[...] Environmental lawyer dives into PA-7 Dem primary… [...]

Meehan is probably happy the Democrats are going to mix it up in the primary. Meehan indicted Fumo and helpded with the ongoing cleanup of Harrisburg, hopefully Meehan can help with the cleanup of Washington.

I am very sad to see the democratic ticket getting so crowded. This does nothing for the party.

What a pity that Meehan never did a dam thing to clean up the mess in Delco. He is nothing but a empty suit and a puppet of the GOP which has been filing rapidly over the years

Where did this woman come from? Every political job she ever had was an appointment not an elected office. Is she taking personal credit for delegate votes cast for Obama? Unbelievable! As State Rep. Bryan Lentz has been working long and hard to build the local Democratic Party through extensive fundraising efforts and actually campaigning door-to-door with local candidates.In case anyone has forgotten, Bryan was the first elected official in the district to endorse Obama as early as February 2008.Is Ms. Conner on an ego trip or what?

Bryan Lentz is the clear front runner. he very graciously stepped aside for Joe Sestak in 2006 and then went on to beat a 28 year incumbent for his state house seat. He has campaigned door-to-door with local candidates and always been an active team player in the party. I think that it is regrettable that some people would choose not to show the same dedication and loyalty to winning campaigns and progressive values that Bryan has shown throughout his career.

Bryan is a true progressive and he will make us proud as a Congressman.

Does anyone find it odd/ironic that there are over 400 precincts in the 7th district and Gail Conner is from the SAME precinct where Joe Sestak is registered?

(I would say where Sestak “lives”, except that would be like saying Santorum lived in PA too.)

What was Gail’s position on the primary ballot? Sestak’s brother was the first name listed. Was she near the top as well?

The Dem field isn’t really all that crowded. Though Greg Vitali would make a great congressman, few expect him to run. The odds of him running drop with every passing day. Touey will have a tough time getting enough petition signatures to get on the ballot.

If both Gail and Greg ran, they would tend to cancel each other out, since the environment would be their signature issue.

I welcome Gail into the race, which should generate some excitement among the Dems. I hope Gail would also consider a run for St. Rep if Bryan has too big a lead.

very interesting David. Is she a carpetbagger like Sestak is?

Welcome Gail Conner to the race.

Aren’t you tired of the same old political types? I get so sick of hearing people say that it is someone’s “turn” for an elected office. This is America. Who decides when it is someone’s “turn.”

Good luck Gail. I signed up today to get your email and to volunteer.

I am sick and tired of the way things are running in this country as well. We need some new life.

Gail Conner worked behind the scenes and delivered a great deal of the vote for Obama. She has one of the most impressive networks of grassroots and faith leaders I’ve ever seen. I’m glad she’s stepping forward into the spotlight.

Also, a contested primary is not going to ruin the party’s chances. It will bring a higher level of discussion and energy that will propel us into the general election.

Since when did you have to already hold an elected office to run for office? Is that in the constitution? Is there a limit on the number of people who can run? What, you people angry because she didn’t get the good old boy OK to run?

Meehan is going to tow the ineffective Republican line in DC just like he has done to get every appointment that he has had. More of the same.

I am excited about Gail entering the race. Maybe the candidates will actually focus on issues that matter.

I think its good we have an outsider entering the race. This whole idea that we should defer to party leadership and just blindly accept their annointed candidate is crazy. I’m looking forward to hearing what she has to say especially on issues related to the environment. It’s time for some new blood in Washington and in our party. Lets see what she has to offer.

WestDem-
She’s not a carpetbagger like Sestak. I was actually trying to emphasize that point.

I probably ran into Gail at Obama HQ during the primary, though I can’t put a face to the name at the moment.

After the low turnout last week, we need to light a fire under the local Dems.

Check out Gail’s Web site before you jump to conclusions. She lives and works in the 7th District, and brings a lot to the table. I agree with Chris, a primary just elevates the level of dialog and competition. And it’s refreshing to see a qualified woman enter the race, frankly.

I met Gail doing work across jurisdictional lines to improve our region. Gail is a dedicated, well-educated, and progressive businesswoman, who probably single-handedly inspired hundreds of grassroots activists to work for Obama in Delco. She pushed that same grassroots network to support local Democrats in this off-year election. As long as she meets the Constitutional prerequisites to run (and she does) … then welcome to the race. Obama himself was not exactly the party’s anointed one when he started — and that is what is inspiring a new generation to seek public service. And that is actually a good thing for our Democracy — something I hope Democrats value and prize highly. I know Gail does.

