POLS ON THE STREET: Pols Adapt To Redistricting Fiasco

BY JOE SHAHEELI/ Though the deadline for filing registrations was extended two days until Feb. 16, the clock is moving and it is now almost at the point where even the last-minute lawsuit filed in Federal Court by Speaker Sam Smith, if successful, will have little merit in changing the decision by the State Supreme Court to keep State House districts the same as they have been since 2001. The unexpected State Supreme Court rejection of the State Redistricting Commission’s approval, which received hefty majority votes of confirmation for those new districts in the State House and Senate, created some chaos, but not in as many districts as first thought.

This city’s Voter Registration Office, which had done yeoman’s work on preparing for the new redistricting boundaries, quickly moved to put on hold what it had made and moved its files to continue as though no changes had taken place. What boundaries have been since 2001 will remain for this primary – if it is still to be held in April.

However, a powerful movement in the General Assembly is pressing for a two-primary solution, in which candidates for districts with the 2011boundaries would campaign in a second primary in May, or even September. City Commission is mulling plans for this outcome as well. This duplicate work could cost plenty.

Smith sued Secretary of State Carol Aichele in Philadelphia federal court, arguing population changes since 2001 mean the existing map violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14^th Amendment to the US Constitution as well as terms of the state Constitution. As Speaker, Smith must schedule the special House elections, where seats are now vacant. He will have to soon, since the time is quickly closing for circulating petitions, even though he argued in his lawsuit “the districts do not meet constitutional requirements for elections.”

The State Supreme Court’s majority has not produced a written opinion to guide the Legislative Reapportionment Commission in crafting a new version of the legislative map. This panel consists of Democratic and Republican floor leaders in the House and Senate and a judge appointed by the Supreme Court. The seven-member court voted 4-3 to throw out the plan, which moved some districts across the state and split up dozens of municipalities.

The high court and the reapportionment commission have Republican majorities, but Chief Justice Ronald Castille voted with the three Democrats on the court to send the plan back to the commission. The Supreme Court majority’s two-page order said existing lines remain in force “until a revised final 2011 Legislative Reapportionment Plan having the force of law is approved.”

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Max Baer may have violated the Pennsylvania Code of Judicial Conduct and the Pennsylvania Constitution when he made comments to the press regarding this court proceeding. Baer said he thought the process of fixing the legislative maps will take time.

Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa was obviously pleased, as were many Democrats in the General Assembly.

CORBETT WINS G.O.P. NOD FOR WELCH

The Pennsylvania Republican State Committee met in Hershey and came away with endorsements, but not without the prospect of primary fights in its statewide slate.

Throughout January, various regional State Committee caucuses had shown interest in moving towards an “open” primary in which Republican voters would be free to make decisions without the State Party promoting any one candidate. Despite these early rumblings, the members of State Committee — upon the urging of Gov. Tom Corbett, Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley and State Chairman Rob Gleason— opted for a closed primary. Despite this, they expect to see a primary fight for at least the US Senate nomination and possibly the Auditor General.

Republicans unanimously endorsed Cumberland Co. DA Dave Freed for Attorney General and 2006 Jack Murtha opponent Diana Irey-Vaughan of Washington Co. for State Treasurer. State Rep. John Maher of Allegheny Co. defeated former Philadelphia City Council candidate Frank Pinto by a vote of 249 to 59 to win the nod for Auditor General.

In the contentious race for US Senate, Republican-turned-Democrat-turned-Republican-again Steve Welch of Montgomery Co. took the endorsement with182 votes, followed by 51votes for wealthy coal baron Tom Smith of Armstrong Co., 46 for 2010 congressional candidate Tim Burns of Washington Co., 33 votes for former State Rep. Sam Rohrer of Berks Co., and 6 votes for former Santorum aide Marc Scaringi, with 9abstentions.

The vote came after significant arm-twisting by Corbett and his political team during the week leading up to Saturday’s vote. Corbett personally phoned committee members and visited each caucus individually during their pre-meeting breakfasts on Saturday morning, just an hour before the votes were cast. Corbett’s backing of Welch — who supported Democrats Barack Obama for President and Joe Sestak for Congress — surprised many, especially the conservative grassroots organizations and Tea Party members. Using the bully pulpit of the governorship, Corbett gave a speech during the convention attempting to “scare straight” those members who were contemplating an open primary by telling them if they opted against endorsements, it would be akin to allowing President Obama to have a free pass to win Pennsylvania this November. One particular maneuver that perhaps had the most sway with State Committee members Saturday was the fact Corbett sat in the seat immediately next to the rostrum throughout the roll-call vote. The members who were going against his wishes for an endorsement for Welch were thus required to face him directly while calling out their voice vote during the roll call.

