this campaign, you saw a chance to send a different kind of voice to Congress

Together, we’ve not only overcome odds, but also introduced so many new people to the political process who now want to get involved. That’s a success to be proud of tonight.

This campaign never gave up, because there’s always a future. And I hope we can continue that same spirit working together to bring new people with new ideas to the table.

But from the bottom of my heart, I wanted to express tonight how thankful I am for your unwavering support and friendship. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Val Arkoosh, MD, MPH
Democratic Candidate for Congress
Pennsylvania 13th Congressional District

Meeting Brendan Boyle

Some years ago I devised a set of criteria to evaluate candidates, and then used that to evaluate some of the people running for office.  It might be time to dust it off and use it again.  Over the past year I’ve had several occasions to observe State Rep. Brendan Boyle, one of the four Democrats running to replace Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz in the 13^th district (parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery County).  These include1 fundraiser, 1 organizational meeting, 3 debates, 1 public event, 1 fundraiser for another organization, and 3 meet and greets.  I’ve looked at his campaign finance reports, both congressional and state house, not thoroughly but cursory.  I did not identify myself as a blogger and to the best of my knowledge neither he nor his campaign staff know that I write this blog.  If an event was a fundraiser I paid at least the minimum amount to attend. 

Why Brendan Boyle?

As with other candidates I’ve written about in “meeting” posts, the reason I’ve been able to study Boyle this much is that his campaign has made it easy to do so.  It frequently amazes me that campaigns I have contributed to don’t add me to their mail, email or phone lists.  I only recently contributed to Boyle’s campaign but once I had showed up at one free event I regularly received phone messages and emails from them, inviting me to a number of events, some of which I was able to attend.  I really have not been contacted by a campaign as much as I have the Boyle campaign, not annoying contacts badgering me about volunteering or repeated invitations to the same event, but invitations to a variety of things. 

The Utility Test

This test refers to how the candidate reacts and responds to people who do not appear to have any current usefulness to the campaign.  When I’ve introduced myself I purposefully did so in a manner that made it clear I would not be much help to him.    In fact at times I’ve asked the kind of pointed questions that people don’t usually ask at candidate-specific events.  If he thinks I’m wrong he’ll tell me, in a polite and respectful way.  He seems to like talking with people.  At events with more than one candidate, sometimes candidates will stay in one area and let people come to them.  Boyle works the room and stops to have real conversations not just glad handing.  He is patient answering the same question over and over at the same event or at a series of events.  He’s good with people but not obsequious. 

Boyle’s Campaign Staff

Campaign staff tend to reflect the candidate.  Boyle’s campaign people are uniformly low-key and very polite and pleasant.   While I’m on their press email list I haven’t had much individual contact with the campaign as a blogger, perhaps reflecting to general decrease in the influence of small political blogs.  So I haven’t had a “handler” in my blogger guise, nor has anyone in the campaign been my primary contact when I’ve attended events.  I’ve had short casual conversations with a handful of his staffers at various events.  They were all well-informed, efficient, and easy to talk to.   Having been around politics a few years now I keep waiting to see a hard edge come out but so far none has.  His campaign manager (or at least I think that was his campaign manager) seems entirely too nice, efficient, but very nice.  I've been impressed with the campaign's work to keep in touch.  I get a lot of calls and messages at home, mostly recorded calls and, frankly, a little annoying.  Boyle's campaign calls to let me know of events in the area.  After I signed an interest form at an early debate I've received fairly frequent messages about other events, low or no cost, that I might want to attend.  While I did contribute to his campaign it was late in the campaign season.  I contributed to another candidate in the 13th district primary race much earlier in the election season, but seldom heard from them about other events.  

Boyle’s Supporters

I’ve spoken to some of Boyle’s supports before and, to be honest, started paying closer attention to him because someone I know suggested it.   But the people I’ve met at his events are easy to talk with.  Very low drama factor, and a lot of friendly laughter.

The Motivation Test

This refers to a candidate or official’s ability to get people involved in things they might not otherwise consider, or inspire people who disagree to work together.   Since he was the first Democrat ever elected to represent the 170^th state house district, he can clearly work with Republicans.  And he seems to have brought his primary opponents together, or at least given them a combined purpose in attacking him.   

