President Richard Bloomingdale, Penna. AFL-CIO

BY RICHARD BLOOMINGDALE/ More Pennsylvania workers are celebrating the Labor Holiday than in any other state in the nation, but the celebrations are tempered by the recession and high unemployment which over the past year has impacted directly or indirectly over half of the nation’s workforce. If you haven’t lost your job, a member of your family has, or a friend or neighbor.

Today, nationwide unemployment is 9.5%, but this doesn’t account for those workers who have exhausted their unemployment and simply have dropped out of the workforce because they are unable to find a job. Here in Pennsylvania, there are over 520,000 unemployed workers, many of whom have been unemployed for 35 weeks or longer. For every new job created, there are five unemployed workers seeking to fill that position.

As bad as this recession is, the worst in generations, it would be much worse if Congress and the President hadn’t acted quickly by approving the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act during the economic tailspin. A recent report by the Economic Policy Institute estimates today’s unemployment rates would be near 16% if the Federal government hadn’t rescued the economy.

The Recovery Act is pumping $780 billion into the economy nationwide, with over $26 billion into communities across Pennsylvania. Conservative estimates are that the economic stimulus will have created 200,000 jobs in Pennsylvania upon completion of the program next year. This figure doesn’t include the indirect jobs saved and created downstream.

The benefits of the economic stimulus go beyond job creation: like the 600,000 unemployed who received extensions in unemployment compensation; or the 5.4 million Pennsylvanians that received tax breaks; and the 1.55 million workers that received additional food stamps.

While the economic stimulus has brought us back from the brink of another great depression, more needs to be done to increase the demand for more jobs. It begins by remembering it was Wall Street greed that caused the worst financial collapse since the Great Depression.

Wall Street is responsible for crashing our economy and now that they have recovered and are handing out big bonuses to their top CEO’s and sending billions in credit lines and investment dollars to foreign nations such as China, they should be taxed to help pay for putting people back to work here in the United States and in Pennsylvania. Tax breaks on the wealthiest 2% should also be repealed to generate revenue for jobs.

It doesn’t end there. Next year, our State budget will face the worst budget crisis we’ve experienced in the two previous State budgets, due in large part to the sluggish economy and the drying up of Federal economic stimulus dollars to Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania doesn’t have a spending problem; we have a revenue problem.

During this most recent budget battle, we pushed hard for legislators to close the tax loopholes that allow big corporations like Wal-Mart from avoiding paying taxes to the Commonwealth to the tune of almost $500 million annually in lost revenue. This is not only unfair to both small business and workers who pay their fair share of the tax burdens, it robs our State from being able to provide for our own citizens and communities and denies much needed investments in our infrastructure for the future.

We pushed hard and were successful at getting the Congress to approve $600 million in Federal funds to fill the budget hole, just to prevent additional layoffs of teachers, police officers and firefighters in communities across Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania also needs to pass this fall the strongest severance tax on extraction of natural gas to fund strong regulation and prevention of environmental catastrophes as well as repair of roads and bridges. What also is needed is that more of the jobs should go to Pennsylvania workers, not out-of-state workers from as far away as Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas.

The most direct route to economic recovery is through Main Street, not Wall Street. It’s time our elected officials realize you cannot cut your way back to economic prosperity. It takes investments in communities and jobs. Our economy is supposed to serve people and communities, not Wall Street and corporations.

Send article as PDF to

The total number of job openings in June was 2.9 million, while Current Population Survey data for that month shows that the total number of unemployed workers was 14.6 million. This means that the ratio of unemployed workers to job openings was 5.0-to-1, a slight improvement from the revised May ratio of 5.1-to-1. Importantly, this ratio does not measure the number of applicants for each job. There may be throngs of applicants for every job posting, since job seekers apply for multiple jobs. The 5-to-1 ratio means that there is literally only one job opening for every five unemployed workers (that is, for every four out of five unemployed workers there simply are no jobs).

