Op-Ed
Top 10 political news stories in Northwest Pennsylvania for 2005
by Robert Speel
For northwest Pennsylvania, the year 2005 was one of political transition, persistent political problems, and political transformation. Some of the Top 10 political events listed below were chosen due to their news value in 2005, but others I picked because of the lingering significance they will have in 2006 and beyond. Readers of this column are likely to agree or disagree with some of my choices and explanations for them, but from the perspective of a local political scientist, here are the Top 10 local political news stories this year.
1. Pay Raise Outrage
In July, the state legislature approved for itself an immediate pay raise in the form of an "unvouchered expense allowance" that violated at least two separate clauses in the state constitution: the ban on collecting pay raises until after an election has occurred and the ban on collecting any legislative compensation other than salary and travel expenses. Some local legislators from northwest Pennsylvania, to their credit, voted against the unconstitutional pay raise, refused to accept it, and led the movement for its repeal in the legislature in November. However, legislators who supported the pay raise were confronted by large numbers of angry voters who often otherwise ignore state legislative activity. Those legislators are going to have to continue to explain their vote in the 2006 election. The backlash against the pay raise even reached state judges, who in the past have approved similar unconstitutional legislative pay raises as part of a package to raise judicial pay, causing Supreme Court Justice Russell Nigro to be rejected statewide by voters in his bid for retention.
2. Budget Bind
The City of Erie found itself millions of dollars in debt by the end of the year, with no easy or obvious ways to make itself financially solvent in the near future. Dozens of layoffs of city employees began, and even the Erie Zoo has been forced to close to the public for three months this winter. There is no simple solution for Erie or Pittsburgh or any of the industrial Pennsylvania cities blocked from expanding their tax base by incorporated suburbs who want nothing to do with city politics, city revenue needs, or city social problems. And it is not clear that the state legislature will ever have the courage to force regionalization, which is the only viable solution for Pennsylvania's struggling urban areas.
3. Divided Views of Bush
Like much of the country, northwest Pennsylvania finds itself increasingly divided over the president, national politics, and the war in Iraq. While Erie County voted blue for Kerry last year, the surrounding counties in Pennsylvania all voted for Bush. Bush's popularity has declined nationwide in the past year over issues such as the war, Social Security, federal spending, the environment, trade, and privacy rights. But while a number of Kerry voters from last year remain more unhappy than ever with the Bush presidency (and a minority of Bush voters regret their choice), many local voters remain strong Bush supporters and back his efforts in the war against terrorism and promotion of conservative values.
4. The Fall of a Mayor
Erie Mayor Rick Filippi, who came to office with such promise four years ago as a fresh, young politician willing to shake up old-style Erie politics to help the city's future, found himself enmeshed in a significant political scandal after being indicted for his alleged involvement in suspicious real estate dealings on the city's east side. He ran a spirited campaign to win renomination by the Democratic party for a second term, but finished an embarrassing (for an incumbent) and personally disappointing fourth place in the primary. He will be replaced in 2006 with the winner of that primary, Joe Sinnott.
5. Thanks, But No Thanks
The state legislature ordered local school boards to decide by May 30 if they wanted to opt into the provisions of Act 72, a law that cuts local property taxes for homeowners but increases the local income tax and requires voters to approve any future tax increase over the level of inflation through a referendum unless the state grants an exemption based on certain conditions. In return, school boards that accept the provisions of Act 72 would receive a share of the state's gambling casino revenues once those casinos opened. While the Erie School Board voted to opt into Act 72 -- choosing to overlook the implications for renters and the school board's future ability to raise revenue for its schools -- almost all other school boards in northwest Pennsylvania decided not to gamble on the unknown amount of money that might be derived from casinos that have not yet been built. The state legislature and the governor are now threatening to force all the school boards who opted out of Act 72 to comply with its provisions anyway.
6. It Was That Close
The morning after Election Day 2005, the Erie Times-News front-page headline announced "McBrier Wins by 6 Votes" in the county executive race between Republican candidate Dale McBrier and Democrat Mark DiVecchio. That "Dewey Defeats Truman"-style headline later had to be taken back after the recount conducted by Erie County officials found the usual number of election-night math errors, and DiVecchio turned out to win by over a hundred votes. This leads me to…
7. Party Disorganization
One reason Dale McBrier might have lost this close race was the lack of support given his campaign by local Republican officials. His Republican primary opponent and the Erie County district attorney – a Republican -- both endorsed DiVecchio, and McBrier rightly accused the county Republican organization of offering little help to his campaign. Meanwhile, over at Democratic Party headquarters, the party leaders rallied around Steven Porter’s announcement that he is again going to run as the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives seat currently held by Republican Phil English. Porter, who has lived in the Erie area for only three years and lost several New York state senate races in the Binghamton area, won only 40 percent of the vote in his 2004 race against English and has little chance of winning this time. Handicapped by an ineffective recruiting effort, local Democrats seem ready to give English another free pass in what could be a strong year for Democrats nationwide.
8. Disappearing Acts
On November 17, Erie Mayor Rick Filippi emptied out his office in City Hall six weeks before his term was over. Erie County Executive Rick Schenker, who decided not to run for re-election, was accused of being missing in action earlier in the year. Fellow politicians noted that he did not attend important meetings and negotiations, and local media often had a hard time reaching the former regional PennDOT spokesman for comment.
9. Council Diversity
The population of the City of Erie is 14 percent African-American, according to the 2000 Census, but in 2006 the city will have at least three African-American city council members out of seven total. Even more remarkable than the increased minority representation on council is how little attention and comment it drew in the local media. Such a story would have been covered much differently thirty or forty years ago. If the new city council is successful at working with the mayor to overcome the city's budget, economic, and social problems, it is likely that other cities around the country will look to Erie as an example of urban success and improved race relations.
10. Farewell to Levers
Erie County and many surrounding communities voted with lever machines for the last time in November. The federal Help America Vote Act of 2002 requires counties using punch-card and lever voting systems to switch to modern computer systems by 2006 as part of the aftermath of Florida’s role in the 2000 presidential election. Voters who for decades pulled one big red lever and then hid behind a curtain to pull many smaller red levers will have to get used to bank machine-style touch screens come Primary Day 2006. What no one has talked about much yet is what is going to happen to the thousands of still perfectly functioning lever machines used around the country in 2005. Don't be surprised to see them for sale on eBay.
Robert Speel is an associate professor of political science at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.