An Historical Note on Guy Ciarrocchi

While most people in the region are fixated on the Phillies, a few of us are engaged in normal activities, like seeing if candidate's names are ever incorrectly spelled in the newspapers.

In researching the 157th state house race, between Democrat Paul Drucker and Republican Guy Ciarrocchi, I ran across a rather odd footnote in Ciarrocchi's past that hasn't, to my knowledge, been mentioned recently.

Here's where I started:

She was asked why she had never been invited to Joe's family's home. Her answer indicated that, indeed, she hadn't and that Joe had always told her he didn't like the home and didn't care for his father.

"When I realized that Guy (Ciarocchi, Joe Waldholtz's closest friend) hadn't been to Joe's home either, it seemed to make sense."

But Joe Waldholtz said Enid had visited and in fact stayed at his father's relatively modest split-level home on Darlington Avenue in Squirrel Hill. (Roddy, Dennis, “Politics, bedfellows Joe Waldholtz says he loves Enid, but will tell the truth,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2/11/1996)

The woman speaking is former Utah Congresswoman Enid Greene Waldholtz. She's talking about her then husband and campaign manager Joe Waldholtz, whose financial irregularities earned him some jail time and ended her congressional career. In addition to mismanaging campaign funds he embezzled from his family. But is Joe's Guy Ciarocchi the same as our Guy Ciarrocchi? Let's see.

Here's a brief history of Joe's political history in Pennsylvania:

He played roles ranging from volunteer to senior staffer in several GOP campaigns in the late 1980s, including those of unsuccessful Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Bill Scranton and now-Sen. Rick Santorum's House race.

Joe rose through the ranks of his native Allegheny County's Young Republicans, once offering a free trip to Washington to whoever registered the most Young Republicans in the suburban congressional district encircling Pittsburgh.

Joe became a senior aide and eventually chief of staff to Republican National Committeewoman Elsie Hillman, a personal confidante to President Bush. The post won Joe periodic visits to the White House -- and a taste for the trappings of national politics.

At 25, Joe held a top position with the Bush-Quayle campaign in 1988. Four years later, he was named executive director of Bush's 1992 Pennsylvania re-election bid, putting him in charge of strategy for a state with the fifth-largest block of electoral votes in the country. (Semerad, Tony, “Waldholtz: He Plays Hardball,” Salt Lake Tribune, 11/14/1995)

Where was Ciarrocchi during those years?

In 1987 he was president of the University of Pennsylvania College Republicans (Walsh, Edward, “Publicity and pressure focus on an uncommitted Sen. Specter,” Washington Post 9/29/1987). In 1988 Ciarrocchi was the national co-chairman of College Republicans and a law student at Villanova University. (Simmons, Rose, “Republicans are succeeding at attracting the young,” Inquirer 11/12/1988). Some time before 1992 he was the head of the Young Republicans of Pennsylvania (Hollman, Laurie, “Barbs, sparks, fur fly in S. Phila race,” Inquirer 10/19/1992). In 1994, he was working for then state senator Melissa Hart of the Pittsburgh area (Hammonds, Donald I., “Controversy rages over tax proposal in state senate,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4/07/1994)

Back to Utah. When an warrant was issued for Waldholtz's arrest he disappeared for several days and then resurfaced as the friend, client and houseguest of Jeffery Liebmann, a lawyer living in the Philadelphia area (Harrie, Dan, Semerad, Tony and Maddox, Laurie Sullivan, “Blame Game: Joe May Cut A Deal, Turn Against Enid,” Salt Lake Tribune, 11/23/1995). Ciarrocchi and Liebmann were photographed together in a Wynnewood restaurant listening to Rush Limbaugh (Logan, Joe, “Limbaugh fans get a rush in new bonding experience,” Inquirer 7/14/1993).

So I think there is good reason to believe that Waldholtz's one time bff, Guy Ciarocch,i is the same as the 157th district Republican candidate Guy Ciarrocchi. Of course, the fact that Waldholtz's then estranged wife thought Ciarrocchi was his closest friend does not mean that Ciarrocchi viewed the relationship the same way. Does something this far back in Ciarrocchi's past have any bearing in the election? There are some other questions about Ciarrocchi's ethics, past and present (see whatkindofguy.com for examples). Ciarrocchi's campaign has a similar site about his opponent Paul Drucker (see slipandfallpaul.com). I found the Waldholtz connection while trying to verify and find a context for the claims on both of these sites. For the curious I did verify the information on Ciarrocchi's first house run in the early 1990's against Rep. Donatucci, the Archdiocese and HUD job experience. On the Drucker side, I did find that he was a lawyer on one of the suits the anti-Drucker site discusses but did not get much farther than that. Those who have qualms about Ciarrocchi might see the Waldholtz information as another example of questionable connections or behavior.

If time allows before the election I would like to write more about this race.

Lawsuit on Emergency Ballots

From the inbox:

A coalition of Pennsylvania voters and civil rights groups, led by the NAACP State Conference of Pennsylvania, filed a lawsuit today in federal court in Philadelphia seeking to ensure that voters receive emergency paper ballots on Election Day when 50% or more voting machines become inoperable at any polling site in the state. The lawsuit, filed against Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Pedro A. Cortés, alleges that voters will be disenfranchised when they face the burden of having to wait hours in line, due to voting machine breakdowns, in order to exercise their constitutional right to vote.

“In Pennsylvania this year,” the complaint states, “an unprecedented interest in voting, a record number of newly registered voters, and a well-established history of widespread electronic voting machine failures have converged to create a perfect storm that, left unaddressed, unquestionably will result in the disenfranchisement of substantial numbers of citizens.”

The lawsuit follows numerous reports during Pennsylvania’s primary election in April of voters facing long lines when electronic voting machines became inoperable at their polling sites. Voters called national election protection hotlines on primary day, including 866-MYVOTE1, reporting that election officials were not providing the safeguard of emergency paper ballots when voting machines malfunctioned. Callers stated that voters were told either to wait in line – sometimes for hours – or to come back later to vote. The reports revealed that many voters left their polling locations without casting their votes.

