The Chadds Ford Republican Party’s goal is to do its part in re-electing a state representative, a U.S. representative, and a governor.
Party members held their annual lunch on Oct. 11 at Brandywine Caterers. State Rep. Stephen Barrar was on hand, and U.S. Pat Meehan also made a brief appearance.
Barrar is being challenged by political newcomer Whitney Hoffman while Meehan faces Mary Ellen Balchunis in his bid for another term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Also running for re-election is Republican Gov. Tom Corbett. His Democratic Party challenger is Tom Wolf.
Township Republican leader Mary Kot introduced Del Joshi, a Chadds Ford resident whom the party has already endorsed for the 2015 school board election. Chadds Ford’s Carolyn Daniels, a current Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board director who will run next year, was also on hand.
Daniels spoke briefly, reminding the audience that the school board will be looking at the possibility of reconfiguring elementary school districts.
Joshi said his primary interest in running for the board is that he wants to make sure U-CF students are prepared for a marketplace that is growing more and more global. He also used his own immigrant experience as an example of how success can be achieved through education and hard work.
According to Kot, the party is already forming a steering committee for the 2015 school board race.
Meehan, who did not attend a meet the candidates’ night in Concord Township two days earlier, stumped briefly for Barrar, saying the nine-term state legislator has done a great job.
“There’s no harder working politician that Steve Barrar,” Meehan said. “He’s everywhere. He’ll show up for the opening of a flower.”
Meehan also told the partisan audience that he expects the Republican Party to do well in this year’s mid-term election because of President Obama’s performance.
“It’s a big year for us in the Congress. I do believe we’re going to maintain our majority in the House and maybe pick up a seat or two. Quite honestly, that’s because of the tremendous disappointment in the performance of the president,” Meehan said.
He also thinks there’s a possibility of the Republicans picking up extra seats in the Senate, maybe even getting a majority there. Meehan said that’s significant because the U.S. has passed 282 bills that went to the Senate only to get stuck on the desk of Senate leader Harry Reid, a Democrat from Nevada.
Meehan, who chairs the Cyber Security Committee, said there needs to be a deliberate plan to combat international terrorism regardless of whether it’s al Qaeda or ISIL.
“The truth of the matter is it’s a far more sophisticated problem than the president has let on,” he said. “It’s sort of metastasized and morphed into a lot of small issues that has now gotten the entire Middle East in a very big state of upheaval.”
Barrar, seeking a 10th term, pointed to his campaign literature showing him with his three grandchildren and said that his efforts are for them.
“They represent my hopes and dreams as a state representative. My goal is to leave Pennsylvania better than I found it,” Barrar said. “If there’s anyone who thinks I don’t care about the environment or that I don’t care about education, they just don’t have a clue.”
He stressed the importance of Marcellus Shale as both a source of jobs and of energy, and he said the industry will suffer if Democrat Wolf defeats Corbett.
Kot reminded the party faithful to help by voting and by making sure their friends and neighbors vote, too.
(12 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)
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