Sherwood pushes the panic button, it's on speed dial

First it was reported that 10th District Congressman Don Sherwood has spent an enormous amount of money in a primary that she should win in a walk. Even sending out mailers accusing his opponent Kathy Scott of not being Republican enough. Then people started getting robo calls from Sen. Ricky Santorum (R-VA) reminding them that he knows how to bring home the bacon. Now the heavy artillery has been brought in.

CV: U.S. Rep. Don Sherwood's re-election campaign enlisted President Bush for a recorded endorsement of the congressman for an automated phone call campaign to Republicans, said Jerry Morgan, Sherwood's campaign spokesman. U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum made similar calls for Sherwood last week.The president's automated calls began Friday. Morgan declined to say how long they will continue, how many households they'll reach or how he convinced the president to do it.....

Scott, portrayed by Sherwood's campaign as a liberal because she switched from Democrat to Republican in March, was unsurprised by the calls. "It appears Sherwood believes he's vulnerable, that his false accusations about my Republican status aren't working and that he needs help from the president. I believe voters will see through this for what it is," she said. Shocked by the calls, Andrew Eldredge-Martin, Chris Carney's spokesman, agreed and said they'll fail because Bush's approval rating is falling among district voters. "I think he's very, very weak across the board because he hasn't represented the values and interests of the district in Washington," Eldredge-Martin said of Sherwood.

Again Sherwood's campaign uses the pork defense:

Morgan said Sherwood will win because he has attracted government contracts for local defense plants, more Medicare money for local hospitals and backed Bush's tax cuts and Medicare prescription drug plans. The spokesman produced a 21-page list of accomplishments. "He represents the people of the 10th Congressional District and he brings home the bacon," Morgan said.

I hope the NSA is keeping track of all these calls.

Predictions for Lt. Gov

We will start the picks for the contested races on Tuesday. The first up is the Lt. Governors race. This one has been largely ignored but is probably the most important contest. Remember the winner is only a cheesesteak away from the Governors office.

2 questions. Who are you going to vote for and who do you think will win?

The candidates for the Democratic nomination for Lt Governor are the incumbent Catherine Baker Knoll, Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds Valerie McDonald Roberts, Gene Stilp and William A.Hall, III.

The questions are who are you going to vote for and who will win. If you are very clairvoyant list the order of finish and the share of the vote.

Rapid Edward will be in town again

WILKES-BARRE – Gov. Ed Rendell plans to attend Coughlin High School’s graduation next month at the Kirby Center.
Wilkes-Barre Area Superintendent Jeff Namey said he invited the governor to attend all three of the school district’s graduations, which are held on the same day, but he will only attend the Coughlin ceremony.
The Coughlin graduation will be held at 2:30 p.m. June 9. GAR High School seniors graduate at 1 p.m. and Meyers High School seniors graduate at 4:15 p.m.

Predictions

TL columnist Casey Jones has his picks. I'm planning to put up a seperate post on each race over the weekend so you can make the call.

CASEY JONES....

You’d need a seven-sided coin to pick a winner in the 117th District Republican primary...

U.S. Congress, 10th District: Sherwood, if he can keep his hands to himself until Tuesday.

State House, 121st District: In a primary election in Luzerne County the first Democrat to hire campaign consultant Ed Mitchell wins. That’s the rule....And the guy who hired Ed Mitchell is …. Brian O’Donnell

State Senate, 20th District: If money talks and you-know-what walks, Baker wins.

Another new local blogger

I stumbled across the blog of a local TV type by the name of Jennifer Wade. She was kind enough to link to Gort42 so I'm happy to return the favor.

Jennifer D. Wade Journal

I work as a broadcast journalist at a local television station. I'm mostly behind the scenes, but watch closely. You might catch a glimpse once in a while

She had this to say about me:

I also added a new link to a political blog on my blog page. It's called Gort 42, and it's all about politics in NEPA. I don't know who "Gort" is, but he likes baseball and beer, so he's OK in my book!

I'm also adding her to NEPA Blogs. And DB Echo is celebrating the 2nd blogoversary of Another Monkey. Go give him an atta boy.

More endorsements, for what they're worth

Steelworkers endorse Pashinski

The United Steelworkers Local 5652 has endorsed Eddie Day Pashinski for representative in the 121st state House district.
“After reviewing all the candidate’s positions on issues that concern working men and women in Pennsylvania, we feel that Eddie Pashinski’s views best match ours,” the union wrote in a statement.


