The Republican City Committee on July 19 held its annual Great American Family BBQ at Cannstatter’s.
Chairman Vince Fenerty welcomed, among others, state Sen. Joe Picozzi, state Rep. Martina White and city elections commissioner Seth Bluestein.
Former City Councilman Jack Kelly was also in attendance.
Picozzi told the crowd Republicans can succeed in Philadelphia, noting that Donald Trump received 20 percent of the city vote last year, an improvement from his showing in 2020, and won five wards – the 26th, 45th, 58th, 63rd and 66th.
Picozzi last year won five of the eight wards in the 5th Senatorial District, taking the 57th, 58th, 63rd, 64th and 66th. He believes Republicans can attract voters by meeting them, pointing out that he and his campaign – which included a large contingent of young people, many who were at Cannstatter’s – knocked on about 70,000 doors.
White, who has been in the House of Representatives for 10 years, invited constituents, particularly veterans, to visit her office at 2901 Southampton Road.
White was happy that the budget passed last session included more than $250 million for the Educational Improvement Tax Credit. She said city homeowners who pay real estate taxes should have other options than sending their kids to public schools, where only 36 percent of third-graders are reading at grade level. Instead, she said, parents should be given help to send their kids to private or parochial schools.
“That has been my top priority, to promote school choice,” she said.
Bluestein thanked ward leaders, committee people and board workers for ensuring free and fair elections. As for the recent primary, he noted that the GOP secured more than 6,000 write-ins for Pat Dugan for district attorney.
“That is thanks to the hard work all of you have done,” he said.
As for Dugan, Fenerty said he was attending the state Ancient Order of Hibernians/Ladies AOH convention in Scranton on the day of the Republican event.
Dugan, a former Municipal Court president judge, lost the Democratic primary to DA Larry Krasner. He has not committed to running in the general election on the GOP ticket.
Fenerty said he is trying to find money to fund Dugan’s campaign.
“We’re trying to encourage him to carry on,” he said. ••
