Important races at issue
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share thisLow-key campaigns leading to Tuesday's general election should not obscure the fact that important offices are at stake. Robust affirmative voting, rather than a low turnout, should be the mechanism by which candidates rise to public office.
Several factors contribute to the lack of competitive races, ranging from the failure of the sleep-walking Lackawanna County Republican Party to find candidates to challenge Democratic incumbents, to bizarre election laws that result in many races being decided in the primaries - when far fewer voters typically are looking.
Candidates for judicial and school board seats, for example, are allowed to campaign in the spring for the nominations of both major political parties. The theory is that those seats should be divorced, as much as possible, from partisan politics. Good theory. But the notion that it can be achieved by allowing candidates to seek both nominations is preposterous - especially in counties where one party is dominant and capturing the minority party's nomination is a matter of a few votes.
The result most often is exactly what has transpired in many local school board elections. A few candidates sewed up both nominations in the spring, in effect rendering moot the general election.
"Cross-filing," as it is called, should be scrapped in favor of straightforward elections. Campaigns are not simply to choose officeholders, but to air issues, and that simply hasn't happened this year in too many races.
Cross-filing did not thwart a general-election contest in the highest-profile Lackawanna County race, that for a newly created judicial seat. Attorney Margaret Bisignani Moyle won the Democratic nomination and attorney Frank Castellano won the Republican nomination. The Times-Tribune editorial board has endorsed Mrs. Bisignani Moyle based on her longer and more in-depth experience.
A curious development in that race was President Judge Chester Harhut's declaration that the new judge would be assigned to family court. Since then, that has been the principal theme of the Castellano campaign because Mr. Castellano's career has been primarily in the juvenile court.
But the term is 10 years, and judges often are reassigned. The Lackawanna County bench likely will undergo significant personnel changes over the next few years. The race is not for a family court judge, but for a common pleas judge.
Two incumbent judges, Michael Barrasse and Terrence Nealon, seek retention for second 10-year terms. The Times-Tribune has recommended "yes" votes for both, based on their solid records.
The editorial board also has endorsed Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty for a third term. He won both nominations and has turned much of his attention to his impending candidacy for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination next year.
That prompted Gary DiBileo, who Mr. Doherty defeated twice four years ago and again this spring, to mount an 11th-hour write-in campaign. Mr. DiBileo has launched a campaign but has yet to launch a program of progressive ideas for the city, while Mr. Doherty has established a strong record of actual progress.
Three Scranton City Council seats are on the ballot but incumbent Janet Evans seems to have sewn up one of those by winning two nominations in the primaries. The Times-Tribune has endorsed Republican nominees Douglas Miller and Lee Morgan based on their independence. Democratic nominees Pat Rogan and Frank Joyce are running as a "team" with Mrs. Evans but, like her and Mr. DiBileo, have failed to state a platform to bring progress.
Statewide offices are for the appellate courts. The Times-Tribune favors appointment of appellate judges and does not endorse in those races.
9 posted comments
1) Move to Harrisburg ( that does wonders for the city)
2) Hire more croonies and increase city hall budget (oh thats been done)
3) Increase the city's long term debt (there I go again its been done)
4) Attract business to down town ( Now this one has NOT been done)
5) Create 6000 jobs (this one is more a dream)
6) Maintain our low crime rate (We have no gangs and the figures are from 3 years ago, does the TT even read its own stories because crime is way up)
Just a few thoughts to contemplate.
Do Scranton a favor vote Evans, Rogan,Joyce, Courtright and write in D-I-B-I-L-E-O.
Tell King Chris, The Pied Piper of Greenridge and his rats to go away, far away.