Madeira Endorsed by Pennsylvania Right to Work

David Madeira, the conservative candidate for the20th District State Senate seat, has been endorsed by the Pennsylvania Rightto Work Political Action Committee (PAC). The organization's Board ofDirectors voted to endorse Madeira over four other candidates in the race to replace Charles Lemmond in the Pennsylvania State Senate.

Just a word about so called Right to Work outfits. These are the most pro business and anti-worker groups in politics. They aim to bust unions and roll back worker rights to the 1930's. If you leave it up to them there would be no minimun wage and OHSA would be abolished. Bring back the breaker boys!

Jim Spinola for State Rep

The 118th District includes parts of Luzerne County around Pittston and a part of Monroe County. Only 2 candidates have websites that I know of. That will change in the near future as campaigns realize that this is future of politics. My choice in the Republican primary is Jim Spinola, I haven't decided on the Democratic side. Mike Carrol has Tom Tigue's endorsement and has been all over TV. The other Democrats are ; Terry Best and James "Red" O’Brien, both of Pittston. The other Republicans are Art Bobbouine of Pittston and Maureen Tatu.

Jim has been a good friend to this site and is not afraid to mix it up in the comments. He gets it.

Here's his pitch:

The main thing I hope voters see is that I am the ONLY candidate in the 118th that is talking specifics. All the others make vague generalities about "reducing taxes, creating jobs, yadayadayada".

As you can see from my web site, I am the "Architect with a Plan!" I propose solutions to the issues not just name them.

Property Taxes = ELIMINATE by lowering sales tax to 5%, expand taxable items and give rebates to seniors and low-income families.

Economic Development = Invest federal grant money in technology infrastructure upgrades which will attract business, reduce commuting and increase family time.

Expand PACE Program = Redirect any future gaming money to PACE/PACENET programs to raise income thresholds making more seniors eligible.

Thanks for the opportunity to get the word out!

Jim

Target Lisa con't

Baker’s Blue Cross role blasted

State Senate candidate Jim Haggerty rips GOP rival Lisa Baker in a new TV ad featuring an elderly woman who complains Baker “wasn’t there to help me decide between buying my medicine or buying my groceries.”
In new radio and TV spots, Haggerty accuses Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania of raising insurance premiums and cutting benefits to fund “a public relations scheme” run by Baker, who was director of Blue Cross’ nonprofit Blue Ribbon Foundation from April 2002 to October 2005.
“Can you believe Baker raked in a quarter of a million dollars to hand out oversized checks?” the narrator asks.

Lisa shot right back with a you hurt my feelings spot:

Baker immediately countered with a brand new TV ad of her own Wednesday, just a day after the Haggerty ads began airing. Baker’s ad begins with a TV playing Haggerty’s spot.
“Ah, the shameful, negative ads are here,” the narrator says in a tone that conveys he has expected as much. The words “shameful, negative, smear, distortion” emerge in capital letters, that stretch then fade from the screen.

Russ Bigus has running print ads over this issue for at least a month. Norton has the conspiracy angle.

Gentleman’s Club 10 on the ballot

WILKES-BARRE TWP-Wilkes-Barre Township voters will see the only ballot question to appear in this year’s primary election:

“Do you favor the prohibition of the operation of establishments commonly referred to as Bottle Clubs?”

Yes or no.

Who is going to vote for a strip club? Mr. Family may win this one.

117th District

James May had a LTE published in the CV:

I was disheartened when “dirty politics as usual” surfaced within my race for state representative. One candidate allowed a letter to circulate urging union Democrats to temporarily switch parties for the primary and vote for her on the GOP ticket—in effect, stuffing the ballot box. Another campaign sued to get opponents out of the race, rather than facing them at the polls. Tim Carroll and I were charged with deliberately hiding from the record what we pride ourselves on: his work as borough mayor and my own service in the United States Army. While the Pennsylvania Supreme Court correctly returned Tim onto the ballot in a split decision recently, they upheld the lower court’s decision keeping me off on a technicality.

Voters tell me they are sick and tired of the current political culture. My fellow veterans did not sacrifice themselves for this type of political shenanigans.

