By Daveen Rae Kurutz
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, August 10, 2007
After 34 years, West View is looking for a new council president.
Council President Dan M. Daugherty said Thursday he intends to resign by the end of October.
The move comes after residents filed a state ethics complaint last month when Daugherty, the paid executive director of West View Water Authority, was appointed to fill a vacancy on the water authority board.
Daugherty said his impending resignation is not related to the complaint.
"It's time to move on and make room for others, who I'm sure have great ideas, too," Daugherty said. "I could stay on council -- there's nothing wrong with holding all three seats -- but it's my choice to go.
"After nearly 40 years, don't you think it's about time?"
The ethics complaint was filed by resident Jim Barr, who believes it is a conflict of interest for Daugherty to sit on the board and be employed as its executive director.
"He's being his own boss, and that's not right," Barr said. "It's just not good for the people -- but it's good for him and his political allies."
Daugherty has been president of West View council for 34 years and a member of council for 38 years. He was most recently re-elected to council in 2005.
His appointment to the water authority board was not a conflict of interest under borough code, according to borough and water authority solicitor Fred E. Baxter Jr.
Daugherty said the ethics complaint was dismissed without investigation -- but the State Ethics Commission would not confirm or deny its dismissal.
Daugherty's announced resignation is the second in two months. In July, Councilman Ralph Burshell stepped down. Don Mikec was appointed to replace him Wednesday.
Daveen Rae Kurutz can be reached at dkurutz@tribweb.com or 412-380-5627.
www.pittsburghlive.com
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Clymer's party seeks spot on ballot
Commissioner race could be crowded
By DAVE PIDGEON, Staff
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Jul 31, 2007 1:23 AM EST
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - Make room for one more candidate in this year's race for Lancaster County commissioner.
Attorney Jim Clymer, the 59-year-old national chairman of the conservative Constitution Party, confirmed Monday he plans to add his name to the November ballot. He said he plans to turn in his nominating petitions to the county Board of Elections on Wednesday.
Clymer, however, said he intends only to keep the spot warm as he hopes to find someone else to represent the Constitution Party in the election.
"I'm going to be running initially as a placeholder," he said Monday.
Clymer ran a losing campaign for county commissioner in 2003 and said he does not plan to run again, though he would not entirely rule it out.
"I never say never, but it's not my desire or my intention to at this present time," he said. "I would probably not. I probably would withdraw."
Adding a Constitution Party candidate — someone who is for limited government and fiscal restraint, Clymer said — means a field of six would vie for three county commissioner seats on Nov. 6.
The Republican nominees are former Youth Intervention Center director Scott Martin and County Controller Dennis Stuckey. Democrats nominated Lancaster city Treasurer Craig Lehman and incumbent Commissioner Molly Henderson.
Independent candidate Jere Swarr, a Rapho Township supervisor, who turned in his nominating petitions Friday, also is running for the post.
Bruce Beardsley, chairman of the Lancaster County Democratic Committee, said Clymer's entrance into the race is advantageous for Henderson and Lehman.
"The more (conservative candidates) who are in the race, the more the Republican voters are divided, the more opportunity for Democrats," Beardsley said. "If you have a certain amount of Republican votes, and it's split four ways, each of them gets a smaller vote."
Lancaster County Republican chairman Dave Dumeyer and Andrew Heath, the local GOP's executive director, were not immediately available for comment Monday night.
Clymer finished fifth in the 2003 contest with 13 percent of the vote, just behind Democrat Bill Saylor.
"The right candidate would have a good shot at winning, and probably a better shot than in 2003," Clymer said. "I say that in part because national polls show that there's more receptiveness now to a third party than there has been in many years.
"More and more people are seeing the light, seeing the truth: There (is) very little difference between the two (major) parties."
To appear on the ballot, Clymer will have to turn in 888 signatures from registered voters to the county Board of Elections by 5 p.m. Wednesday. The number is equal to 2 percent of the total votes for the winner of the last countywide election — U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts in 2006.
Clymer's nominating petitions also include G. Friedrich Schrom of Lititz, chairman of the Constitution Party's Lancaster County chapter, who plans to run for register of wills against GOP nominee Mary Ann Gerber.