The ratio is significantly improved from its peak last November of 6.2-to-1, but there remains a severe shortage of jobs. The ratio of unemployed per job opening is still far higher than at the worst point in the last recession, when its maximum was 2.8 unemployed workers per job opening. In 2007, before the recession started, the ratio averaged 1.5-to-1.

With so many unemployed workers per available job, people who find themselves out of work can be expected to remain unemployed for extremely long periods. In June, nearly half (45.5%) of this country’s unemployed workers had been jobless for over six months, nearly 20 percentage points above the high of all post-war recessions, which was 26.0%, set in the summer of 1983.

Furthermore, when calculating the ratio of unemployed-to-job-openings, if we were to include not just the 14.6 million officially unemployed workers, but also the 2.5 million “marginally attached” workers (jobless workers who want a job, are available for work, have looked for work in the last year but have given up actively seeking work and are therefore not counted as officially unemployed), the ratio would be 5.8-to-1.

In June, there were 11.7 million more officially unemployed workers than there were job openings. The employment report released on Aug. 6 showed very slow growth in July – barring changes in temporary Census employment, the labor market added only 12,000 jobs. This rate of growth is nowhere near what is needed to bring the unemployment rate down. It is time for the government to do substantially more to create jobs so that the backlog of unemployed workers in this country can get back to work.

Send article as PDF to

This patch is for GOP biker club that is being formed in city.

BY JOE SHAHEELI/ Both Democrat and Republican Parties in this city are poised and at the ready to do what they can to generate votes for their gubernatorial and US Senate candidates this November.

Though they are going through their pre-election drills and showing up to support their candidates at election and party functions, who will be on Primary slates is the key topic on the agenda when leadership gets together.

The most excitement generated may come from the Republican Party, which has seen a major split between the Loyal Opposition, also known as the Pennsylvania Republican Party, and the Republican City Committee. Despite efforts by both sides to bring a positive resolution to their differences, it seems they are farther apart than ever.

Mentioned as the Loyal Opposition’s contender for the GOP 3011 Primary for Mayor is John Featherman, well-known security maven, who has garnered a lot of press for his tips on how to avoid ID losses. He filed for the next Mayoral primary race shortly after the last primary.

According to those close to Featherman, he is not expected to go it alone. It is believed a line in the sand is being drawn between the Loyal Opposition and the Republican City Committee. The State-supported Loyal Opposition local leadership is expected to challenge the endorsed slate on several seats.

6^th DIST. COUNCIL SEAT MAY SEE PRIMARY FIGHT

Word is out Councilwoman Joan Krajewski (D-Northeast) is expected to turn over her reins as 6th Dist. Councilwoman and not seek reelection. So there will be a lot of buzzing at her fabulous annual Fall Picnic by the Delaware River at Wissinoming Yacht Club on Sep. 12. That event starts at 2 p.m.

Strong rumors indicate Washington Savings Association banker Marty Bednarek, former ward leader and former member of both the School Board and the School Reform Commission, is one name surfacing as a strong contender. He reportedly has the support of a good portion of the District’s ward leaders who are leaning toward him.

Those close to Bednarek say if he goes, he’ll have a quarter-of-a-million-dollar war chest going for him as well. He himself has been a proven fundraiser. The Bednarek name is strong among the Polskis in the District.

Not looking at the race right now is State Rep. Michael McGeehan (D-Northeast), who has worked his Legislative District, much of which falls in the 6th Council Dist., to the point where his name has become a household word. Odds are, though, if pressed, he will consider entering the primary on May 17.

McGeehan is the long-time leader of the 41st Ward and has a following of fellow ward leaders in the Northeast.

WILL BRADY CONTEST MAYOR NUTTER?

Municipoll/PoliticsPA polled Philadelphia voters last week and discovered Nutter would hold a four-point advantage if former-Republican-turned-Democrat Sam Katz was his only primary candidate. Over 800 were polled.

The poll showed 28% of those queried where undecided, with Nutter below 50%, could cause the incumbent to campaign as earnestly as when he won the seat.

