POLS ON THE STREET: Officials’ Personal Computers Can ‘Go Public’

This City’s elected officials should be aware a Commonwealth Court ruling now makes their own private computers “open to public inquiry” should they use them “in their capacity as public officials.”

That ruling came down as the result of a decision handed down in the case of Barkeyville Borough v. Stearns. The Commonwealth Court held emails between Borough Council Members about borough business sent using personal email accounts and stored on personal computers were public under the Right to Know Law.

The court emphasized the emails were “created by public officials, in their capacity as public officials, for the purpose of furthering Borough business” even though they were sent from personal email accounts and stored on personal computers.

The court also noted if access to the emails was denied the “law would serve no function and would result in all public officials’ conducting public business via personal email.” The holding distinguishes and significantly limits the holding in an earlier case, which denied access to Township supervisor emails to constituents via personal email accounts.

The increased ability of elected officials to use smart phones to email material to their personal computers, they must know – even though they may be sending reminders to themselves for later forwarding to their office computers – now opens the door to public scrutiny of that computer smart phone.

CONGRATS TO JUDGE SOLOMON

Judge Christine Solomon is now among the judges scheduled to conduct hearings at Traffic Court. She passed her judicial test and was sworn in on Valentine’s Day by Judge Willis Berry.

Solomon had to miss the Jan. 2 swearing-in of elected officials at the Academy of Music. That was because she had not completed the judicial schooling process in Chambersburg, Pa., after being elected on the Democrat ticket last November to the Traffic Court post.

PILEGGI: PRIMARY MAY BE MOVED

The Senate Majority Leader this week said the battle for redrawing legislative districts is not over and, if necessary, the Apr. 24 primary could be moved. Dominic Pileggi (R-Chester) said Republicans were hoping to meet yesterday’s deadline for revision of the redistricting plan. The revised plan would be voted on Feb. 22, he said. As of last reports received, Apr. 24 seems to be the date. Candidates are urged to see that as their final day of campaigning.

 Last week a federal judge ruled Pennsylvania’s legislative districts will revert to the configuration mapped out for them in 2001 for the 2012 election. If Republicans are successful in their appeal to the latest court ruling, the process could extend past the scheduled primary date. “The fact that this is a presidential election year does not preclude moving the primary,” Pileggi said.

G.O.P. WARD LEADER SWITTCHES FOR RAMOS

Elaine Maenner, a cancer survivor, has resigned as leader of the 7^th  Republican Ward, a post she has held for 13 years, in order to campaign for Jonathan Ramos who is seeking to unseat State Rep. Angel Cruz (D-Kensington) in the 180^th Legislative Dist.

Maenner, who heads a Latino Ward where registered Republicans are few, has earned a reputation for fighting drug infiltration and needle-exchange programs in her district.

Having run as a Republican candidate against the incumbent in 2000, she said, “Had I a Republican candidate who would run and campaign hard, I would not switch. Since I don’t, switching to help Jonathan Ramos is my next best choice.”

Ramos twice ran unsuccessfully against Cruz.

LEGISLATORS’ PETITION DEADLINE ENDS 5 P.M. TODAY

Although nominating petitions for candidates for President of the United States, US Congress, Attorney General, Auditor General, Treasurer and Delegate to the Republican or Democratic conventions were in as of Feb. 14, there was reported a long line at the Dept. of State today as candidates for Senator and Representative in the General Assembly rushed to file their petitions.

They had received the two day extension because of the State Supreme Court decision which rolled back new redistricting plans to the 2001 redistricting maps.

G.O.P. U.S. SENATE RACE KEEPS STEAMING

The race for the Republican nomination for US Senator will go to the voters, notwithstanding efforts by Gov. Tom Corbett to hand it to Steve Welch.

At least five of the seven who entered the primary continue to campaign.

Best known initially among them is former State Rep. Sam Rohrer, who stated, “If I told you the Pennsylvania Republican Party threw out members of the Tea Party from the Pennsylvania State Convention, threatened those Tea Partiers with arrest, threw their petitions in the trash, and then endorsed a recent Democrat who voted for Obama as our candidate for Senate, you wouldn’t believe it.”

Rohrer, who spent 18 years in the State House, says he is rallying conservative supporters to his banner in his “fight to stand against establishment Republicans.”

Marc Scaringi, in a head-to-head matchup against Sam Rohrer, won the Blair Co. Republican Women’s straw poll in Altoona. Scaringi won 50% of the vote to Rohrer’s 42%. The straw poll came following a US Senate candidates forum hosted by the group in which all the candidates seeking the Republican nomination were invited to participate and all were on the ballot. Scaringi and Rohrer were both in attendance.

Scaringi also won a straw poll conducted by the Blair Co. Republican Women last fall following a forum in which he did not participate, but included US Senate candidates Steve Welch and Tom Smith.

YOUNG REPUBLICANS HEAR CANDIDATES

Steven C. Boc, chairman of the Philadelphia YRs, brought together the Philly, Montgomery, and Bucks Co. YRs for a candidates forum and petition-signing event at SmokeEaters which included Ward Leaders Bill Pettigrew, John Stahlmaster, Joe DeFelice and Lindsay Doering.

Candidates Dave Kralle, John Featherman and Nick Mattiacci spoke to the crowd about their campaigns. Commissioner Al Schmidt was in attendance and spoke to the crowd.

ATTORNEY GEN. OFFICE ENDING ITS PROBE?

The Attorney General’s office has not officially closed its investigation of House members, but more than two years have passed since the last arrests.

Nils Frederiksen, spokesman for Attorney General Linda Kelly, is reported as saying, “A clear line that personal and political work must be separated from the people’s business has been underscored.”

Besides the mandatory training to help legislators and staffers recognize the line between public service and electioneering, the legislature has done little to reinforce the lessons of the scandal.

PA. ETHICS COMMITTEE HAS THE ANSWERS

If you are curious as we are as to why lobbyist Mary Shull received a penalty of $305 from the State Ethics Committee for failing to submit a photograph with her registration statement, while Daniel McElhatton received a $695 fine for failing to do the same, here is the answer.

State Ethics Commission Executive Director John J. Contino said that is because “Shull was delinquent in responding for 61 days, while McElhatton failed to send in his photograph for 139 days.” Both were fined at the bottom scale of $5 per day, while the commission could have hammered them at the max of $50 per day.

This week, it ordered former Executive Director of the Philadelphia Housing Authority Carl Greene to pay a fine in the amount of $1,500 for failing to file statements of financial interests for 2007, ’08 and ’09.

TIME FOR STATE REPUBLICANS TO PUSH SANTORUM

A Fox national popularity poll, taken two days after the last GOP primary elections, show Santorum and Romney tied at 30% with Gingrich at 16%.

It’s time for Republicans to push for Santorum as a favorite-son candidate. It’s a win-win for the leadership if it does so early enough to make an impression. Who can fault a “favorite son” reason for the endorsement, after all?

A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL

A dinner meeting hosted by 1^stWard Leader John Dougherty at the Saloon for the South Philadelphia and Southwest wards turned out to be a happy occasion as the ward leaders in attendance took the occasion to indicate their endorsements of State Sen. Larry Farnese (D-S. Phila.) and Congressman Bob Brady (D-Phila.) in the primary. Also helping set a “Soul Train Record” at the Art Museum were Sheriff Jewell Williams, Congressman Brady and Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown.

MAYOR NUTTER spoke glowingly of importance of Flower Show, as he thanked major sponsors, including TomWoodward, president of Bank of America, Pennsylvania, which is exclusive sponsor of the Flower Show this year. Photos Bonnie Squires

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