The other Republicans in the race are: Karen Boback, Stanford Davis, Michael McCormick, Ed Sichler, Eugene Stavitzski and Randy Tomasacci. The winner will face Democrat Fred Nichols in the fall.

Sherwood keeps interesting company

Sherwood is named ‘Crony of the week’

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has named U.S. Rep. Don Sherwood, R-Tunkhannock its "GOP Crony of the Week." ...The crony designation is "an accomplishment that I don’t know that anyone would want to achieve," said U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., co-chairperson of the DCCC's "Red to Blue Program."
Sherwood was given the weeklong title for "loyally toeing the party line and supporting special interest Medicare legislation that is confusing, expensive and little more than a payoff to the pharmaceutical companies and HMOs," according to the DCCC’s news release.
Sherwood faces a Republican challenger, ... Kathy Scott, in Tuesday’s GOP primary.

Some other winners:

U.S. Rep. John Sweeney, NY – for voting for the GOP energy bill and prescription drug bill and taking money from several Republican political action committees, including Rep. Tom DeLay’s.

U.S. Congressional candidate Peter Roskam, Ill. – took money from DeLay’s political action committee and supported him, despite DeLay being admonished by the House Ethics Committee.

U.S. Rep. Richard Pombo, Calif. – “loyal servant” of DeLay, who took money from DeLay’s political action committee.

U.S. Rep. Bob Ney, Ohio – close ties to DeLay and lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who pleaded guilty to several counts of fraud.

Property tax reform

I have been reading the various candidates websites on the subject of property tax reform. The best one I have found is Jim Spinola's, candidate in the 118th District.


My plan is simple:

Lower sales taxes to 5%, expand taxable items and give rebates to senior citizens and low-income families.

Here’s how it works:

Educating Pennsylvania's children costs about $18 billion per year. The state pays $8 billion and local property taxes make up the other $10 billion. Census data indicates the median household income in PA is about $40,000. Therefore, the lower 25 percentile of residents would be in the $20,000 range. Since not all income is spent and we are already paying sales tax on some items, I would use $10,000 as a spendable income figure multiplied by the new lower 5% sales tax, equaling $500. I would propose this flat $500 as a rebate to senior citizens and low-income families to compensate for any increased sales tax they may incur on necessities like food and clothing. This $500 multiplied by the Census figures for that demographic equals about $600 million. Other current legislators have already performed studies showing a drop to a 4% sales tax generates more than enough revenue to fund schooling. My proposal of 5% would not only eliminate property taxes but would allow enough left over to fund the $600 million rebate.

Addressing the concerns of some that a rebate is too cumbersome and requires more work, Spinola replied, "Isn't it worth checking off another box or filling out another form to get a $500 rebate PLUS PROPERTY TAX ELIMINATION?"

As far as the gambling money is concerned, Spinola was one of the first school board members to go on record opposing Act 72 stating "It would have hurt many more people than it would have helped." Spinola continued, "Even IF the state received the estimated $1 billion in slots revenue, compared to our $10 billion local educational costs, we would receive only a 10% property tax reduction. The taxpayers deserve more! This reduction would be eaten up in future tax increases. Just look at the East Stroudsburg School District's proposed increase this year alone! In our present tax system, you never truly own your home."Spinola said he would take any gambling revenues generated and add it to the lottery proceeds to expand the PACE prescription drug programs to give senior citizen additional relief.

20th Senate District latest

The race on the west side of Luzerne County and the far north has had all sorts of fireworks this past week. After being sued by the Times-Leader for withholding information on arrests Kingston Mayor Jim Haggerty he is now being sued for not paying his bills.

CV: A Scranton-based marketing and public relations firm is suing Kingston Mayor James Haggerty, claiming he used the firm's work in his state Senate campaign without paying for it, but Haggerty counters that the suit is frivolous.

Chris Siperko had contacted me earlier but I couldn't confirm his version of events but he had this to say in a LTE:

Several years ago I lived in Kingston. At the time, I had a property dispute with a neighbor (who) shut my water off. My wife and my 3-year-old son also lived in the home with me. Jim Haggerty, the mayor of Kingston, was the lawyer who defended this action in court for the neighbor, Jack Schultz. Haggerty was my mayor and he encouraged and defended my water being shut off by his client.

