ACM's Democratic Primary voters' guide (micro-election, May'09)

I've gotten to meet and/or hear from a large percentage of the candidates this year, but that hasn't always given me a clear sense of preferences, as you'll see. The big-ticket races tomorrow are District Attorney and City Controller, both important and interesting races, but most of the ballot contains judicial races, which is where small numbers of thoughtful voters can really make a difference.

• At the bottom of the ballot, D.A.: I was very enthusiastic about Seth Williams four years ago, and I still recommend him this time. However, the field as a whole is quite strong, and I find Williams rather off-putting in person (in the sense that while he's still shaking your hand he's already looking over your shoulder for Somebody More Important), so I'm not putting any foot power into this race. Still, Williams has done great as Inspector General, has clear and convincing plans for the D.A.'s office, and avoids much of the unseemly political connections that dog some of his rivals, so I think he merits your vote.
  
  
• City Controller: How well this office does its job becomes starkly clear in these times of fiscal crisis, and a conscientious Controller can find the inefficiencies, root out nepotism, and make sure that budgets are using realistic assumptions. Incumbent Butkovitz has done well with a few high-profile investigations, but has steered around many political minefields (including putting off a PPA audit requested by the Governor!) that make it clear his experience as a politician have left him too indebted to those he's supposed to keep honest. In contrast, Brett Mandel seems a dedicated reformer, has experience in the Controller's office under Saidel, and looks well set to be the bulldog he claims to be. I worry some about his corporatist outlook (he's focussed on cutting business taxes for years), but I don't think that matters much in this job, and he's got the energy to get stuff done on many fronts. Again, not working for this campaign, but recommending him for your vote. (The third horse in this race, Braxton, seems like a good guy, but he's been nearly invisible and thus is unlikely to succeed.)
  
  
• Judges of many stripes: There aren't really any stand-outs here to me, as there have been in the past, at least at the local level. Be sure that you vote for Anne Lazarus for Superior Court, as she is one of the most highly recommended and universally acclaimed jurors to get on the ballot, and she missed this seat last time by just a few votes...
  
  
  1. Supreme Court (1 vote): Panella
     
  2. Superior Court (3 votes): Lazarus, Younge and Colville
     
  3. Comonwealth Court (2 votes): Lynn and Pollock
     
  4. Common Pleas (up to 7): Thompson, Robert Coleman, Roca, Woelpper, Anders, Eubanks
     
  5. Municipal (up to 4): Segal, Hayden, Dugan

There are also two ballot questions, one to establish posthumous promotion for police, firemen, etc., killed in the line of duty, and the other to let City Council change its rules on announcing hearings, bids, etc. more easily (I think). Committee of Seventy recommends a yes on the latter, to give the government flexibility (especially if a major paper closes), but my instinct is to vote against it because I'm not sure Council can be trusted -- unannounced hearings and invisible calls for bids seem well within their peskiness. Anyway, just be forewarned that these questions will be there; no solid advice from me.

Holy crap!

I suppose it was fated, but it's still hard not to feel the earth shudder when Arlen Specter switches parties! That should shake up the picture for the 2010 elections quite a bit; expect new life in the gubenatorial race and rather muted entries for a Senate primary battle with this old warhorse...

Update: I got this very phone call last night (4/29). Completely perplexing -- are they trying to scare me with his Republicanism or annoy me by referring to him as the "new member of the Democrat party"? What on earth is their goal, other than petulance??

Update 2: (5/5) Of course, this is a perhaps inevitable result. Will we end up with something like Ridge versus Sestak? Expect a lot of shifting in this landscape!

Fumo verdict

It took the jury foreman nearly 15 minutes to read all the verdicts: guilty on all 137 counts. Sorry, Vince, but looks like you're not as entitled as you thought you were.

Holy cow

The Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News has just filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. They say that daily operations will be unaffected, but one can expect this to have reverberations locally for some time.

Indefinite hiatus

It's probably been obvious that things here have gotten increasingly quiet since The Arrival, and I think I'm going to make it official. I just can't scan the dozens of regional sources I used to, let alone find the time to compose summaries or commentary. I'd like to say I'll drop in here when something huge happens, and I probably will, but there's been big stuff already that slipped over the horizon, so don't hold your breath.

I will definitely continue to make my election recommendations, however, since I'm taking the time to research all the candidates and ballot questions for myself and my neighborhood constituents anyway -- check back for those the day or two before each polling day. Probably not much to say in a Presidential election like this last one, but plenty of obscurania to share when there are heaps of judges and other mysteries to unravel.

Best to all my readers, near and far! It's been a great three years! See you at some future rally!

Don't sit there reading; get out and vote!

A simpler ballot than usual, so no lengthy set of recommendations here. I think the Democratic ticket is generally good, with the possible exception of the Attorney General for PA, where there is some controversy over his rabid anti-immigrant views (but that's not really the AG's purview). A YES on the ballot questions, to varying degrees of conviction.

But, President! And some other competitive races, depending on where you live. Get out there, do your part!

One small blow for sanity

I don't know whether I can really be said to be maintaining this blog anymore (sigh), but I did want to note this one story: that the PAC belonging to John Dougherty's electricians' union finally had to pay a penalty for their illegal meddling in the mayoral primary (even if the $$ value is small for such a major player). A first victory for the city's new Ethics Board. I notice that the Inquirer has an editorial today applauding this outcome, saying that the Board had "proven its worth as a watchdog" and adding

Dougherty's union tried to substitute swagger for playing by the rules, but the ethics board showed it's possible to stand up to bullies.

Indeed, this gives one hope that some civility might be brought to the back-room brawls of Philadelphia politics.