Voters who have signed either Clymer's or Schrom's petitions are nominating both to appear on the ballot.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, this is permissible as long as the person signing the petition is eligible to vote for both candidates.
For example, a person running for Lancaster County treasurer can't add a candidate to his or her petition who is seeking a commissioner's post in Bradford County. Voters can't participate in both elections.
Should a Constitution Party candidate appear on the ballot this year, it will mark the third consecutive election for the post in which the party has fielded a nominee. Clymer ran in 2003 and Casey McDonald in 1999.
E-mail: dpidgeon@lnpnews.com
By DAVE PIDGEON, Staff
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Jul 31, 2007 1:23 AM EST
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - Make room for one more candidate in this year's race for Lancaster County commissioner.
Attorney Jim Clymer, the 59-year-old national chairman of the conservative Constitution Party, confirmed Monday he plans to add his name to the November ballot. He said he plans to turn in his nominating petitions to the county Board of Elections on Wednesday.
Clymer, however, said he intends only to keep the spot warm as he hopes to find someone else to represent the Constitution Party in the election.
"I'm going to be running initially as a placeholder," he said Monday.
Clymer ran a losing campaign for county commissioner in 2003 and said he does not plan to run again, though he would not entirely rule it out.
"I never say never, but it's not my desire or my intention to at this present time," he said. "I would probably not. I probably would withdraw."
Adding a Constitution Party candidate — someone who is for limited government and fiscal restraint, Clymer said — means a field of six would vie for three county commissioner seats on Nov. 6.
The Republican nominees are former Youth Intervention Center director Scott Martin and County Controller Dennis Stuckey. Democrats nominated Lancaster city Treasurer Craig Lehman and incumbent Commissioner Molly Henderson.
Independent candidate Jere Swarr, a Rapho Township supervisor, who turned in his nominating petitions Friday, also is running for the post.
Bruce Beardsley, chairman of the Lancaster County Democratic Committee, said Clymer's entrance into the race is advantageous for Henderson and Lehman.
"The more (conservative candidates) who are in the race, the more the Republican voters are divided, the more opportunity for Democrats," Beardsley said. "If you have a certain amount of Republican votes, and it's split four ways, each of them gets a smaller vote."
Lancaster County Republican chairman Dave Dumeyer and Andrew Heath, the local GOP's executive director, were not immediately available for comment Monday night.
Clymer finished fifth in the 2003 contest with 13 percent of the vote, just behind Democrat Bill Saylor.
"The right candidate would have a good shot at winning, and probably a better shot than in 2003," Clymer said. "I say that in part because national polls show that there's more receptiveness now to a third party than there has been in many years.
"More and more people are seeing the light, seeing the truth: There (is) very little difference between the two (major) parties."
To appear on the ballot, Clymer will have to turn in 888 signatures from registered voters to the county Board of Elections by 5 p.m. Wednesday. The number is equal to 2 percent of the total votes for the winner of the last countywide election — U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts in 2006.
Clymer's nominating petitions also include G. Friedrich Schrom of Lititz, chairman of the Constitution Party's Lancaster County chapter, who plans to run for register of wills against GOP nominee Mary Ann Gerber.
Voters who have signed either Clymer's or Schrom's petitions are nominating both to appear on the ballot.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, this is permissible as long as the person signing the petition is eligible to vote for both candidates.
For example, a person running for Lancaster County treasurer can't add a candidate to his or her petition who is seeking a commissioner's post in Bradford County. Voters can't participate in both elections.
Should a Constitution Party candidate appear on the ballot this year, it will mark the third consecutive election for the post in which the party has fielded a nominee. Clymer ran in 2003 and Casey McDonald in 1999.
E-mail: dpidgeon@lnpnews.com
Monday, July 23, 2007
Pa. House Dems put property tax atop agenda
Monday, July 23, 2007
By Tom Barnes, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau
HARRISBURG -- Of all the thorny political issues that have bedeviled state legislators during the past 30 years, property tax relief is probably Numero Uno.
