Nov. 4th / Pennsylvania election endorsements

Decisions, decisions: Pennsylvania voters have plenty to make on Tuesday - choices that will alter the state's highest courts, as well as shape county and city governments.

Heading the ballot, the race for a seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has been marred by the mud-slinging, controversy and huge caches of campaign funds that go hand-in-hand with electing judges.

Emerging above the fray as the best candidate is

OK, back to the real world: The Nov. 4 contest to replace a retiring justice on the state's highest court is shaping up in typical fashion - as a costly slugfest that neither dignifies two highly rated candidates nor enlightens voters.

Allegheny County Judge MAX BAER, 55, and Superior Court Judge Joan Orie Melvin, 47, deserve better - even if they can't resist hurling some dirt themselves.

Instead of hearing about and weighing each candidate's considerable credentials, voters are hearing about a single, complex case decided years ago by Baer as a family court judge. The case concerned a child placed with a 74-year-old foster father who'd been convicted four decades earlier of raping his own daughter. (The foster child was supervised closely, never harmed, and eventually removed by the judge.)

They're hearing about Melvin's apparent penchant for conveying her positions on hot-button issues in private to special-interest groups, while she blasts Baer for doing the same thing on the stump. (This is the first race since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowed judges more freedom to state views, so candidates are feeling their way.)

Voters also are hearing from deadbeat dads angry that Baer strictly enforced child-support orders. (This is a bad thing?)

This campaign, just like far nastier ones before, makes the case for appointing appellate judges on merit, rather than electing them in rancorous popularity contests.

That said, voters still need to make a choice, getting beyond rhetoric and looking at the candidates' credentials, expertise and temperament. On that basis, Max Baer deserves the edge.

It's no cliche to suggest that family is Baerwhose first legal priority is family - since he made his mark as head of Allegheny County's progressive family court. His night court sessions let litigants attend to day jobs; court-run child care eased children's ordeal during family splits, and mandated mediation sought to improve warring couples' childrearing post-divorce. Baer hopes to apply his family court reforms statewide. He's a jurist with via the high court's administrative role, and he'd do it with passion and purpose.

As a legal scholar and judge, Baer's approach is thoughtful, yet direct. The state bar association called him "an innovator, problem solver and a student of public policy," whose "legal opinions have been described as intellectual, meaty and informative."

Melvin also is a solid jurist. But elevating her to the state's highest court would accentuate its Republican tilt (5-2). Given that right now the court is caught in the middle of an ideological ferment over huge issues such as tort reform, such a tilt to either party seems unhealthy.

MAX BAER, - is a jurist with a great thirst for making the state's courts function better for all, is the better choice this time for state Supreme Court.

In other contests, the Editorial Board has made these endorsements:

Voters can make a case for picking any of the six candidates seeking three seats on To Pennsylvania's busiest appellate bench - the state Superior Court.

All six have been rated favorably by the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Their legal experience is varied. They're all campaigning hard.

Three stand out: The Inquirer endorses - SUSAN PEIKES GANTMAN, JOHN J. DRISCOLL, and CYRUS PALMER DOLBIN.

These three would bring the requisite legal experience, scholarship, and judicial temperament.

Superior Court judges function as the utility infielders of the appellate system. They hear more than 5,000 appeals each year, often working in three-judge panels.

Collegiality is important, but so is scholarship. Superior Court judges write opinions regularly.

The caseload spans the legal waterfront - ranging, as one judge described it, from "shoplifting to first-degree murder, and fender-benders to medical malpractice." The court's rulings carry weight, too - often standing as the last word, since the state Supreme Court is selective in what cases it hears.

Were a candidate to look to this court as a respite from a busy legal practice, or from the rigors of serving as a lower-court judge, that candidate might not be a good fit.

Traditionally, Superior Court judges are recruited from the county courts. Both Driscoll and Dolbin fit the bill. But other legal tenure can be just as valuable on this bench.