General Impressions of Boyle

Boyle is a wonk – he talks policy quite a bit, but in a charmingly stiff way.  He has a good personal story; he father still works as a custodian at SEPTA.  Boyle is a first generation college student and still has student debt.   I don’t agree with him on everything but he takes questions well and explains why he supports the positions he does.   He has run a positive campaign and has remained positive at the debates I’ve attended.   Boyle is a good communicator and seems to genuinely enjoy talking with people.   He and his team have run a good campaign.

Boyle Holds Event "for the Rest of Us"

It is fairly common for candidates and campaigns to host fundraisers offering various levels of support. If you remember reading groups in school or scout patrols there are often similarities; you can sign on to support the candidate as a bluebird, cardinal, or eagle, or at the bronze, silver, and gold level, that sort of thing.  Brendan Boyle, one of the candidates for the 13th congressional district, is doing something different.  His fundraiser on Monday has levels based on the cost of a weekly SEPTA pass, a package of diapers, and five gallons of gas.  Kudos for more down to earth support levels.

SEPTA Service for Komen Run

from the inbox:

The 24th Annual Susan G. Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure 5K Run/Walk returns on Sunday, May 11, 2014. SEPTA will provide extra early Sunday morning Regional Rail trains to accommodate traditionally large crowds heading to the event. In addition, nineteen SEPTA bus routes will experience significant detours around Center City road closures scheduled for the duration of the event. 

 Travelers may want to consider using rail transportation where available to avoid surface delays during the event. Underground service on the Market Frankford Line, Broad Street Line, Subway Surface Trollies, and Regional Rail Trains will be the best option to avoid potential surface travel delays.

 REGIONAL RAIL SERVICE SEPTA will add additional service to Sunday morning trains to accommodate runners and others traveling to the event. These trips which supplement regularly scheduled Regional Rail service will arrive at Center City stations between 6 a.m. and 6:45 a.m. 

 A supplemental schedule is available at septa.org. The special schedule includes added and early morning service departing from the following stations:  

Airport Line: Extra trip departs from Eastwick Station at 5:47 a.m. 

Chestnut Hill East Line: Extra trip departs from Chestnut Hill East Station at 6:11 a.m. 

Glenside Combined Line: Extra trip departs from Glenside Station at 5:29 a.m. 

Media/Elwyn Line: Extra trip departs from Elwyn Station at 5:33 a.m. 

Lansdale/Doylestown Line: Extra trip departs from Lansdale Station at 5:12 a.m. 

Manayunk/Norristown Line: Extra trip departs from Elm Street Station at 5:48 a.m. 

Paoli/Thorndale Line: Extra trip departs from Malvern at 5:20 a.m. 

Wilmington/Newark Line: Extra trip departs from Marcus Hook Station at 5:48 a.m. 

West Trenton Line: Extra trip departs from West Trenton Station at 5:18 a.m. 

Warminster Line: Extra trip departs from Warminster Station at 5:41 a.m.  

BUS DETOURS Routes 2, 4, 7, 9, 12, 17, 21, 23, 27, 31, 32, 33, 38, 42, 43, 44, 48, 124, and 125 will be detoured around several Center City street closures at the following locations from 7:00am until 12:00pm on Sunday:   Kelly Drive – Fairmount Avenue to Eakins Oval.  Benjamin Franklin Parkway – 16th Street through 23rd Street.

 17th  Street – from the Parkway to Walnut Street. 

 16th  Street – from the Parkway to Walnut Street. 

 12th  Street – from the Parkway to Chestnut Street 

 Walnut Street – from 17th Street to 12th Street 

 Chestnut Street – from 17th Street to 12th Street  

In addition to the bus detours, riders should also plan for additional travel time and potential travel delays due to traffic congestion in Center City. Specific route detour information is now available at http://www.septa.org/events/race.html.

SEPTA Team Wins International Bus Roadeo

from the inbox:

SEPTA’s Drivers and Mechanics have proven to be the world’s best – again! For the second year in a row, SEPTA’s four member team bested dozens of competing transit agencies from the United States and Canada to win the Grand Champion Award at the 2014 International Bus Roadeo, held this week, in conjunction with the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) Bus and Paratransit Conference in Kansas City, MO. SEPTA was also crowned Grand Champion during the same event in 2013.