But two top House Democratic officials, Majority Leader Bill DeWeese of Waynesburg and Majority Whip Keith McCall of Carbon, say they're going to give it another shot when the Legislature returns to work Sept. 17.
"We are committed to making property tax reform the pre-eminent issue come this fall," Mr. McCall said in an interview last week. "We want to show the Senate we are serious about this issue."
"We want to pass a bill and send it to the Senate," said Mr. DeWeese.
They said a wide range of possible property tax relief options will be considered. One is Mr. DeWeese's idea for a 0.5 percent increase in the state sales tax. That would generate about $700 million, with all of it going to lower property taxes. Gov. Ed Rendell has talked about going Mr. DeWeese one better -- raising the sales tax a full percentage point, with all $1.4 billion going to lower property taxes.
Then there is Rep. Samuel Rohrer's idea. Mr. Rohrer, R-Berks, and some other conservative Republicans have pushed for four years to reduce the sales tax to 5 percent statewide but greatly broaden the base by taxing food and clothing, which are now exempt.
Mr. McCall said that even the most wide-ranging plan, called "Stop Taxing Our Properties," will be discussed. The STOP plan, championed by former KDKA radio talk show host Bob Logue, would combine a higher sales tax, a higher state income tax and new slots revenues to raise about $8 billion, which advocates say would be enough to completely eliminate property taxes on primary residences.
"We're taking them all [under consideration]," Mr. McCall said. "We want to bring all the minds together and make this a bipartisan effort. We're going to look to see how we can do this (property tax relief) with the least amount of pain. You have to spread this to broad-based taxes to make it work."
Mr. Rendell fought to legalize slot machines in 2004, claiming they would raise up to $1 billion a year for property tax reduction once all 14 casinos were up and fully running. But legal challenges have slowed the process, and so far only five racetrack casinos are operating. The other nine facilities probably won't be fully functional for another two years.
The Democratic leaders said two other ideas also will be priorities this fall: expanding the state's open records law, to make it easier for citizens to learn what's going on in state government, and campaign finance' reform, such as whether to put limits on donations to political candidates. Senate Republican leader Dominic Pileggi of Chester said he'll also push for making it easier for citizens to obtain government records.
The legislators' priorities will be joined to an ambitious agenda Mr. Rendell already is talking about for the fall session. He is insisting that the Legislature resume efforts to enact a tough ban on smoking in public places and workplaces, continue work on his energy initiatives and find new funding to pay for cleaning up hazardous waste sites.
Republican legislators this past spring shot down Mr. Rendell's plan to increase residential electric bills by $5.40 a year to finance an $850 million fund that would provide incentives for people to buy energy-efficient appliances. He now wants them to figure out an alternative.
Many legislators disliked another bill, which would have shifted $40 million from the Keystone Recreation Fund to bail out the nearly empty Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund. The recreation fund pays for parks, libraries and other items. So Mr. Rendell wants them to come up with a funding solution for hazardous waste sites.
House and Senate members passed different versions of the smoking ban legislation, and the governor wants them to agree on one version that he can sign.
Tom Barnes can be reached at tbarnes@post-gazette.com or 1=717-787-4254.
By Tom Barnes, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau
HARRISBURG -- Of all the thorny political issues that have bedeviled state legislators during the past 30 years, property tax relief is probably Numero Uno.
But two top House Democratic officials, Majority Leader Bill DeWeese of Waynesburg and Majority Whip Keith McCall of Carbon, say they're going to give it another shot when the Legislature returns to work Sept. 17.
"We are committed to making property tax reform the pre-eminent issue come this fall," Mr. McCall said in an interview last week. "We want to show the Senate we are serious about this issue."
"We want to pass a bill and send it to the Senate," said Mr. DeWeese.
They said a wide range of possible property tax relief options will be considered. One is Mr. DeWeese's idea for a 0.5 percent increase in the state sales tax. That would generate about $700 million, with all of it going to lower property taxes. Gov. Ed Rendell has talked about going Mr. DeWeese one better -- raising the sales tax a full percentage point, with all $1.4 billion going to lower property taxes.
