Article on Jared Solomon Campaign

The Philadelphia Citizen has published a nice article on Jared Solomon's primary state house race against Mark Cohen.  "Insurgency in the Northeast," by Larry Platt (3/15/16) is available online at:
http://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/jared-solomon-mark-cohen-insurgency-northeast/

Roslyn Film Festival

The 10th annual Roslyn Film Festival will be held this Saturday, March 19th.  This year's films are:

1. Gift Horses (David Block)
2. Out of the Depths (RJ Nestor and David Scoville)
3. Rockabilly High School (Win Heckert)
4. The Cubicle: How Norman Works In a Box (Michael Ofenheim)
5. Blaze of Glory (Bob Sweeney)                                 
6. Centralia: America's Lost Town (Joe Sapienza II)
7. The Leg That Just Kept Living (Win Heckert)

Tickets are $5.00 and there is a red carpet entrance.  Put on your party clothes are imagine you are at the Oscars!

(Proceeds benefit the Roslyn Fire Company).

Ellen Malcolm at the Free Library

Ellen Malcolm, founder of Emily's List, will be speaking about her new book at the Philadelphia Free Library on Thursday, March 24th.  Tickets are $15.00 ($7.00 for students).  

Details:

Ellen R. Malcolm is the founder and chair of the Board of EMILY’s List, the largest resource for women in politics. Dedicated to helping women candidates win election to every level of political office, its over 3 million members community have helped elect 19 pro-choice female Democratic U.S. senators, 110 U.S. representatives, and 11 governors. Malcolm was also president of the voter-registration advocacy group ACT, national co-chairwoman of Hillary Clinton’s 2008 election campaign, and a member of the National Park Foundation Board of Directors. Including exclusive interviews with many of the country’s top female politicians, in-the-trenches stories of some of the toughest election fights in the past three decades, and Malcolm’s own story of frustration, dedication, and triumph, When Women Win is the inside story of the rise of American women in elected office.In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6ABC Action News morning edition

Leanne Krueger-Braneky a Rising Star

Emily's List has a list of six women they have identified as candidates for the Gabby Giffords Rising Star Award, given to an extraordinary woman in state or local office.  One is Pennsylvania State Rep. Leanne Krueger-Braneky.  You can vote for her on an Emily's List web page.  (Be forewarned you have to provide an email and zipcode to vote so you'll end up on at least one mailing list)

Rebecca Ross Haywood Nominated for US Court of Appeals

from a White House press release:

Today, President Obama nominated Rebecca Ross Haywood to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

“Throughout her career, Rebecca Ross Haywood has shown unwavering integrity and an outstanding commitment to public service,” said President Obama. “I am proud to nominate her to serve on the United States Court of Appeals.”

Rebecca Ross Haywood:  Nominee for the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

Rebecca Ross Haywood is an Assistant United States Attorney in the Western District of Pennsylvania, where she has served as Chief of the Appellate Division since 2010.  As part of the office’s Management Team, she regularly consults on and reviews filings for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania.  In addition, Haywood frequently practices before the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and confers with trial attorneys on cases before the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Haywood was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania and raised in the neighboring town of Elizabeth, Pennsylvania.  She received her A.B. cum laude in 1990 from Princeton University.  She then attended the University of Michigan Law School, where she served as an Associate Editor on the Michigan Law Review and obtained her J.D. magna cum laude in 1994.  After graduating from law school, Haywood clerked for the Honorable Alan N. Bloch of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania from 1994 to 1996.  From 1996 to 1997, she worked in the Pittsburgh office of the law firm of Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue (now Jones Day).  Haywood served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania from 1997 to 2001, where she handled civil matters, including representing federal agencies in employment and medical malpractice cases.  From 2001 to 2003, she once again clerked for the Honorable Alan N. Bloch.  In 2003, Haywood returned to the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, where she was promoted to Appellate Chief in 2010.

During her time in the United States Attorney’s Office, Haywood has been actively involved in workplace management and training, serving as a member of the executive and training committees since 2011, as well as serving as the coordinator for prevention of workplace harassment from 2004 to 2010.  In addition, she is actively involved in the community and regularly speaks to students and legal organizations about the law and her career.