Congressman Bob Brady, reports the poll, also remains Nutter’s stiffest Democrat challenger with the following percentages: Nutter draws 30%, Brady 16%, Katz 15%, Councilman Bill Green 9% and Controller Alan Butkovitz 5%, with 23% undecided.

In another scenario asked by the pollsters, Nutter draws 32%, Brady 17%, Congressman Chaka Fattah 16%, Dwight Evans 9%, Tom Knox 8%, and Undecided 18%.

Nutter enjoys a diversity of support, with white voters rating his performance as Mayor more highly than African American voters. However, African American voters support Nutter over Katz 38% to 26%, while white voters support Katz 41% to 39%.

Those polling figures will be changing with the weather, but we present them here for you to contemplate. If you would like to contact Municipoll.com, please call Ed Haggerty at (267) 980-9289 or by email at ehaggerty@municipoll.com.

CORBETT VOWS TO CUT SPENDING

Tom Corbett, Republican nominee for Governor, isn’t worried about being a one-termer. He spent a busy Sunday at the annual Republican City Committee Clam Bake at Cannstatter, telling everyone if he is elected Governor, he would make unpopular cuts in State services, even if it meant he would become the State’s first one-term Governor in 40 years.

Corbett said steep cuts might be needed in State government. Corbett, the State Attorney General, made it clear his focus is on reducing spending, rather than raising fees or taxes, to deal with financial challenges. “If I only serve one term, I only serve one term,” Corbett said Friday. “I think people want to see you cut – except their program.”

PHILADELPHIANS SHOWED UP BIG AT BECK’S CAPITOL RALLY

The Independence Hall Tea Party sent 1500 members and friends on 28 buses to attend Glenn Beck Restoring Honor Rally in Washington. The crowd was estimated at 300,000 by some sources. Others said several thousand. Those who were there said, “Every nook and cranny was filled throughout the Washington Mall. That is closer to 300,000.”

Association President Teri Adams said, “The demand was such that we could have sent 40 buses. Our phones were ringing off the hook, with people desperately wishing to attend this rally.”

CITY REPUBLICANS FORM BIKERS CLUB

Are you a Republican with a motorcycle? You are eligible to join GOP Riders MC, a politically oriented motorcycle club whose mission is to promote the love of both motorcycles and Republican political ideology.

Understanding great diversity exists in the motorcycling community is also a very important objective of the club, GOP Riders will not discriminate against any Republican motorcycle enthusiast based on their choice of motorcycle. The club is open to male and female riders, riders of every age, ethnicity and people from many different walks of life and life experiences. All riders who are registered Republican voters are welcome to pledge and join GOP Riders MC. For info, email Info@GOPriders.com or 1 (888) 489-2460.

PRESIDENT HAS SHORT COATTAILS

More national polling indicates Pennsylvania remains one of three key swing states as far as the President is concerned. The other two are Florida and Ohio.

In Pennsylvania, Obama’s approval is 40% with 55% of voters disapproving of him. Among Republicans, 85% disapprove while just 68% of Democrats approve and independents go against him by a 63%/32% margin. Only 78% of people who voted for him in 2008 like the job he’s doing while 93% who voted against him disapprove with identical numbers to Florida.

Florida shows Obama’s approval is 39% with 55% of voters disapproving of him. Among Republicans, 88% disapprove while just 73% of Democrats approve and independents go against him by a 52%/36% margin. Only 78% of people who voted for him in 2008 like the job he’s doing while 93% who voted against him disapprove.

Obama’s approval in Ohio is 42% with 54% of voters disapproving of him. There, 94% of Republicans disapprove while only 79% of Democrats approve and independents go against him by a 58%/33% margin. Only 76% of people who voted for him in 2008 approve while 91% who voted against him disapprove.

The famous Zogby poll shows Obama at 44% approval, his lowest to date.

Obviously it’s a long way from 2012, but these swing-state numbers for Obama are pretty brutal and underscore why Democrats may lose a whole lot of House seats this year in those states.