Then there is Rep. Samuel Rohrer's idea. Mr. Rohrer, R-Berks, and some other conservative Republicans have pushed for four years to reduce the sales tax to 5 percent statewide but greatly broaden the base by taxing food and clothing, which are now exempt.
Mr. McCall said that even the most wide-ranging plan, called "Stop Taxing Our Properties," will be discussed. The STOP plan, championed by former KDKA radio talk show host Bob Logue, would combine a higher sales tax, a higher state income tax and new slots revenues to raise about $8 billion, which advocates say would be enough to completely eliminate property taxes on primary residences.
"We're taking them all [under consideration]," Mr. McCall said. "We want to bring all the minds together and make this a bipartisan effort. We're going to look to see how we can do this (property tax relief) with the least amount of pain. You have to spread this to broad-based taxes to make it work."
Mr. Rendell fought to legalize slot machines in 2004, claiming they would raise up to $1 billion a year for property tax reduction once all 14 casinos were up and fully running. But legal challenges have slowed the process, and so far only five racetrack casinos are operating. The other nine facilities probably won't be fully functional for another two years.
The Democratic leaders said two other ideas also will be priorities this fall: expanding the state's open records law, to make it easier for citizens to learn what's going on in state government, and campaign finance' reform, such as whether to put limits on donations to political candidates. Senate Republican leader Dominic Pileggi of Chester said he'll also push for making it easier for citizens to obtain government records.
The legislators' priorities will be joined to an ambitious agenda Mr. Rendell already is talking about for the fall session. He is insisting that the Legislature resume efforts to enact a tough ban on smoking in public places and workplaces, continue work on his energy initiatives and find new funding to pay for cleaning up hazardous waste sites.
Republican legislators this past spring shot down Mr. Rendell's plan to increase residential electric bills by $5.40 a year to finance an $850 million fund that would provide incentives for people to buy energy-efficient appliances. He now wants them to figure out an alternative.
Many legislators disliked another bill, which would have shifted $40 million from the Keystone Recreation Fund to bail out the nearly empty Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund. The recreation fund pays for parks, libraries and other items. So Mr. Rendell wants them to come up with a funding solution for hazardous waste sites.
House and Senate members passed different versions of the smoking ban legislation, and the governor wants them to agree on one version that he can sign.
Tom Barnes can be reached at tbarnes@post-gazette.com or 1=717-787-4254.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
CP southwest chairman stands up to water authority
West View Water Authority post brings ethics filing
Water authority chief is named to authority board
Thursday, July 19, 2007
By Len Barcousky, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The president of West View council, who is employed as executive director of West View Water Authority, has begun wearing a third municipal hat -- prompting a conflict of interest charge.
West View council July 11 appointed Daniel M. Daugherty to one of two vacancies on the West View Water Authority board.
The next day, borough resident James W. Barr filed a complaint with the State Ethics Commission.
Mr. Barr's complaint charges that Mr. Daugherty already faced potential conflicts of interest by simultaneously serving as council president and as the Water Authority's paid executive director.
Those conflicts can arise because borough council, which Mr. Daugherty leads, appoints members to the authority board, which oversees Mr. Daugherty's work as executive director.
By appointing Mr. Daugherty to the authority board, West View council has made the potential for conflicts even greater, Mr. Barr charged.
"Isn't there another person in the borough who could serve on the authority?" Mr. Barr asked.
A 25-year resident, Mr. Barr is a perennially unsuccessful candidate for West View council. In the fall his name will appear for the eighth time on the ballot, this time on the Constitution Party line.
Mr. Daugherty abstained in the 5-0 vote council took July 11 selecting him to complete the term of the late Harry Gruener, who died June 24 at age 86. Mr. Gruener previously had served as a West View council member and borough manager.
Another vacancy on the five-member Water Authority board opened July 3, when David R. Glavin died. Mr. Glavin, 81, a former president of the Allegheny County Labor Council, had been a member of the authority board for 19 years.
Mr. Daugherty said his decision to serve on the Water Authority board had been reviewed by lawyer Fred Baxter, who serves as solicitor to council and to the Water Authority.
