In America, the first dark horse in the political arena is credited to President James Polk, an unknown outside of Tennessee. Is there a dark horse in the 42nd State House District race? In the Special Election for State Representative, Libertarian George Brown has stepped forward, so that ALL registered voters have an opportunity to vote.
With the special May 21 election being held during the Primary, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents can cast their votes. This Special Election will be held the day after the Mt. Lebanon School Board approves the 2013-14 budget. Republicans have a choice. Democrats have a choice. And now, Independents can vote in the Special Election.
Don't know anything about George Brown? Here are links to his campaign literature. George Brown page 1 and George Brown page 2.
36 comments:
Mr. Brown ask a very good question on the 2nd side of his mailer.
Just "WHY should we send another democrat or republican to Harrisburg?" Name recognition... Is that it?
Taxes keep going up exponentially, we still don't have assessment reform and we get meaningless Acts like 1 and 34 that have absolutely no teeth.
If taxpayers want true reform they're going to have to take the first step and reform their voting patterns.
Just what does it take to wake up Pennsylvania voters?
In 2002 we were promised real reform in property assessments.
Eleven years later, do you see any change? Think this current assessment is any accurate or equitable than the one in 2002?
But of course, the school district is going to use your tax dollars to send someone to your assessment appeal to make sure you pay what the democratic control county says you should pay.
Think the state controlled republicans are taking the homeowners' side... Oh yeah, there sitting right next to you in that appeal. Hee haw, hee haw.
It appears that Brown is an independent thinker and with him there is no quid pro quo being new to the political scene. He'll probably go to Harrisburg and vote his conscience.
TIme for a change, go George Brown!
Elaine, offered early that she might not vote for any of the school board candidates on the ballot.
I'm thinking that is not a bad idea, except that I'm not going to throw my vote away completely.
I'm going to write in the people that I think have the best interest of the district at heart.
They've shown up at board meetings, asked really tough questions, offered some good ideas and truly seem interested in giving our kids the best education possible.
My write in might be wasted and perhaps on the odd chance that enough of us pick the same person, they may not even want to take the position on.
But it's better than leaving the vote blank. It may at least send a message.
As a registered Libertarian voter, I believe that people should find out as much as they can about a candidate and a candidate's party. To find out about the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania go to www.lppa.org; to find out more about the Libertarian Party's candidate for the 42nd State House District, George Brown, go to www.georgeforliberty.org. While ALL Mt. Lebanon voters should give George serious consideration, this is especially true for registered Independents.
"Many people are understandably disenchanted with the Democrat and Republican parties. The Libertarian Party consistently champions our nation’s founding principles of individual freedom, political liberty, and limited government... We are the only real alternative to Democrats, Republicans, Liberals, and Conservatives who continue eroding our personal and economic freedoms at all levels." - Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania
Think about it, exactly what are our choices?
We have Birks and Remely. Oh yeah, anyone want to make those mistakes again.
Then we have 3 new candidates. Have any of them, showed up at a board to air their thoughts on the budget? Offer how they'll handle next years crisis?
Ask about the grievance and 2nd bond they'll have to deal with should they win?
Or have they already been handpicked to maintain the status quo?
I'd be willing to bet the latter, based absence or voice on this years budget.
Don't play your hand to soon candidates, don't want to have voters asking you questions!
For the 42nd State House District, you have three choices:
George Brown
Dan Miller
Dan Remely
I have posted announcements on Lebo Citizens for George Brown and Dan Miller, but it is doubtful I will hear from Dan Remely. Even though I am a Republican super voter, for some reason I have been removed from their mailing list.
Elaine
One would think even if you weren't a super voter that the candidates would at least try to establish a "friendly" relationship with your Lebocitizens blog considering it's reach. That and you (all along with others) motivated 4,000 people to express their opinion on the high school project. Which they conveniently ignored.
Just think Posti only beat Silhol by something like 37 or 39 votes to win the last spot in the election between the two of them.
Elaine you could reach that many people easy with a single tap of your touch screen.
Plus, your blog is free so they don't expend campaign funds that they can use for mailers, yard signs etc.
On top of that what a wonderful vehicle to hget some voter feed back with very little effort.
You would think that, wouldn't you? When i attended the budget forum, Mrs. Cappucci was not interested in writing a blog post on my blog. I had offered to print her answers on this blog to free up time for others to speak at the meeting. I do have a large readership, reaching hundreds every day.
I met Thurwood Hill waiting for a take out order up on Washington Rd. Assuming he was the same Thurwood running for school board, I introduced myself and said that I really didn't know anything about him. He explained that he was running with Mary Birks. I told him about this blog and offered to print any of his campaign literature on the blog. I also shared that Mary and I don't like each other. Thurwood was going to get in touch with me and appreciated my offer. I haven't heard anything and assume that Mary beat him soundly. Thurwood learned his first lesson.