LOU SCHWARTZ COMES TO 2^ND & SOUTH

Republican candidate Lou Schwartz launched is website www.lou4rep.com and is taking his campaign this Saturday to the intersection at 2nd & South. He suggests it will be a great photo op, so bring your camera.

Send article as PDF to

HOST Joseph Dougherty, business manager of Ironworkers Local 401, finds himself flanked by Business Agent Edward Sweeney and TWU COPE Director James Mc Bride. Photo by Lee Buchanan

LOCAL 401’s Ed Sweeney and his daughter Rebecca enjoy a photo op with President of Ironworkers Local 401 Joseph Dougherty. Photo by Lee Buchanan

Send article as PDF to

In a letter to the Mayor, Rizzo remarked, “You have stated that regarding undocumented aliens, ‘the only law they broke is coming into the United States because they want to get a job.’ The message this unfortunately sends is it is acceptable to break the rules.

“It is patently unfair to those residents who follow the rules and who, for various reasons, find themselves among the ranks of the unemployed. It is also unfair to those citizens of other nations who want to immigrate to our country, but await their opportunity to so in accord with our immigration laws. Illegal immigrants need to ‘get in line’.”

Rizzo “strongly” urged the Mayor and “the other members of the PARS steering committee” to support Federal access to those records.

Send article as PDF to

I’ve worked with people who have managed to keep their jobs despite telling off their bosses, stealing money, and getting other people to do their work by doing some good, old fashioned, kissing up.

I bring this up because of the recent brouhaha surrounding Carl Greene, executive director of the Philadelphia Housing Authority.

I had a friend who had worked for PHA a while back, from whom I used to hear stories about the more-abusive aspects of Greene’s personality. From the beginning, his distinctive personality was hard to ignore.

I heard about the sexual harassment. I heard about the verbal abuse. I heard about the kinds of behavior, behavior that includes forced financing of parties in honor of the boss and other difficulties the Philadelphia Inquirer says the agency has had to pay $900,000 in lawsuit settlements and legal fees over.

But no one had said much in public about Greene’s extracurricular activities, because they were committed while he was turning PHA into one of the best public-housing authorities in the country.

Under Greene’s watch, he had turned troubled high-rise apartment complexes into the kinds of public housing that make you want to quit your job and apply for Section 8.

Senior-citizen complexes that rival any suburban 55-and-over condo developments, townhouses that were so integrated into the city you couldn’t tell who lived where, and places within developments where the development’s entrepreneurs could ply their trades and create businesses in which they could employ their neighbors became the norm in Greene’s PHA.

Heck, even President Barack Obama took notice. He lauded Greene and PHA for taking the economic stimulus money and putting it to work right away.

But here’s the thing. All of that achievement, and it’s a lot, is about to be overshadowed by Greene’s alleged slap-and-tickle shenanigans. When Carl Greene is no longer executive director of PHA, something that will probably be the reality 30 days after the Dept. of Housing & Urban Development finishes investigating how much of the $900,000 in lawsuit settlements and legal fees came out of actual PHA funds, the process that got him fired is going to be what’s remembered, not the housing.

My Mom (ever notice how often I quote her?) says you should be nice to everyone, because the people you meet on the way up are the exact same people you meet on the way down. The only difference is, if you’re nice to folks on the way up, they’re more willing to give you a hand when you’re on the way down.

But in the case of Greene, they’re going to be telling their stories to any reporter who will listen. Heck, even his mentor Alphonso Jackson, former HUD secretary, told the Inquirer how abusive he was to subordinates.

Maybe if Jackson had given that information to then-Mayor Ed Rendell when Greene was hired, we as a city might not be wondering if we can find someone to sustain the work of the Good Carl while we clean up the mess of the Bad Carl.

Send article as PDF to

State Sen. Stweart Greenleaf has developed a comprehensive package of low-cost alternatives to prison which he says can save the Commonwealth $400 million a year.

BY TONY WEST/ Prisons aren’t pretty. But they are pretty pricey.