Following the vote, Scaringi, Rohrer, Burns and Smith, along with Bedford Co. pharmacist John Kensinger and veterans advocate David Christian of the Philadelphia suburbs, promised to remain in the race. Pinto, with strong roots in South Philadelphia, also promised to remain in the Auditor General race without the endorsement, saying he plans to continue his campaign highlighting Maher’s decision to simultaneously seek his current seat in the House and the office of Auditor General.

DELAWARE CO. DEMS UNANIMOUS FOR BRADY

It’s time for Congressman Bob Brady’s announced primary candidate for the 1^st Congressional Dist. to read the writing on the wall. It was highlighted for him at the Delaware Co. Democrats caucus which unanimously endorsed Brady this week. That candidate had come to the Caucus earlier with petitions in hand and left without signatures or a single vote.

In the meantime, Philadelphia’s three Democrat Congress Members are positioned well with their treasuries for the primary. Congresswoman AllysonSchwartz, in the 13th Dist., leads the three members with a war chest of almost $2 million, followed by 1^st Dist.Congressman Bob Brady with over $750,000 and 2^nd Dist. Congressman Chaka Fattah with about $75,000.US Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) has about $3.8 million on hand.

REP. CRUZ FACES ANOTHER PRIMARY TEST

State Rep. Angel Cruz (D-Kensington), who has been the Representative for the180th Legislative Dist. since 2001, will again face one or more primary opponents this Apr. 24.Because the Supreme Court decision nullified new district lines, he may be facing only one.

Quetcy Lozada, vice chair of the 33rd Ward and Office chief of staff for Councilwoman Maria Quiñones Sánchez, had resigned and planned to run until the Supreme Court ruled the new district lines were to be ignored. On Tuesday, she held a press conference throwing her support to Jonathan Ramos.

MILTON STREET ENTERS 197^TH CONTEST

Street will enter the Democrat primary for the197th Dist. seat left vacant by the departure of Sheriff Jewell Williams. He has yet to decide if he will also get involved in the special election. A seasoned member of the legislature, having served in both the House and Senate, he realizes without a primary win, “just holding the seat for several months, from April to November, will not serve well the interests of the voters of the District.”

Street is expected to make his entry official with a press conference at his soon-to-be-opened campaign office. He said he’s back home, where “Ifirst started my political career.”

FARNESE HOSTS STATE SENATE COMMITTEE

At the request of State Sen. Lawrence Farnese (D-S.Phila.), the State Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a public hearing on campaign-finance reform this morning in the 5th-floor con-ference center of the Franklin Institute. The hearing will focus on Senate Democratic Leader JayCosta’s (D-Allegheny) campaign-finance reform legislation (SB 1260) that addresses contribution limits, disclosure requirements and corporate-donor accountability.

Testifying are Alan Butkovitz, Philadelphia City Controller; Ellen Mattleman Kaplan and Michael A. Schwartz, Esq., Committee of Seventy; Elizabeth Cosgriff, Common Cause of Pennsylvania; Kevin Greenberg, Esq., Flaster-Greenberg, PC; and Lora Lavin, League of Women Voters.

21^ST G.O.P. WARD VOWS IT’S TAMPA-BOUND

Walt Vogler, ward leaderof the 21st Republican Ward in Roxborough and Manayunk, states, “Your report in‘Elephant Corner’ on the approved slate for GOP convention delegates was wrong. Whoever provided you with your information would like your readers to believe this  ‘compromise slate’ was crafted after extensive debate and deals. This could not be farther from the truth. There was no ‘infighting’, nor were there cooperation and discussion.”

Vogler cited three key facts:“ 1) The 21st Ward has more GOP voters than any ward in the2nd Congressional Dist.; 2) The21st Ward has carried the load for years in efforts to identify qualified candidates for office and circulate petitions and obtain signatures in the 2nd Congressional Dist.; and 3) For the sake of diversity and regional cooperation, the 21st Ward took a back seat during the last two Presidential election cycles. In 2004, the 21st Ward stepped aside and North Philadelphian Bruce Harris represented us. In 2008, we again stepped aside for CheltenhamT ownship GOP leader GilCox. We will not step aside again.

“The slate you report was assembled by a group that did noinclude input from the 21stWard until after the selectionwere ‘released’ to papers like yours. When City Committee ‘handed over’ the task of finding candidates, it assumed the 21stWard would be represented. We were not. We did not agree to this ‘No 21st Ward’ slate of primarily West Philadelphia candidates.

“Moving forward, we have assembled a slate of qualified candidates that includes qualified21st Ward representatives.   This is as it should be. It is unthinkable to send the GOP delegation to the convention without representatives from one of its largest constituencies. Therefore, we will have 21st Ward citizens in Tampa and they will represent us well.”

KANE REACHES 1^ST MEGABUCK

Lackawanna Co’s Kathleen Kane announced she had reached the $1 million mark in her campaign for the Democratic nomination for Attorney General.

AT NEWS CONFERENCE held outside Shepard School Tuesday, Quetcy Lozada encourages voters to support Jonathan Ramos.

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