Latest Developments in 15th Congressional District Race

After being rebuffed by the Unites States Supreme Court, the Pennsylvania legislature's top two Republicans - Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and Speaker of the House Mike Turzai - have submitted a new map to the Governor. This time, they didn't even bother gettojg a vote. That's alright because the map they presented is almost certainly doomed, as is suggested in The Unionville Times. The new map is little more than an incumbent insurance policy, especially in the southeast. But one district it gets right is the 15th Pa. Congressional district. i suspect that portion of the map will survive with little change. And that bodes well for candidates John Morganelli and Susan Wild.

It bodes well for District Attorney John Morganelli because the Lehigh Valley is blue collar Democrat country. He easily won this area against the more liberal Josh Shapiro in the Attorney General race. It's good news for Allentown Attorney Susan Wild because the new map takes her only female competitor, Laura Quick, out of the picture.

It's bad news for Rev. Greg Edwards, whose condemnation of educational apartheid is likely to offend many Lehigh Valley Democrats despite the money he spends from outside the district. There are better ways of improving education than calling everyone involved a racist. Also, the new 15th has already drawn Rick Daugherty back into the picture. He'll be running for the third or fourth time, and he and Edwards will be taking votes from each other.

It's also good news for Ryan MacKenzie and Marty Nothstein because it takes Mike Pries and Scott Uehlinger out of the race. Though they can run, they no longer would be living in the district. It's bad news for Dean Browning, who was hoping for a more crowded field.

Edward has the endorsement of Bethlehem City Councilmember Olga Negron. Wild has been endorsed by former Lehigh county Exec Tom Muller. On Sunday, received the endorsement of the Lehigh Valley Building Trades Council. The Lehigh Valley Building Trades Council includes the Boilermakers Local 13, The Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, Local 5, Carpenters Local 167, Cement Masons & Plasters Local 592, Electricians Locals 102 and 375, Elevators Construction Local 84, Glaziers & Architectural Metal Workers Local 252, Heat & Frost Insulators Local 23 and the Ironworkers Local 420 and Operating Engineers.

Their endorsement was unanimous.

Morganelli has a long history with labor, growing up in a labor household. John's father was a member of the Operating Engineers Local #542, the Laborers Union , the Steelworkers, and Teamsters. His mother was a member of the ILGWU. Before becoming the District Attorney, John represented the Bethlehem Corporation Employees Association and is the only district attorney who has fought to enforce the Construction Misclassification Act.

In accepting the endorsement, District Attorney Morganelli said, "In Washington, I will make protecting the middle class, growing wages, and access to health care my priorities. I have spent my career as a Democratic elected official defending the working man, and I pledge to continue that as the next Congressman from the 15th Congressional District."

Blogger's Note: I support john Morganelli for Congress and home you vote for him anyway.

Dent Pledges to Continue Advocacy for ALL of Northampton County

Although he's had nothing to do with the latest gerrymandering scheme foisted on us by the state GOP, and there's even some speculation that the latest district maps actually hurt him, Lehigh Valley Congressman Charlie Dent is still catching a lot of heat over the plan that made it through the state House today, 136-61.

Lisa Boscola blasted him from the Pa. Senate floor in a rambling, ten-minute speech that reminded me of a Sam Bennett rant. Republican-turned-Democrat Jackson Eaton, the latest pretender to Dent's seat, called the scheme "Charlie-mandering."

Locally, all Democrats voted against this plan, which does divide the Lehigh Valley. But so did Republicans Joe Emrick, Marcia Hahn and Justin Simmons. Dent has issued this statement:

“I intend to represent the people of Pennsylvania’s reconfigured 15th Congressional District with energy and enthusiasm. While I am saddened to lose portions of Montgomery and Northampton Counties and the many friends I have made in these areas as a result of the redistricting process, I am eager to earn the trust and confidence of new constituents in Berks, Dauphin and Lebanon Counties.

“Despite the reconfiguration of the 15th Congressional District, I will remain a strong advocate for the interests of all Northampton County residents throughout the remainder of the 112th Congress and well into the future. The Lehigh Valley is a dynamic and distinctive area, and I will work closely with my friend and colleague Tim Holden to further strengthen our region’s economy and influence.”

Jackson Eaton to Meet the Press Today About Congressional Redistricting

Republican-turned-Democrat Jackson Eaton, who intends to run against LV Congressman Charlie Dent, will conduct a news conference today about "the break-up of Pennsylvania communities among multiple congressional districts that will occur with the new redistricting law expected to pass the state legislature in the next week." I'm going to take a wild guess here and predict he'll condemn the plan, as Dent has already done.

No Transparency in Pa.'s Congressional Redistricting

Congressional redistricting is done every ten years, after the census. Pennsylvania lost a seat, dropping from 19 to 18 districts. The dirty deed is done by the General Assembly, subject to Governor Corbett's veto power.

Senate majority leader Dominic Pileggi, back in January, promised to "make the redistricting process as transparent as possible."

He must have forgotten. In early December, State Rep. Steve Samuelson handed me the Congressional Redistricting bill his committee would be voting on in two days. For each of Pennsylvania's 18 Congressional districts, all it said was this: "The [take your pick] District is composed of a portion of this Commonwealth."

Bill Patton, press secretary to the House Democratic Caucus, explains just how transparent the process has been.

· There were three joint public hearings of the House and Senate State Government committees.


· The hearings took place on May 12 (Philadelphia), June 9 (Butler County), and June 14 (Harrisburg).


· These events occurred more than six months before any member of the public (including most legislators) got to see the actual Republican redistricting plan when it was finally disclosed this week.


· None of the testimony at the hearings addressed the Republican plan.


· A total of 22 people (combined) spoke at the three public hearings.


· Only three speakers appeared at the final hearing in Harrisburg, which lasted 32 minutes.


· The duration of all three hearings (combined) was 3 hours and 18 minutes.


· At the Butler County hearing, both chairmen McIlhinney and Metcalfe confirmed that no actual plan was yet proposed or under consideration. They referred to any maps reported in the media as “purely hypothetical.”


· At the Butler County hearing, Rep. Metcalfe said “Our goal is to produce a final product … that (we) intend on reviewing at another public hearing …” Sen. McIlhinney added: “We’re going to hold a series of hearings, or as many as are needed, to finally do this in an open and clearly visible way in Pennsylvania. … We’re really making a true, honest effort to be very public and forthcoming with this process. … we’re trying to do this in a process that you can clearly see …”


· At the end of the Harrisburg hearing – which was the last public discussion before a map was unveiled this week – Sen. McIlhinney committed to call for “further hearings as needed” and to come back “in the early fall” for additional public discussions on what a map should look like. Rep. Metcalfe chimed in that he looked forward to scheduling an “additional hearing or hearings as needed as we move through the process.”

Patton continues.

After six months of public silence, zero public hearings, and a few hurried weeks of clandestine negotiations, on Wednesday morning, Dec. 14 the people of Pennsylvania were finally given access to the genuine article – a Republican congressional redistricting scheme created by Republican Party insiders for the benefit of Republican Party insiders. The claim that public input had any influence on the final Republican plan is pure fiction.