Ward leader Matt Wolfe is strongly backing fellow Republican Terry Tracy for City Council at large.
Wolfe and Tracy have expressed the same goals: good governance, transparency and responsible management and accountability of city funding.
“I have worked closely with Terry over the last few years. There is no one currently in City Council or running this year who better understands the issues facing Philadelphia or has better ideas as to what the city must do to turn itself around,” Wolfe said. “Equally significant, I am confident that he will be a strong voice for a new urban direction. Too often, City Council members just follow the dictates of leadership to continue the same failed policies that have made Philadelphia, by many measures, the poorest big city in America. Their only concern is their next campaign and catering to the special interests that benefit from the status quo and get them reelected. Terry will not follow the lemmings on City Council over the cliff that they seem determined to take our city.”
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Democratic state Rep. Kevin Boyle endorsed Republican Dan Tinney for City Council at large.
Boyle said, “Dan will work with city leaders and education advocates to improve our schools. He’ll push for pay-equity laws with teeth, guaranteeing equal pay for equal work. Dan has a background in business and financial planning. He graduated with honors in Business Logistics and International Business from Penn State. Dan wants to make Philadelphia an international energy hub, and expand economic development opportunities at the Port of Philadelphia — all aimed at creating good paying jobs for our local residents.”
Tinney has previously been endorsed by the FOP Lodge 5, IAFF Local 22 Fire Fighters and Paramedics, the Philadelphia AFL-CIO and the Philadelphia Building Trades.
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Mayor Michael Nutter and former Mayor and Gov. Ed Rendell are supporting Andrew Stober in his independent race for at large City Council.
Stober led initiatives for Nutter such as the launch of the Indego bike share program, the creation of an Energy Office and winning tens of millions of dollars in infrastructure grants.
“Andrew Stober saved the taxpayers millions, while improving services in neighborhoods across Philadelphia,” Nutter said. “He will be a strong progressive voice on City Council. Andrew will be the only City Council member that has managed city agencies and had department budget responsibility. Philadelphians will benefit from having his expertise on City Council.”
In a separate statement, Rendell said, “Andrew Stober will bring youth, vitality and a fresh approach to City Council. His independent voice will help move our city forward.”
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The National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees District 1199-C endorsed Republican Al Taubenberger for City Council at large
“Al Taubenberger is a person who will look out for working-class families of Philadelphia and our union members,” union president Henry Nicholas wrote in a letter to his nearly 20,000 members. “District 1199-C believes wholeheartedly that Al can and will do just that. He is the right candidate for the job.”
Meanwhile, Bobby Rydell entertained last week at a fundraiser for Taubenberger at Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5. Taubenberger has vowed, if elected, to sponsor a resolution making Rydell’s Philadelphia, I’m In Love the city’s official theme song.
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U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi endorsed Democratic mayoral nominee Jim Kenney.
“I am proud to support Jim Kenney for mayor because Jim will always be a fighter for Philadelphia’s working families. On City Council, Jim earned the reputation as a hard-working, determined advocate for Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. As mayor, I know Jim will fight every day to fix Philadelphia’s schools and grow Philadelphia’s economy.”
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Lisa Deeley, a Democratic nominee for city elections commissioner, unveiled her campaign’s poll signs for the Nov. 3 election.
Deeley, of Rhawnhurst, has ditched the traditional name and ballot number for a unique hashtag: #IVotedPHL. The hashtag is designed to engage voters through social media and encourage younger voters to show up to the polls and participate.
“On Election Day, I want to encourage voters to tag their posts and pictures with #IVotedPHL,” Deeley said. “Take a selfie, tell your friends on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook — get creative and tell everyone that you love to vote in Philadelphia. I want voters to share their experience at the polls, and make our hashtag the ‘I Voted’ sticker for the 21st Century.”
Deeley’s poll signs encourage voters to “Spread The Word” and use the hashtag when posting about their experience via their favorite social media platform, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Deeley, who is guaranteed to be elected since there are only three candidates for three spots, is the first political candidate to use a hashtag campaign to increase voter turnout in Philadelphia. Her strategy is borrowed from recently successful hashtag campaigns designed to increase brand or issue awareness such as Coca-Cola’s #ShareACoke and the ALS Association’s #IceBucketChallenge.
