Gastgeb's replacement

Mt. Lebanon's Krista Harris will be replacing Councilman Vince Gastgeb for County Council. Allegheny County Council Republicans have selected Ms. Harris to represent Mt. Lebanon, Bethel Park, Upper St. Clair, and Bridgeville until the special election which will be held in November. It is expected that Krista will go on to win the May primary and become the party's candidate to fill the remainder to Mr. Gastgeb's term, which runs through 2016.

Krista Harris made the news when Rich Fitzgerald and her husband, Mark had a verbal altercation after the November 2011 debate for county executive. Raja: Fitz behavior "erratic" When Krista shook Fitzgerald's hand and said, "I'm his wife,"  Fitzgerald, smiling, responded with: "I wouldn't be proud of that."

Republican candidates have until March 12 to submit their nomination petitions with 250 signatures for the May primary.

It's Your Turn

In Mt. Lebanon, candidates are needed for Wards 2 and 4 on the Commission side while four seats for School Board are opening up.  The first day to obtain signatures for candidates' nomination petitions is February 19, 2013.   In addition, the GOP is looking to fill Vince Gastgeb's seat.

I received this timely letter to the editor from a former elected official who would like to remain anonymous.

It's Your Turn

In local politics everything is personal. All decisions at this level of government affect our children's education, our traffic patterns, our First Friday's, the quality of the streets on which we drive. Local officials also determine the levels of income and property tax we pay to our school district and municipality.

These decisions impact each and every one of us every day. That's why I am hoping that more of us take these issues personally.

It's personal when my home appraisal goes up 50% but my neighbor who bought their house at the same price as mine is underassessed by 30%. It's personal for some people when a Commission decides to let high powered rifles be fired literally feet from our homes. It's personal for parents when their children are being taught a math curriculum with which they disagree.

So here is my challenge to the everyday residents of Mt. Lebanon. If you get the sense that things are a bit off kilter and that you might have some ideas on how to change local government for the better, then consider a run for school board or commission.

Run if you think math needs to change,
Or if it makes you feel deranged.

Run if you want to shoot deer with high powered rifle
Run if you want deer over for after-dinner trifle

If you think the school board is competent
Or if you think the board is incontinent
RUN!

If you want to fill our fields full of plastic
or if you think that kind of money is too drastic,
RUN!

Whether you want things to be the same
Or you just want someone else to blame
RUN!

Don't sit down and let people question
"Why only these same people up for election?"

Ten signatures gets you on the primary ballot
At times you may feel as if struck by a mallet

But the rewards of lifelong friendships are great
The people you meet and affect will appreciate

That you spend all your spare time
Trying to save them that dime.

February 19th comes quick
Give me somebody new to pick!

Go to the County Elections Page
And just maybe you will become all the rage!

http://www.alleghenycounty.us/elect/cal.aspx

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

I am still getting questions about last week's hearing.  Yes, I received a certified letter.  It was not on official letterhead, but was computer generated.  Note the spelling of the attorney's last name.  Note the signature was in a different font and not hand written.  Note the conditions I was to return the call.  Note that the letter was not dated.  Here is the envelope.  It is not typed and the spelling of the last name has one "R" while "Borrelli" was spelled with two "R's" in the letter.  Does that printing look familiar? No missed calls showed up on my caller ID, either on my home phone or on my cell phone.  No attorney was ever listed on the docket.  The contact number on the letter was to a cell phone.  The Court was never copied. 
I have nothing else to report.  I have been totally transparent about the whole process.  It is unfortunate that I didn't have a Democrat file the challenge, but as I said before, "Live and learn."

Update 03/28/11 I also received a copy of the letter via regular mail on Saturday, March 19, 2011.  This is the envelope sent regular mail.  It, too, was not typed and the spelling of the last name had one "R" in the return address.  At least they're consistent!

Live and learn

Just got back from going before Judge James.  I want to set the record straight.  I challenged one signor on Kristen Linfante's nomination petition (Democratic candidate for Ward 3 Commissioner) who lived in Castle Shannon.  Ms. Linfante doesn't know where the Mt. Lebanon/Castle Shannon border is.  Scary when someone who is running for Commissioner isn't clear where the municipality ends.  I challenged Kristen Linfante's nomination petition because I had serious doubt that each line was filled in by the signor.  The rules are as such:  "Each person who signs a nomination petition must insert the following information about him or herself:

1. Signature;
2. Printed name;
3. Address of residence, including street and number, if any;
4. Their municipality; and
5. The date on which he or she signed the nomination petition."

I questioned, not the signatures as Rob Gardner and Kristen Linfante announced on other blogs, but the rest of the information that was inserted on most lines.  Here is the link to the docket.  Case ID GD 11 004872 Decide for yourself.  We will never know because I "did not have standing."  That means that since I am a Republican, I cannot challenge a Democrat.  Who knew?  I did learn something that is definitely worth the $78 I spent to file the objection.  Joe DeIuliis, Republican Commissioner of Ward 3, who was just endorsed by the Republican Committee for the May Primary, has a For Sale sign in his front yard, his family has been quoted in the media that they want to move far away, was also at this hearing and was smiling when I found out that the judge had to deny the challenge.  Pretty interesting, huh?