Villanova Law grad Gantman specializes in family law, would bring a wealth of experience as and was an assistant prosecutor in Montgomery County. She handled criminal cases where children were victims, and advocated against domestic violence.

A Villanova Law graduate, Gantman has taught at the state police academy and lectured frequently for the state bar association (which credited her "excellent reputation for professionalism, evenhanded temperament," her writing skills, and "innate fairness.")

Dolbin brings more than a decade's experience on the Schuylkill County Common Pleas Court, where he hears all types of cases. That followed a dozen years in private practice, and earlier tenure as a county prosecutor. The Pottsville native has been praised by the state bar association as "conscientious, honest, diligent, decisive, and fair" - pluses on any appeals court.

and Navy vet Driscoll has been a Westmoreland County judge since 1994, having served 12 years as Westmoreland as county district attorney.

As a Navy veteran, he did a tour in Vietnam. The state bar association lauds his "solid administrative and managerial skills" as district attorney, and his "heartfelt desire" for public service.

Also running are Harrisburg-area lawyer C. Grainger Bowman, with a more narrow focus on commercial law, and Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge Seamus P. McCaffery and Northampton County Judge Jack A. Panella, both of whom will remain an asset to the courts they now serve.

Voters have a broad field from which to choose, but Gantman, Driscoll and Dolbin are the best picks.

Two statewide ballot questions ask voters to consider the plight of will be faced with a decision that could spare traumatized children who have to the pain of faceing their attackers in court. Other ballot questions in this region seek voters' permission to keep up the good fight against suburban sprawl - including the $150 million renewal of Montgomery County's successful open-space program. Several more communities will ask citizens for the go-ahead to fund vital emergency services.

In Philadelphia, city voters need to think mostly "no" on seven amendments to the City Charter, since they would repair technical glitches in the rule book for City Hall. That's too much tinkering. Only two are worthwhile.Similarly, there's mischief afoot with several proposed changes to the City ofCoatesville charter.

It's all likely to mean a longer time spent in the polling place Tuesday - but well worth voters' attention.

Two statewide ballot questions relate to the way children testify as witnesses in criminal cases, often involving allegations of abuse.

Vote YES on the first question, which would alter the state constitution's guarantee of a "face to face" confrontation with a person's accuser. In practice, the change will permit using closed-circuit TV to present a child's testimony in abuse cases where the trauma of facing an abuser in court might prevent prosecuting a perpetrator.. The amendment would be in line with the U.S. Constitution, so Question 1 deserves a resounding "yes" vote.

But vote NO on the second question, since it would empower state lawmakers to overstep their bounds by setting specific procedures for minors' testimony. The courts should handle those details.

Besides choosing their next mayor, Philadelphia residents get to select a new City Council, 11 judges, several row-office holders, and consider a slew of City Charter changes.

For Council at-large, where voters get to pick five but seven get elected (with the two highest-finishing Republicans guaranteed seats) members ought to play a pivotal role in rocking the city out of the status quo during the next four years. After all, they represent the interests of the whole city, rather than geographically based districts.

This race deserves voter attention, but first, some clarification is helpful.

Seven at-large seats are up for grabs. Voters, however, can choose only five from among 10 Democrats and Republicans. That way, two of the seven spots go to the minority party. Got all that?

The Inquirer is recommending those five candidates determined to be best suited to represent the city, regardless of their political party. The Inquirer endorsesthe best choices are incumbent Democrats JAMES F. KENNEY, W. WILSON GOODE JR., BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN, newcomer JUAN F. RAMOS, and promising Republican challenger DAVID P. HARDY.

Incumbent Democrat and liberal lion David Cohen, who has served 27 years on Council(interrupted by a run for mayor), deserves enormous thanks for his public service. But he should give someone else a chance as ably as he has. The strongest overall candidates in this race are Goode and Kenney.

Thesmart and thoughtful Goode has been a successful champion for leveraging city deposits to get bank investments into community economic development.