Elaine
Well, if what you say is true that's one strike against him.
Elaine,
His name is Durwood, not Thurwood.
OMG, I am sorry about that. My apologies, Durwood. I knew that, but the brain is off on Sundays.
http://www.smartvoter.org/2013/05/21/pa/al/race/590/
Elaine
Apparently, Mt. Lebanon politicians aren't students of the wisdom of Franklin. No, not that one... the famous one and founding father... Ben Franklin.
He advised: "Do good to your friends to keep them, to your enemies to win them."
tell me, Why would Durwood, or Ms. Cappucci respond to this blog only to be excoriated by the crazy folks who respond to you?
No matter what they would say, all of you would hate! Don't worry, all those you despise will win!
"8:40 PM" I had a nice conversation with Durwood.
BTW, odds are that most of them will win. Five candidates and four will win the Primary. That is just the Primary. They have to win in November too. Ya never know...
Elaine
Forgot to say, "8:40 PM" President Cappucci wasn't responding to the blog. I had sent a personal email to the School Board.
Elaine
8:40 why should they respond because "crazy people" are their constituents too.
First, where do you get the power to determine who among us are crazy?
Are people that think the district isn't entitled to take as much money as they want crazy.
Are people crazy for getting upset with an architect and contractor that plan boilers and chillers in a school and don't make plans to feed them water.
Are people crazy for believing librarians are more important to their children's education than a $100,000/year fund raiser?
I guess in your opinion it's normal to run duct work thru the middle of an elevator shaft, then pay extra to reroute it when you discover two things can't occupy the same space at the same time.
Define crazy?
How many times do we have to see cuts to sheet music, and text books, and copying, and supplies, and workbooks, and whatever else before you realize how crazy this school board is.
There is no amount of sheet music that can be cut to make up the budget gap.
You want crazy? How about going back and figuring out when the last Program Change Proposal was. 2008? 2009 maybe?
PCPs should be in the budget every year or two to update curriculum that can be out of date.
What the "crazies" on this site have argued is that we are spending money on bricks instead of sheet music, textbooks, and PCPs.
So in effect, our priorities have always been on students having access to a good education. "Their" priorities have been on having a fancy building to house less and less sheet music and an out-of-date curriculum.
So tell me, who is really for the kids?
For those who think voting for George Brown is a "wasted vote," please note that there are 25 Libertarians who currently hold office in Pennsylvania (some offices expire this year). Here are just a few of them:
Brian Collins, Allegheny County Inspector of Elections, Mt. Lebanon -- Chad M. Roberts, Houston Borough Council -- James Fryman, Franklin Area School Board -- Vance Mays, Valley Grove Area School Board -- Vernon Etzel
Oil City Treasurer -- Paula L. Meddings and Chad M. Roberts, Houston Borough Council...etc.
Across America the pattern is roughly the same, with Libertarians holding local, county, and school board offices. It is true that in Pennsylvania no Libertarian currently holds office at the Commonwealth level, but to dismiss George Brown's candidacy for the 42nd District House Seat on that account would be a serious miscalculation. Keep in mind that the 42nd District is more than Mt. Lebanon - a fact that works in Mr. Brown's favor.
Libertarians are winning more offices with each passing year, and George Brown is a serious candidate; a fact that I'm sure is not lost on either Mr. Miller or Mr. Remely.
The D's and R's want you to think they are the only game in town - no so! How refreshing to see another option come to the party.
Lebo is fed up with our School Board - so much so it could cost the D's & R's an election !
9:30
Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Locally, I am pissed at both the Rs and Ds at it related to managing the school district and the candidates. The only reason I am upset with the Ds is because they have a tremendous committee that gets people elected. So maybe the better word to use is that is am jealous of the Ds. The Rs should be so lucky to be that organized and united.
But let's not go thinking that George, as much as I might like or agree with much of what he says, has any shot at all. At best he steals a handful of D votes away from Miller. However, any disenfranchised R who doesn't want to vote for Remely will now vote for George. Say he steals 10% of the votes from Dan R.
Miller still gets his 55-60%
Without George, Remely gets his 40-45%
With George, Remely gets 30-35%.
In fact, with George running, it will only make Dan Miller look that much more invincible.
Hard to hear I know. But it won't be so bad with Miller as he is fiscally far more right than Remely. For me, that trumps all social issue noise that might come out of the election.
I understand Remely is having another fundraiser this week. Why doesn't he donate that money toward a change order and hang it up? I see this as a race between Miller and Brown.
Elaine
9:37 AM, don't forget that there may be some disenfranchised Rs voting for a D. That is why I see this as a race between Miller and Brown.