Mr. Daugherty pledged to abstain from any votes on council or on the Water Authority board in which he would have a personal interest. None of the other members of the board is an employee or a member of council.
Mr. Daugherty earns about $113,000 as executive director of the authority. Members of council and of the Water Authority both receive small stipends, but Mr. Daugherty said he is not eligible for either because he already gets a salary from the authority.
Mr. Barr predicted Mr. Daugherty would not be able to be an active and effective member of the authority. "He is going to have to abstain from most of the votes," he said.
The Water Authority and its work force both need broader representation, he said. "There is too much nepotism involved," he said. In his complaint, Mr. Barr wrote that four of the current six members of West View council have children who work for the authority. Council is made up of seven members but has a vacancy.
Councilman Barry G. Schell defended the decision to name Mr. Daugherty to one of the two vacant slots. Other municipal agencies and businesses have their top executives also serve on their governing boards, he said.
The loss of two authority board members in little more than a week made it critical that at least one of the empty positions be filled quickly, he said. "The board couldn't really conduct its business with two vacancies," he said. "And we didn't have any other candidates in mind."
Mr. Schell invited any West View resident interested in serving on the authority to send a resume and letter of application to West View Borough Council, in care of Manager Kenneth J. Wolf, 441 Perry Highway, Pittsburgh 15229.
The fifth seat could be filled as soon as council's next meeting at 7 p.m. Aug. 8, Mr. Schell said.
The State Ethics Commission has a policy that it will neither confirm nor deny even the existence of a complaint while it is being investigated or studied by a hearing officer, according to an agency spokeswoman.
Only if the allegations in a complaint are found to be credible would the commission issue a public order. The quasi-judicial process usually takes several months.
While West View is a small community of about 7,300 surrounded by Ross, the West View Water Authority is a regional giant.
The authority supplies drinking water to about 200,000 customers in 31 municipalities in Allegheny, Beaver and Butler counties. Its treatment plant on Neville Island can purify and pump up to 40 million gallons of water per day.
Water authority chief is named to authority board
Thursday, July 19, 2007
By Len Barcousky, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The president of West View council, who is employed as executive director of West View Water Authority, has begun wearing a third municipal hat -- prompting a conflict of interest charge.
West View council July 11 appointed Daniel M. Daugherty to one of two vacancies on the West View Water Authority board.
The next day, borough resident James W. Barr filed a complaint with the State Ethics Commission.
Mr. Barr's complaint charges that Mr. Daugherty already faced potential conflicts of interest by simultaneously serving as council president and as the Water Authority's paid executive director.
Those conflicts can arise because borough council, which Mr. Daugherty leads, appoints members to the authority board, which oversees Mr. Daugherty's work as executive director.
By appointing Mr. Daugherty to the authority board, West View council has made the potential for conflicts even greater, Mr. Barr charged.
"Isn't there another person in the borough who could serve on the authority?" Mr. Barr asked.
A 25-year resident, Mr. Barr is a perennially unsuccessful candidate for West View council. In the fall his name will appear for the eighth time on the ballot, this time on the Constitution Party line.
Mr. Daugherty abstained in the 5-0 vote council took July 11 selecting him to complete the term of the late Harry Gruener, who died June 24 at age 86. Mr. Gruener previously had served as a West View council member and borough manager.
Another vacancy on the five-member Water Authority board opened July 3, when David R. Glavin died. Mr. Glavin, 81, a former president of the Allegheny County Labor Council, had been a member of the authority board for 19 years.
Mr. Daugherty said his decision to serve on the Water Authority board had been reviewed by lawyer Fred Baxter, who serves as solicitor to council and to the Water Authority.
Mr. Daugherty pledged to abstain from any votes on council or on the Water Authority board in which he would have a personal interest. None of the other members of the board is an employee or a member of council.
Mr. Daugherty earns about $113,000 as executive director of the authority. Members of council and of the Water Authority both receive small stipends, but Mr. Daugherty said he is not eligible for either because he already gets a salary from the authority.