Kenney is an intelligent, tireless advocate for neighborhood quality-of-life issues, campaign finance reform, and a badly needed initiative to entice immigrants to settle in Philadelphia. He earns points for being an independent critic of the bullying tactics that city trade unions sometimes use, and the special treatment they often get.

Reynolds Brown needs to develop a stronger independent voice on key Council issues. That added strength would help her to be an even better advocate of family and children's issues, including creating more after-school and child-care programs.

Ramos - a longtime trade union member, the founder of an education scholarship fund, and a former director of labor standards for the city - is enthusiastic and knows the issues that affect workers. He would ensure representation for Philadelphia's growing Latino community. His challenge will be to stand up to his labor pals when their interests conflict with the city's.

Hardy is vice principal at the successful Community Academy Charter School in North Philadelphia. He has the intelligence, energy and focus to be a strong voice for continued reform in city schools and reinvestment in neighborhoods.

Incumbent Councilman Frank Rizzo is likable, does well at constituent services - and is likely to win reelection. But he seems too comfortable with the statusquoto lead the city toward a brighter economic future. David Oh, a lawyer, former assistant district attorney and civic activist, is better at describing problems than recommending solutions.

In a realpolitik analysis, the GOP battle for the late Councilman W. Thacher Longstreth's seat is between Jack Kelly, a former Council member from the Northeast who has held various City Hall jobs, and Jamie McDermott, executive director of the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority.

Kelly will likely benefit by confusion with the late Councilman John B. "Jack" Kelly Jr., brother of Princess Grace and a former Olympic rower, but no relation to Kelly-the-candidate. Unfortunately, this Kelly offers no new ideas.

McDermott has a well-known pedigree because of his father, the late state Supreme Court Justice James McDermott, a candidate for mayor in 1965. McDermott, who's been involved in expanding port activities, is the better bet than Kelly to rise above the name game.

Still, The Inquirer's top five candidates are the Republican Hardy, and Democrats Goode, Kenney, Reynolds Brown and Ramos.

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Editorial | City Council: Fourth District

Nutter is independent and effective

In races for district seats in the city, Councilman MICHAEL NUTTER is that rare legislator who regularly rises above Council's 17 members regularly rise above its parochial bedlam and mediocrity. He deserves another term in the Fourth District.

One who does is Michael Nutter, a Democrat from the Fourth District.

He's a district councilman who ably handles the nuts and bolts of constituent services and neighborhood needs, but goes well beyond that to provide solid ideas and timely leadership on the city's most vital issues.

He easily earns The Inquirer's endorsement over his Republican opponent, Jay Feinschil of Roxborough. Even Feinschil, a lawyer, readily acknowledges that Nutter is a top-notch councilman, joking that, "God forbid I get elected." He seems to be running mostly to get a soapbox to express his views on the need for school vouchers. He also properly reminds Nutter to monitor whether small-business owners along Ridge Avenue getgood value for the assessments they will pay to fund a new special services district.

The diverse Fourth District covers Manayunk, Overbrook, Roxborough, East Falls, and parts of North and West Philadelphia and West Mount Airy.

, since he has proved to be one of the most independent and thoughtful elected city officials. He's not afraid to critique proposals from Democratic mayors; this has earned him occasional annoyance from Ed Rendell and a freeze-out from John Street. He lost a battle with Street over Council's role in setting the direction of the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative, but regrouped to press another important issue: tax cuts.

It was Nutter who authored and negotiated through Council the bill that restarted, over Mayor Street's objections, modest reductions in the city wage tax - with the possibility of deeper cuts if the economy improves. Now, on the campaign trail, Street happily takes credit for the tax cuts.

In 1999, Nutter also pushed Street and voters toward the smart idea of supporting a referendum to make the mayor responsible for school governance. That bolstered the mayor's position when he had to persuade state officials intent on taking over the city schools to agree to a reasonable power-sharing agreement.

He also pushed for the city's new electronic voting machines and for a smoking ban in restaurants.

