Chester County Democratic Committee

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letter by John Bondrowski, Daily Local News, 5/21/13

It has become accepted among several elected and politically appointed officials to spout how much better we would be without unions to hold us back. Recently, in Pennsylvania, there was a movement attempting to pass a resolution that would allow school districts and municipalities to exempt themselves from the Prevailing Wage Act of Aug. 15, 1961. The original Act was instituted to protect local wages and standards that were negotiated for the benefit of the territory that they covered. This Act standardized wages and benefits on public work projects, so out-of-state contractors could not, unfairly, underbid local contractors that support local workers.

The following information is provided from the Keystone Research Center’s policy brief, the Benefits of State Prevailing Wage Laws: Better Jobs and More Productive Competition in the Construction Industry.

Prevailing wage laws are better for consumers. They promote higher skills and quality construction. Research shows that prevailing wage laws lead to more training for the workforce; a more educated and experienced workforce; safer construction; and, government savings because workers depend less on social programs.

Prevailing wages do not increase construction costs. Research also shows that prevailing wage laws do not raise costs, so there is no public benefit from weakening prevailing wage laws. …

keep reading at Daily Local News

By GINGER RAE DUNBAR, Daily Local News, 5/22/13

Incumbents Joseph Hamrick and Ingrid Jones won Democratic nomination for Coatesville City Council in Tuesday’s primary.

The pair beat three other contenders for at-large nomination, Jarrell Brazzle, Amber Little and Patsy Ray.

Marie Hess won the Second Ward Democratic Party nomination for City Council over Jones and Ray.

All results are unofficial until certified by the county Board of Elections. …

keep reading at Daily Local News

by Bob Byrne, West Chester Patch, 5/21/13

With 100 percent of the precinct votes reported late Tuesday only about 10.45 percent of eligible voters in all of Chester County had cast a ballot in the Pennsylania Primary Election.

Unofficial Results as reported on the Chester County Voter Services Website:

Chester County Common Pleas Court:

Republican Candidates for Common Pleas Court Judge Patrick Carmody and Jeffrey R. Sommer will face Democrats Anthony Verwey, and Julia Malloy-Good, won their party’s nominations.
West Chester School Board

The slate of candidate for the November election will look exactly like the slate of candidates in Tuesday’s primary.

Republican School Board Candidate Results (all numbers are unofficial until certified by the Chester County Board of Elections).

* Carpenter 3,930
* Coyle 3,637
* LaTorre 3,573
* Pimley 3,322
* Kaliner 1,901
* McCune 1,852
* Swalm 1,794
* Chester 1,757

Democratic School Board Candidate Results (all numbers are unofficial until certified by the Chester County Board of Elections).

* Chester 2,998
* Kaliner 2,878
* McCune 2,745
* Swalm 2,653
* LaTorre 480
* Coyle 459
* Pimley 440
* Carpenter 435

Patch will update more local race results in a primary election round-up Wednesday.

You can also get the most up-to-date election results from Tuesday’s primary here on the Chester County Voter Services website.

from ChesCo Voter Services
(official results, which come along in a few weeks, usually have about 2% higher numbers)

SUMMARY REPORT UNOFFICAL RESULTS
RUN DATE:05/21/13 PRIMARY ELECTION, MAY 21, 2013
RUN TIME:11:45 PM CHESTER COUNTY, PA
STATISTICS

VOTES PERCENT

PRECINCTS COUNTED (OF 226). . . . . 226 100.00
REGISTERED VOTERS – TOTAL . . . . . 330,676
REGISTERED VOTERS – REPUBLICAN . . . 147,704 44.67
REGISTERED VOTERS – DEMOCRATIC . . . 125,125 37.84
BALLOTS CAST – TOTAL. . . . . . . 34,565
BALLOTS CAST – REPUBLICAN . . . . . 22,313 64.55
BALLOTS CAST – DEMOCRATIC . . . . . 12,252 35.45
VOTER TURNOUT – TOTAL . . . . . . 10.45
VOTER TURNOUT – REPUBLICAN. . . . . 15.11
VOTER TURNOUT – DEMOCRATIC. . . . . 9.79
Read more »

By SARA MOSQUEDA-FERNANDEZ, Daily Local News, 5/20/13

The shape of the general election will be determined by several judicial, municipal and school board are races in today’s primary.

In Pennsylvania, candidates are permitted to cross-file on both the Democratic and Republican ballots for judge and school board, offering candidates the chance to win both party nominations for the November election.

Although it is rare, a candidate securing both party nominations through the primary could still be contested by a third party or individual.

There are also scattered primaries on both the Republican and Democratic sides for municipal offices in the 73 townships, boroughs and city (Coatesville) in Chester County.

“Typically on a primary, in an odd election year, we expect voter turnout to be between 15 to 20 percent,” said Val DiGiorgio, chairman of the Chester County Republican Committee. “We do everything we can to get out all the Republicans we can.”