“Voters should not be forced to wait hours in line in order to exercise their fundamental right to vote,” says John Bonifaz, legal director for Voter Action and co-counsel for the plaintiffs. “While the use of electronic voting machines continues to pose a separate threat to the integrity of the vote-counting process, federal court intervention is necessary to ensure that voters will not be disenfranchised by long lines on Election Day in Pennsylvania, when these machines become inoperable.”

“Pennsylvania’s Secretary of the Commonwealth has issued a directive to all Pennsylvania counties requiring that emergency paper ballots be distributed only when 100% of voting machines malfunction on Election Day,” says Jonathan Abady, a partner at the New York-based law firm Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady, and co-counsel for the plaintiffs. “If left unchanged, this standard will place an undue burden on voters across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

In his declaration filed with the lawsuit, J. Whyatt Mondesire, the president of the NAACP State Conference of Pennsylvania, states: “One of the major impediments to members exercising their right to vote is the long lines frequently encountered on election day…Thousands of members have faced serious delays in voting when machines have broken down in the past and this problem will be much more severe this year when unprecedented numbers of voters will be coming to the polls.”

In addition to the NAACP State Conference of Pennsylvania, the plaintiffs include individual voters who reported long lines and voting machine breakdowns during the state’s primary election in April, as well as the Election Reform Network, a local election integrity organization. The plaintiffs are represented by Voter Action, a national voting rights organization, the law firm of Emery Cell Brinckerhoff & Abady, and the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia.

Report Voting Problems on Twitter

For twitter users:

With less than 15 days until Election Day, the non-partisan Election Protection coalition is enhancing its outreach efforts through a partnership with the Twitter Vote Report project, Rock the Vote, and other coalition partners. With more than 125 million voters projected for this year, issues at the polls are inevitable. Citizens can help Election Protection as they work with election officials to find ways to fix any problems, on the spot, at the polls, and in doing so ensure that millions of Americans have their votes counted.

Twitter's text-messaging and web capabilities and its vast network of active users allow all voters to become election monitors. Users will send "tweets" indicating problem areas, which will make it possible for Election Protection to identify issues in real time and immediately deploy legal volunteers to polling locations where trouble is brewing when necessary.

"The Election Protection coalition is constantly exploring new ways to engage all Americans in the effort to make sure every vote is counted, and we have a special focus on connecting with the youth who represent a large block of first time voters," said Jonah Goldman, director of the National Campaign for Fair Elections at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. "This new initiative with Twitter Vote Report gives us the opportunity to penetrate communications streams that youth and others use in their everyday lives to communicate with friends and stay informed on the news of the day. We are eager to observe the myriad ways in which voters are empowered through the ability to provide real time updates as they vote."

Heather Smith, Executive Director of Rock the Vote said, “We are thrilled to partner with Election Protection and techPresident to give young people the opportunity to share election related questions and problems through Twitter. This program creates a new way to ensure that every young voter will be able to cast a ballot this year.”

Election Protection is partnering with Twitter Vote Report, an effort launched on Personal Democracy Forum's techPresident and energized by a group of volunteer technologists, to encourage citizens to broadcast text messages to Twitter.com that can be then be aggregated and mapped so voting problems around the country can be “seen” in real-time. These reports can then be relayed to the experts at the Election Protection Coalition who will, in turn, relay information to their teams on the ground.

"The goal of Twitter Vote Report is to expand the ways in which Americans participate in the electoral process this Election Day," said Nancy Scola of techPresident.

Allison Fine, of Personal Democracy Forum and a Senior Fellow at Demos, added, "On November 4, citizens will be able to "tweet" their vote using the identifying tag of #votereport to Twitter Vote Report. Our partnership with Election Protection and Rock the Vote will greatly expand the role and ability of citizens to protect the election for themselves and their neighbors." 


From now until November 4, users can access the Election Protection Twitter account at http://twitter.com/866ourvote and tweet with questions and voting problem reports. On Election Day, voters will be able share their experiences and report problems using the #EP + State Abbreviation (i.e. #EPVA for Virginia) and #votereport tags. Election Protection state teams will monitor and confirm tweet-reports, then work to resolve any issues.

Election Protection will also be posting a comprehensive Twitter toolkit on the 866OURVOTE.org website for those who want to tweet us on Election Day. Voters can also access Election Protection's other free resources, the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline and the voting information at 866OURVOTE.org.

Upper Dublin Site Proposed for Superfund

From the inbox:

On September 3rd, 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] proposed adding the BoRit Asbestos Site to the Superfund National Priority List [NPL]. The EPA is currently seeking public comment on the proposal.

Located by the Wissahickon Creek at the intersection of Whitpain Township , Upper Dublin Township and Ambler Borough, the BoRit site has been waiting for clean-up for decades. Getting it placed on the NPL is the best way to insure that the surrounding community and future generations will be free from the health and environmental threats the site poses.

“Having the BoRit Asbestos Site recommended to be placed on the National Priority List is a victory for the community and for the hard working individuals who united with the specific intent to protect the safety and well being for generations to come. I am very proud of all that has been accomplished and look forward to continuing the task of protecting and preserving our community,” said Rick Taylor, PA House Representative for District 151, one of the elected leaders involved in working with the EPA on the BoRit site.

Community and environmental groups like Clean Water Action, Citizens for a Better Ambler and the Community Advisory Group have been working alongside local politicians like Rep. Taylor and Rep. Mike Gerber and the EPA to address this long overdue problem.

“This is the largest asbestos waste pile in the United States and it has never been properly dealt with. The site is hazardous to the health and environment of the communities living by it and should have been made a Superfund site long ago,” said Anne Misak, Program Organizer for Clean Water Action and a member of the Community Advisory Group for the BoRit site.

Citizens and organizations in the area are encouraged to submit comments in favor of the site being listed. The comment period is open through November 3rd. To submit a comment, visit http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/pubcom.htm and make sure to include the docket number for this site: EPA-HQ-SFUND-2008-0582.