Perhaps Nutter's riskiest venture was to accept Republican House Speaker John Perzel's invitation to become chairman of the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority Board. The Inquirer criticized the choice of Nutter at the time. We were wrong.

Nutter has proved to be an agile and savvy chairman, who played a key role in getting six bickering unions at the troubled center to agree on a labor reform pact, literally in the nick of time before labor woes killed off the city's convention business for good.

MICHAEL NUTTER has shown that he can be an effective, fair-minded and forward-looking legislator, no matter who wins the mayor's race.

Voters would do well to put some gust in his political wind.

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Posted on Tue, Oct. 21, 2003

Editorial | City Council - 10th District

Time for a change

It should have been a slam dunk.

An auto dealer with a good business track record wanted to open a new dealership in the Far Northeast.

Dealer Biagio (Gene) DeSimone proposed a Suzuki showroom on city-owned land at Roosevelt Boulevard and Red Lion Road, where an abandoned restaurant stood. The new business would throw about $700,000 annually into city tax coffers, plus add about 15 jobs. A local civic association supported it. And DeSimone didn't even need a zoning change since the property was already zoned to permit dealerships.

Slam dunk, right?

Not in Philadelphia, where it's often not what you have to offer, but who you know.

In his quest to bring a new business to Philadelphia, DeSimone ran afoul of longtime CAnother able Council member, Brian J. O'Neill, . The tale offers a fine glimpse into the not-so-fine way things often work in this town.

In this town, council members enjoy almost lord-of-manor status in their fiefs, er, districts. If they decide they don't want something built, it's going to have a heck of a time getting built.

First off, DeSimone managed to offend O'Neill by not informing him of his plans.

The car dealer also crossed wires with an O'Neill ally, Bruce K. Foulke of the American Heritage Credit Union. Foulke had his eye on the same piece of land. Foulke had contributed to O'Neill's campaigns and hired the law firm where O'Neill works, Fox Rothschild, to represent the credit union in zoning cases. All entirely legal on Foulke's part. Eyebrows raise only at those occasions when O'Neill or his staff attended zoning hearings to support the credit union's position, when O'Neill's firm was already representing the business.

O'Neill sought to block DeSimone's plan. So DeSimone did what serfs do when in trouble with the local lord. He sought to appeal to the king - that is, Mayor Street. He hired a Street courtier, lawyer and fund-raiser Ronald A. White, to try to smooth the Suzuki deal.

About $80,000 in fees to White and $10,000 in political contributions later, DeSimone still had no dealership. So he sued the city, hiring the firm of superlawyer Richard Sprague. Upshot: The judge said the city had to settle the car dealership case, or else. And more than $1 million in legal fees later, DeSimone won what should have been his by right.

In the past, The Inquirer has happily endorsed O'Neill in the 10th Council District; he is bright, personable and well-versed on issues.

But this tale is too disturbing. It suggests the six-term Republican councilman, who won his seat as a reformer, nowunfortunately has become too comfortable in the Northeast's 10th District with the prevailing political culture of cozy deal-making. Retired police commander ROBERT no initial on ballot, but it's: J.MCCARTHY 49, would be . McCarthy, who has a solid demeanor about him, could prove to be a refreshing new voice.

The death of his opponent has left Not often is "none of the above" preferable to a His experience in law enforcement would be a plus on Council when it considers matters such as the worth of the Safe Streets program.

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Posted on Thu, Oct. 30, 2003

Editorial | Philadelphia City Council District Races

Overall, an uninspiring array

Many in this city laugh atRick Mariano running against only himself; even so, he doesn't deserve to win, thanks to his many bullying and biased antics. that record 's antics and say with a sigh, "It's just Philadelphia."

But acting like an unruly child instead of an elected official isn't "just Philadelphia." It is just bad.

Mariano is running for reelection as the City Council member for the Seventh District voters should send a message by pushing the , which stretches from North Philadelphia to the Northeast. His Republican challenger, 44-year-old button marked for NESTOR E. GONZALES, who octjust died from a heart attack. If enough voters do, it would force a special election - providing a real alternative to Mariano.

