County Republicans Pick DeMarco As New Chair

County Republicans Pick DeMarco As New Chair

“The status quo is going to change,” said DeMarco shortly after being named the new chair of the Republican Committee of Allegheny County. “I ran for this seat because what was happening was unacceptable. The sole mission of the county party is to field candidates for local office, and we have been a dismal failure. That needed to stop.”

That's an understatement, especially here in Mt. Lebanon. No R's running for school board, and only one R running for commissioner. The other two wards have D's running unopposed.

What an embarrassment. Glad I made the switch.

Opinion: Left still can't get over Trump's win UPDATED 2X

Letter to the editor: Left still can’t get over Trump’s win

As a former Republican from Mt. Lebanon, I think I can explain why there were no protests after Raja lost.

The Mt. Lebanon Republican Committee is a joke. Last I heard, they forgot to find candidates to run for Mt. Lebanon School Board, and two seats on the Mt. Lebanon Commission. The R's were focusing solely on another Raja campaign, his third attempt to get elected.

I am still on the Republican mailing list and laughed when I saw a postcard with Commissioner McLean and former Commission Kluck. They had no other Republicans in office to endorse Raja. Matt Kluck was Raja's campaign manager. Ward 3 Commissioner Steve McLean is not running again, so the Democratic candidates for Wards 1 and 3 have no opposition. Ward 5 Republican running is Bill Hoon. Again.

I ran in the 2011 Primary against Joe DeIuliis, the guy who had a For Sale sign in his yard. The Lebo Republican Committee is filled with a bunch of good ol' boys and don't have a clue as to what is going on. They have been known to forget about cross filing for School Board. Heck, I had to explain to McLean that he would receive a stipend as a commissioner. I'll never forget when Steve yelled over to Andy Reinhart, "Hey, Andy! Did you know that we get paid for this job?" So embarrassing.

Then there was the Ward 4 election, where the Republican candidate turned down any help because he thought he could win on his own merits. Great in theory.

The author described the day after Iovino's win as peaceful with no angry mobs or protests. I think they were just clueless.

Update April 16, 2019 9:43 AM Below is the Ward 1 Absentee Ballot. Ward 1 is Raja's ward. No Republican candidate listed. In fact, lots of blank spaces on the Republican ballot.

Update April 17, 2019 1:29 PM Here is one example of a Republican in Steve Silverman's ward, who is still keeping his obnoxiously large Raja sign in his yard.

So pathetic

Remember how the MLRC (Tommy Dunn) gave Jim Cannon and me a hard time in 2011 about posting our signs on the "Republican" board at Foster School? And how Tommy gave me a hard time about putting up one of my recycled signs when I ran in protest for the last election for the Ward 3 Commission seat?

This is the Republican board at Foster School today, May 16, 2017. So pathetic.

Where are you, Tommy Dunn?

I am so frustrated with the Republican Committee of Mt. Lebanon. Do you even exist anymore? What happened to your website? lebogop.com 

I did a search and found this link. Republican Committee of Mt. Lebanon 

Regular Meetings on the third Tuesday of every month, 7:30pm.
Mt. Lebanon Municipal Building, 710 Washington Road, Mt. Lebanon, 15228.
For more information contact Tommy Dunn at 412-913-0094 or tpdunn52@gmail.com. Networking begins at 7pm and meeting at 7:30pm

You strive to keep me off your "Republican" bulletin boards at the three polling locations in Ward 3. You did it in the 2011 Primary and the 2015 General Election. You wouldn't allow Jim Cannon to use the "Republican" bulletin boards in the 2011 Primary. Is that your only purpose as head of the Republican Committee of Mt. Lebanon? Did you support Dan Remely or Matt Kluck in the 2015 General Election?

Do you have Republican candidates lined up for the FIVE open school board seats? You couldn't come up with an opponent to run against Dave Brumfield four years ago. He ran unopposed. Are you prepared for the Ward 2 and Ward 4 Primaries? Steve Silverman is up for re-election. Who is your pick? Or will Steve run unopposed like Dave did in the last election? If you do have candidates lined up, do you think the candidates can have contact information on their websites? Ward 1's candidate, running against John Bendel, forgot to include his contact information on his website. You know it's true. You and Temp Smith verified that when I pointed it out to you at the polls at Foster School.

How about putting a little more effort into the Party, Tommy?

What does the color purple represent?

On the color wheel, purple is a combination of two primary colors, red and blue. Purple is associated with royalty. It also represents the future, wisdom, and stimulates the imagination. Red (Republican) combined with blue (Democrat) also make purple.

On June 24, 2014, Charlotte Stephenson wrote this comment here on Lebo Citizens at 12:07 AM:

The Democrat Committee of Mt. Lebanon won't rein in their environmentally hazardous elected officials in spite of the "principles" the local committee espouses on their website, and the RCML won't rein in their RINOs. Is it time to start over? Let's see....red and blue make...purple? Could there be a group of people here who will stand by their principles?

At 7:48 AM, same day, "Jason" followed up with:

As per Charlotte, if someone wants to start a 'purple' local political movement -- an intentionally cross-party/non-partisan group to promote candidates who will restore integrity and honor to the local democratic process, I am in.

