Day: February 3, 2023

Shapiro Transition Team Revisted

Shapiro Transition Team Revisted –This is old news but let’s revisit, especially concerning our claim about how Democrats now in power are going to ignore the people they wooed to get them there.

The transition team Josh Shapiro formed in December to prep him for governor was nearly 300 people including lobbyists, activists, attorneys, executives, and former elected officials as per the Centre Daily Times.

The Times highlighted: Philadelphia FOP President John McNesby; ; Abolitionist Law Center Executive Director Robert Saleem Holbrook; Cheyney University Chief Diversity Officer Pamela Keye; Susquehanna International Co-Founder Joel Greenberg; Johns Hopkins Medicine professor Ravi Gupta; Former Pennsylvania Republican Party head Val DiGiorgio; Conservation Voters of Pa. political director Katie Blume and Former Pa. Democratic Party head Marcel Groen.

It’s was almost as though they were picked by Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young.

Note our old pal Val as in DiGiorgio was on the list.

Did we call it or what?

And we weren’t the only one.

Since transitioning, Shapiro has named Republican Al Schmidt as Secretary of State and former Montco GOP Boss Mike Vereb as Secretary of Legislative Affairs.

Schmidt was a member of the the Philadelphia Election Board. Write your own joke. Or use this one: We can now be confident all of Pennsylvania’s elections will be as free and fair as those in Philadelphia.

Vereb, well, he was the former chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Committee, and, like DiGiorgio who headed the state and Chesco GOPs ,he wanted Shapiro to win.

Please understand it is not about Republicans vs Democrats anymore. It is about thieves and victims. We victims have to learn to stand together. We have to stop being clipped by six-figure public pensions, inflated construction projects, and officials indifferent to suffering.

And we can do this but only if we boldly call out the crooks and stand together.

Shapiro Transition Team Revisted
Who would have though the head the state GOP would work for a Democrat governor? Besides us, we mean.
Shapiro Transition Team Revisted

George Hill Prison Again Before Council

George Hill Prison Again Before Council

Max Orenstein formerly of the Delaware County Public Defender’s office, called out County Council, Feb. 1, for dissembling about problems at the county prison, Joy Schwartz tells us.

Orenstein, who helped reduce numbers at the jail during the pandemic, says the numbers have now ballooned despite council’s claims of otherwise.

Orenstein says the inmates are living in sub-human conditions. He urges rejection of the proposed $40 million new juvenile facility and encourages all to resist council propaganda.

How can the George W. Hill Correctional Facility have a net increase in prisoners when the crime rate is down?, he asked.

Guards are also sounding the alarm about things at the prison.

The council heard numerous complaints from environmental activists about the proposed Penn LNG liquid natural gas export terminal proposed for Chester.

We will give our green friends odds this is going to come to pass. The people running things may give caring looks when talking to their faces but they are laughing their asses off at them after they walk away.

Carris Kocher expressed disappointment that council will not respond to questions or engage with constituents, and expressed dissatisfaction with the changes in the code regarding elections, especially the omission of the Return Board report.

She also expressed concerns about ZenCity, the artificial intelligence program council is adopted to assist with (or make?) policy.

Joy also tells us that the Board of Elections failed to give the required three days notice Jan. 24 meeting. They announced it on Jan. 23, she says.

George Hill Prison Again Before Council
George Hill Prison Again Before Council

Swarthmore OKs Demolition Of History For Sterile Condos

Swarthmore OKs Demolition Of History For Sterile Condos

By Bob Small

Swarthmore Council’s meeting began at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30 and continued to 2 a.m. the next day.

Although 90 percent of those in attendance at the packed Park Avenue Community Center (PAC) spoke against the demolition of 110 Park Ave. to make way for a multi-floor condo in the heart of Swarthmore, their statements and visual presentations did not sway council’s from approving the demolition by 4-2 vote. One SBC member was absent. The vote closed the meeting by whic h time the original crowd of approximately 100 had dwindled to a hard-core 20.

Most speakers felt that the developers were tearing down a historical building to build an unnecessary condominium. The developers have suggested the project presents a net gain for Swarthmore because it will add both density and “vibrancy” to the town. However this density means more municipal services will be required, possibly leading to higher taxes and more complexity. 

Similar benefits were touted touted with the promotion of  the Broad Table Tavern whose  benefits have been debatable.

The year 2023 is for municipal elections in Pennsylvania, and three of the council seats on Swarthmore Council are up for a vote. If you are interested in becoming a member of council, please consult the county election web site. 

Petitions to place independent Democratic, or Republican candidates on the primary ballot will be circulated from Feb. 14  to March 7. Be prepared to collect at least three times the required number of signatures, as the Democratic and Republican “machines” will try to challenge and knock off any independent Democratic or Republican candidates. Also, be prepared to make both friends and enemies.

Swarthmore is a one-horse town and a blue one at that. A tradition has developed that the uncontested primary serves as the general election, as the GOP avoids running candidates, even though each party needs but 10 signatures to place a candidate on the primary ballot.

Maybe there are other boroughs and towns where the elected officials have ignored the public’s wishes. Maybe the public might want to consider “unelecting “ their current officials?

Swarthmore OKs Demolition Of History For Sterile Condos
Swarthmore OKs Demolition Of History For Sterile Condos

When Chekhov saw the long winter William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 2-3-23

When Chekhov saw the long winter William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 2-3-23

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When Chekhov saw the long winter William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 2-3-23Answer to yesterday’s William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit quote puzzle: When Chekhov saw the long winter, he saw a winter bleak and dark and bereft of hope. Yet we know that winter is just another step in the cycle of life. But standing here among the people of Punxsutawney and basking in the warmth of their hearths and hearts, I couldn’t imagine a better fate than a long and lustrous winter.
Phil Connors

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