Mariano is a storied official. There is the story about him physically intimidating a former Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Council president. There's the story of Mariano threatening to punch out Council colleague Angel Ortiz and toss him from a window; of Mariano calling some Philadelphians "trailer-park Irish trash"; of referring to longtime Councilman David Cohen as a child-eating vampire.

On some of these counts, Mariano blames others. On some, he concedes the truth of the claim, but says without much remorse: "I am what I am."

Voters have a chance Tuesday to show they don't accept the kind of behavior Mariano brings to Council. They can vote for Gonzales, whose name still will appear on the ballot.

By doing so, they would be honoring Gonzales' long career of community involvement. More pragmatically, if a majority did so, that would force a special election for the seat, in which a new opponent could give voters an alternative to the incumbent.

The Inquirer encourages Seventh District voters to press the voting button marked for Nestor E. Gonzales.

The Sixth District, along the Delaware River, also is due for a change - in the person of Joan Krajewski, the gravel-voiced incumbent, has had a good run as a specialist in constituent service. Her tenure is capped by the CLIP program attacking blighted properties that Mayor Street set up in her district as a reward for her support. But the colorful Krajewski, never an idea factory, is running out of gas.

Her Republican opponent is financial advisor and former pastor VANDY PARKS. He could be a worthy addition to Council because of his grasp of the fiscal issues facing his district and the city.

Parks did his campaign homework by getting out in many parts of the district to talk to residents. Krajewski invites constituents to drop by her house, but a Council member should be more active than that.

Too often, in district Council races, incumbents have no credible opposition. That's not so here. The Inquirer endorses VANDY PARKSin the Sixth District.

In other district races, ANNA C. VERNA, the first woman president of Council, deserves another term in the Second District. Same goes for savvy MARIAN B. TASCO, who represents the Ninth. So do FRANK DiCICCO in the First District and, with less enthusiasm, DONNA REED MILLER of the Eighth.

, though the latter recommendation is made with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.

Tasco, whose district includes part of Mount Airy, Olney, West Oak Lane, Lawndale, and Lawncrest, has been a tiger on stopping predatory lending practices. These misleading loans take advantage of often unsuspecting and desperate homeowners, contributing to mortgage foreclosures and vacant buildings. She also has been a leader in moving legislation to protect children against lead poisoning.

Verna, who has been Council president since 1999, is expected to be reelected to that position by her colleagues if she wins Tuesday. She could do a better job of policing that body's rowdier moments, but she is a voice for civility and compromise.

The name of Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell has been raised as a possible foe for the Council presidency. Blackwell's status as one of the favorites of the trade union members who often disrupt Council meetings is one of many reasons to hope she doesn't have the votes to challenge Verna for the gavel.

Verna's opponent in the district, which covers Southwest Philadelphia and parts of South Philadelphia and Center City, is Republican Paula Terreri, former manager of a candy business. She's the kind of activist who is vital to the protection of neighborhood interests in this town, but she needs to more homework on what it means to be on Council.

There's a familiar political subtext in the First District race between incumbent Frank DiCicco and challenger Rick Cataldi. Both are smart. DiCicco is a Democrat and ally of State Sen. Vincent Fumo, which means he's caught up in that powerbroker's feud with trade union leader John Dougherty. Cataldi, though the Republican in this race, has picked up a number of union endorsements.

If you hold to the quaint assumption that record and skill still matter, DiCicco deserves a third term. He's been a champion of the city's successful Live Stop program against scofflaw drivers. He's done good work on wage tax cuts, smart housing redevelopment in his district, and master plan for the Delaware riverfront, including Penn's landing.

Cataldi has an impressive, up-from-adversity personal history. But he seems to have done little homework for this race.

