OUR OPINION: It’s Wolf Vs. GOP

One has to feel sorry for leadership in both chambers on the Hill in Harrisburg.

That’s because freshly minted first-termers have a tendency to demand a lot and produce little. They’d hold up any agreement reached by the leadership of both parties to show folks back home they can bring back some bacon.

They, God bless them, are the old-timers, mostly leaders of committees, who still need to have their pet bills made into law. After all, seniority should count.

So the deadline approaches at the end of this month, the tradition continues of not passing a budget on time.

This is not felt by state employees, since bills will move to allow the government to operate ad infinitum. But suffering does exist as all those groups, mostly nonprofits, universities, hospitals and school boards have no idea what funding will be like for them in the coming year. So some will have to borrow money if need be, and that costs their bottom line.

However, there seems to be movement. Liquor is not a budget “lynchpin,” House Majority Leader David Reed says. Talks about overhauling the state liquor and wine system “can be taken off the table” if it becomes apparent the issue is holding up overall budget negotiations.

However, education-funding demands are not on the same playing field for both parties. Gov. Tom Wolf seems to be gathering some Republicans support. But it does look as if this must be the first major agreement toward the passage of the budget.

In the meantime, we remember back in the old days when the majority caucus rooms were suddenly plagued by air-conditioning breakdowns. It would get awfully hot in those stuffy chambers, especially when the members’ families kept calling, “When is daddy or mother coming home so we can go on vacation?” Nowadays, we never worry about that because we got quality Air Conditioning Installation Penrith.

Can An Independent A Win Special Election?

The odds are against an independent’s running in a special election and coming off the winner. But in the 191^st Legislative Dist. on Aug. 11, this could happen, possibly a first.

Our reasoning is based on the fact in three days an independent gathered over 1,000 signatures for that seat, way above the minimum 300-plus required to get on the ballot. Three days later was the deadline to challenge, which obviously did not happen.

That individual is Tracey Gordon, who usually makes everybody’s business in much of that district her business, via social media. She delivers on campaigns to get rid of neighborhood nuisances and often succeeds in getting City Hall help. At times she can be a thorn in someone’s side.

She did, however, win 31,807 votes citywide in the recent primary contest for City Commissioner, coming in fourth in a six-way race.

We discuss her campaign in “Pols on the Street” (also posted in “Latest News”).

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