While most other Commonwealth expenditures were cut in this year’s budget, the Dept. of Corrections increased by 4%, to $1.87 billion. And even that represented penny-pinching for the DOC. In the last five years, while the overall State budget grew by 15%, from $24.3 billion to $28.0 billion, DOC’s budget ballooned by 34%, from $1.4 billion.

Reining in runaway growth in prison spending, in the eyes even of an increasing number of conservatives, is a business necessity. Society must find cheaper and more-effective ways to keep criminals from offending again.

State Sen. Stewart Greenleaf (R-Montgomery), the veteran chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has introduced a package of reform legislation this year that aims comprehensively to retool our approach to incarceration, by either keeping offenders out of prison as much as possible, or getting as many out as quickly as possible.

One reason is money. If all his measures are enacted, estimates are they will reduce spending on prisons by $400 million – at no added risk to public safety.

Three of Greenleaf’s bills have already been passed by the Senate. In the process, they were vetted by its Appropriations Committee, which verified that collectively, they will save the State money. How much money? A lot, according to then-DOC Secretary Jeffrey Beard – $180 million is a middle-of-the-road estimate.

These proposals – SB 1145, 1161 and 1275 – are now being reviewed by the House Judiciary Committee. They would develop a risk-assessment tool to help judges sort out high-risk from low-risk offenders when it comes to sentencing, ease the release of inmates with special needs into community reentry programs toward the close of their sentences, and keep parolees from being automatically locked up for long periods of time over minor technical violations.

A basic rule of thumb is cost per prisoner. This ranges (facilities vary) from $29,000 to $40,000 per inmate per year – comparable to what some universities charge students seeking a bachelor’s degree. But all prisoners are on a “scholarship” 100% paid for by the taxpayers. So when the criminal-justice system takes a step that puts 33 more people in prison for a year, that’s an extra $1 million on the bill; when it finds non-prison solutions for 33 inmates, that takes $1 million off the bill.

Alternatives to incarceration come with their own costs, of course. But they pale in comparison to that of full-scale imprisonment. Currently, an offender on probation costs $1,250 a year and a parolee $2,750 a year.

No one argues current expenditures permit probation-and-parole officers to do their job as well as we would probably like. Caseloads are staggeringly high and available service resources are stretched thin. But by the same token, it is much cheaper to beef up community-based supervision, training and treatment programs than it is to build a new prison.

Four more of Greenleaf’s measures still await review by the Senate Appropriations Committee for “fiscal notes.” These are analyses of their impact on the State’s bottom line, positive or negative.

For the most part, these are the big-ticket bills that would mandate new agencies, new programs, new workers or other new services. One would enable counties to impose quick, short stays in jail for on-street offenders who are resisting compliance with substance-abuse treatment. Another would found a Safe Community Reentry Program to coordinate community-based alternatives for offenders.

A third would appropriate $50 million to staff more parole officers, set up treatment courts, and add intermediate-punishment, treatment and other reentry programs for offenders. A fourth would make more nonviolent offenders (most inmates are nonviolent) eligible for community-based programs.

New spending is involved, therefore. But Greenleaf argues it’s an investment that has been proven to work in other states – Virginia, Texas and Michigan, for example. Michigan is a good example because its population (10 million) and demographics are quite similar to Pennsylvania’s.

“Michigan invested $23 million in its prisoner reentry services and has decreased its overall corrections spending by $120 million, with 3,260 fewer inmates,” argues Greenleaf. “In fact, Michigan is now housing some of Pennsylvania’s prisoners.”

So these new, or newly enriched, programs are crucial to bringing public-safety costs under control. The choice cannot be between bulging prisons with bare-bones services, and scantily monitored parolees with bare-bones services; society can’t really afford either path.

Two more of Greenleaf’s bills have been brought back to Judiciary for further work. One would authorize “drug and violence task forces” in select high-crime areas; the other would expand paid work in marketable skills for inmates to ease their reentry.