In the Eighth District, Miller gets the nod, but with reservations. Complaints are common that she's lost touch with parts of her district, which covers Germantown, Nicetown, Chestnut Hill and some of Mount Airy. It was inexcusable, for instance, that she didn't attend recent public hearings on SEPTA's proposed cutbacks to the R8 train. Green Party challenger Tom Hutt has potential, but lacks experience. Republican Deborah Williams has not made a strong case for herself.

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For the city Court of Common Pleas, More than a dozen candidates who secured places on both parties' ballots in the May primary have all but locked up seats on local courts in Philadelphia and four surrounding counties - even though it won't become official until Tuesday night.

But voters still need to sift through and make sure the best candidates, including some who are not shoo-ins, survive the usual chaos of a judicial election.

In the city, where 11 Common Pleas seats are in play, nine candidates appear on both parties' slates. But onlyonly 10 candidates deserve your vote: Common Pleas Judge JEFFREY P. MINEHART, Yale grad and former city prosecutor RAMY ISAAC DJERASSI, a graduate of Yale who served as a city prosecutor, legal ethics teacher PAULA PATRICK, consumer pro bono specialist NINA WRIGHT PADILLA, city Law Department veteran JOSEPH A. DYCH, litigator HOLLY J. FORD, and former City Council aide BRENDA FRAZIER CLEMONS.

Also: Common Pleas Judge BRAD MOSS, an experienced litigator; THOMAS NOCELLA, a former city prosecutor and Securities and Exchange Commission attorney, and DORIS PECHKUROW, who sat briefly as an appointed judge.

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© 2003 Philadelphia Inquirer and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.

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Editorial | Bucks County Commissioners

The GOP incumbents get the nod

The hottest issue in this year's Bucks County commissioner election is where to build a new county courthouse and how much to pay for it.

This topic may not set your blood on fire. Look at it this way: In the Bucks County commissioner race, the lack of controversy generally speaks well of the three incumbents - especially Republicans MICHAEL G. FITZPATRICK and CHARLES H. MARTIN, and Democrat Sandra A. Miller..

This isn't to say that Bucks County is a 600,000-population utopia. But where the commissioners have had problems, corrective steps now seem to be under way.

The best example would be the county prison, where in recent years five male employees have been convicted of sexual misconduct and a prisoner's death from a drug overdose revealed a wider problem of drug smuggling. Since then, though, the commissioners replaced the warden, tightened visitation rules, and began sending prisoners out of the county to relieve overcrowding. And the old Prison Advisory Board, which oversaw operations, has been replaced by a court-ordered Prison Oversight Board.

One issue that still cries out for action is a countywide property reassessment, which Bucks has not undergone since 1972. Still, no candidate other than Democrat Joyce Hadley says it is necessary. Miller, parting with her running mate, joins her Republican counterparts in wanting to leave things as they are. All the incumbents tout the county's standing as one of the top 16 in Pennsylvania in assessment accuracy. Still, Bucks is the only suburban county in this region not to undergo a recent reappraisal, which suggests that the already unfair property tax could be more fairly applied.

Hadley and Miller are in lockstep on the new courthouse. They argue that because the complex will be the most expensive in the county's history, Bucks County voters should select its location and price through referendum.

Fitzpatrick and Martin counter, properly, that as commissioners they are required to build and maintain a courthouse.

Technical decisions such as the county's space needs and the merits of sites inside Doylestown are best made by elected officials, not by voters spread around a sprawling county.

Many voters have little familiarity with the county seat or its planning issues. Referenda on countywide policy issues that involve discretionary borrowing, such as the bond issue that set up the county's solid open-space preservation program, are proper. Where to place the courthouse, and how much it should cost, are decisions for the elected commissioners. If the electorate isn't happy with the result, it can vote them out.

In a field that includes Libertarian Arthur Farnsworth, voters may cast ballots for only two candidates for three seats under the state's quirky rules for county commission elections.

All three incumbents deserve another term. But since the voters' task is to pick the best two, the Inquirer endorses MICHAEL FITZPATRICK and CHARLES MARTIN because of their position on the courthouse.