Shapiro Statement on Finances

from the inbox:

 The campaign for Josh Shapiro, candidate for Pennsylvania Attorney General, released the following statement in response to attacks by Stephen Zappala: 

“Once again the Zappala campaign is grasping at straws in the face of Josh Shapiro’s strong position, not surprising for a campaign that could only raise $8,031 in donations under $250. We’re proud that Pennsylvania’s teachers, nurses, the largest Fraternal Order of Police and Governor Wolf have all backed Josh Shapiro for Attorney General. Josh is the only progressive in the race and unlike his opponents Josh will stand up to the frackers who pollute our drinking water, take on scammers that target seniors and consumers, and is someone we can always trust to defend the rights of each and every Pennsylvanian."  --- Joe Radosevich, Shapiro Campaign Manager

 The Shapiro campaign reported $10,179 in contributions under $50 and $29,131.18 in contributions between $51 and $250

Senate Resolution 27

I'm not sure what to make of this.  A resolution was introduced in the Pennsylvania State Senate on February 25th, Senate Resolution 27.  The primary sponsor is Sen, Kitchen, with Farnese, Vance, Yudichak, Greenleaf, Brewster, Haywood, and Rafferty as co-sponsors.

This is the gist of the resolution:

Directing the Advisory Committee on Public Health Law of the Joint State Government Commission to study the issue of youth vaccinations and immunizations to determine whether any amendments should be made to the Commonwealth's public health law.

The full text of the resolution does not really provide any context or background.  So I cannot tell if it is a cover for people who don't like vaccinations or a ploy to add more required or recommended vaccinations.

#FeeltheFern

George Matysik, executive director of the Philadelphia Parks Alliance, is encouraging supporters to contact Mayor Kenney and express their appreciation for Kenney's interest in investing in parks and recreation.  On twitter use the hashtag #FeeltheFern

Philly School Substitute Numbers

Our friends at NewsWorks have put together a very useful list of daily substitute teacher fill rate by school.  Some schools only get 1% of the substitute teachers they need, other get nearly 80%.  Take a look.

Zivtech Launches New App

Philadelphia is home to a number of innovative tech firms. One of them, Zivtech, an open source web and app development agency, launched a new app this week.  Here is an abridged press release:

Zivtech,  is proud to announce the launch of a new web development tool that changes the game for the whole team. Probo, a continuous integreation app, allows a team to deploy features quickly, with no negative impact on an already functioning system. The people driving the request, such as business owners, project managers, marketers and IT, are now part of the process from the beginning.

Probo CI grew out of a need to accelerate the development process internally; once the product was built, there was a demand to share it with a greater audience. Probo is also much less expensive than other CI tools. Not only is the open source code available at no cost, but a basic account with 1 GB of disk space is free. With a total of five pricing tiers, there’s a size that works for every business, from startup to enterprise.

Probo is different from other CI tools on the market in that it does not tear down your environment, but instead posts a link so that the entire team can review new features or bug fixes. Project manager can always see how tasks are progressing and developers can get immediate client feedback. Probo is designed to be easy to extend and easy to wire into a broader devops ecosystem. It’s the only automated testing tool with quality assurance (QA) and user acceptance testing (UAT) built right in.

Patrick Murphy to be Sworn in as Undersecretary of the Army

Patrick Murphy, the first Iraq War veteran to serve in Congress, represented Pennsylvania's 8th district (Bucks County and part of Montgomery County and Philadelphia) for 2 terms,  This Wednesday he will be sworn in as the 32nd Undersecretary of the Army and Chief Management Officer.  He was confirmed as Undersecretary by the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this year.  On January 7th, President Obama asked him to serve as Acting Secretary of the Army.  He is currently responsible for a $143 million dollar budget and approximately 1.4 million soldiers and Department of the Army civilians, which would rank as a Fortune 10 company and behind only Wal-Mary in total personnel.

As Acting Secretary he has testified before the Senate and has traveled to Iraq, Afghanistan, Texas, and other places, as well at the Walter Reed National Medical Center, to visit with military personnel. The Undersecretary serves as the Army’s principal adviser on matters related to the management and operation of the Army, including development and integration of the Army Program and Budget. As the Chief Management Officer (CMO) of the Army, he advises the Secretary on the effective and efficient organization of the Army’s business operations and initiatives for the business transformation of the Army.  Whle in Congress he co-authored legislation including the 21st Century GI Bill, the Repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and Hire Our Heroes legislation

Emerge PA Women on the Ballot

Emerge Pennsylvania is an organization dedicated to recruiting and training Democratic women to run for office in order to increase the number of women in public office.   The first Emerge state group started in 2001.  Over that time, of the Emerge graduates who ran for office, 70% won.