I am amazed at the heat of the discussion on day one of the campaign. It is a long way from today and Nov 2010 and I for one hope to see all candidates prove themselves, discuss the issues, propose solutions, & earn our votes. All of this occurs when a real debate occurs between actual candidates.

I know very little about either Gail or Brian. I look forward to hearing from both of them. If Brian is a great candidate and a successful campaigner, then I would bet that Gail will only present a reason to get his campaign running effectively so it will be ready for the general election. If Brian is not those things, then I for one want to know it before the seat is lost to the Republicans. If a previously unknown candidate like Gail can set the world on fire and take this from Brian and the party leaders, then the Dems in Washington will end up better off.

I hope the voters get to decide all of the races so we don’t have to hold our noses and vote for the likes of Specter simply because the Gov and VP want us to do so.

Although life can seem simpler without a primary, it can also serve to educate the electorate. While there are many similar views held by Dems, each candidate comes to the race with a different perspective and depth of experience. In the coming months, will soon see who best resonates across the 7th.
Though I respect Ms Conner, I believe Bryan Lentz will be favored by most voters.

It really makes me sad to know that there’s so few of us who can envision a leader who is capable of more than an occasional day of “door-to-door” campaigning, or simply being a “party team player”. It’s even more unfortunate when the dedication and loyalty is focused solely on the winning of the campaigns and not the PEOPLE.

Let’s just suppose we hoped for more. You know, like, maybe a candidate who would take the time to get to know the concerns of those living in district they’d represent, perhaps even driven enough to work hard to address issues that have gone too long unscathed.

If you happen to resemble the latter, GAIL M. CONNER is your candidate. Reach for more!!

Unheard-
I hear you.
Are you accusing anyone in particular of these qualities?

Colleen-
Is “unheard voice” complaining about Sestak? “dedication and loyalty is focused solely on the winning of the campaigns”

I think Bryan is a strong candidate, has a good head start, has shown he can raise money, and is picking good staffers.

His campaign experience is different from Gail’s, though both are formidable in their own way.

Gail is off to a nice start. Let’s see what she does next.

When is Vitali going to make his decision?

I say the nore the merrier. Maybe people will get interested in voting again. The poor turnout is what caused the Dems to lose New Jersey.

Based on her website, Gail seems ready and able to run for this office as a serious candidate.

Looking forward to somebody giving the Dem regulars a run for their money, And maybe even a defeat. We need a shakeup. Aren’t you tired of being afraid?

Gail and I met in a professional capacity and soon after became very good friends. I believe she will bring a healthy debate and give the community of CD7 an opportunity to choose who will best represent us. Elected seats are not for those who have stepped aside in the past, or are the chosen one, that is an insult to the Constitution. Gail has lived and worked in CD7 for over a decade…she knows the people, the problems, and the struggles we are all experiencing, she is one of us.

Having spent a fair amount of time with both Bryan and Gail I can attest they are both strong active personalities, both are hard workers, and both would do their absolute best for the people of CD7. That however,is where the simularities end, I’m not confident they would have the same priorities.
And though I don’t support a candidate solely because they have “waited his turn” and “stepped aside for another”, There is something to be said for a person’s willingness to put aside personal ambition in order to further their ideals.
I also don’t think that not having held elective office rules one out of holding elective office..no one was born in office. I’m just not sure a congressional seat is the place one should start.
Bryan has amply shown his abilities in two terms as a state representative. He knows how to run a governmental office and operation, with the trained staff to provide the seed for an effective congressional staff. He has proved over and over that the people he represents are his primary concern. His word is gold: he will be the first to tell you …”I can’t do anything about that”…But what he tells you he can do, just plain gets done.
In the four plus years I have known Bryan I have never heard him speak disrespecfully to or about anyone.
In the seven months I knew Gail, I wish I could say the same.
There is a real difference in competence here. It’s just a shame that it’s going to cost money that will be badly needed next fall for some people to figure it out.

Actually, I was simply responding to the remarks of Betty and Obama Supporter.

Rick sounds like the good ole boys talking.