“My goal is to have #IVotedPHL trend locally on Twitter and, ultimately, increase awareness of next Tuesday’s election. I hope young voters who see that their friends have voted will be extra motivated to go out and vote themselves and then tell us about it on social media.”
Deeley’s poll signs will be distributed through the Democratic City Committee and will be placed at every polling place throughout Philadelphia,
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The Stop Sanctuary Policies Act would penalize municipalities that prohibit law enforcement from working with federal immigration authorities to enforce immigration laws.
Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Joe Sestak and John Fetterman oppose the legislation.
Another Democrat, Katie McGinty, is, according to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, “employing her ongoing strategy of waiting to take a position on important issues.”
“Katie McGinty’s inability to lead on yet another critical public safety matter should scare Pennsylvania voters. It’s clear that McGinty would rather dodge important policy questions until the party leadership who line her campaign coffers tell her what to think,” said NRSC national press secretary Alleigh Marré.
The Stop Sanctuary Policies Act is spearheaded by Sens. Pat Toomey, David Vitter and Charles Grassley. Toomey discussed the issue when he recently offered the weekly Republican address.
“Congressman Sestak and Mayor Fetterman are wrong about sanctuary cities, but at least they have the courage to tell the public their views,” said Republican Party of Pennsylvania communications director Megan Sweeney. “Katie McGinty is again refusing to detail her position on a critical public safety matter. Whether it’s Iran or sanctuary cities, Katie McGinty has shown that she would rather dodge important policy questions and hide behind the Democratic insiders and party bosses who support her candidacy.”
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John Fetterman, the mayor of Braddock, opposes the U.S. Senate bill that looks to eliminate sanctuary cities.
Fetterman said immigrants face struggles and prejudice. His wife, Gisele, and her family fled Brazil when she was a child and came to the United States as undocumented immigrants seeking refuge.
“Sen. Toomey and I are at opposite ends of the spectrum on that,” Fetterman said. “I’m always going to error on the side of compassion and error on the side of decency. I support sanctuary cities and I would as a U.S. senator.”
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Joe Sestak last week spoke with Bloomsburg University students about the policies needed to rein in the $1.2 trillion student debt crisis, which accounts for more debt than America’s auto loans and credit cards, and is the largest source of debt for households aside from mortgages.
Sestak explained that interest rates should be predictable for families, affordable for students and reliable to the taxpayer.
“The cost of higher education has eaten up an ever-increasing percentage of family income, forcing more and more students to borrow beyond what their family can sacrifice,” he said. “Today, there are 40 million Americans with at least one open student loan, and total student loan debt is at a daunting $1.2 trillion with an average debt of $29,400 for bachelor’s degree graduates.”
Sestak explained that as a result of being saddled with such a high cost for education, today’s graduates take longer to purchase homes, are significantly less likely to buy a car, and contribute less to overall consumer spending. Such evidence shows that these historic levels of student loan debt aren’t only a burden on graduates, but on the entire economy.
“The solution isn’t to cut government aid to students and their families,” Sestak said. “The solution is long-overdue accountability from the higher education community. I believe the time has come for conditioning government loan money to colleges and universities upon the institution’s transparent accountability in tuition and fees being at or below inflation.
“We still want students to be able to select the best school they can achieve, but we must simultaneously ensure schools no longer saddle 18-year-olds with decades of debt caused by inefficiency and inflexibility. We need a lot more sunshine and a lot more transparency.”
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Mike George, a Republican candidate for Pennsylvania Supreme Court, received the endorsement of the state Fraternal Order of Police.
“As the President Judge of the Adams County Court of Common Pleas in your second term, you have proven your commitment to the citizens of your community and the State of Pennsylvania. You have proven to the Fraternal Order of Police Pennsylvania State Lodge not only your commitment to the community, but your strong allegiance to the law enforcement community and we stand with great pride in support of you.” president Les Neri wrote in a letter to George.
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Last week, Republican presidential candidate John Kasich announced that former U.S. Reps. Jon Fox and Bob Walker and former state Sens. Earl Baker and Bob Jubelirer will help chair his Pennsylvania campaign.
“I am honored to have gained the confidence of such an esteemed group of conservative leaders,” said Kasich, the governor of Ohio. “Pennsylvania is a big, important state, and with the remarkable team that has come together here, I know we are going to be very competitive.”
Kasich is a former congressman who has also worked as an investment banker, hosted a show on Fox News and written a New York Times best-selling book. ••
