April 30, 2009

In a stunning announcement, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania Tuesday said he was switching his party affiliation from Republican to Democratic.

The move came one month after saying his intention for a 2010 reelection bid was to “run as a Republican on a Republican ticket.” He was facing a challenge in the republican primary from former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey.

In a press conference Specter said elements of the Republican Party were moving too far to the right while also saying he couldn’t win as a Republican in Pennsylvania.

“I have found myself increasingly at odds with the Republican philosophy and more in line with the philosophy of the Democratic Party,” he said at a news conference. He also said, “I am not prepared to have my 29-year record in the United States Senate decided by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate.”

While Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter – both Democrats — reacted favorably to the news, other reactions are less favorable.

U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts, R-13, of East Marlborough expressed disappointment in his brief official statement.

“I am deeply disappointed that Senator Specter would choose to align himself with so many of the irresponsible policies we are seeing the Democrats attempting to implement in Washington.  From a trillion dollar energy tax, to government-run healthcare, to a $3.6 trillion budget and deficit spending as far as the eye can see, I am saddened that Senator Specter has chosen to align himself with the party that has brought us these kinds of irresponsible policies.”

No statement was immediately forthcoming from U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, but the Democrat from the 7th Congressional District did appear on The Ed Show MSNBC.
He said Specter found it “too hard to run against” an opponent in the 2010 Republican primary.

Sestak asked rhetorically, “What’s he running for.”

He added that running for office was “not about keeping one’s job.”

Sestak is considering a run for the senate seat currently held by Specter.

Sestak finally did release a statement, basically reiterating his comments from the day before:

“This may be good for Arlen, politically; however, two key questions need to be answered. First, after 31 years in the military, I learned that you run for something, not against someone. Arlen has made a decision to leave a race because he could not win against someone. What needs to be known is what he is running for,” Sestak said.

“Second, I watched then-Gov. Clinton and then-Sen. Obama take a leadership position in the Democratic Party and shape it. The leadership that would have been most impressive would be if Arlen had used his role to reshape the Republican Party that he said he had entered when it was a ‘big tent,’ but now is leaving because it has gotten too small. In short, I believe that the principles of what he is running for and his commitment to accountable leadership are questions that still need to be addressed.”

Peter Jesson, the chairman of the Chadds Ford Democratic Party noted the political survival factor in Specter’s decision.

“Senator Specter was in a difficult situation; earlier he had won a very close primary over an extremist opponent. Since then, 200,000 moderate Pennsylvania Republicans have defected to the Democratic Party. Facing the same opponent in the 2010 Primary would almost certainly have resulted in defeat. If Specter wished to continue his career, he had no alternative,” Jesson said.

We were unable to reach Mary Kot, the Republican Party leader in Chadds Ford for comment.
 
Toomey, in a Washington Times op-ed piece on Wednesday said, “Mr. Specter began his political career as a Democrat, switched to the Republican side out of political convenience and has switched back for the same reason. On issue after issue, he has changed his position over the years to benefit his political calculations,” Toomey said. “… By switching parties, Mr. Specter guarantees the very thing he has vocally warned against: a one-party Democratic monopoly of the federal government.

“Just a few months ago, Mr. Specter said avoiding one-party dominance was vital for our country. He was right then. Unfortunately, his desire for political self-preservation trumped his previously stated view of the vital interests of our country.”

Specter is five-term senator, first elected to the Senate in 1980.  He is the longest-serving U.S. senator from Pennsylvania.

He served as an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia as a Democrat, but came to national prominence when he served as an assistant counsel for the Warren Commission investigating the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It was in that capacity when Specter came up with what is called the “single bullet theory.” That theory holds that the wounds to President Kennedy and to Texas Gov. John Connally were caused by the same bullet.

Holly Manzone — one of three candidates for school board from Region B of the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District — is bothered that the renovation project for Unionville High School still takes the forefront in discussions involving the election.

“This is a primary election. The general election isn’t until November and whoever wins in November won’t take office until January. This train will have left the station by then,” she said.

