PTCC Archive
16 November 2006
Dear Friends,
The Caucus leadership elections are finished. Unfortunately, the election did not go the way we had hoped, and all of the incumbent leaders were re-elected along with their hand-picked candidates for open leadership seats. We extend our thanks to those courageous Representatives who stood up for reform, opposed the status quo, and are champions for school property tax elimination.
The leadership results are below. Majority and Minority positions are at this moment assumed, pending the outcome of a closely-contested race in Chester County.
Republicans:
Rep. John Perzel - Speaker of the House (Nomination. House vote on January
2.)
Rep. Sam Smith - Majority Leader
Rep. Dave Argall - Majority Whip
Rep. Mario Civera - Appropriations Chairman
Democrats:
Rep. Bill DeWeese – Minority Leader
Rep. Keith McCall – Minority Whip
Rep. Dwight Evans - Appropriations Committee
What does this mean? It means that it will be business-as-usual with failed leaders and the House Republican majority operating out of fear of the existing all-powerful Speaker of the House, John Perzel.
It is a travesty that, through the fear and intimidation that Representative Perzel invokes in his peers, one man can hijack the democratic process to the point that his agenda is the only one that will be imposed on the residents of this Commonwealth. I did not vote for John Perzel, I do not want him to represent me, I despise his arrogant self-serving politics, I loathe his disdain and lack of respect for the electorate that he is supposed to serve. Yet, effectively, his is the agenda that we will be forced to accept because of his iron-fisted rule over the majority Republican Caucus.
If you’d like to see Representative Perzel in action, please take a look at this short video clip – you’ll understand our opposition to his leadership: http://mfile.akamai.com/12932/wmv/vod.ibsys.com/2005/1012/5091161.200k.asx
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Now we must make the best of the hand that we have been dealt.
Our next target should be the Senate leadership elections on 11/20. Since Republicans have retained control of the Senate, this is the election on which we should focus. There is only one Republican candidate for Majority Leader who we feel will help get real reform enacted and will be friendly toward the Plan For Pennsylvania’s Future if it reaches the Senate: Jeff Piccola, the current Senate Majority Whip.
ACTION ITEM: Please e-mail or call your Republican Senator during the next four days and request that he or she support Senator Piccola for the leadership position. Feel free to contact as many Republican Senators as you wish!
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Legislator Contact Information:
If you don’t know your Senator’s name or district, you can locate your district here by Zip+4.
You can then find the winner in your district here:
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Later this year we should take a shot at defeating Representative Perzel for House Speaker when the new Speaker is elected on January 2. I'm sure that he has some Democratic votes in his pocket, so it will be a tough fight but perhaps we can prevail. I’ll have more information on this later.
If all else fails, it's back to directly supporting the Plan For Pennsylvania’s Future after the new legislature settles into place in January.
I’ll keep you updated.
Thank you very much for all of your help and support.
David Baldinger
PTCC Administrator