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Voter ID requested, not required at polls today

2013-05-21T09:27:53Z

(Harrisburg) -- Voters heading to the polls for today's primary election will be asked - but not required - to show photo ID.

The Department of State says this is the third-straight election where the identification has been requested, but not needed.

A court case to decide whether it will be fully implemented is scheduled for July.

State Department Spokesman Ron Ruman says voters are being encouraged to make their choices in local races on today's ballot.

"Very often, these folks at the local level impact your life more than the people in Harrisburg or Washington," Ruman says. "They're the ones who decide what your property tax rates are, when the garbage gets picked up, whether the streets get plowed, what kind of fire and police protection you have, what the curriculum is in your schools, what your school taxes are."

Ruman says first-time voters and people voting for the first time at a new precinct will have to show ID, in accordance with a law that's more than a decade old.

He says acceptable IDs include driver's licenses or utility bills with addresses.

Voters will choose candidates in races like Harrisburg Mayor, and a special election for the 95th state House district in York County.

The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Candidate in Harrisburg mayor's race charged with defacing campaign signs

2013-05-20T17:18:05Z

Photo by Craig Layne/witf

Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico announces charges against Harrisburg mayoral candidate Lewis Butts, Jr.

(Harrisburg) -- On the eve of the primary election, a candidate in the race for Harrisburg mayor has admitted to defacing the campaign signs of one of his rivals.

Lewis L. Butts, Jr. has been charged with criminal mischief and criminal conspiracy.

He confessed to investigators that he defaced seven campaign signs from fellow Democrat Eric Papenfuse's campaign, on or about May 11 or 12.

Butts says spray painting the signs was retaliation for Papenfuse campaign workers' actions.

"The Papenfuse team would pick up my signs and put down theirs," Butts says. "I have a hundred signs, they have probably close to a thousand signs," he says.

No charges have been filed in relation to Butts' accusations, and he says he intends to stay in the four-way race.

Papenfuse's campaign spokeswoman says the candidate is focused on last-minute get-out-the vote activities.

Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico handled the case to avoid any possible conflict of interest between the candidates and Harrisburg Police.

"To have a mayoral candidate himself involved in targeting another candidate's signs, that's pretty big," Marsico says.

The district attorney says he expects Butts to be fined for his actions.

Election Preview: Harrisburg mayor's race

2013-05-20T09:00:00Z

Photo by Scott LaMar/witf

(Harrisburg) -- Voters in the capital city will cast their ballots for mayor in Tuesday's primary election.

Incumbent Linda Thompson and three Democratic challengers are vying for their party’s nomination to lead the economically troubled city.

The four people on the ballot say they have plans to improve the city and deal with a crushing debt crisis that's grabbed headlines around the world.

Mayor Linda Thompson says work begun during tenure will pay off soon - including an economic recovery plan laid out by a state-appointed financial custodian for the city.

"Me and my administration, we've worked well with the receiver, we've worked well with city council, we've worked well with county commissioners, our creditors," Thompson explained during a recent debate sponsored by Harrisburg Young Professionals. "We're really trying to tackle the tough decisions, and we've kept our hand to the plow and stayed focused."

Thompson's comments were posted on Roxbury News.

She's also pushed a public safety agenda, leading to the creation of so-called "neighborhood safe zones," where increased police presence is aimed at reducing violent crime.

Thompson's tenure has been polarizing, with conflicts between the mayor and other elected officials often playing out in public.

She's clashed with city Controller Dan Miller.

He says his current position and his career as an accountant give him a leg up in creating a financial recovery for the city.

Miller’s also the only candidate to support the city filing for municipal bankruptcy to deal with its debt.

"We have a really clear choice," Miller says. "We can continue to follow the patterns that we've got, or we can really go in another direction, where there's hope for Harrisburg, and I'm the only guy that's really fighting for that, and let's use bankruptcy, let's use every tool we've got."

Harrisburg businessman and former teacher Eric Papenfuse owns the Midtown Scholar Bookstore.

He says his priorities, if elected, are improving community relations and tackling crime.

He says he'll also be able to address the city's financial issues by coming to the problems from an outside perspective.

"If we're going to have meaningful change, we've got to elect new leaders, and new leaders who are committed to uniting the community and bringing people together in a way that re-brands Harrisburg for the future," Papenfuse says.

Another contender is community activist Lewis Butts.