“Clean Water Action encourages everyone to take a few minutes to post a comment in favor of the BoRit site becoming a national priority for clean up,” said Misak.

Linder Endorsed by Steelworkers

From the inbox:

9th District Democratic State Senate candidate John Linder today accepted the endorsement of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 10-1. USW Local 10-1 represents over 700 workers at the Sunoco Philadelphia refinery, the oldest continuously operating petroleum facility in the world.

Local 10-1 President Jim Savage released a statement in support of Linder’s candidacy.

"Working families in Pennsylvania deserve a government that serves their needs, not the same old partisan gridlock," Savage said. "While health care costs continue to spiral out of control and squeeze working family budgets, Senator Pileggi seems to take pride in being an obstructionist. The people of the 9th District deserve results, not partisan games. That is why USW Local 10-1 overwhelmingly endorses John Linder for State Senate."

Linder accepted the endorsement and spoke of the growing support for his candidacy.

"I graciously accept the endorsement of United Steelworkers Local 10-1," Linder said. "The hardworking people of Chester and Delaware Counties understand that I am the candidate who will best represent their interests in the State Senate. I will fight to enact meaningful health care reform, reduce energy costs, and adequately fund our schools.

"My campaign’s momentum is growing by the day. With only eleven days left until the election, I am confident that we have a real chance to win. My campaign will continue working hard until the votes are counted. We can win this race."

Police Report on Sign Theft in the 13th

You have to read this. Really. John McDermott, third party candidate in the 13th congressional district, called the police because someone in the campaign office of the Republican candidate was taking his campaign signs. You can read the police report here on his website.

Seriously, it will give give you a real appreciation for campaign comedy.

KPOJ Podcast

Someone wrote and asked me if my appearance on Portland's KPOJ Thom Hartmann show. Honest, someone did. The podcast is available, at least for now. I am on the 10-22 show, the 7-8 segment, at about the :45 minute mark.

Harper and Custer on "Comment Please"

Earlier this month Kate Harper and Frank Custer were on "Comment Please" by Univest, a talk show on wnpv1440. Host Darryl Berger does a fantastic job of talking with candidates. Not all of his comments are represented here as he is very skillful at guiding the conversation in an understated way.

At present the debate is available on the Comment Please website. This blog post is not intended as a full transcript but notes typed while listening; interested parties are encouraged to listen for themselves or to contact the campaigns for clarification of the candidates' positions on the issues.

Comment Please by Univest.
Host: Darryl Berger
Taped Oct 2nd.

Incumbent Republican Kate Harper / Democrat Frank Custer
61st state house district

Good afternoon and welcome, Oct 2nd. 1 minute open and closing statement.

KH: Happy to be here. In the few years I’ve been in Harrisburg I’m most proud of my work on the environment. Growing Greener II, working with people on both sides of aisle to come up with energy program for PA. Require power companies to buy alternative energy. Recently increased the amount of this. Combining it with economic development money, attracted a windmill manufacturer to PA. Creating clean energy industries and creating jobs.

FC: Happy to be here. Excited to be running in this race. This race is vitally important to PA. The Democrats have a one vote margin in the house. In my view we need to increase that on the D side. Long career in politics in private and public, state and federal levels, served as Congressman Hoeffel’s press secretary, now have a consulting firm. Looks forward to putting experience to work in Harrisburg.

Q: economic bailout, a federal issues, but people worried about the economy. What should be happening in Harrisburg to brace the state.

KH: PA doesn’t have as many mortgage foreclosures as other states. Passed a bill on mortgage foreclosures. PA budget depending on state’s economy. PA must have a balanced budget by June 30 each year. Beginning to tighten budget and watching projections on a monthly basis. We won’t know until April next year. Next year may be very difficult year, may need to cut existing programs.

FC: We all know what the problems are at the federal level with subprime mortgages and things like that. What we’ve watched over the past couple of weeks is lack of leadership on both sides of the aisle. People are not stepping up the plate in DC. Colossal lack of leadership. When PA faces shortfalls next year I hope people in H’burg and I hope I’m one of them exhibit leadership lacking in DC. Current leadership in H’burg not up to the task. There are going to have to be cuts or re-prioritizing.

Q: tax reform. Every time the legislature tries to do something it doesn’t work. Act 1 rejected across the state.

KH: That was actually Act 50, Act 1 is in effect across the state. You’re right that the school districts don’t like it. It has had a very beneficial effect in some school districts where school board can turn to teachers and say if we raise your salaries that much we’ll have to ask for a increase on the ballot. One of the difficulties in PA is that in some areas property taxes are paying a lot of the school’s costs. If we abolished the property tax in some areas it would mean individuals would have to make up the difference. Maybe what we need is a way to benefit seniors and some others that can’t pay. In addition this year some taxpayers saw the effects of the Homestead Act. In affluent districts people pay 90% of education costs and not much from the state.

FC: I think the state has to begin to pay more and more of its fair share for education. Over time it has eroded it is supposed to be up around 50% and it has fallen. Over the course of several years if we can get that back up to around 50% that will help a lot. We need to make sure that revenue from casinos and gambling goes to education.

Q if you could vote to expand the types of gambling to table games in order to provide more prop tax relief would you do it?

FC: Probably would. Not a big fan of gambling but if people are going to gamble would rather they didn’t go to NJ or NY.

KH: would not at this time support an expansion of gambling. It has not lived up to expectations but not all casinos are open yet. Average resident will lose $200 in gambling this year. Since I don’t gamble someone else is losing more.

FC: It hasn’t lived up to expectations because two casinos have not opened up in Philly. I have the same reservations that Kate does.

Q: Back end referendum has some meaning

KH: The reasons areas have not had an opportunity to vote because school districts have made an effort to stay in budget. The school board does not want to go out to the voters. Two third of districts budget set because it is salaries. If they grant higher contracts they will need to go to referendum.

Q: would you vote to repeal teachers right to strike

KH: I would. Teachers like firefighters and police officers should not be able to strike. Would vote for binding arbitration.