David Madeira got into an argument with Russ Bigus about who has shot more animals in their lives. See Who's a good sport. There is only one way to settle this and Norton found it. Have a duel! And keeping with the gun theme Lisa Baker is accused of blocking a shooting range. The fact that the people who lived around the proposed site had worries about their homes, pets and children being plunked by someone shooting a 30-06 at beer cans objected should not interfere with the god given right to blast away at anything.

This race has got silly. These are not the issues that people are worried about. Carl Sutton has stayed out of this nonsense and so has Bob McNamara.

The best coverage of this contest can be found at 20th Senatorial.

Chuck for Senate

My favorite Slob has the Chuck Pennacchio video that you won't see on TV.

Here is the link: THIS Time, Vote for What You Believe In

More Chuck video here.

120th debate

John Cordora didn't show up. I got distracted and missed this one.

KINGSTON-.....Paul Stebbins Jr. and Joe Chacke, seemed to not care who won the primary, just as long as somebody topples Mundy in November. "I'm just in this because we're not getting what we deserve in Harrisburg," said Chacke, who repeatedly criticized Mundy during the debate. "I think this is the race that's sailing under the radar," said Stebbins. "She thinks she"s already won."

More Blogspot problems

Tonight I can't post pictures. I'm fooling around with wordpress and hope to master it soon. I'm not the only one having problems. Another Monkey has had some frustration but is not ready to give up.

Constitutional Convention

From the TL: A political activist from Cumberland County on Sunday used a local activist's annual forum to endorse a citizens' Constitutional Convention in the summer of 2007 to force changes in state government. Tim Potts, founder of the political watchdog group Democracy Rising PA, said he's tired of lawmakers promising reforms but failing to deliver, and changing the state Constitution through a Constitutional Convention may be the only avenue for change.
Potts was one of the main speakers at Mario Fiorucci's seventh annual State of the World Forum in his Sugar Notch back yard. A local Green Party leader, Fiorucci has announced his candidacy for Luzerne County commissioner in 2007.

He believes that garnering support from 4 million to 5 million Pennsylvanians for a convention could sway legislators to vote for a change to the constitution.
Potts said Pennsylvania is the only state:

• without a lobbyist disclosure law to control influence peddling by special interests;

• whose legislature exempted itself from open records laws;

• to enact more legislation after the election in 2004 than before it, depriving voters of incumbents' complete records on Election Day;

• to make lame-duck sessions a common practice, and one of only 11 states that permit lame-duck sessions.

Beach Boys coming to town

WILKES-BARRE- Confirming rumors that have been swirling for weeks, Mayor Tom Leighton announced Monday that The Beach Boys are the national act headlining the city's free Bicentennial Concert Series this summer at Kirby Park.

Lot's of other stuff happening. From Wilkes-Barre200:

Tuesday, June 20 F.M. Kirby CenterGovernor’s Awards for the Arts in Pennsylvania

Friday, June 30 Public Square Bicentennial Blastoff & Cocktail Party

Saturday, July 1 Downtown Bicentennial Parade

Saturday, July 1 Public Square Kiwanis Diamond Coal Car Race

Sunday, July 2 Genetti’s Hotel & Conference CenterGala Ball: A Night to Believe

Monday, July 3 Kirby ParkFree Open-Air Concert

Tuesday, July 4 Kirby ParkFourth of July Celebration: featuring the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic & Fireworks Display

Some excitement in Plains

PLAINS TWP. -An out-of-control front-end loader crashed into the Jay Dee Sneaker King storefront Monday afternoon, causing moments of panic for employees and customers and opening a gaping hole in the landmark business.

"I heard it and then saw it coming right at us," said employee Kim Thomas, 29, who unknowingly was walking directly toward the oncoming vehicle just as it barreled through a brick wall into the store. "I froze. Thank God, I was able to run."

Jay Dee's has been around about as long as I have. I haven't been in the store in a while since $200 sneakers are not my thing. I have to get a digital camera so I can post pics of stuff like this.

Valarie McDonald Roberts for LT Governor

Another surprising endorsement from the Philly Inky:

That leaves VALERIE MCDONALD ROBERTS. As a former Pittsburgh city councilwoman and school board president who is now Allegheny County recorder of deeds, she is far and away the Democrats' most plausible choice.

I like Gene Stilip but I think he does more good as an outsider rather than an insider. William A.Hall, III just doesn't impress me. CBK should retire.

A tip of the hoagie to the Big Fat Slob for pointing this out.