Category: Bob Small

GOP Upset in NE Philly

By Bob Small

There were very few incumbents who lost this election cycle in Pennsylvania but GOP challenger Joe Picozzi Picozzi, Dougherty elected in tight Northeast Philadelphia … upset Jimmy Dillon in Pennsylvania’s 5th Senate District. The margin was less than 1 percent.

enate 5^th District by less than a margin of 1%.

Picozzi was born and raised in Somerton — which has the area’s best Russian groceries and restaurants now resides in Tacony. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and Majority Leader Congressman Kevin McCarthy.

He becomes the district’s first Republican senator in more than two decades.’

Dillon was a standout Senator Jimmy Dillon: Home point guard for Notre Dame played pro in Europe. He later founded Hoops 24/7 a developmental basketball academy.,

Shawn Dillon, Jimmy’s older brother, was the original candidate but the Dems messed up the paperwork. Jimmy said the homophobic and racist tweets attributed to his basketball business accounts were actually those of others who “had access to his account”. The Democrats also didn’t start spending money on this race until October.

Hey, he’s a Democrat, it’s Philly. What’s to worry? (my quote)

There are about 81,000 registered Dems in the 5^th District, as opposed to 45,000 Republicans.and 19,000 other affiliated voters.

The official results are

Joe Picozzi 50.42% 50,526

Jimmy Dillon 49,58% 49,692

GOP Upset in NE Philly

Write-in Campaign In 159th

By Bob Small

The only candidate on the ballot in the 159th District State House race is Democrat incumbent Carol Kazeem but that doesn’t mean she lacks an opponent.

Michael Bannon Jr. is running a write-in campaign.

Those voting for him must exactly write Michael Bannon Jr on the ballot for it to count.

The 159th District is the City of Chester, Lower Chichester and Upper Chichester townshipps; and the boroughs of Eddystone, Marcus Hook, Parkside, Trainer and Upland.

Bannon stated he was stepping forward “due to the lack of candidates selected in the primary”

Bannon main issues are economic. He says he knows what it’s like to have to chose between paying an electric bill or putting food on the table.

“I know what it means to stand in line and have the card declined,” he said.

For a vote for Bannon to count

Ms. Kazeem is serving her first term, having supplanted 30 years of Kirkland rule. She has worked as a health care worker.

Write-in Campaign In 159th

Alternative Candidates For Auditor General

By Bob Small

Tim Defoors is running for re-election as Pennsylvania Auditor general and, based on his record, should win.

His Democrat opponent is Malcolm Kenyatta.

There are three alternative candidates on the ballot.

The American Solidarity Party has selected its state coordinatorm Eric Anton, of Dauphin County. He is their only candidate on the PA state-wide ballot.

The Constitution Party is putting forward Alan (Bob) Goodrich a frequent candidate.

He is the principal of Wesley Academy in the Knoxville, Pa. A graduate of West Point, he has twice been elected as a supervisor in Osceola Township. He has a wife and seven children.

One of his main philosophies is “We need to get back to the way the Constitution was written, and follow it.” He stated that the Auditor General’s office would be better served, considering that most of the government is run by one of the two major parties, if a third party person should fill the job.

Then there’s the Libertarian candidate, Reese Smith who has the radical idea to “actually audit the state!”

“only .17 percent of the audits look at the State Government,” he says.”that equates to roughly 20 since the start of 2020.”

Reece has a 2024 Bachelor’s Degree from Allegheny College this year.

One solution, he has to the problem of the high cost of college is “we need to stop subsidizing college, as it just leads to colleges raising their prices even higher.”

Reese Smith will be 21 on Election day.

“I started attending my local school board meetings in the 10th grade, and I quickly began to inform my fellow students about actions taken by the board and school administrators,” he says.

Obviously a subversive.

6 On Ballot For PA AG

By Bob Small

There are six appearing on this year’s ballot for Pennsylvania Attorney General, but the incumbent, Michelle Henry, isn’t among them.

The Democrat candidate is Eugene De Pasquale and the Republican is Dave Sunday. 

There are, however, four alternative party candidates.

The Constitution Party candidate is Justin L. McGill. He received his Juris Doctorate from Roger Williams School of Law (RI). He is an Armyveteran. In his interview with the Committee of Seventy Justin Magill, he said the Attorney General has a responsibilityin “ Having the proper understanding of the role of government is critical to advising other officials on their roles” and to protect them from both state and us government overreach.

He believes in the right to bear arms. On abortion, he says “To terminate an innocent human being without due process of law is to commit murder and should be punished accordingly by government. “ For his many other positions, see the above article.

The Forward Pary is putting forward Eric Settle. He was a founder of Republicans for Josh Shapiro and is a governing board member of the Early Head Start Program of CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia).. He received his J. D. ( with Honors) from George Washington Law School. He has been married for almost 40 years to his wife, Robin and they have two adult sons. See also The Forward Party’s Eric Settle.

The Green Party Candidate is Richard L Weiss.  His J. D. is from the University of Denver. He was a Ford Foundation fellow in Public International Law at Washington D.C.’s  American University. His MBA is from the University of Chicago. Among his many opinions are this one on policing: All training and equipment should be devoted to taking suspects alive, and a death considered a failure’

See also Richard Weiss Candidate for PA Attorney Gener

The Libertarian candidate is Rob Cowbur.

Cowburn chairs the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania. He says on his website that he is a staunch advocate for attracting and retaining businesses.

“I’ve witnessed firsthand how state and federal regulatory overreach has stifled American industry,” he says.