FC: I think they should be able to strike. I grew up in a union household. The right to strike is one of the basic premises to collective bargaining. I would not vote to remove that form the teachers.

Q: Frank, questioning incumbent’s commitment to job because she represents municipalities as a solicitor

FC: Issue not outside income or another job. The issue is when given a choice between being in H’burg doing her duties and having the responsibility of being a solicitor for a local twp or borough she had opted to be at home as a solicitor. I believe that if you are elected by the people it should be your primary responsibility. You should be in H’burg to vote. People do miss votes, doctor’s appointments, weddings, deaths, etc. Outside income is another thing. I am a writer of sorts. If I write an article on a weekend or an attorney does that in his own time. But Kate has missed votes to come back and act as a solicitor. PA is considered a full time legislature.

KH: As of Sept. 1, I have a 98% attendance record. I’m deeply committed to the job. There have been a few occasions when I’ve missed late night votes, almost all were unanimous, almost all of them I voted for in committee. Most people don’t have a 98% attendance record in their job. No one works harder than I do for the 61st district. I’m at boy scout ceremonies, firefighters dinners, etc.

FC: You are at all those things but when is the conflict between your two masters you don’t chose H’burg. If those votes are unanimous, they certainly were important for 200 of her colleagues to be there.

KH: municipal meetings at night so usually doesn’t conflict. D’s in charge of House and calendar. Occasionally there are unpredictable votes on Monday night and if I know then I can get another lawyer to be at the municipal meeting for me. I selected municipal work because it wouldn’t conflict with the House calendar. Generally not a conflict. If I were late or had to send a substitute it’s okay.

Q: did you miss the payraise vote

KH: no I didn’t.

FC: So you don’t want votes after 5 p.m.?

KH: I didn’t say that.

FC: When this article was in the paper and Rep. Harper responded. She said she needed to have the second job so she could have the integrity to stand up to her leadership in H’burg.

KH: if you’re going to quote me quote me directly. The ability to earn an outside job is a good thing. I don’t ever want to be in a situation where I am so desperate for a job that I’ll vote for something to keep my job. I can make it in the private sector and support my family. It is important to the integrity of the public sector for people to know they can support themselves outside of office. John Adams told his son make sure you are never dependent on the public job.

Q: votes late at night, early in the morning. This cloud called Bonusgate. Indictments directed at Ds in the House. Attorney Gen said no other indictments before the election

FC: When I heard about Bonusgate I was sickened. It was abominable. I also said I would not vote to reelect current D leadership. There are many things that could be changed in H’burg. One thing that is tremendously needed is a campaign finance law. The idea that anyone can donate anything to anyone is ridiculous. Bipartisan commission needed to redraw districts every 10 years. I am against term limits. That came up in a forum last Saturday. I’m against them more at federal level than state level. Need for institutional knowledge. You can have term limits – they are called elections.

KH: I think one of the easiest things that could be done fairly simply. Campaign manager for Rick Tayler paid for by tax dollars. Easiest thing done could be sunshine on leadership accounts. Some of my colleagues said “I didn’t know how they were paying that guy.” Nobody knew that because leadership accounts are not accountable. That is a fairly easy fix. Two very dangerous times -- sine die, the days after the election when legislators are lame ducks, late at night when people are tired and just want to get things done. We stopped that – bills have to be amended on second considerations and 24 hour delay before voting. That rule is good. We don’t meet past 11 p.m. and that is good. Truth is you have to have committee meetings before the legislature starts. Those rules are good reforms. Nervous about constitutional convention. Afraid of a runaway. If it is not strictly limited. Constitution is deliberately difficult to amend. Let’s talk about the size of the legislature. We do have one of the larger legislatures but we also have one of the largest populations. Montco is fortunate in that we have fine reps on both sides of the aisle but another rep’s district covers 3 counties. Going door to door is very difficult . dilutes the voice of rural people. Let’s go for making transparent how things happen and how money is spent.

FC: would not be for a constitutional convention. We can fix what’s wrong without changing constitution. There was talk of a special session on ethics. Kate was against that. She brought up the Rick Tayler situation. In the last couple of weeks of the campaign if you get a new campaign manager. If she comes from the state you assume she is being paid by party and not state money. It has only been D’s indicted so far because the Attorney General is a Republican. It is assumed that next group will be Republicans. To the point of a smaller legislature. If you go to a smaller legislature you will need more staff and more resources to serve those 120,000 people or whatever.

KH: Frank’s making my argument. If leadership accounts were public this wouldn’t have happened. Leadership won’t agree.

FC: That’s why we need new leadership. There are people who want reform, Josh Shapiro is one of them.

KH: we haven’t talked about the things important to the people of the 61st, like traffic and the environment.

Closing

FC: Thank you for having us today. There are important issues today. Health care is one of them. When I knock on doors health care comes up again and again. I was walking in Whitpain township in an area where houses must be worth over 300,000 a woman told me her health care cost more than their mortgage. Met a couple expecting a baby who haven’t seen a doctor because they don’t have insurance. The constituents of the 61st will always know how I stand. www.votecuster.org

KH: You just threw me a curve ball by saying I waffle. If there is anything I am known for it is speaking my mind. Redesigned roads so it wouldn’t interfere with people. On Rte 202 worked with people directly. Longstanding supporter of environmental issues. I think I’ve been an effective legislature. Don’t have a campaign website, legislative. www.kateharper.net.

Local Politicos on CN8

This Sunday evening, CN8, The Comcast Network will broadcast two programs on behind-the-scenes campaign issues; they will also be available via Comcast On Demand. Both have local politicos on.

At 9:30 Larry Kane will look at the presidential race. State Rep. Josh Shapiro and Inquirer columnist Dick Polman are among his scheduled guests.

At 10:00 p.m. Robert Traynham's "Roll Call" will discuss the role of woman in the campaign. His guests will include Pennsylvania State Treasurer Robin Weissmann and Renee Amoore, vice chair of the Pennsylvania Republican Party.