For Bucks County court: the choices remain as they were in the spring: Common Pleas Judge MITCHELL S. GOLDBERG, who served as a federal prosecutor; CLYDE W. WAITE, a Newtown attorney; ALBERT J. CEPPARULO, a Penn lecturer in private practice, and C. THEODORE FRITSCH JR., a private attorney with 20 years' tenure as a prosecutor.

Who would be best to govern that study in contrasts - suburban Montgomery County?

Wealthy beyond most counties' fondest hopes, the county is saddled with Norristown as one of the most frayed and needy county seats in the entire region.

Heavily built-out from Melrose Park to Maple Glen, it's a county nonetheless that has spent record amounts preserving open space and developing mile after mile of scenic hiking trails.

The car is king across a landscape dotted with big boxes and the super-mall at King of Prussia, but mass transit plays a vital role in moving Montgomery County workers to their jobs, as well as getting Philadelphia residents to jobs at suburban office parks and malls.

And even though county government is able to boast a hefty reserve equal to 7 percent of its budget - $30 million out of $412 million - it's become a fixation for the county's three-member board of commissioners to reduce the county's long-term debt.

Who best to govern? County voters' answer to that question traditionally has been the GOP. The only time in recent memory that a Democrat has been in the driver's seat on the County Commission was when a minority party commissioner made a controversial pact that drove a wedge between the two GOP commissioners.

Republican unity seems solid and secure this time around. As for the Democrats taking charge of the county soon, that seems about as likely as a rush hour without a hellish backup on Route 422, or along busy Cheltenham Avenue.

No fair, though, to chalk up Republican dominance only to a voter registration edge. TThis year, Montgomery County's Republican majority party has fielded two of its most attractive candidates in years. Former Cheltenham Township supervisor THOMAS ELLIS and incumbent JIM MATTHEWS face incumbent Democratic Commissioner Ruth Damsker and Frank X. Custer, press secretary to U.S. Rep. Joe Hoeffel. Voters get to choose two candidates, with the third seat filled by the next highest vote-getter. This odd system - voters get to vote for only two candidates while three get elected - ensures minority-party representation.

Matthews and Ellis offer a rich mix of experience and expertise.

Major-firm lawyer Ellis is an expert in public finance who served a dozen years on Cheltenham Township's governing board. Both his undergraduate and law degrees are from the University of Pennsylvania.

As former county bond counsel, Ellis already understands county finances. He promises to be a watchdog on spending and, as a SEPTA board member, an advocate for mass transit in the county.

Veteran mortgage banker Matthews seeks a second term, having been seasoned by managing county government during an economic downturn. He points with justified pride to the surplus, a stable county pension fund, and historic and open-space preservation efforts.

Democratic commissioner Damsker has carved a niche in coordinating human services programs - efforts, she contends, that saved $1 million. She's a strong complement to the GOP majority and deserves another term.

Less well-known among the four candidates is Custer, whose longtime government public relations career followed 15 years in advertising.

Democrats have had good grounds to gripe during this campaign about the GOP's partisan appointment process for county boards and commissions. But that isn't enough to alter the choice as the two best candidates in this matchup: JIM MATTHEWS and THOMAS ELLIS.

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The contest For a new seat on the Court of Common Pleas, in Montgomery County offers an interesting matchup between a former cop-turned-lawyer, Thomas P. Rogers, and anAbington family-law practitioner with an equally impressive resume.

The Inquirer endorses MADELEINE R. KAUFMAN will bring experience as a former school psychologist and an attorney of 18 years' standing. In addition to her skills at mediation, she would be only the third woman on a 21-member court.

Also running in Montgomery County is appointed Judge STEVEN T. O'NEILL, who deserves a full term.

after his appointment to a vacancy last year.

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Posted on Wed, Oct. 22, 2003

Editorial | Chester County Commissioners

Aichele, Dinniman best of good field

Who will be the winner in the Chester County commissioners' race? That's easy. The residents and the county they call home.