Together, these measures amount to a fundamental restructuring of how we treat criminals. Serious public-safety and economic concerns surround several of them. It’s guaranteed they will be closely and cautiously studied. Some are already in line for revision after the state’s District Attorneys complained about them.

But as a tool for crime control, incarceration has lost its cutting edge. As a nation, we already imprison more people than any other nation in the world – with no apparent improvement in crime rates. We cannot keep doubling prison populations and tripling budgets indefinitely. The search for another way has begun.

Send article as PDF to

PCE aims to define the Philadelphia charter community in terms of academic progress and safety, among other categories, to provide a resource for parents and students interested in charters, and to clarify misperceptions and misinformation about charters.

“According to the Pew study released in June, 62% of parents said they have actively considered sending their child to a charter or non-District-run school, while 42% said they did not have enough information about school choice,” said Dr. Naomi Johnson Booker, president of PCE and CEO of Global Leadership Academy. “PCE is going to remedy this situation. We are here to demystify the process for parents who desperately want options for their children’s education.”

PCE members have all committed to creating a path toward academic and personal excellence for all students; innovation in teaching and learning practices; recognition of family, community and safety as priorities; and maintaining a rigorous and transparent leadership and decision-making process.

“Seventy-three percent of charters in Philadelphia are making ‘Adequate Yearly Progress’,” said Jurate Krokys, VP of PCE and CEO of Independence Charter School. “And as important, we have very high daily attendance, graduation and high-school matriculation rates. We are achieving real results through innovation in education. There are more students on waiting lists to attend Philadelphia charters – nearly 30,000 – than there are in the entire Pittsburgh public School District.”

Though Philadelphia charter schools sought expansion by 9,300 seats this year, only 1,024 were granted by the School Reform Commission. “That leaves many, many students on waiting lists for yet another year,” said Krokys.

Send article as PDF to

STATE SEN. Mike Stack, surrounded by tavern owners from across state, talks about the importance of permitting small games of chance at taverns. He is also joined by colleague Sean Logan.

Even though a poll paid by Gov. Ed Rendell from his campaign funds reveals widespread support for transportation funding can go as high as 95% of respondents who believe the quality of transportation infrastructure matters to the state’s economy, odds are dedicated State funding for that purpose will not materialize before the General Election.

Polls understand those who favor fixing up state highways do so as long as they don’t have to pay for it. Three-quarters of those polled said they would support a tax on oil company profits and closing tax loopholes for those companies. A plurality of 48% supported increasing vehicle and driver fees to the rate of inflation. A gas-tax hike, also pegged to the rate of inflation, was generally unpopular and received only 34% support.

With this in mind, few are the members of the State legislature ready to tackle this issue … that is, until they return from their election break. With Rendell leaving office, and some of the legislators losing their seats, it is possible support can be found for a funding package.

4 APPLICANTS VIE FOR LAST CASINO LICENSE

Four applicants are vying for Pennsylvania’s final and highly coveted casino license: a group that wants to convert a Holiday Inn near Harrisburg into “RV World,” one proposing to build near Gettysburg’s historic battlefield, and the backers of a pair of megaresorts in the Poconos and Southwestern Pennsylvania boasting everything from golf to a private airstrip. Much is at stake.

Gambling revenue in the state already has exceeded expectations, topping $2 billion over six years, and the potential for more is considered great.

MONEY TALKS, BULL__ WALKS

Money, money, money is making a difference in the way the public perceives the Joe Sestak and Pat Toomey race for the State’s US Senate seat.

Sestak did well engaging in a bloody primary which gained him national attention and reflected a positive gain for him in the polls that immediately followed.

Toomey had no bloody spring primary, allowing him to stockpile resources and build alliances.

Toomey’s been able to spend some of his campaign money early. No sooner did the primary results fade from the media than Toomey aired his first commercial, which highlighted Sestak’s support for health reform, bailouts and civilian trials for foreign terrorists.