Tim Briggs in Main Line Life

Main Line Life ran a nice article ("Briggs thinks he's ready after working behind the scenes," by Cheryl Allison) on Tim Briggs, Democratic candidate for the open 149th state house seat. The site does not have permalinks (or at least as far as I can tell) but the article is reproduced on Briggs's campaign website. Here is an excerpt:

"When people talk about education in Lower Merion," for example, "it's more about the services, the special education needs, redistricting," he said. However, he said he backs Gov. Ed Rendell's program to infuse more state funding, and said that finding a way to get all districts to minimum funding levels "is a mission for the commonwealth."

The "rising cost of health care, gas prices, infrastructure improvements, political reform" all are concerns he is hearing from voters. And, as the country seemed mired in an economic crisis in recent weeks, that, certainly, has been their first topic, Briggs said.

"The last couple of weeks have really shown me why I want to go to Harrisburg and fight for working families and the future," he said. By "rescuing" banks and other financial institutions, "We're saddling generations to come with a huge burden. We need to deal with the situation, but not leave out Main Street." The way to do that, he said, is "to build jobs, invest in our infrastructure, build a green economy, and not just turtle up and wait till the next crisis."

Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia Event

From the inbox:

On Saturday, October 25, 2008 Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia (CSFP) will hold a benefit, hosted by Urban Outfitters. The Urban design team is creating an indoor carnival filled with incredible visual treats which will include mechanical bull(s), skeet ball, caricaturists and a host of other carnival activities. Philly celebrity chefs will provide the food. Text-to pledge, a novel fund raising activity technique will take the place of an auction. Dick Hayne (President of Urban Outfitters) and Mike O’Neill (CEO of Preferred Properties) will lead this segment of the evening’s activities.

Helping to reach the one million dollar mark are CSFP’s lead corporate sponsors: Wawa, PNC, Urban Outfitters, AmerisourceBergen, Verizon Wireless, Mass Marketing Insurance Group and Cigna. “We began this program nine years ago using simple and unchanging principles – hope, opportunity and success” said CSFP President Evie McNiff. “We believed then as we do now that when families are given hope in the form of educational opportunity, they can achieve success,” she added. A recent program evaluation demonstrates the long-term benefit of early scholarship support for these disadvantaged children.

In the first class of CSFP alumni, 95 % graduated high school on-time and 90% are enrolled in college this fall. CSFP is a simple and direct program that works and works today.

WHEN: Saturday, October 25th, 7 PM to Midnight

WHERE: Urban Outfitters / Navy Yard Headquarters / 5000 South Broad Street, Building #543 / Philadelphia, PA

Central Pennsylvania Political Site

For readers from the center of the state:

WPSU-TV, the PBS affiliate for Central Pennsylvania has developed a non-partisan website for congressional, state senate, and state house candidates in their listening area, over 80 candidates from 27 counties. It is non-partisan and features video, audio, and interactive activities. It features over 80 candidate profiles from 27 counties. Take a look at http://www.wpsu.org/vote08.

Linder Campaign Ad

John Linder, candidate in the 9th state senate district, has a new campaign ad. You can view it on his website, www.linder08.com.

Things to Do

If you aren't already in political event overload, here are a few items for your consideration:

The Media Area Branch of the NAACP, in cooperation with the Cheyney University Student Unit of the NAACP has organized an open forum for area candidates. All candidates seeking election in the 9th Senate District, the 165th Legislative District, the 168th Legislative District and the 7th Congressional District have been invited to participate. The Forum will be held on Thursday, October 23, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM in the auditorium of Duckrey Social Science Building on the campus of Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. This event is open to the general public and the hope is that concerned voters from Delaware and Chester Counties will attend and interact with the candidates on their issues of concern.

Also:

Rally for Change, Friday, Oct. 24th, 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.Thomas Hall, Bryn Mawr College. Expected speakers, Sen. Bob Casey, Jr., Bob Roggio, Democratic candidate for the 6th congressional district, Daylin Leach, Democratic candidate for 17th state senate district, and Tim Briggs, Democratic candidate for the 149th state house district.

I'm hoping to get to one of these.

Jane on the Radio Tomorrow

Shameless plug -- Before the primary the nice folks at the KPOJ Morning Show, on KPOJ (Portland's progressive talk station Portland) in Oregon, invited me on their show to discuss the election. I must have done okay because they've invited me back on tomorrow around 10:30 a.m. EST. I think it streams live at www.620kpoj.com.

3rd Quarter FEC Report Round Up

Sorry this took so long -- it's a lot to slog through.

Okay, here we go again. First off, you can browse these reports yourself at www.fec.gov. As always I apologize in advance for any errors or misinterpretations. I am neither a lawyer nor an accountant, just an interested observer and these thoughts should be taken as such.

This quarter covers July – Sept. of 2008.

Itemized donations are those that accumulate to over $200. Unitemized donations are from people like me, who make smaller donations. Itemized donations show the donor’s name occupation, employer, and the amount of the donation plus the total the person who had donated in this election cycle. Unitemized donations are just recorded as a number. When two numbers are listed the first is for this quarter, the second number is for the election cycle overall.

Keep your eye on individual donations vs. PAC’s

At this point in the campaign counting the number of maxed out donors is tricky. Individuals can donate up to $2300 per election. The primary and the general count as two elections so before the primary an individual can donate up to $4600, but after the primary only $2300. Are you still with me? Okay, so if someone donated $1000 on 4/21, before the primary, and $2300 on 4/23 they are maxed out because you can’t donate retroactively and they have donated the maximum amount for the general. But if someone donated $2300 on 4/21 and $1000 on 4/23 they can still donate another $1300. Does that make sense? If it does you are probably someone who files FEC reports or represents people who do.

Some candidates, such as Allyson Schwartz and Patrick Murphy, leave their reports in alphabetical order. That makes it easy to see who donated what when. Others, most of the other candidates listed here, scramble their reports so the names are not in alphabetical order and that makes it darn difficult to keep track of them. Transparency, folks, a little more transparency please. Yes, this thwarts your opponent but it thwarts your constituents too.