He's proposed ambitious revenue-generating projects for the city, like a hydroelectric dam on the Susquehanna River.

"The hydroelectric dam will produce over $240 million annually. Our budget is $67 million," Butts explains. "Our creditors want to see that we can create a revenue stream and we can pay back our debt."

A fifth candidate, Nevin Mindlin, has previously run for mayor as a Republican, but registered as an independent this year, and therefore is not on the primary ballot.

Election Preview: 95th PA House race

2013-05-17T09:40:33Z

Photo by Scott LaMar/witf

(York) -- Three men are vying in Tuesday's special election to be the next state House representative from York County’s 95th district.

The seat was vacated by Eugene Depasquale, after he was elected as the state's Auditor General last fall.

The contest pits Republican Bryan Tate against Democrat Kevin Schreiber, and Green Party candidate Bill Swartz.

Swartz has never held public office, but runs his own property management business in York. He wants to cut property taxes in half and replace the revenue with a flat, countywide income tax.

He says as a third-party candidate he would be an independent voice at the Capitol. “We’ve been electing people from the two big old parties to Harrisburg for a long long time, and we’ve seen the results of that,” he says.

Democrat Kevin Schreiber is the Community and Economic Development Director for the city of York. His top priority is overhauling the way education is funded in Pennsylvania.

He wants to bring in more money from the state, to shift the burden off local property tax payers. “We are far too dependent on property taxes for our local school districts. We need to modernize that," he says. "We need a menu of new revenue options that are statewide.”

Republican Bryan Tate is the Vice President of Philanthropy at the York Community Foundation, having previously served as chief of staff for former Congressman Todd Platts.

He also says restructuring education funding to provide property tax relief is atop his agenda. He favors switching York’s struggling schools to an all-charter system. “We have proposed a bold and innovative proposal that would allow for a nonprofit community charter school system to take over the school district,” he says.

If elected, Tate would become the third openly gay member of the state legislature.

The 95th district includes York, West York, North York, Spring Garden Township, and part of West Manchester Township.

AP: Joe Sestak will not run for governor

2013-05-14T15:40:13Z

(Harrisburg) -- Former Congressman Joe Sestak tells The Associated Press that he won't run for governor next year but instead is strongly considering making a second bid for the US Senate in 2016 against Republican Senator Pat Toomey.

In an interview today, Sestak told AP the US Senate is racked by a lack of trust and "careening from crisis to crisis."

The former Navy vice admiral says he believes his skills would be most useful in the Senate instead of the governor's office.

Sestak beat Republican-turned-Democrat Arlen Specter in the 2010 Democratic primary but narrowly lost to Toomey in the general election.

Sestak says he will "fully support" whomever the Democratic Party selects to challenge Governor Corbett.

Poll finds for Corbett, more of the same

2013-04-29T19:49:08Z

It’s the season of early gubernatorial polls, but a new one from Quinnipiac University tells us not much has changed for Gov. Corbett since last month.

The governor’s approval rating is still low, with 47 percent of surveyed voters unhappy with the job he’s doing, compared with 38 percent who approve of his job performance.

The poll finds Corbett would lose in a hypothetical match-up against one announced Democratic gubernatorial challenger, U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, and two others who are said to be considering a challenge: former U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak and state Treasurer Rob McCord.

Democrats, predictably, say this is significant, even though the election is a year-and-a-half away.

“It’s a clear indication that the direction this governor has led this state the past two years now is in the wrong direction,” Senate Democratic leader Jay Costa told reporters on Monday. “I think people are much more interested in issues that he’s not interested in.”

But another top senator from the Republican side of the aisle is downplaying the importance of voter surveys this early before the election.

During his remarks to attendees of the Pennsylvania Press Club luncheon in Harrisburg Monday, Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati said he likes reading poll results as much as the next pol. “It’s a great, great sport for all of us around here,” he said.

But for now, gubernatorial election voter surveys are testing the winds on an unsure field. “I think as we get closer to who the governor is running against, and what the issues the governor is running on and for, I think that sets the table much differently,” said Scarnati.

A total of five Democrats have announced they’ll battle it out in the 2014 primary, but more are rumored to be interested. And at least one Republican is still very publicly toying with the idea of entering the race.