The next week the melodrama of Sestak’s White House job offer garnered national attention and Toomey joined the chorus of public figures calling on Sestak to divulge who offered him what job to bow out of the Senate race against Specter.

Toomey has aired six television commercials during the summer hiatus about Sestak, painting him as an extreme liberal to the left of most members of his political party. The US Chamber of Commerce aired two commercials linking Sestak to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and calling him “anti-business.”

Sestak decried Toomey’s ads as negative, even though they were issue attacks, not character assaults. He made the mistake of blaming Bill Clinton for the job pitch, which Clinton denied.

Toomey’s campaign, during this period, has kept Sestak on the defensive. It refused to let up on Sestak for not fully living up to a personal pledge not to take campaign money from corporations that requested special Federal funding known as earmarks.

It also pushed for Sestak to return campaign contributions from embattled New York Democrat Charlie Rangel. Sestak eventually did, after Rangel was charged with 13 counts of ethics violations.

Toomey, a conservative on fiscal issues, is appealing to moderates and even Democrats more than Sestak is with independents and Republicans, according to recent public-opinion polls.

Democrat consultant Larry Ceisler admitted Toomey has done the better job so far, making Sestak look like an extremist.

Toomey’s early control is reminiscent of Sestak’s run against Specter in the spring. Political pundits all but counted Sestak out because his campaign seemed disjointed and disorganized compared with Specter’s machine.

But don’t count out Sestak. He has his own way of campaigning and it has done well by him in his career so far.

SESTAK ADDRESSES BLACK WOMEEN VETS

Sestak spoke at the installation ceremony for the Delaware Co. chapter of the National Congress of Black Women, congratulation its members on the establishment of the new chapter while encouraging them to take an active role in the upcoming election this fall.

He then came to this city to address the WWII Black Navy Veterans of Great Lakes and the Black Navy Veterans of America Annual Reunion Convention Banquet.

PENNA. LAW MAKES IT TOUGH FOR INDIES

Marakay Rogers, Kat Valleley and Doug Jamison wanted to run for statewide office on the Libertarian Party ticket. They wanted to give Pennsylvania voters more choices in the election.

They collected 25,033 signatures to comply with Pennsylvania’s immense ballot access requirements so their names could appear on the ballot. That’s 23,033 more than are required for Republican and Democratic state candidates.

All were challenged by the major parties. Rogers, Valleley and Jamison traveled to Harrisburg to fight the challenge.

In 2004 and 2006, the courts assessed over $80,000 in fees to a candidate who lost a ballot access challenge. This year, their lawyer estimated these fees would run between $92,000 and $106,000.

Using this leverage, they claim they were offered a deal – drop your efforts to be on the ballot and avoid exorbitant challenge fees, or continue to fight and face the risk of fees that could easily lead to personal bankruptcy. The potential cost of a loss was too great. After deliberation, these candidates withdrew.

Though the challenge provision of the election code has been in place since 1937, it was not used to remove a statewide candidate from the November ballot until 2004. Since then, the challenge has become standard operating procedure for the old parties.

Rogers, candidate for Governor, said, “This type of dealing may signal the end of third-party campaigning in Pennsylvania, except for the rich or the brave. Anyone can file a challenge and then threaten to clobber their opponent with outrageous and unaffordable legal fees that started accumulating long before any actual hearing. Even for someone who does believe they have enough valid signatures after a challenge, the threat of the fees assessed is enough to force you to back out just in case you might not win.”

Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania Chair Michael Robertson concluded, “The unlevel playing field that alternative-party and independent candidates face to be included on the Pennsylvania ballot has turned into a wall. We are calling on the General Assembly to tear down that wall, and allow the voters of the Commonwealth the choices they deserve.”

LPP has strongly endorsed the Voters’ Choice Act, or SB 252, which was introduced by State Sen. Mike Folmer (R-Lebanon). The bill would equalize ballot access across all parties, not just the Democrats and Republicans. Unfortunately, the bill has been sitting in committee for over a year, with little indication that it will be passed before the end of the year.

Send article as PDF to