6th Congressional District

Jim Gerlach, Republican incumbent

Contributions:
Individual, itemized: 119,045.06
Individual, unitemized: 20,266.50
Individual, total: 139,311.56 / 1,019,293.61
Political Party committees: 0.00 / 1,662.82
PACs: 144,993.18 / 1,083,164.15
Total: 284,304.74 / 2,104,120.58
Transfers: 13,864.27 / 55,162.68
Refunds: 81.41 / 5,885.38
Other Receipts: 4,403.18 / 23,574.87
Total Receipts: 302,653.60 / 2,188,743.51

Disbursements
Operating Expenditures: 338,612.90 / 1,539,979.83
Refunds: 125.00 / 4,975.00
Other: 24,044.00 / 48,344.00
Total: 362,781.90 / 1,593,298.83

Summary
Beginning Cash on hand: 761,611.11
Contributions: 302,653.60 / 2,188,743.51
Disbursements: 362,781.90 / 1,593,298.83
Ending cash on hand: 701,482.81

Personal Observations: Donations arranged chronologically not alphabetically. 14 newly maxed out donors. The greatest majority of individual donors from in-state. There are a number of donations on 9/22 from people who work at various credit unions, often for the same amount – must have been an industry fundraiser. Interesting PACs – Seneca Nation of Indians, Zurich Holding Company (a Swiss based financial firm), a lot of other finance-related PACs, some medical and trucking firms, and oddly. Land o’Lakes, Hershey, and a baker’s PAC. In disbursements, there are 6 paid employees, and reimbursement for health care, He sent 25K to national party organizations and other candidates, 2 (Hackett, English) in PA. He paid 18K to a PA printer, over 13K to a DC fundraiser, the big winner is a NJ media consultant that received around $89K. A TX direct mail firm was paid $73K. A VA polling firm got $19K. He also had some in-state fundraising consultants, but they received a little over $10K total.

Bob Roggio, Democratic challenger

Contributions
Individual, itemized: 130,408.17
Individual, unitemized: 29,033.77
Individual, total: 159,441.94 / 450,229.35
PACs: 18,250.00 / 52,150.00
Total: 177,691.94 / 502,379.35
Loans: 0.00 / 80,500.00
Refunds: 762.20 / 792.52
Total Receipts: 178,454.14 / 583,671.87

Disbursements
Operating Expenditures: 221,540.95 / 366,812.03
Refunds: 265.00 / 265.00
Other: 186.25 / 186/25
Total: 221,992.20 / 367,263.28

Summary:
Beginning Cash on hand: 259,946.65
Contributions: 178,454.14 / 583,671.87
Disbursements: 221,992.20 / 367,263.28
Ending cash on hand: 216,408.59

Personal Observations: Scrambled. 8 newly maxed out donors. All but a few donors from in-state. Over $25K to Paychex. 12 people receiving a salary, most just a few checks. Payments for health insurance. A DC media consultant received 55K, a NY polling firm 28K. Roggio has loaned his campaign over $80K. Debts – 1300 for accounting, 1900 for insurance.


7th Congressional District

Joe Sestak, Incumbent Democrat (elected 2006)

Contributions
Individual, itemized: 495,453.87
Individual, unitemized: 63,351.29
Individual, total: 558, 805.16 / 2,581,873.47
Political Party committees: 1,581.46 / 3,964.55
PACs: 165,692.65 / 957,779.54
The Candidate: 0.00 / 4,600.00
Total: 726,079.27 / 3,548,217.56
Transfers: 0.00 / 35,154.46
Refunds: 0.00 / 3,452.40
Other Receipts: 17,862.68 / 52,922.24
Total Receipts: 743,941.95 / 3,639,746.66

Disbursements
Operating Expenditures: 129,892.89 / 730,797.68
Refunds: 0.00 / 8,259.76
Total: 129,892.89 / 739,057.44

Summary
Beginning Cash on hand: 2,591,116.10
Contributions: 743,941.95 / 3,639,746.66
Disbursements: 129,892.89 / 739,057.44
Ending cash on hand: 3,205,165.16


Personal observations: Sestak’s report is almost impossible to work with. It is scrambled, alphabetically and chronologically and he raises a boatload of money. So we are talking about wading through 4 screens of 500 items. There were 1,650 itemized receipts. There were 72 easily identifiable newly maxed out donors. I noted some from Genzyme and Enzybiotics, as well as a number of people in higher education. Four people named Veloric. Quite a few people were listed as not employed or retired. He has received a total of 10K from the Air Traffic Controllers PAC. Other PAC clusters are health care, banking, construction, and a total of 7K from the credit union pac. In large part though, it isn’t possible to glean much from the report as it is. I’ve tried downloading reports instead of viewing them but it doesn’t work well for me. On the disbursement side, nine people were paid, though most are clearly very part time or temporary. Close to $20K went to Paychex. Two firms in PA were paid a total of $7500 for grassroots promotional materials. There weren’t any pricey consultants. Note that his operating expenditures are lower than many other candidates.

Craig Williams, Republican

Contributions
Individual, itemized: 105,239.94
Individual, unitemized: 32,217.00
Individual, total: 137,456.94 / 499,422.83
Political Party committees: 6,250.00
PACs: 1,100.00 / 46,350.00
Total Receipts: 138,556.94 / 553,402.65

Disbursements
Operating Expenditures: 225,513.39 / 289,966.50
Total: 225,513.39 / 289,966.50

Summary
Beginning Cash on hand: 350,392.60
Contributions: 138,556.94 / 553,402.65
Disbursements: 225,513.39 / 289,966.50
Ending cash on hand: 263,436.15

Personal observations: 16 news maxed out donors. Donor clusters in health care administration or corporate health care and lawyers. There was a donation from Greg Bentley of Bentley Systems and from the Bentley PAC. On disbursements, $2380 to a PA web designer, 26K to a VA polling firm, 100K (is that a typo?) for a media buy from a DC firm, 18K to a PA firm for a press secretary. 22K to a TX firm for direct mail and postage. There is one salaried employee, a campaign manager. 19K to Keystone Strategies for FEC compliance, and an additional 13K in debts to the same firm. Over 27K in debt to various vendors, including Keystone Strategies. I have some concerns about Mr. Williams spending habits.


