Note to Don Albanese: Use Yard Signs

Don Albanese, who ran against Joe Emrick in the 137th legislative district, is anti-sign. There were no Albanese signs advertising his campaign.

With all precints in, Albanese garnered just 780 votes to Emrick's 2666.

A yard sign or two might have helped.

Following the Money in the 137th

Yesterday, I told you about the campaign warchests of Charles Dertinger and Frank Scagliotta, the two Democrats seeking the seat held by retiring state rep. Rich Grucela. Dertinger raised $15,965 to Scagliotta's $3103. Nearly all of Dertinger's money comes from nonlocal unions.

What about the Republicans?

Don Albanese has raised a grand total of $2,175. Joe Emrick's warchest was four times larger. He raised $5,577 in addition to the $3,395.33 that was already in his kitty.

Neither Republican received any PAC money. They relied on mostly small, $100, contributions from family and friends. Republican Kingmakers L. Anderson Daub and Elmer Gates did kick in $1,800 to Emrick.

Both candidates bought two small ads and paid for a small mailer.

Dertinger raised more money than the other three candidates combined. Dertinger is the only candidate who accepted such huge sums of special interest money, raising questions about his independence.

All of these reports are available on the Department of State web page.

Do Campaign Signs Really Matter?

They seem to be some sort of security blanket to politicians. They all say they mean very little, but don't feel right unless every square inch of their voting district is covered with them. To be sure they reach everyone, some even go outside.

Northampton County Exec John Stoffa would go out after midnight with a little drill, planting signs like corn. He was one of those guys who went outside his district, planting signs at 3 AM in Allentown as the gangbangers would whizz by. No wonder he thinks the Queen City is unsafe. I planted a few for him around Nazareth, and he'd check after midnight to make sure they were in right. He nearly caught a goon one night, driving over his drilled in signs with a pick-up, but Angle got away.

After all that work, Stoffa would claim those damn signs don't mean that much anyway. Huh?

Don Albanese, who is squaring off against Joe Emrick in the 137th legislative district, is anti-sign. He told me they mean nothing and apparently means it. There are no Albanese signs.

One week from today, we'll see how that works out for him.

Grucela's Successor? Meet State Rep Candidate Don Albanese

Slate Belt resident Don Alabanese, a Republican, is running for the Pennsylvania state house seat being vacated by Rich Grucela. Alabanese is a Slate belt native who actually spent some years in the New Jersey Assembly. Rich tells me Don coached his kids in Little League baseball. When Don decided to run, Rich invited him to Harrisburg and gave him a tour.

Don has no web page, but his introductory video is located here. He proposes (1) a Constitutional amendment to limit state legislators to 8 years; (2) zero-based budgeting, "where each expenditure has to be justified"; and (3) an end to unfunded mandates, where the state imposes obligations on local government, but fails to provide the funding.

I will be interviewing Don in the next few days. I hope I can get you a picture Don's Republican opponent in the Primary, Joe Emrick, has unsurprisingly declined my request for an interview. Too bad. I have lots of questions for him.

Democrat Frank Scagliotta, a Bangor football coach, has also agreed to sit down with me. His Democratic opponent, Charles Dertinger, will do no such thing. He's ingored my request for an interview, but that's OK. I have lots of videos and audios.