Elaine
Mr. Brown is worth serious consideration...we need to get out of this D/R rut.
Does the teachers union back the D's or R's?
One thing we know is that they won't back Brown, and Brown won't back them.
My guess is that the teachers' union backs the D's. i base that from all the photo opportunities Matt Smith had with them.
Elaine
9:37 there may be a lot of truth in what you say, but two things - should Miller make it have you seen any indication that he will buck the democratic party line of tax and spend? Does he side with the current school board that the answer to their money woes lies in bigger and bigger bushels of money. Bushels, corbett and the legislature don't have!
For the Governor and the legislature to feed the school districts' and teachers union's money addiction it'll mean more and higher state taxes.
Brown appears to back major reforms, not more taxes.
I just haven't heard any definitive position on just what either Dan will do as our representative.
Remely thru his votes and coents as a school director blames almost everything on the state. So it'll be a pretty good bet he'll vote to raise state taxes which he'll be able to vote to feed our administrators, Celli, PJDick and Nello.
With Miller, he did vote not to float some bonds, but he never really attacked the municipal budget and slow spending.
Brown might not make a difference as you claim, then again he just might.
Miller shut down the Parkin Authorty, stopped borrowing to pave the streets, and adopted a balanced budget that wasn't dependent upon one time fixes or debt. Doesn't sound like the typical Dem stuff to me.
All true, 5:11 PM. Miller is a good guy too. Miller and Brown. Miller and Brown. Miller and Brown...
Could this be why they threw me off the R mailing list????
I understand the Realtors would not endorse one of their own. (Remely)
Elaine
Miller is one of the best commissioners we've had in recent memory! Republican or Demcrat.
It's the two major parties overall that need shook up.
A good politician will take good care of the State.
A bad politician will take care of himself.
I trust Dan Miller to take good care of the State.
That leads one to ask, with the toothless Act 1, PlanCon, Turnpike stealing, corruption in political offices, state pensions debacle and botched reassessments has Pennsylvania had more than it's shared of self-serving politicians?
There was a republican in that group that facilitated the ordinance.
Once again we have a director playing fast and loose with the facts. Cappucci commented something like "when we all take a job we know the terms regarding raises and benefits."
Not teachers, Elaine.
In 2002 the teachers retirement multiplier went from 2% to 2.5% and could apply retroactively to retirements.
Here's facts on the pension crisis and its not entirely in Corbett's lap as they'd like you to believe.
Gov. Rendell/democrats should accept a majority of the blame!
Ticking time bomb: Crisis looms in Pa.’s dwindling pension plans
Published: February 28, 2010
By ALEX ROSE, Delaware County Times
"Members, meanwhile, contributed between 5 percent and 6 percent in the years leading up to Act 9, on average, which increased to about 7 percent after the law was passed.
This was due to several features of Act 9 related to new benefit calculations. The law reduced the number of years of service required to receive benefits from 10 to five and gave members the ability to pay a higher contribution while increasing the multiplier for their benefits from 2 to 2.5.
The multiplier is used to calculate pension payments based on years worked and highest salary earned. For a member who has worked 30 years, for instance, the formula is 30 x 2.5, which equals 75, meaning that member would receive 75 percent of the average for the three highest years salary for the rest of his or her life.
While the increased employee contribution rate would only apply going forward, the multiplier could be applied retroactively, said SERS spokesman Robert Gentzel.
It was a terribly attractive program and nearly everyone opted in, said Gentzel. But it didn’t matter — there was plenty of money to cover those liabilities because of the bull market.
Then the bull turned into a bear.
“When we’re talking about being 130 percent funded, we’re talking about assets,” said Gentzel. “And those are securities, stocks, bonds, investments like that that vary in value depending on market conditions. So as the market dropped precipitously in 2001, 2002 the value of those assets dropped as well.
“The result was that this surplus no longer existed and that meant that surplus was no longer available to cover the cost of Act 9.”
THE BEAR
Gentzel said in late 2002 and early 2003, the economy had gotten to the point that employer contributions would have had to skyrocket to keep up with the increased pension obligations.
“The Legislature did not want that happening,” he said.
So in 2003, the Legislature adopted and Rendell signed into law Act 40, which essentially mismatched the schedules for liabilities, which were viewed on a 30-year span post-Act 9, and assets, which were viewed on a 10-year span pre-Act 9.
It was an intentional move to suppress employer contribution rates and avoid that immediate spike, said Gentzel.
“They did it by intentionally recognizing gains faster than losses and that had the effect of putting a lid on employer contribution rates, but it was a 10 year lid,” he said. “The lid comes off in 2012 and that’s why the rate spike occurs then.”
http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2010/02/28/news/doc4b89f385eb4f6465512232.txt?viewmode=fullstory
Cut pensions to 40% of career average salary with no COLA.
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