8th Congressional District

Patrick Murphy, Incumbent Democrat (elected 2006)

Contributions
Individual, itemized: 423,938.46
Individual, unitemized: 64,444.52
Individual, total: 488,382.98 / 2,449,970.70
Political Party committees: 300.00 / 7,395.13
PACs: 160,937.29 / 1,130,788.23
Total: 649,620.27 / 3,588,154.06
Transfers: 0.00 / 35,620.48
Other Receipts: 15,911.76 / 83,902.03
Total Receipts: 665,532.03 / 3,707,676.57

Disbursements
Operating Expenditures: 681,830.38 / 1,527,217.15
Refunds: 7,010.00 / 23,500.81
Other: 0.00 / 5,350.00
Total: 688,840.38 / 1,556,067.96

Summary
Beginning Cash on hand: 2,238,287.22
Contributions: 665,532.03 / 3,707,676.57
Disbursements: 688,840.38 / 1,556,067.96
Ending cash on hand: 2,214,978.87

Personal observations: Murphy’s reports are easy to read, very transparent. There are at least 52 newly maxed out donors. Some people made multiple contributions which makes it a little difficult to judge in vs out of state donations but I would say roughly two-thirds of his donors are in state – but that should be taken as a guess and nothing more. 37 Toll employees, with varying jobs within the company, executives, surveyors, etc., made donations in September; no itemized Toll donations in July and August. There were a handful of contributors from Urban Outfitters, Turner Investments, and Doylestown Hospital employees. In addition to the standard doctors, lawyers, Indian chiefs, there was a cluster of contributors from the arts, artists and those in the arts business; also some from the book trade. There are also clerks, a paralegal, a horse trainer, a general contractor, and an archeologist. The Pakistani American Leadership Center also made a donation. It is a very varied group of contributors. In the PAC list there are a lot of health care related groups. There are around 10 campaign committees or leadership pacs listed (Wolverine PAC and Badger PAC are leadership PACS, affiliated with a current or former lawmaker, and do not indicate a fondness for wild animals or sports teams with those names). The Air Traffic Controllers PAC made a donation, as did the pilots association. There is a total of $14K from the Realtors PAC. Murphy has received a total of $3500 from Treasury Dept. employees PAC, $9500 from Sallie Mae, and $3K from Fannie. Murphy was the only congressional representative to vote against the resolution congratulating the team that won the Super Bowl last year, because that team had beaten the Eagles (something like that – I don’t know sports). It seems to have paid off as the CEO of the Eagles donated $2300 to his campaign. On disbursements, there are payments for health insurance. A total of 19 people were on the payroll, though some were employed longer than others. A few other people received money for reimbursements of some kind. I thought some of the reimbursements were a little high, but perhaps circumstances called for it. A DC media firm received $283K, 13K to a DC fundraising firm, 12K to Verizon for phones, 20K to a CA firm for something concerning phones, 47K to a DC firm for printing, 89K for polling, 10K to a PA firm for printing, 25K to Paychex.

Tom Manion, Republican

Contributions
Individual, itemized: 160,699.59
Individual, unitemized: 37,970.50
Individual, total: 198,670.09 / 714,689.73
Political Party committees: 4,500.00 / 9,800.00
PACs: 46,980.00 / 189,990.00
Total: 250,150.09 / 914,479.73
Refunds: 15,870.23 / 15,884.39
Other Receipts: 846.54 / 1,320.63
Total Receipts: 266,866.86 / 931,684.75

Disbursements
Operating Expenditures: 400,011.78 / 558,469.33
Refunds: 1,300.00 / 2,700.00
Other: 600.00 / 600.00
Total: 401,911.78 / 561,769.33

Summary
Beginning Cash on hand: 504,960.34
Contributions: 266,866.86 / 931,684.75
Disbursements: 401,911.78 / 561,769.33
Ending cash on hand: 369,915.42

Personal observations: Arranged chronologically not alphabetically. 14 newly maxed out contributors. I see some signs that whoever is preparing the FEC reports is a little inexperienced. A few people made donations of $2500 when the maximum allowed at this point is $2300, so a partial refund had to be made. The person taking the checks should have caught that. Also, about half of the donations list occupation and employer as “information requested.” One of these people is Renee Amoore, who owns her own firm and is the deputy chairman of the state Republican party. This makes it impossible to tell where exactly the money is coming from. Manion’s brother, who died a few months ago, had been listed as his treasurer, and that may be a factor in the lapses in this report. However, usually the actual work is done by someone other than the person listed as treasurer. $10K total from the Freedom Project. On disbursements, four staff members are listed in donations with “offset – payroll;” I’m not sure what that means. Many of the PACs listed are candidate committees or local Republican organizations. There are quite a few consultants and vendors. $7k to a media firm. 9K to a VA polling firm. 5K to a PA marketing firm. 15K to a Missouri lawyer. 4,600 to a MN consultant. 9K to a MD bookkeeping consultant. The webdesigner(s) are in state. Brabender Cox was paid $160K. A DC fundraiser received $8,500. A variety of PA printers received around $24K; one received an additional $4K in consulting fees. Again, Paychex was paid quite a bit, close to $100K but a few refunds were paid. I’m not sure what this is all about. There is a note to see a memo item but those aren’t included so there’s no way to know what it says.

