Change In 179th May Herald More

by Joe Shaheeli

There will be a new state legislator in the 179th Legislative District seat. There could well be change in other districts.

Emilio A. Vazquez, as far as the Democrats are concerned, is the heir appointment to that seat.

Vazquez got his blessings last week at a meeting hosted by 62nd Democratic Ward Leader City Commissioner Marge Tartaglione and the other ward leaders making up the district, including Daniel Savage, Bill Dolbow and Shirley Gregory.

Presently employed by the Philadelphia Parking Authority, Vazquez, earlier, received the backing of the Philadelphia Council of the AFL-CIO. He may not be facing a tough primary since incumbent William Rieger will not be running for reelection.

Emilio has been in the 43rd Ward, residing at 8th Street and Erie Avenue, for most of his life. Being one of 10 children, he notes, gives him a hardcore cadre of campaign workers, adding, "It's nice to come from a big family."

He is a community activist, working hand-in-hand with City Council members to improve the quality of life in his North Philadelphia neighborhood. Emilio has been a civil servant for 20 years, working for the Managing Director's office before going to the Philadelphia Parking Authority.

Though he well be a shoo-in, Ms. Rodnell Griffin, who has been very active in the Hunting Park area for many years, may try to derail him. She is allied to Barbara Landers, Rieger's chief of staff. There is early indication the Republican Party will not field a candidate for that district seat.

In other districts, it is reported Iraqi War veteran Pat Dugan will be challenging incumbent Rep. Mark Cohen in the 202nd District. This could be interesting. It has been a while since Mark has faced any serious competition.

A.J. Thomson has announced he's going around the horn one more time in an effort to unseat incumbent Rep. Marie Lederer from her hold on the 175th District seat. The incumbent has indicated, despite rumors, she is planning to run for reelection. She could elect not to, but would not do so, without appointing an heir apparent. There may be another challenger coming out of South Philadelphia as well.

Will Mega is putting up bucks to prove he is serious about running for State Representative in the 192nd District against popular incumbent Rep. Louise Williams Bishop. He will be offering a $100 bonus for the first person to submit four complete and accurate petition sheets.

Chinatown-based political activist Frank Saleo is planning to challenge Rep. Babette Josephs. If he goes, he'll be in the arena with Larry Farnese, which could split up what opposition she may have in the 182nd District.

Other districts facing primaries, as reported last week, include William Cartagena challenging State Rep. Angel Cruz in the 180th and former Darby Mayor Paula Brown taking on incumbeng Rep. Robert Donatucci in the 185th.

Committee Slots Open

Not only are state house and senate seats up for grabs, but so are the 3362 each party needs to fill for ward committee slots. With only 10 signatures needed to get on the ballot, you might expect a flood of candidates. That's not often the case, though this year's spirited gubernatorial race might inspire the ward leaders of both parties to try and fill each committee slot.

Also running will be state committee members, most of whom will be endorsed by the county committee leadership.

Nominating petitions have been circulating since Tuesday with a deadline of Mar. 7.

Big Turn Out In W. Phila.

The YMCA at 52nd and Chestnut was the political hot spot of the day as Mayor John F. Street, potential candidates for mayor in '07 and political leaders joined in kicking off the campaigns of incumbents Sen. Anthony Williams, Rep. Ron Waters and Rep. Jim Roebuck.

The trio, campaigning under a "West Philly United" flag, also brought out over 400 constituents, who were treated to a full breakfast and entertainment. Speeches were kept to a minimum.

Mayoral hopefuls included Councilman Michael Nutter and Rep. Dwight Evans. Council President Anna Verna headed the Council delegation, while several of the state house members joined to lend impetus to their announcing colleagues, including Rep. Harold James, and Rep. Louise Williams Bishop.

In South Philadelphia, Rep. Harold James announced at the Christian Street Y his intention to seek a 10th term. Showing their support were Verna, Sheriff John Green and Reps. Dwight Evans and Jewell Williams.

Veteran Republican leader state representative John Taylor will kick off his campaign with a re-election announcement this evening at 8 pm at the Frankford United Republican Club, Frankford & Allegheny Avenues.

Taylor has proved his popularity with the electorate in the 177th Legislative District. His most serious challenge occurred in 2002 when he found himself with a newly redrawn district with a 63% Democratic majority in registrations. Added to that, Gov. Ed Rendell topped the ticket. But there were no coat tails, or Taylor cut them off, romping to a victory with 80% of the district's vote.

Rep. Cherelle Parker had a VIP turnout as well for her announcement in German-town. Heading the list was Congressman and Party Leader Bob Brady. She's been making positive waves in the State Capital as the newest freshman on the block.

Casey Strategy Works in Polls

Democratic State Treasurer Robert Casey Jr. holds a 51-36% lead over incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum in the Pennsylvania Senate race, with 10% undecided, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released this week.

His strategy to raise money and keep out of the arena for now seems to be working. It's obvious Santorum can't afford to spend any time out of the Commonwealth, weighed down as he is by continued poor satisfaction ratings for President George Bush.

Santorum's "money factor" seems to be losing its muscle as Casey has been able to raise almost $6 million since last March. That figure still pales compared to Santorum's over $13 million total to date. It needs to be noted, however, the Senator has been raising those dollars since 2001.

If the polls continue to show double digits for Casey, it's obvious his campaign fundraising will grow dramatically as well.

Santorum's campaign crew has blasted Casey for spending more time away from his office in Harrisburg raising funds from around the country. Casey showed up for work only seven days last December, charges the Santorum team. "With a crucial fundraising deadline looming, the Democratic Senate candidate swept through Los Angeles, Atlanta and St. Louis and spent as many days in Philadelphia ? raising money and working on his campaign ? as he did in the treasurer's office in Harrisburg," a Santorum aide sniped.