Manzone is a registered Democrat who, like one of her opponents, Laura Shannon Maurer, is cross-filed to run in both Democratic and Republican primaries on May 19. The other candidate is Republican Jeff Leiser.

And like Maurer, Manzone thinks the fact that voters rejected two referendums on the project speaks volumes.

“I absolutely believe that public support is necessary,” she said.

In a written statement Manzone said, “It saddens me that the divisive atmosphere over the high school project has resulted in a civil war -like feeling in our district.”

She said what’s important now is for voters to look at the candidates and decide who can best lead the district forward.

While the high school does need some work, there are also curriculum issues to be considered over the long term to support the high quality of education residents have come to expect from the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District.

“We need to achieve balance.”

She said that balanced can’t be achieved by focusing solely on the finances.

One of her ideas for curriculum is to have those who experienced certain aspects of history, such as WWII and Vietnam vets, speak to classes when those subjects are being taught.

Manzone – an 11-year resident of Pocopson Township — said she’s been a long time activist within the district, attending regular meetings as well as workshops. She’s been involved with the Act 48 Committee and is the middle school representative to the curriculum council. She also founded the Community Outreach Committee.

And while adding she didn’t want to talk against any of the other candidates for the Region B seats, she’s concerned that she’s only seen Maurer at only one school board meeting “ever.”

That aside, however, Manzone said in a follow-up written statement: “I believe that all of the candidates in Region B have heard the voter’s call for fiscal responsibility, and we all recognize the need to keep spending as low as possible. Achieving this goal will require difficult choices requiring consideration of not just the dollar amount, but also what the money is being spent on. We cannot determine whether spending is justified without an understanding of the needs at the schools. Distinction between ‘wants’ and ‘needs’ requires knowledge of the myriad of issues we are facing. I have regularly attended School Board meetings for years and am well aware of the challenges we face.”

The Chester County League of Women Voters has partnered with the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District PTO to host a “Meet The Candidates Night”.  This informational meeting will be held in the auditorium of the Unionville High School on Wednesday, May 13 at 7p.m.  All candidates running for school board are invited to participate and share their platforms with the public.

While not all school district townships have seats expiring this year, all UCFSD residents are encouraged to attend and participate. (Only residents of Region A and Region B can vote at the Primary on May 19.)

There are four seats whose terms expire this year and there are seven candidates running for those seats. The breakdown is as follows:

Region A – East Marlborough and West Marlborough Townships – has four candidates running for two seats. After eighht years of service, current Board President Kathy Brown will not be seeking re-election and Karen Halstead will be running for her second term.  Jeff Hellrung and Keith Knauss, who previously served on the UCFSD Board of Education, are running and Vic Dupuis is seeking his first seat on the board.

Region B – Newlin, Pocopson, and Birmingham Townships — has three candidates running for two seats that are currently held by Ed Murray and Therese West, neither of whom are seeking re-election.  The three candidates running in Region B are Jeff Leiser, Holly Manzone, and Laura Maurer.

State Sen. Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-9, of Chester will host a public forum regarding the proposed closure of the Brandywine Battlefield on Monday, May 18, from 6 to 8 p.m., giving area residents a chance to hear from – and be heard by – the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

“Brandywine Battlefield Park was the site of the largest engagement of the Revolutionary War,” said Pileggi in a press release. “The battlefield is an important historic and cultural asset for Pennsylvania. This public forum is designed to give citizens a real chance to voice their thoughts and concerns to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.”

The following representatives from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission are expected to attend the forum: Barbara Franco, PHMC’s executive director; Steve Miller, PHMC’s bureau director for historic sites and museums; and Jason Gerard, PHMC’s legislative liaison.

The May 18 meeting will be held at the Brandywine River Museum (Lecture Room), 1 Hoffman’s Mill Road, Chadds Ford.

Anyone interested in additional information about the public forum can contact Senator Pileggi’s Glen Mills district office by calling (610) 358-5183 or by emailing dpileggi@pasen.gov.

More information about state issues can be found on Senator Pileggi’s web site, www.senatorpileggi.com.