Mr. Barr predicted Mr. Daugherty would not be able to be an active and effective member of the authority. "He is going to have to abstain from most of the votes," he said.
The Water Authority and its work force both need broader representation, he said. "There is too much nepotism involved," he said. In his complaint, Mr. Barr wrote that four of the current six members of West View council have children who work for the authority. Council is made up of seven members but has a vacancy.
Councilman Barry G. Schell defended the decision to name Mr. Daugherty to one of the two vacant slots. Other municipal agencies and businesses have their top executives also serve on their governing boards, he said.
The loss of two authority board members in little more than a week made it critical that at least one of the empty positions be filled quickly, he said. "The board couldn't really conduct its business with two vacancies," he said. "And we didn't have any other candidates in mind."
Mr. Schell invited any West View resident interested in serving on the authority to send a resume and letter of application to West View Borough Council, in care of Manager Kenneth J. Wolf, 441 Perry Highway, Pittsburgh 15229.
The fifth seat could be filled as soon as council's next meeting at 7 p.m. Aug. 8, Mr. Schell said.
The State Ethics Commission has a policy that it will neither confirm nor deny even the existence of a complaint while it is being investigated or studied by a hearing officer, according to an agency spokeswoman.
Only if the allegations in a complaint are found to be credible would the commission issue a public order. The quasi-judicial process usually takes several months.
While West View is a small community of about 7,300 surrounded by Ross, the West View Water Authority is a regional giant.
The authority supplies drinking water to about 200,000 customers in 31 municipalities in Allegheny, Beaver and Butler counties. Its treatment plant on Neville Island can purify and pump up to 40 million gallons of water per day.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
CP Allegheny Picnic
The Constitution Party of Allegheny County will be hosting a picnic on Friday August 3rd. The picnic will run from 1pm until dusk. It will be at the Harmar grove in North Park. If you are interested in attending and want to help in some way(we need help with the food) please email me at jmurphpitt@hotmail.com or call at 412-826-0516, even if you can only stop by for a short time please let us know. Bring the whole family and friends and enjoy a beautiful day at the park.
Senate rejects House-passed smoking ban
Posted by Jan Murphy/The Patriot-News July 16, 2007 23:19PM
Categories: Breaking News, Midstate, Politics, State government
The state House made it clear last night that it wants a mostly smoke-free Pennsylvania.
Minutes later, the Senate rejected the House version of a statewide indoor smoking ban, sending it to a House-Senate conference committee to hash out the differences.
Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, R-Montgomery, said that action could delay the implementation of a smoking ban for months.
By a 141-62 vote, the House approved a ban that would order most indoor public places, including casinos, restaurants and taverns, to go smoke-free 90 days after the bill becomes law.
The House bill would exempt from the ban private homes, private clubs such as American Legions and sportsmen's clubs, tobacco-related businesses and a quarter of the rooms in hotels. It also would allow smoking in private residences within nursing homes or assisted living facilities and at cigar exhibitions.
Municipalities could enact stricter smoking bans. And the bill ordered county health departments or, in absence of one of those, another county department to serve as the smoking police.
The Senate rejected this version of the ban by a 13-36 vote
www.pennlive.com
Categories: Breaking News, Midstate, Politics, State government
The state House made it clear last night that it wants a mostly smoke-free Pennsylvania.
Minutes later, the Senate rejected the House version of a statewide indoor smoking ban, sending it to a House-Senate conference committee to hash out the differences.
Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, R-Montgomery, said that action could delay the implementation of a smoking ban for months.
By a 141-62 vote, the House approved a ban that would order most indoor public places, including casinos, restaurants and taverns, to go smoke-free 90 days after the bill becomes law.
The House bill would exempt from the ban private homes, private clubs such as American Legions and sportsmen's clubs, tobacco-related businesses and a quarter of the rooms in hotels. It also would allow smoking in private residences within nursing homes or assisted living facilities and at cigar exhibitions.
Municipalities could enact stricter smoking bans. And the bill ordered county health departments or, in absence of one of those, another county department to serve as the smoking police.
The Senate rejected this version of the ban by a 13-36 vote
www.pennlive.com
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