May 18, 2006
From The Morning Call

A memorable election: quirky machines, big Harrisburg changes, delayed write-ins

Pennsylvania's voters are still angry and they want change. Despite the anemic voter turnout in Tuesday's primary election, this is clearly the message. For the second statewide election in a row, voters have signaled their dissatisfaction with how state politicians conduct the public's business. Last November, they expressed their anger over last summer's pay grab benefitting lawmakers, judges and the executive branch by tossing state Supreme Court Justice Russell Nigro off the bench. Tuesday, two Senate leaders were deposed and at least another dozen House incumbents were rejected.

The losses by Senate President Pro Tempore Robert Jubelirer, R-Lackawanna, and Majority Leader David ''Chip'' Brightbill were historic. It has been more than 40 years since Pennsylvania voters have retired a legislative leader and Tuesday they ended the political careers of two of Harrisburg's most powerful men. The pair helped fashion the infamous pay grab, which tried to bestow 16 percent to 54 percent salary hikes upon lawmakers. Even though they apologized and worked to repeal the raises, the voters held them accountable, ending long careers. Sen. Brightbill has served for 24 years. Sen. Jubelirer has served 30 years and is the Senate's longest serving presiding officer.

Another long-time legislator turned out by voters was Rep. Paul Semmel, R-187th District, who has served 23 years. Although he issued an 11th-hour apology for his pay raise vote, he lost a three-way race for the Republican nomination to Kutztown Borough Council President Carl Mantz. When asked if the pay raise was a reason for his defeat, Rep. Semmel said ''it was the only factor.''

The pay raise was insufficient to defeat other House incumbents. Carbon County Democratic Rep. Keith McCall has refused to return the legally questionable unvouchered expenses, which gave lawmakers the raise before the election. Even so, he easily defeated PaCleanSweep challenger John Wieczorek. Across the state, House Minority Whip Michael Veon, D-Beaver, the only state lawmaker who opposed repealing the pay raise, survived his primary challenge. Both face Republican challengers in November, however.

Another pay-grabber, Rep. T.J. Rooney, D-133rd, decided not to run. His record on the pay raise didn't seem to affect the campaign of his chief legislative aide, Joe Brennan, to succeed him. In a hard-fought contest between four Democrats that sometimes turned nasty, Mr. Brennan edged out middle school assistant principal Jose Rosado for the nomination.

The losses by Sens. Brightbill and Jubelirer and the dozen House incumbents are bound to put Harrisburg lawmakers on notice that voters are dissatisfied. It should influence discussions about the state budget and efforts to achieve property tax reform. It should also prompt debate about how to improve the integrity of the political process in the state capitol. Perhaps the most prophetic comment was made by Lebanon County tire salesman Mike Folmer, who beat Sen. Brightbill. ''There is no gloating,'' he said about his victory. ''There is still November.''

One of the people who energized the voter revolt, activist Gene Stilp, got steamrollered by one of Harrisburg's political forces, Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll. Despite her spotty job performance, Ms. Knoll remains popular with voters, especially in her home base of Allegheny County. Mr. Stilp finished last among three candidates trying to derail the lieutenant governor in the Democratic race. Outrage only goes so far.

Counties throughout the state used new electronic voting machines Tuesday, in compliance with the federal Help America Vote Act. Voters in various places worried about the machines' accuracy, but never anticipated the quirky thing that happened in Northampton County, where write-in votes could determine a Democratic challenger to U.S. Rep. Charles Dent, R-15th, in the fall.

Because the governor is a Democrat, Pennsylvania's primary ballots list Democrats first, then Republicans. But the county's new machines didn't record votes in this order, which meant election workers had to manually rearrange the order of the parties on their computers as results came in. An unofficial Morning Call count of write-in votes in Lehigh and Northampton counties show Democratic write-in candidate Charles Dertinger, a Northampton County councilman, got 3,200 votes.

To qualify for the fall ballot, a Democratic primary winner must get no less than 1,000 write-in votes. Democrats for Dent and former Green Party candidate Greta Browne also sought write-in votes. The 15th District write-in results, including a portion of Montgomery County, still aren't officially determined by the counties.

In the 8th Congressional District, Iraq war veteran Patrick Murphy beat former Bucks County commissioner Andrew Warren in a Democratic primary that was so expensive, the long-time Bucks politician mortgaged his home for a loan to his campaign — only to experience low voter turnout and a disappointing loss.

Voters also decided some important ballot questions. In Allentown, the Emergency and Municipal Services tax was overwhelmingly approved despite a last-minute push by some city Republicans to defeat it. The city, which ended last year $5 million in the hole, desperately needs the $2.5 million the tax will raise. In Easton, voters also approved a government study commission designed to help avert some of the problems Allentown faces. Voters can be trusted to make hard, tough decisions.

The Democratic primary for U.S. Senate played out as expected. State Treasurer Bob Casey Jr. defeated two pro-choice opponents, Chuck Pennacchio and Alan Sandals. Now, one of the more closely watched Senate races in the country can unfold: Democrat Casey and incumbent Republican Sen. Rick Santorum. They were intensely competitive during the primary race, before officially being opponents. The upcoming campaign will sizzle.