City Controller-elect Rebecca Rhynhart announced her executive leadership team.
Kellan White, her campaign manager, will serve as first deputy controller.
Nicole McCormac, who serves as chief of staff for the city’s chief administrative officer, will be Rhynhart’s chief of staff.
John Thomas and Christy Brady will be retained to serve as deputy controllers for pre-audit and audit, respectively.
“This structure of my executive leadership team will enable the controller’s office to be as efficient as possible, with clear-cut roles and responsibilities to produce effective results,” Rhynhart said. “I look forward to being surrounded by a team equally as dedicated as I to working on behalf of Philadelphians and moving the city forward.”
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Republicans say U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. has a lot of explaining to do after voting against the tax reform bill that passed Congress and was signed by President Donald Trump.
Hours after passage of the bill, Comcast announced it would give a $1,000 bonus to more than 100,000 employees, and would invest more than $50 billion in infrastructure over the next five years.
“Bob Casey and his Democratic colleagues’ attempts to mislead American families are backfiring in a big way, as major companies like Comcast announce plans to invest in their workforce,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Bob Salera. “As the 2018 election approaches, Pennsylvanians won’t forget Casey’s vote against a law that will boost their pay and improve the economy.”
“Congratulations to Comcast for doing more in under 24 hours to help middle-class Pennsylvania families and build our infrastructure than Bob Casey has done in his entire 11 years as a Washington politician,” said Senate Leadership Fund spokesman Chris Pack.
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State Sen. Scott Wagner, a Republican candidate for governor, criticized Gov. Tom Wolf for vetoing a bill would shorten the time frame in which a woman could choose to have an abortion from the 24th week of pregnancy to the 20th week and would end so-called “dismemberment” abortions.
“I’m extremely disappointed by Gov. Wolf’s decision today to stand in the way of protecting the innocent lives of our unborn children by vetoing Senate Bill 3. Pennsylvania should have a governor who recognizes that each human life is precious and deserves to be treated as such. I stood up for the dignity of human life by co-sponsoring this bill in the Senate, and if given the opportunity as governor, I pledge to sign this legislation into law.”
The bill, which would allow abortions if the life of the mother were at risk, passed the Senate, 32–18. Sens. Tina Tartaglione and John Sabatina Jr. voted against it.
The bill passed the House of Representatives, 121–70. Reps. Tom Murt, Martina White, Mike Driscoll and John Taylor voted for it. Reps. Kevin Boyle, Ed Neilson, Jason Dawkins, Jared Solomon and Isabella Fitzgerald voted against it.
The Anti-Defamation League applauded the veto.
“The bill would have resulted in devastating health consequences and an undermining of gender equality in the commonwealth. At a time when civil liberties are under assault across the nation, we urge the Pennsylvania General Assembly to recommit to protecting women’s rights,” said ADL regional director Nancy Baron-Baer.
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Former state Rep. Gordon Denlinger, of Lancaster County, is seeking the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor.
“With a proven 12-year voting record in the state House, I am the social and fiscal conservative who will be an experienced, steady partner for our next chief executive,” he wrote in an email to GOP state committee members and other supporters.
Denlinger served in the state House from 2003 until 2015. Prior to that, he was a CPA.
The only other Republican candidate is businessman Jeff Bartos, who has the backing of state Sen. Scott Wagner, who is running for governor.
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The Pennsylvania Democratic Party is questioning the strength of Republican U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta’s Senate campaign.
State House Speaker Mike Turzai and Majority Leader Dave Reed and Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman have endorsed state Rep. Jim Christiana in the Republican primary. Turzai is also a candidate for governor.
In addition, retired energy company executive Paul Addis has more than $1 million in the bank.
“Pennsylvania Republican leaders have made it crystal clear that they do not want Mitch McConnell’s handpicked candidate, Congressman Lou Barletta, to be the Republican nominee for the 2018 Senate race,” said Pennsylvania Democratic Party spokesman Max Steele. “Clearly, they don’t believe a historically unpopular Congress passing a historically unpopular tax scheme on behalf of a historically unpopular president is a winning formula.”
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The Green Party of Philadelphia is seeking candidates to run for elected office in 2018.
The Green Party’s values include ecology, social justice, nonviolence, grassroots democracy, feminism, respect for diversity, community-based economics, personal and global responsibility and decentralism.
During 2018, representatives in every state House district will be up for election, as will state senators in even-numbered districts.
For more information about running for office as a Green Party candidate, contact membership secretary Chris Robinson at 215–843–4256 or [email protected] ••