The Emerge Pennsylvania women on the ballot in 2016 are:

•       Mary Ellen Balchunis - 7th Congressional

•       Carolyn Committa - 156th State House

•       Barbarann Keffer - 163rd State House

•       Elaine Schaefer - 165th State House

•       Diane Cornman-Levy - 168th State House

•       Movita Johnson-Harrell - 190th State House

Montco Walkability Study

from the inbox:

The Montgomery County Commissioners adopted Walk Montco, a new countywide walkability plan, at their February 18 meeting. The plan corresponds to the goals of Montco 2040: A Shared Vision, Montgomery County’s new, award-winning comprehensive plan. Montco 2040 advocates for more sidewalks and pedestrian-oriented developments to improve transportation quality and expand options. 

 Walkability continues to be a key aspect of the growth and redevelopment of downtowns, residential neighborhoods, office parks, and retail destinations in the county. Walkability is not only good for the built environment, but essential for physical health. Walkable streets help decrease local traffic volumes, increase access to available public transit, and increase opportunities for healthier lifestyles. They support mobility for everyone throughout all stages of life and create safer communities, especially for children, the elderly, and those with mobility limitations. Walkability also has positive environmental benefits in that a reduction in vehicle trips equates to fewer vehicle emissions.

The entire study is lengthy, a little over 80 pages, and is available here:  www.montcopa.org/WalkMontco   It's a thorough, well done plan, with a lot of illustrations and graphs.  Walkability is an important concept; as a relatively new diabetic I can attest to walking as one of the easiest, and certainly the cheapest, form of exercise around.  The best way to incorporate walking into a daily routine is for it to be a part of that routine - walking to work, to public transit, to the store, to school.  For that to happen there need to be safe walkways between these points.

Kudos, Montco!

Spring 2016 White House Interns

from the inbox:

The White House Internship Program announced today the participants for the Spring 2016 session. The mission of the program is to make the White House accessible to future leaders around the nation and to prepare those devoted to public service for future leadership opportunities.

 

A White House Internship provides a unique opportunity to gain valuable professional experience and build leadership skills. Interns work in one of several White House departments, including the Domestic Policy Council, the National Economic Council, the Office of Cabinet Affairs, the Office of Communications, the Office of Digital Strategy, the Office of the First Lady, the Office of Legislative Affairs, the Office of Management and Administration, the Office of Political Strategy and Outreach, the Office of Presidential Correspondence, the Presidential Personnel Office, the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, the Office of Scheduling and Advance, the Office of the Vice President, the Office of the White House Counsel, and the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships.

 

Additional information about the White House Internship Program is available here:www.whitehouse.gov/internships 

Interns with a Pennsylvania connection:


Arango, Jeffrey Hometown: Long Beach, CA; University of Pennsylvania, PA 
Egan, Brian Hometown: Exton, PA; American University, D.C.
Gray, Antione Hometown: Queens, NY; University of Pennsylvania, PA
Kist, Gregory Hometown: Williamsport, PA; London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom
Powell, Ebony Hometown: Philadelphia, PA; Temple University, PA
Scoratow, Jessica Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA; Georgetown University, D.C.
Williams, Joshua Hometown: Jim Thorpe, PA; The Pennsylvania State University, PA

Waxman Makes Ballot in 182nd

Ben Waxman, who is a Democrat running in the 182nd state house district, has filed 1,000 signatures, three times more than needed, to be on the ballot.  The Democratic incumbent, Brian Sims, has ended his campaign for the 2nd congressional district and now plans to focus on re-election to the state house.  Those wondering if Waxman would drop out rather than primary Sims may have their answer.