13th Congressional District

Allyson Schwartz, Incumbent District (elected 2004)

Contributions
Individual, itemized: 190,290.00
Individual, unitemized: 20,514.00
Individual, total: 210,804.00 / 1,782,145.59
Political Party committees: 0.00 / 998.06
PACs: 143,275.00 / 967,935.00
Total: 354,079.00 / 2,751,078.65
Refunds: 2,224.58 / 22,680.46
Other Receipts: 13,225.38 / 51,683.61
Total Receipts: 369,528.96 / 2,825,442.72

Disbursements
Operating Expenditures: 190,097.03 / 797,675.08
Refunds: 1,700.00 / 9,000.00
Other: 107,236.00 / 333,686.00
Total: 299,033.03 / 1,140,361.08

Summary
Beginning Cash on hand: 2,266,006.80
Contributions: 369,528.96 / 2,825,442.72
Disbursements: 299,033.03 / 1,140,361.08
Ending cash on hand: 2,336,502.73

Personal observations: There were at least 14 newly maxed out donors. Just a rough guess, between a fourth and a third of donors were from out of state. Along with the usual doctors, lawyers, and Indian chiefs, we find someone from the Pakistani-American Christian Association, the Christian Voice of Pakistan, and the Women’s Christian Alliance among the contributors. There was also a ski instructor, a publisher, editor and a number of people in higher education. Ruth Damsker, former Montgomery County commissioner is listed with “information requested” for occupation and none for employer. That seems like a real oversight. On PACs, the health care industry, but mostly health care workers as opposed to health care administration. The National Treasury Employees Union is listed, as are the airline pilots and the air traffic controllers PACs. Six people named Lindy donated money and, interestingly, the campaign pays rent to Lindy Property Management, which is listed as the employer for some of the contributors. In other disbursements, there are three paid staff people. One is paid what might be a full-time salary and the other roughly half time. The third came onto the scene in September. The campaign pays health insurance costs. A VA polling firm received $27K, a CT printer $7K, a MD firm for lawn signs $5,700. A CA firm received $40K for phones or phone calls, I’m not sure which. A DC fundraiser was paid $12,500. There are around $10K in credit card payments but that isn’t broken down in the report though it may be in a memo that is not available. Schwartz gave $100K to the DCCC. This is a tidy report and a pleasure to work with.

Marina Kats, Republican

Contributions
Individual, itemized: 44,905.76
Individual, unitemized: 3,612.00
Individual, total: 48,517.76 / 131,587.76
Political Party committees: 0.00 / 1,000.00
PACs: 6,550.00 / 15,350.00
Total: 55,067.76 / 147,937.76
Loans: 300,000.00 / 300,000.00
Other: 1,524.14 / 1,524.14
Total Receipts: 356,591.90 / 449,461.90

Disbursements
Operating Expenditures: 115,426.09 / 157,752.14
Total: 115,426.09 / 157,752.14

Summary
Beginning Cash on hand: 50,543.95
Contributions: 356,591.90 / 449,461.90
Disbursements: 115,426.09 / 157,752.14
Ending cash on hand: 291,709.76

Personal observations: Four newly maxed out contributors. One of the individual donors is the owner of the Eagles. Famed chef Georges Perrier is also a contributor. I counted seven out of state contributors. The candidate has loaned her campaign $300K. The candidate also received over $18K from the campaign for printing, catering, and phones, plus an additional $4,500 for catering and signs. One salaried worker. Website design cost $5k. A PA fundraising consultant received $3,800, another received $3K. 5K was spent on credit card bills but the online FEC reports don’t show memos so there is no way to tell what it was spent on. A MD bookkeeping consultant was paid $6,500. A DC fundraiser received $39K, and is listed as being owed an additional $5K loan. Over $4K was paid to printers located in Pennsylvania.

Ben Bernanke, Allyson Schwartz, and the House Budget Hearing

A few notes on this morning's House Budget Committee hearing on the economy and possible measures Congress may take. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke testified before the committee.

For the national take, see "Momentum building for new economy-boosting package," by the AP's Jennine Aversa.

For the local angle, Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz, the only Pennsylvania representative on the committee, held a conference call today to discuss her views on it. I am paraphrasing but this was her gist.

Chairman Bernanke was very clear about the importance of the action Congress took to stabilize the market; it was extremely important to avert a serious crash of the market. The stimulus package a year and a half ago for the economy was good but we need to do more. Creating and supporting new jobs and new businesses would take action by the federal government as well. Congresswoman Schwartz asked Bernanke whether it was important for us to make new investments for new jobs, for example a short term stimulus particularly in providing dollars to our states and localities for roads, bridges, and schools. He said yes especially if it happened quickly. In the long term he felt it was also important for us to make investments in new jobs, new technologies, but did not get into specifics. Clearly we aren't getting out of this troubled economy quickly.

A blast email I received today on the same hearing mentioned that 14 Democrats and 4 Republicans attended. There are 22 Democrats and 17 Republicans on the House Budget Committee. Guess some people had better things to do.

Van Jones Book Signing

Lately whenever I read about green collar jobs the name Van Jones is mentioned. Mr. Jones, of California, will be in our area tomorrow signing copies of his new book, The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems. The event it Tuesday, Oct. 21, 7-9 p.m., in Stein Auditorium, Nesbitt Hall, Drexel University.

Report: Effect of Climate Change on Pennsylvania

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and the Center for Integrative Environmental Research (CIER) at the University of Maryland have released the final four State Economic and Environmental Costs of Climate Change reports. The four page report (pdf) on climate change in Pennsylvania is very interesting, especially in regards to flooding. (hat tip to the NCSL blog The Thicket).

An Open Seat in the 157th

The 157th state house district has been held by Republican Carole Rubley. The district represents parts of Chester and Montgomery County, including Lower Providence Twp, Phoenixville, Schuylkill Twp, Tredyffrin Twp, and West Norriton Twp. She is not running so it is an open seat. Candidates are:

Democrat Paul Drucker, http://www.votepauldrucker.com/

The anti-Ciarrocchi site it: www.whatkindofguy.com

A newspaper blog interview from Mainline Politics is available.


Republican Guy Ciarrocchi http://www.guyciarrocchi.com/

The anti-Drucker site is: www.slipandfallpaul.com

A few more sources on the race:


article from MainLine Life on race, mudslinging

Tredyffin Township Political Notebook posts on 157th race

I hope to write more about the race before the election.