Here is the problem I have:

The Supervisor’s race in Edgmont, where Gail Conner is a resident, just passed last week with the Republican candidate running and winning uncontested, as has been par for the course for decades. If Ms. Conner’s priority is building the Democratic Party as opposed to personal gratification, I wish she would have been a candidate and run a tough campaign in that race. I offer that in contrast to Bryan Lentz’s switching from the 7th Congressional to the 161st State House race in 2006, resulting in the Democrats getting a hold of both of those seats that year.

Mario Cimino
D – Morton Borough Council

Mario-
Minor (okay, Major) flaw in your logic:

Gail, like any candidate, assumes she would win her Congressional bid and thus have to step down as supervisor.

Better question: How come SESTAK can’t get a Dem supervisor or even a candidate in Edgmont.

Why put Gail to a standard that Sestak hasn’t attempted?

No one has “annointed” Rep. Lentz. He has clearly been working hard to lay a solid groundwork for a serious Congressional campaign. He knows what it takes and is willing to put in the long hours raising money, communicating with voters and getting his message out. As far as his political beliefs go, he seems to be a solid moderate-to-progressive Democrat.

At this point, he is in the best position, by far, to make sure this district stays in the Democratic column.

Of course, I’m sure he won’t shy away from a primary if one presents itself – he’s a fighter.

David:

Please show me where except in your ridiculous mind it says a Congressman is responsible for slating local candidates. Under the best of circumstances they are slightly busy with running a never ending campaign to defend their own seat, plus minor legislative issues like oh, say, the endgame of a 98 year health care battle.

Lets be clear: for the last 16 years its been Cliff Wilson’s responsibility to slate candidates in Edgmont and 48 other municipalities, either indirectly by empowering a functional local committee, or directly by empowering individual candidates if necessary. Can you name the last time there was a Democratic Supervisor candidate in Edgmont? Or any of a dozen or so other municipalities? And through how many of those years did anyone even know the name Joe Sestak?

I think I’m starting to understand your self-perceived logic, as irrational as it is. By virtue of Joe Sestak’s own success, he automatically assumes responsibility for every local, county, and state race in his district, on top of all of his other duties? While anyone who can’t campaign their way out of a paper bag (or into Folcroft Borough Hall for that matter) is off scot-free from any such responsiblity by virtue of that very failure? Is that the absurd point me and I dare say most rank and file Democrats in this area have been missing all these years?

Mario Cimino
D – Morton Borough Council

Mario-
You missed my point.
You were criticizing Gail for not running for Supervisor, and insinuating she was putting her “personal gratification” ahead of building the party. Yet, Sestak has done nothing to build the party, but everything to further his own personal interests.
Mario, I realize you’ve fallen into the anti-Cliff crowd, but under Cliff’s leadership, we have been fielding more candidates for these local races and taking over townships. We now control Radnor council.
Edgmont has over 2-1 Rep/Dem advantage. I don’t think even Obama won there.

As for Folcroft, they campaigned their asses off there. But, the Democratic party voters, as a whole, just sat this one out. Even Philly turned out only 12%, which is the lowest in the past 10 years, despite 2008 being the highest. (I hope you aren’t going to blame Cliff for that, too.)

Sestak’s “other duties”? Sestak spent more time campaigning for Hillary in 2007, than he did for candidates in his own district.
I fundamentally disagree that Sestak has no responsibility to help build the local party. Sestak used local resources to jump start his campaign. He came in with NO personnel or infrastructure, and it was the local party got his petitions signed, fronted him resources, gave him volunteer lists, set up house parties, fundraisers, sent him money from township committee coffers, etc.
Sestak has not lived up to his moral obligation to return the favor.

Boys-
I am sure that Andy Reilly ias loving this.
Can we take this outside maybe?
Thanks.

“Mom”, I hear you but please don’t worry about me. There’s nothing here that I’ve said that Andy Reilly or anyone else in Delaware County doesn’t already know if they are awake. None other than Gil Spencer made that clear in his election post-mortem last week when he referred to “Cliff Wilson’s party of perennial losers.” But Reilly also has to acknowledge how much Democrats in Delco, from borough councilpersons to commissioners of large townships to Bryan Lentz and Joe Sestak, have accomplished despite the inept county party leadership. (And he actually did so in the Delco Times last week when he acknowledged that Chester is quickly and inevitably slipping from the GOP stranglehold.) So imagine what we will be able to accomplish once we have effective leadership starting next year. The key thing at this point is there is no pro-Cliff/anti-Cliff divide in the party. There are a few people like David who will bury their heads in the sand and spend their lives rationalizing losing, and the rest of us who are in it to win and work every day to make that happen. Hundreds of people have made huge sacrifices to accomplish what we have since 2006, and we’re not going to let another Cliff come along and throw all that away like Ernie Falcone did in the 1970’s after the Watergate-era Democratic gains.