Four capable candidates are running, Republicans Carol Aichele and Donald A. Mancini, and Democrats Andrew E. Dinniman and Michele Vaughn. Each has considerable government experience, some at the municipal level, some at the county level, some at both.

On the number-one issue facing the slouching-toward-suburbia county, the candidates all support Landscapes, the comprehensive growth-management program that has helped saved thousands of acres from development.

All four candidates have balanced a budget - and answered to taxpayers for it - experience that will come in handy as the potential for county financial problems increases thanks to state and federal budget uncertainty.

Unfortunately, voters have to narrow their Election Day choice to two. The three candidates with the most votes will become commissioners. So the question in these tough economic times, with two of three incumbents stepping down, is wAs Chester County commissioners, CAROL AICHELE and ANDREW E. DINNIMAN would have the depth of knowledge and experience to hit the ground running. Aichele, of Tredyffrin, has seven-plus years as county controller. She knows where the money has been going and what's coming up in terms of major capital expenditures, such as the justice center and prison expansion.

She understands the value of informing residents about county finances, a lesson learned in part from watching taxpayer response to the 1999 tax hike. Her first run for office - to join the Tredyffrin-Easttown school board - was prompted by her dissatisfaction with elected officials who wouldn't communicate with constituents.Incumbent Dinniman, of West Whiteland, is seeking a fourth term and is credited with helping create the county's much-praised growth-management program, Landscapes.

nd for supporting related issues, from watershed protection to urban revitalization. He keeps an eye out for those who might not be faltering in an otherwise prosperous county: the homeless, the hungry, Democrats seeking county jobs.

Mancini, of Willistown, has been the county register of wills, assistant district attorney, and assistant county solicitor. He knows local government and open-space issues from his years as a township supervisor and planning commissioner.

Vaughn, East Whiteland supervisor for six years and vice chair of the county Democrats, has the courage to try something new, whether it's backing an 18-month moratorium on development until the township had a comprehensive plan, or her current call for a restructured county government that doesn't automatically go to two Republicans - and Dinniman.

So this close race comes down to who has the most experience. The answer: Aichele and Dinniman.

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Delaware County voters may find it difficult to exercise their full franchise of three votes when they consider the face a lean field for County Council. Only Republican incumbent ANDREW J. REILLY seems well-informed and conversant on issues. He's an effective advocate for the council's Renaissance plan, which aims to assist the county's urban, eastern municipalities with redevelopment while helping the more rural western townships with open-space planning. And he can tout the county's growing job base and its emergency communications system - speaking as one one who's helped bring those things about.

To a lesser degree, so can MARY ALICE BRENNAN, seeking a full term following her appointment last fall, and is now running for a full-term. Still, in her campaign this fall, she has been the quietest of the three Republican candidates, who also include non-incumbent Michael V. Puppio Jr. Brennanmay well understand the issues. Still, she needs to speak up.

What ails the council is a lack of diversity of opinion. Chalk that up to a Republican machine that is among the most powerful in the state and to a Home Rule Charter that makes no provision for automatic minority-party (read: Democratic) membership. What you get is a all-Republican board that won't seriously consider legitimate issues dealing with services and governance. Two such issues are whether Delaware County should have its own health department and whether County Council members should be elected by district, not at-large.

The three Democratic candidates - Paul Scoles, Deborah A. Thomas, Robert W. Small - support the creation of a health department, which the other urban counties here already have. Scoles makes the strongest case for the department, as a focal point for health outreach.

The Republican candidates dismiss the notion out of hand, arguing wrongly that the state and private health care has everyone's needs well in hand.

The Democrats back district-based council elections, arguing that this would give greater representation to the county's poorer, more populated inner-ring. The Republicans say this would invite big government.

Unfortunately, campaigns are the only time such issues get raised, given the Republicans' perennial 5-0 stranglehold on the council.

Electing a Democrat could open things up, and Ardmore health-services consultant PAUL SCOLES is best qualified to do that.