Today is the last day to register for May primary election

2013-04-22T16:28:07Z

Photo by Scott LaMar/witf

(Harrisburg) -- Pennsylvanians have one day left to register to vote in time to cast ballots in next month's primary election.

The voter registration deadline is today, with the statewide primary slated for May 21. Applications can be filled out at county board of election offices, post offices, state liquor stores and library branches, as well as online.

The election will feature battles over Democratic nominations for an open seat on the statewide appellate bench. There are also mayor's races in Harrisburg Pittsburgh and Scranton. Voters across the state also will be choosing nominees for local judgeships, municipal offices and school boards.

Property taxes, road repairs, schools and other local concerns are likely to drive turnout more in some areas than others.

Senate passes campaign finance proposal to House

2013-04-19T03:15:44Z

A proposal aiming to provide more transparency to campaign finance data has passed the state Senate.

Candidates for statewide office and the General Assembly would have to file their campaign finance reports electronically under the plan. They, along with political action committees could also trigger more frequent filing deadlines if they raise $10,000 or more in a calendar year.

Sen. Larry Farnese (D-Philadelphia) said more frequent filings are especially important for citizens who want to see what kind of contributions come to members of the General Assembly during a busy legislative season.

"In this budget cycle right now, we have liquor privatization going to be coming up for a vote, we have issues like transportation, you know, where lobbyists are supporting candidates and candidates are raising money on issues," he said. "We want to make sure we can see who is supporting who and what's going on."

The $10,000 threshold was a late-stage change to the bill. An earlier incarnation, about which Farnese voiced concern in committee, put the threshold at $100,000. Farnese said making it that low means candidates for state House are more likely to be affected by the legislation - and they're the ones who get to consider the bill next.

The chamber's GOP spokesman was noncommittal on whether it would get a vote.

"We'll consider it," said Steve Miskin. He said many members of the state House see the prospect of additional campaign finance report filing requirements as a burden on campaigns that are small operations.

But Farnese said un-professionalized campaign staffs would be a poor reason to table the bill.

"Many of these members on both sides of the aisle in the House campaigned on this," said Farnese. "You know, remember good government, transparency, reform? This is reform."

Campaign signs disappearing in Harrisburg mayor's race

2013-04-08T09:52:23Z

(Harrisburg) -- Several candidates in the Harrisburg mayor's race are reporting missing campaign signs.

Three candidates are challenging Mayor Linda Thompson in the May 21 Democratic primary.

One of them, Dan Miller, says every single one of his signs on one heavily traveled street were gone by late Sunday evening.

A spokeswoman for another candidate, Eric Papenfuse, says his signs have been going missing as well, some of them removed with wire cutters.

A third challenger, Lewis Butts, says he's holding off until closer to the election before putting out his campaign signs.

Attempts by to reach Thompson were unsuccessful.

Judge rules no PA primary will be held to pick jury commissioners

2013-04-05T19:18:17Z

(Harrisburg) -- A state judge says county jury commissioner races won't appear on the spring primary ballot, but instead candidates will be chosen for the fall election by the parties.

Judge James Gardner Colins has ruled against a jury commissioners' group, which asked to have the races put on the May 21 ballot.

The legal issue arose after the state Supreme Court last month threw out a 2011 law under which 42 counties had eliminated their two jury commissioners.

Colins says it's not possible to have the races be included in the primary "without creating a chaotic, expensive and unmanageable system."

A lawyer for the jury commissioners' association says he plans to appeal to the Supreme Court next week.

Judge vows quick ruling on PA jury commissioners

2013-04-03T15:32:58Z

(Harrisburg) -- A state judge is promising to rule within days about how the office of jury commissioner should be handled in this year's Pennsylvania elections.

Commonwealth Court Judge James Gardner Colins said during a two-hour hearing in Harrisburg earlier today he was considering three options.

He's trying to figure out what to do because 42 counties eliminated the offices under a 2011 law that was thrown out by the state Supreme Court last month.

Colins says he'll either order the offices back on the May primary ballot, let the parties nominate candidates for the fall election or allow incumbent jury commissioners to remain in office until 2015.

The high court threw out the law because it violated the state constitution's requirement that bills be confined to a single subject.

State jury commissioner debate heads back to court

2013-04-03T08:59:00Z

(Harrisburg) -- A state court in Harrisburg is trying to determine how to proceed now that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has thrown out a law that let counties abolish the office of jury commissioner.