One key thing that Joe Sestak and Bryan Lentz brought to this county is the concept of military-style accountability or “standards of excellence” (to use Sestak’s parlance) in campaigning as well as governing. That concept was validated by the effectiveness of Barack Obama’s campaign last year, which was similarly based on accountability from the ground up. The difference between those campaigns and the Folcroft fiasco that David tried to rationalize above is that the vote did turn out, because nothing was left to chance until the very last vote was counted. Does anyone else besides David have a problem with winning like that?

Mario Cimino
D – Morton Borough Council

Mario-
You aren’t seriously trying to compare national/federal elections with millions of dollars to off-year elections. Are you?

Is win-at-all-costs and screwing other teammates “military-style accountability”? What ever happened to “leave no man behind”?
I’m offended that you would slur Bryan by associating him with Sestak in terms of campaign “standards”. The ONLY thing they have in common is working hard.
Bryan certainly doesn’t have the reputation of being abusive and ranting/raging at his campaign staff.

How many of your hard-working “rest of us” crowd won their local races this year? With only a few exceptions, the Dem wins were in wards/townships with solid Dem majorities. In most places where registration was close, the Dems lost.

“Another Cliff”? Where do you think we’d be if Bruce Bikin had won chairmanship in 2006?
Who’s your “savior” pick to succeed Cliff? I could really use the laugh.

David:

Yes, I am seriously comparing Federal and local campaigns. The point turns on how any campaign is run. A successful local campaign can be competently run with no more than three figures in cash funding so long as there is a relatively small but motivated, trained, and tireless team of volunteers. Three figures is a realistic fundraising goal for any committee or candidatee if they put the necessary effort into it. In a Congressional race with approximately 400 precincts, if $750 was spent per precinct, that would amount to a $300,000 field campaign. And that is a pretty pricey Congressional field campaign. As much as I hate it as a field organizer by nature, the millions go to the TV stations and the usually way-overpaid consultants.

So the comparison is perfectly legitimate. Getting back to running a competent local campaign on 3 figures, dozens of people learned exactly that in either the Sestak or Obama campaign offices over the last 3 years. There has been ample opportunity to learn these skills -that it what both those campaigns and other succesful local ones have left behind. Some people like the folks in Aldan, Millbourne, and Ridley Park have run with it, others just want to sit around and expect success to be handed to them, and blame anyone who succeeds when they fail. Care to knock a few doors?

Mario Cimino
D – Morton Borough Council

David:

On the “Who’s your savior” question, I don’t have one. I am waiting to hear a detailed and compelling vision of how and when the Delaware County Democratic Party will become a viable majority party at the local, county, and state as well as at the Federal level, as it has been since 2006. That is the person whom I’ll be supporting. Anyone who is prepared to make that case is free to contact me.

Mario Cimino
D – Morton Borough Council

Mario-
I completely agree about the waste of money on TV and the overpaid consultants (especially the ones who just get a cut of the TV advertising money).

The success of the Obama (and Sestak) campaigns was due to a uniting/energizing character at the “top”. My complaint with Sestak is that he didn’t use his momentum to help the local/countywide races in 2007. When asked to help, his brother responded with “Why should he? It’s not his contest.”
At a MINIMUM, Joe could have contacted his entire volunteer database and ASKED them to help out the various local races. No one else, but his campaign, had that information, and they refused repeated requests to share it.
What would it have taken for Joe to provide the initial contact and “inspire” his followers to help locally?
There may have been plenty of hard-workers the local candidates could have used for door-knocking, lit drops, phone-banking, but they had no way to get in touch with the bulk of potential volunteers.

I’m glad that you don’t have a person in mind for “savior” and are keeping an open mind based on their plan and vision.

I think it’s important that the next Chairman has some of the deep knowledge about elections and the laws that Cliff has. There are a lot of tricks the GOP tries to pull denying candidates for minor clerical errors, fooling with ballot positioning and other maneuvers.

BTW, I did plenty of door knocking for Sestak back in 2006. I knocked for Kerry in 2004 and for some local races. When I was younger, I used to help my Dad with lit drops.

Even though you and I disagree on Sestak, I have tremendous respect for you and your hard work and dedication.