See also On the Issues: Robert Cowburn

6 On Ballot For PA AG

Decision Time In The 165th

By Bob Small

Pennsylvania House District 165 is Springfield; Upper Providence; the 5th, 6th, 7th wards and the 2nd Division of the 4th Ward of Marple; and the boroughs of Media, Morton and Swarthmore.

Incumbent representative is Democrat Jennifer O’Mara of Springfield. She has Master’s Degrees in English and History from the University of Pennsylvania and degrees from West Chester University.

Before joining the State Legislature, she worked for seven years at the University of Pennsylvania as the assistant director of University Stewardship. She is on numerous House Caucus group and co-chairs the Taiwan Caucus.

She is married to Bradford and they have a rescue dog Ladybug.

Liz Piazza is CEO of Piazza Property Pros, Inc. She has been a committeeperson for Media and Upper Providence.

“I want to be a representative like our region had before, such as Reps. Bill Adolph, Chris Quinn and Alex Charlton, and bring back bipartisan problem solving to help fix the gridlock in Harrisburg,”she says.

After graduating from high school, she worked in the insurance sector, while being a single mom raising three children in Upper Providence.

She earned a Widener University bachelor degree in paralegal studies. This led to her two decade career with the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas Family Law Division. She also has been an adjunct professor for seven years, at Delaware County Community College.

On the thorny issue of abortion, Ms. Piazza is a moderate.

” In 2022, there were over 34,000 abortions performed in Pennsylvania, practical compassionate people, whether pro-life or pro-choice should be able to agree we should be doing more to help women grappling with this decision,” she said. “We should be looking for ways to reduce the number of abortions through increased preventative care.”

Ms. O’Mara apparently believes abortion should be allowed for any reason at any time, and tax-funded as well.

Ms. Piazza says the best piece of Legislation passed in the last four years was Act 1 of 2023 which eliminated all costs associated with breast MRIs, ultrasounds, genetic testing and counseling for high-risk individuals insured in Pennsylvania.

Lastly, we should mention her dachshund puppy, Baxter.

Decision Time In The 165th

Kathryn Buckley Wants Sane Immigration; Good Jobs For All

By Bob Small

Pennsylvania’s 168^th State House District is Edgmont, Newtown, and Radnor and the 3rd and 4th districts of Middletown along with the 3rd Division of the 2nd Distrct.

Lisa Borowski (D) has held the seat since 2022 and is the first female to hold it. Republicans Tom Killion and Matthew J. Ryan had held this seat for almost 50 years,

Ms. Borowski began her political career in 2011 with election to the Radnor School Board then moved on to the Radnor Board of Commissioners. She is married to Mark R. Borowski and they have two children.

She has worked as a communications professional for both the Einstein and Mercy Health Systems. She also worked for the Philadelphia Police Foundation as a Board Operations Manager.

Facing her this year is Kathryn Buckley, an engineer with her family’s Buckley and Company. She holds BS degrees from Drexel University in civil engineering, and commerce and engineering.

Her goals include job creation with better paying jobs; improving schools; public safety, and protecting senior citizens.

She is especially against Delco remaining a sanctuary county

“Overall, the employment of illegal aliens can erode the hard-won gains of union workers, perpetuating a cycle of economic insecurity and unfair labor practices,” she said.

Kathryn Buckley Wants Sane Immigration; Good Jobs For All

Jeff Jones Wants Change And Improvement In Upper Darby

By Bob Small

Pennsylvania House District 163 consists of the 1st and 2nd districts of Upper Darby, along with parts of the 3rd and 5th; , the 3rd, 4th and 5th wards of Darby Township; and Aldan, Clifton Heights and Collingdale boroughs.

The incumbent is Heather Boyd who had been chief of staff for state Rep. Leanne Kruger and a senior advisor to Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon.

She also founded the Delaware County Chapter of NOW and served seven years as chairwoman of the Upper Darby Democratic Committe.

She is married to Sean Mcintosh and they have four boys. Ms. Boyd has an MA degrees in art history from the University of Michigan and History of American Civilization from the University of Delaware.

Her GOP challenger Jeff Jones, who grew up in Camden, N.J. and became a senior manager of asset management, development and personal training; the vice chairman of Upper Darby Weed and Seed; and numerous other charities and enterprises.

A prime goal is to improve the quality of life in his district.

He is married and has five children. He is a Current Upper Darby GOP 3rd District Committee Leader and Committeeman of Upper Darby 3rd District 1st Precinct.

Jeff Jones Wants Change And Improvement In Upper Darby

Gabby Mendez Gets Day Of Action

By Bob Small

Pennsylvania House District 162 is most of Ridley, the 1st and 2nd wards of Darby Township and the boroughs of Folcroft, Glenolden, Norwood, Prospect Park, Ridley Park, Rutledge and Sharon Hill.

It’s been generally Republican but Democrat David Deloso holds it now.

Deloso was business agent for Teamsters Local 107 for a decade before taking office.

He is a graduate of Academy Park High School and attended Mansfield University.

He is married with children.

Seeking to unseat him is Gabriella Mendez a graduate of Interboro High School to West Chester University where she majored in political science and minored in Spanish.

When she was 14 her mother died of ovarian cancer a. How her family and friends handled it taught her “the value of resilience and community,” she said.

“I believe in people over politics and refuse to conform to the typical mold of political candidates,” she said.

She is having a day of action, Tuesday, Oct. 26, with much of it occuring during Folcroft Community Day, on Delmar Drive, noon to 6 p.m.; and a special rally at 2 p.m. at the Ridley High School parking lot, 901 Morton Ave.

Gabby has been endorsed by the Delaware County Young Republicans and Philly’s Log Cabin Young Republicans

For a profile, see Gabriella Mendez: Young and Eager to Serve Her .

Gabby Mendez Gets Day Of Action