Sims to Discuss Gerrymandering

Pennsylvania is one of the states listed by the Washington Post as examples of gerrymandering ("America's most gerrymander congressional districts," by Christopher Ingraham, 5/15/2014).  This Monday legislators from three states will unveil plans for congressional redistricting reform.  State Rep. Brian Sims of Philadelphia will represent Pennsylvania.  The event will take place in Baltimore.  Maryland De. Kirill Reznik of Maryland and Del. Mark Sickles of Virginia will also present plans.

Lifecycle Report

Lifecycle WomanCare (formerly called The Birth Center) has released the State of Womens' Health Outcomes Report, a 12 page document based on their State of Womens' Health Symposium held last year.  I was shocked at one of the statistics -- that 74% of Philadelphia women whose deaths were pregnancy related between 2010 and 2012 were Black.  That's an astounding number.  We definitely need to do something about that.

Kathryn Boockvar is the executive director of Lifecycle WomanCare. A second State of Womens' Health Symposium will be held this September.

New App from Access Matters

A note from our friends at Access Matters:

In the midst of National Condom Week, AccessMatters today launched a new mobile app called “It Matters.”  The “It Matters” app, developed by AccessMatters with app developer Damien Leri of Big Yellow Star, Inc. in consultation with youth advisors, is free and provides teens and young adults ages 14-24 with accurate, timely information about sexual and reproductive health. 

Healthy relationships and sexual health are integral to overall health and wellbeing. Unfortunately, many teens and young adults receive inadequate levels of sexuality education in school, forcing them to turn to friends or the internet for information that may not be accurate.  Designed and developed with input from teens and young adults, the “It Matters” mobile app aims to address this problem by establishing a user-friendly source of information about health topics, videos, a health center finder featuring AccessMatters’ Network health centers, and other interactive elements. 

Users can find answers to common questions on topics such as relationships, birth control options, LGBT health, STDs, and more.  The app even features a video explaining what to expect during a visit to a health center, featuring local youth from Philadelphia. 

WalletHub Analysis Reports

Our friends at WalletHub have been sending me a lot of emails.  I'll post a few sentences about each link.


In a study of African American political involvement by state, Pennsylvania ranked 21st overall, (Data used to create these rankings were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, and History, Art & Archives - United States House of Representatives.)  Read the full report.

WalletHub reviewed presidential candidates' personal finances.  Read the full report.

In a review of how dependent states are on the gun industry,here is how Pennsylvania ranked:
Pennsylvania’s Dependence on the Gun Industry (1=Most Dependent; 25=Avg.) 

• 27^th – Number of Firearms-Industry Jobs per Capita
• 18^th – Average Wages & Benefits in the Firearms Industry
• 27^th – Total Firearms Industry Output per Capita
• 41^st – Total Taxes Paid by the Firearms Industry per Capita
• 35^th – Gun Ownership
• 23^rd – NICS Background Checks per Capita
• 18^th – Gun-Control Contributions to Congressional Members per Capita
• 32^nd – Gun-Rights Contributions to Congressional Members per Capita

Read the full report.

In a study of the 2015uninsured rate, here is how Pennsylvania ranked (read the full report):
Health Insurance Coverage in Pennsylvania:

• Obamacare reduced the children’s uninsured rate by 0.46 percent between 2010 and 2014.
   
• Obamacare reduced the adult uninsured rate by 19.23 percent between 2010 and 2014.
   
• The uninsured rate for whites is 45.22 percent lower than that for blacks.
   
• The uninsured rate for whites is 64.84 percent lower than that for Hispanics.
   
• The uninsured rate for higher-income households is 71.26 percent lower than that for lower-income households.
   
• The rate of publicly insured is 30.98 percent.
   
• The rate of privately insured is 69.02 percent.
   
• The rate of employer-based health insurance coverage decreased by 0.09 percent between 2010 and 2014.
   
• The uninsured rate pre-Obamacare was 10.16 percent and has fallen to a current rate of 8.46 percent, with 206,603 persons gaining health insurance coverage.

Muroff Starts Tour of Gun Violence Sites

Dan Muroff, attorney and past president of CeaseFirePA, is a Democratic candidate for the 2nd congressional district, currently held by Chaka Fattah.  Today Muroff started a series of stops in areas that have been the site of gun violence in the past year.  He plans to talk with people to see how they are impacted by gun violence.  His first stop was on the 8300 block of Gilbert Ave where three people were shot during an Eagles watch party this past December.