 Today, "Jason" submitted this:

What brings “D”s and “R”s together in Mt. Lebanon??? 

The DReadful Mt. Lebanon Commissioners! 

We are tired of:

•  Excessive and unfair taxing practices 
•  Environmental degradation
•  Back-room deals
•  The enabling of an out-of-control School Board
•  Snickering at residents during Citizens Comments
•  An “agreement” to never disagree and debate publicly
•  The refusal to listen to The People of Mt. Lebanon
•  A toxic mix of arrogance and ignorance 

Impeach and remove All 5 Mt. Lebanon Commissioners … 

Restore democracy to Mt. Lebanon.

What was once considered a divisive plan to put artificial turf in Mt. Lebanon's Middle and Wildcat Fields, is evolving into a unified front of residents, of all political parties. Republicans, Democrats, and Libertarians agree that the Commissioners' plan is a bad plan.

I have said that the Democrats have their act together, but I am finding out that there are quite a few Democrats unhappy with the current state of affairs in our local governments. In general, people hate the good old boy network; hate anything that involves the abuse of power. I think the commission meeting on June 23, 2014 was a turning point in Mt. Lebanon. People from all parties came forward to oppose Commissioners Bendel, Brumfield, Linfante, and Silverman's plan to turf Middle and Wildcat Fields. Now there is talk of TRANSCENDING BOTH PARTIES -- based on truth and justice.

Yes, the Commission majority may award the bids to turf Middle and Wildcat Fields on July 8, 2014, but it could create a shift from red or blue, and Mt. Lebanon may turn purple.

The party left me

This morning, I received this letter to the editor from a Mt. Lebanon Republican. Perhaps the anonymous commenter on a previous thread had it right. "The time for a new Republican Committee that reflects the true heart of Mt. Lebanon Republicans has come."  Here is the letter to the editor:

Yesterday I received in the mail the Lebo Republican Committee candidate letter. The first thing I noticed was the ridiculous and pathetic writeup from Tommy Dunn. Here's the clincher--"most candidates of the opposite party sound like a Republican until they are in office, then their true colors come through". Uh, gee Tommy, you mean like Remely and Kubit? Or did you mean like Birks? I'm getting confused since they're all liars and nowhere near real Republicans.

Below that Tommy Dumm, oops, Dunn, includes his helpful tips. Again, he launches a real winner--"When you are in the voting booth, no one is looking over your shoulder, no one knows how you vote. Make your vote count". Aside from being totally patronizing (by virtue of voting it DOES count, Tommy Dumm) he seems to be suggesting that Republicans are afraid to be open with whom they're supporting. Given the candidates endorsed by the MLRC, I can understand why. But if he's aiming to motivate voters, he has failed. Big time.
Then I opened up the flyer. After tamping down my gag reflex, I noticed there are two people I've never heard of running for commission seats. I must be really out of it since I thought there was only one seat up for grabs. I can't blame the MLRC for that...on second thought, yes I can. They still don't get the whole communication thing. (Tommy, I don't know it worked in Alabama or wherever you're from but up here we have a thing called email. And if that's too complicated for you, try mailing out a monthly letter. You might even get people to start showing up at your meetings.)

So once again the MLRC is backing some candidates who will not only not make a difference but likely be a detriment to the party. I think we all know Remely's track record. Nice to see him so committed to a particular goal that he's running for two different offices simultaneously. Now that's dedication and integrity.

Then we have Krista Harris. First off, she's what we could call a carpetbagger. Second, she works as a "political consultant" in a firm that has a record of backing losing campaigns. Of course that fits well with the MLRC so maybe my criticism is redundant. Also, I got one of her mailers. Cute attempt with the whole mom and baby bit. But what are your ideas? Why are you running for County Council? Considering you already have a bad relationship with the county executive on a board dominated by Dems, just what do you think you'll accomplish? I'm suspect of someone unknown in the community. It all smells a lot like a certain pol named Obama.

John Ferguson is a nice guy. But come on. Isn't it time for someone new? Maybe nobody wants the job. Forget my opinion. Go John!

On the back of the flyer is a blurb "I am a Republican because...", and it lists five beliefs. Smack dab in the middle is this gem-" I believe in a limited government that practices fiscal responsibility and works to lower taxes so individuals can keep more of their hard earned money". Oh yeah? How's that working out for the community?

I've had a lot of conversations with neighbors in the last few months, both Ds and Rs. They all agree the R party in Lebo is a sorry shell of what it once was and it is basically dead. After the primary, where I will write in my own candidates, I will be changing my registration to Independent. The local committee is a joke. Notice I said local. The party seems to be doing relatively well outside our borders. Maybe someday I can be persuaded to come back. Remember this quote-"I didn't leave the party. The party left me".

Want to hear a good one?

The Republican Committee is considering School Board Director Dan Remely as the Republican hopeful to run against Dan Miller for Matt Smith's old House seat. I understand Remely will be running for reelection with Dale Ostergaard for School Board. Does the MLRC think that Dan is doing such a bang up job with the high school renovation, to be a viable candidate for higher office? Still not going through the vetting process, guys? When will the MLRC break up the good old boy network? I wish I could be a member of a party I respect.