A hearing has been scheduled for this morning in Commonwealth Court about what to do regarding the May 21 primary election.

The justices ruled March 14 that the 2011 law violated the state constitution's requirement that laws pertain to a single subject.

A court filing by the Department of State this week says 42 of the 56 counties that had jury commissioners abolished them after passage of the law.

The issue may become moot as state lawmakers are considering passing the law a second time.

Casey chimes in on plan to change electoral votes tally

2013-03-19T22:55:00Z

“Not a priority.”

That’s what you’ll hear most often when knocking around the Capitol asking about a controversial state Senate proposal to change the way Pennsylvania awards its electoral votes.

But there was Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, lodging his complaints with a formal (and very public) letter to Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, who introduced legislation about a month ago that would have Pennsylvania dole out 18 of its 20 electoral votes based on each presidential candidate’s share of the statewide popular vote. The other two votes would go to the winner of the popular vote. Right now, all of Pennsylvania’s electoral votes go to the popular vote winner.

“As S.B. 538 moves forward, I respectfully urge you to ensure that this bill is considered and debated with complete transparency, allowing for a thorough review by way of public hearings in the Senate,” wrote Casey. “To pass this bill absent appropriate Senate hearings would not be in the best interests of the people of Pennsylvania.”

But the bill is hardly moving forward.

It’s parked in the Senate State Government Committee, where chairman Sen. Lloyd Smucker (R-Lancaster) said it will stay for some time.

“We don’t have any specific plans to bring it up for a vote in the immediate future,” said Smucker. “We have a number of bills in the committee, dozens of bills in the committee, and that’s not one that’s on the priority list.”

“Senator Pileggi’s goal in reintroducing the bill was to continue the important dialogue about whether or not the electoral college should be changed and, if so, how,” said Erik Arneson, Pileggi’s spokesman.

So why the letter from Casey?

A spokeswoman from his office said he simply thought the issue was important and he wanted to get his opinion of it on the record.

Larry Ceisler, a Democratic political analyst based in Philadelphia, said the move makes sense, since Casey’s recent reelection means his “motives would not be questioned,” and he wouldn’t be accused of grandstanding with an issue that has proven to be red meat to the Democratic Party faithful.

“Maybe what Senator Casey wants to do is he wants to bring attention to the issue so it doesn’t fly under the radar and then one day, in a coordinated fashion, the Senate, the House and the governor do the legislation,” said Ceisler. “So he might be trying to raise the profile of the issue, keep it in public play, so it doesn’t happen.”

Franklin & Marshall College pollster Terry Madonna said the profile Casey is trying to raise is his own.

“He’s ratcheted up his profile,” said Madonna, referring to the recent spate of press releases coming from Casey’s office, some of which have publicized events with Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and Pat Toomey.

Madonna said such a move is hardly questionable after Casey’s most recent election, when he saw his Republican opponent Tom Smith nearly catch up to him in statewide polls.

“We’re seeing a much more aggressive, present Casey,” said Madonna.

PA State Department working to make more documents available online

2013-03-17T12:07:52Z

(Harrisburg) -- The Secretary of the Commonwealth says her department is working to make more public documents available online.

Carol Aichele says the technology exists to post files like campaign finance information, but it will likely take time.

She says the Department of State is already putting items like nominating petitions online

"We are doing petition filing across the street at the Keystone Building," Aichele explains. "We are scanning petitions the day they arrive. We are putting them up on the Internet. People are able to start looking at petitions then moment they're filed."

Aichele says she would like to see legislation to make online campaign finance filings mandatory.

She says it's "critically important" to make information available in real time.

Currently, all documents filed with the State Department are available in paper form.

Judge rejects award for court costs for Libertarians

2013-03-14T10:27:42Z

(Harrisburg) -- A Commonwealth Court judge has rejected the Libertarian Party's request for reimbursement of its expenses in a ballot challenge.

Senior Judge James Gardner Colins ruled that the request for the award of more than $200,000 in court costs and fees was filed too late.

Prior to the November election, challengers backed by the Republican Party contested the petitions of the Libertarian candidates for president, vice president, U.S. Senate, attorney general, auditor general and treasurer.

The line-by-line review of tens of thousands of signatures took more than seven weeks, but the Libertarians prevailed.

All six of their statewide candidates remained on the ballot but lost the election.

Colins also rejected a request for court costs by the challengers.