“As with every primary it is usually the faithful voters who come out to vote,” said Michelle Vaughn, chairwoman of the county’s Democratic Committee. “I anticipate we are going to have a good turnout for (Common Pleas), along with our school board candidates. There’s been a lot of energy and enthusiasm and in the primary I think there’s an opportunity for (Democratic) candidates to win on both ballots.” …

keep reading at Daily Local News

email, PA Dem party, 5/20/13

Do you care about justice?

Tom Corbett controls the Governor’s Residence, the State House and the State Senate. But did you know Republicans also control all three of the high courts? We need to take that very seriously because issues we care about—Voter ID, gerrymandering, and where Marcellus shale wells can be drilled—all are appealed to the high courts.

Fifteen people sit on the Superior Court. Eleven of them are Republicans. One seat is up for election this year. It’s vital we win!

Our endorsed candidate, Judge Joe Waters, is the right candidate for the job.

Our Auditor General Eugene DePasquale endorsed Judge Waters, saying:

“Judge Waters serves his country. A Marine and retired Captain of Police, Judge Waters worked his way through college to graduate with honors and become a Fulbright Scholar. He teaches college and has served on the boards of many worthwhile charities. Because of his outstanding record and character, I am proud to endorse his candidacy for Superior Court.” (Read Auditor General DePasquale’s full endorsement here.)

Judge Joe Waters has other fine accomplishments, but can’t get them before the voters this fall unless he wins this primary, May 21st!

Judge Waters is recommended by the PA Bar Association and endorsed by the PA Democratic Party and by a wide range of Democratic groups.

But his most important endorsement is yet to come: your vote on Tuesday!

Joe is one of us. Please go vote for him. You won’t regret it!

Thanks,

PA Dems

By GINGER RAE DUNBAR, Daily Local News, 5/18/13

VALLEY — Two candidates are seeking the Democratic nomination for a supervisors’s seat in Tuesday’s primary.
Joe Sciandra

Yolanda Beattie and Joe Sciandra are running for the Democratic nomination in Valley for a six-year term.
Yolanda Beattie….

keep reading at Daily Local News

By MICHAEL P. RELLAHAN, Daily Local News, 5/11/13

Three men and a woman are seeking nominations in this month’s primary election to run for two seats on the Chester County Common Pleas Court bench.

Although all four candidates have cross-filed on both major party’s ballots, attorneys Julia Malloy-Good and Anthony Verwey had been endorsed by the county Democratic Committee, while Patrick Carmody and Jeffrey Sommer have been endorsed by the county Republican Committee.

Whoever is elected would fill a trial court position that carries a 10-year term. Common Pleas Court judges hear criminal, civil and family court cases while presiding over trials, guilty pleas or settlements between parties and deciding all manner of legal disputes and issues.

The four candidates bring with them unique legal backgrounds. Carmody is a veteran county prosecutor; Malloy-Good is a county hearing officer and former family court attorney; Sommer is a longtime civil attorney and partner in a West Chester law firm with experience in municipal law; and Verway partner is in another borough firm with a background that includes judicial and legal ethics litigation.

The winners of both parties’ primary elections will move on to the general election in November. Because of their ability to cross-file, candidates could conceivably win nomination in both party races and run on both ballots in the fall.

In recent interviews, all four candidates stressed their experience and their commitment to the community and public service as reasons why they should be nominated. …

keep reading at Daily Local News

Letter by Nathaniel Smith, Daily Local News, 5/17/13

The article “Board hopefuls represent competing camps in primary,” printed in the May 13 Daily Local News, deals with a vital race in the May 21 primary but has some issues, as they say.

The print article says that the “Better Directions” slate of Ricky Swalm, Joyce Chester, Robin Kaliner, and Chris McCune “were endorsed by the Democratic committee, though they are all registered Republicans.”

There were two errors there: the Democratic committee does not “endorse” Republicans (and vice versa) and one of those four is a Democrat.

The online edition (under the title “8 West Chester school board hopefuls represent 2 slates“) changed that quote to:

“Chester, the only registered Democrat is endorsed by the Democratic committee. Though Swalm, Kaliner and McCune are registered Republicans, they received a recommendation from the committee, but cannot be fully endorsed.”

That is a lot better, but a candidate cannot be partly endorsed. The proper term, used by the Dem committee, is “supported.”

For further confusion, the bipartisan group just described and the other four candidates, representing the current board majority (with one substitution for an outgoing board member), are all cross-filed in the primary, meaning that all eight will appear on both ballots on May 21.

Why is this such a mess? Because the whole system of electing school boards is faulty in Pennsylvania–one of only three states to put board candidates on primary ballots. Such a vital community resource as public education should not be part of the business-as-usual political process….

keep reading at Daily Local News