WALKING THE BEAT: How Are Judges Like Cancer?

HOW ABOUT the Delaware Co. Republican Party leader’s letter comparing Democrats to CANCER in county judicial races? Why can there not be DEMOCRATIC judges, sir? And it ain’t KOSHER to say it on township stationery…. I was SURPRISED to learn State Rep. Brian SIMS is proposing MERIT SELECTION of judges legislation. I never had a clue of this part of his campaign platform. Such a move should not gain him any more recognition, votes or FAME.

The NUTTER TRAVELS seemed to have a PR boost when someone wrote a story on how he WOWED an audience. What did that mean? Did he, or will he, bring JOBS or INVESTMENT to PHILLY? Or will he have the luck of GULLIVER’S TRAVELS or Dora the Explorer? The recent news opinion of HOPE for new business relationships should instead ask him to “bring us the BUCKS!” RESULTS avoid the junket tag.

A FEW have cast an ongoing bad light on the NARCOTICS SQUAD. To end it, the Commissioner needs to be the PHOENIX BIRD and abolish the current unit to have it reborn…. The house arrest given two defendants by Judge De Fino-Nastasi, while they await retrial, is a MILESTONE, and signal for other jurists to follow! A big problem is a need for more house-arrest leg monitors. You would think, with the MASSIVE increase in filing fees, that enough revenue exists to buy more. House Arrest must start right after the judge rules it. NO ONE should languish in jail awaiting a leg monitor – at taxpayer expense.

BIRTHDAYS! It is my baby brother Harry ENGGASSER’S big day in Port Richmond on the 20th!…. Phil PRESS, famed prosecutor in MONTCO, has his on the 21st!… Jerry DAVIS, retired, quiet but powerful aide in City COUNCIL, breaks a rest on the 22^nd to celebrate…. Lovely, legendary, ageless TV newscaster Trudy HAYNES celebrates on the 23^rd!… Hemingway look-alike Ed McBRIDE has his big day on the 28^th with fans in LOCAL 98, and the EOM Club…. Will Matt SCHAFFER get to board his first flight on HIS DAY – the 18^th? BEST WISHES TO ALL!

So many great judges won election (or retention with YOUR “YES” VOTE), such as Supreme Court’s Max BAER; Gantman and Panella on the Superior Court; Jacqueline Allen, Genice Brinkley, Ramy Djerassi, Lori Dumas, Holly Ford, Joel Johnson, Frederica Massiah-Jackson, Rayford Means, Jeffery Minehart, Joseph O’Keefe, Paula Patrick, Doris Pechkurow, Allan Tereshko and Nina Wright-Padilla of COMMON PLEAS COURT; and Teresa Carr-Deni, Jacquelyn Frazier-Lyde and Wendy Pew of MUNICIPAL COURT. Also selected were Anne Marie Coyle, Timika Lane, Joe Fernandes, Daniel McCaffery, Giovanni Campbell, Sierra Street and Scott O’Keefe for Common Pleas Judge, and Martin Coleman, Henry Lewandowski and Fran Shields for MUNICIPAL COURT. Alan BUTKOVITZ, City Controller, though on the ballot bottom, won easily and in line with Public Record mayoral poll results. THANKS for voting for them.

Republican Committeepersons were given listed phone numbers of voters in the last election. They called voters and asked them to vote for their candidates – and got a respectable turnout. OBAMA has great data collection “mining information.” So where were the Philly DEMS? In low-turnout elections, BOTH PARTIES should pay into a fund to remind people there IS AN ELECTION on said date!… A tremendous MEET & GREET will be held in the Local 401 Hall on Norcom Road on the 20^th. Super guy and 401 leader Joe DOUGHERTY will introduce John KANE, Local 690 Business Manager!

It CONTINUES to be WEIRD how the parking hearings on Filbert Street answer to the City FINANCE Dept. It feels like a cash cow. The hearings are run by Jeremiah CONNOR. The next in the hierarchy is the Deputy Finance Director. The next Mayor needs to change this BROOM. It feels too cozy and obvious as a subliminal tax…. It was good to see Bill BARNES, Esq., at the Korean Memorial on Veterans Day. Prior to the building of the memorial, factions prevented progress. Korea Vet BARNES brought them together long enough to get it built. Like Winston CHURCHILL, he was out of office after it was completed. Thank You, Bill!

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