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Why should YOU vote on Tuesday?

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Thank you to all who voted in the exciting November election, when Democratic candidates won 4 countywide offices for the first time ever, giving us a much more politically balanced County government.

And now: Why should YOU vote in the May 15 primary election?

  1. To help choose Dem candidates. Long-serving Chesco Commissioner Kathi Cozzone, known for her respectful values and exemplary public service, is in a tight 5-person race for Lieutenant Governor. Wouldn’t it be exciting to have one of our neighbors (Kathi and her family live in Exton) as a statewide leader who would do a great job for all the people of our state?
  2. And Carolyn Comitta, our former mayor and now our representative in Harrisburg, asks us to pass along to you: “It is really important to vote for Carolyn in the primary because every vote counts! We won by 25 votes in 2016 and we will need strong support to secure a win in 2018!”
  3. To send the message that West Chester, Chester County, and Pennsylvania are not on board with Trumpism.
  4. To choose 8 members of the PA State Dem Committee to represent Chester County in Dem party deliberations.  See http://chescodems.org/2018-candidates/ (at the end) and download the 2-page handout there.
  5.  To join your community as we all proudly wear stickers that say, “I VOTED TOAY!”
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When people vote…

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It would take a book to detail Washington’s tragic turn, since January 2017, toward racism, classism, bellicosity, isolationism, jeopardy to our relations with long-standing allies, indifference to the daily-life needs of Americans, and just plain incompetence (with agency heads moving in and out at record speed).

But the moral is: When people vote, ultimately the government has to pay attention. It may not be fast enough to suit us, but it’s what we have to do.  -Nathaniel Smith

PS  One of the penalties for
refusing to participate in
politics is that you end up
being governed by your
inferiors.
              -Plato, circa 400 B.C.

 

Supreme Court upholds new Pa. congressional district map, rejecting Republican challenge

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Supreme Court upholds new Pa. congressional district map, rejecting Republican challenge

by Jonathan Lai & Liz Navratil, Philadelphia Inquirer, 3/19/18 [Good! All Chester County is definitively within one district, PA-06, in line with the anti-gerrymandering principle.]

HARRISBURG — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a challenge to the new congressional map imposed by the state high court, assuring that the redrawn lines would be used in the 2018 elections.

The action came hours after a federal-judge panel dismissed a similar suit, saying Republican lawmakers who brought it had not legal standing. With the back-to-back rejections — both coming on the eve of the petition-filing deadline for congressional candidates — no legal challenges to the map remained.

The new map lines could have an impact on the makeup of the 2019 Congress, with Democrats hopeful that they could pick up at least a few more seats in Pennsylvania….

keep reading at Philadelphia Inquirer

The Avengers

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Our Chrissy Houlahan

 

Politics nation

A Year Ago, They Marched. Now a Record Number of Women Are Running for Office

Erin Zwiener returned to Texas to settle down. At 32, she had published a children’s book, won Jeopardy! three times and ridden roughly 1,400 miles from the Mexico border up the Continental Divide on a mule. In 2016, she moved with her husband to a small house in a rural enclave southwest of Austin with simpler plans: write another book, tend her horses, paint her new home blue.One day last February, she changed those plans. Zwiener was surfing Facebook after finalizing color samples for her living room–sea foam, navy, cornflower–when she saw a picture of her state representative, Jason Isaac, smiling at a local chamber of commerce gala. “Glad you’re having a good time,” she commented. “What’s your position on SB4?” After a tense back-and-forth about the Lone Star State’s controversial immigration law, Isaac accused her of “trolling” and blocked her. That’s when she decided to run for his seat. Zwiener never got around to painting her living room. She’s trying to turn her Texas district blue instead.
Continue reading →

Yes, Virginia, there is a US Congress but…

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by Nathaniel Smith, Politics: A View from West Chester, December 25, 2017

Dear Virginia and friends,

It has come to our attention that you may be wondering if there is a United States Congress.

“Why,” some of you are asking, “Should we believe in you when you don’t bring us any presents or do anything nice for us any more?”

Some of you are wondering if we really exist when children just like you go hungry at night, fall sick and can’t see a doctor, aren’t getting the education they need, and are being shot in malls and movie theaters.

Please, dear Children, be patient. Some day, you will understand how difficult it is to change anything in the business we work in….

read more at Politics: A View from West Chester

Dianne Herrin elected mayor of West Chester

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By Bill Rettew Jr., Daily Local News, 11/07/17

WEST CHESTER >> Energy efficiency consultant Dianne Herrin overwhelmingly defeated Realtor Tommy Ciccarone Jr. in Tuesday’s election and will become the borough’s next mayor.

With all but one precinct counted, Herrin, a Democrat, collected 1,863 votes, or 72 percent of the vote, while Republican Ciccarone finished with a tally of 700 votes for 27 percent.

All vote totals are unofficial until certified by the county board of elections.

Herrin will take over the reins from Mayor Jordan Norley, who decided not to run….

read more at Daily Local News

Three competing for West Chester mayor

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By Bill Rettew, Daily Local News, 5/11/17

WEST CHESTER >> Three mayoral candidates are listed on the May 16 primary election ballot.

All are Democrats. No Republican has announced a run. A Republican could still establish a write-in campaign prior to the November election.

Dianne Herrin, Kyle Hudson and Cassandra Jones all hope to replace Jordan Norley, who was recently tapped by council to serve the remaining eight months of Carolyn Comitta’s term. Norley is not seeking the nod from voters.

All three candidates have strong ties to the borough. The mayor does not vote, but has veto power. A major mayoral task is overseeing the police department….

read more at Daily Local News

Rally for Affordable Care Act, West Chester, 2/11/17

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Patient Protection and Affordable Care ActAround 100 people gathered at the Court House Saturday Feb. 11 to demand retention of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Speakers eloquently detailed how ACA has impacted their own lives, often making the difference between wellness and sickness or death, and the disastrous that repeal of the ACA would bring for millions of Americans.

aca-rally-wc-21117

crowd-aca-rally-wc-21117
Photos thanks to Cindy Chapman

Solidarity at Noon

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by JPOdenthal, Northern Chesco Dems, 1/21/17

West Chester 21Jan17 Noon. Rally called by Chester County Democratic Committee to show solidarity in the face of the GOP carnage to come.

solidarity-at-noon-odenthal

An estimated 200 citizens assembled at steps of courthouse for about an hour. As at any gathering of Democrats the people were diverse, colorful, and stoically cheerful.
Drive by supporters honked hundreds of times. Smiles and thumbs up were even more frequent. Of course a few registered their opposition. Revving engines must be a thing. At least one sputtered a string of the usual unimaginative 4-letter expletives.

read more at Northern Chesco Dems

Thanks for Deciding & Voting!

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A Better Direction for WCASD, 5/14/15

De·cid·ing adj. – Determining or able to determine an outcome

On Tuesday, May 19, 2015, to the polling places will go civic-minded West Chester Area School District residents. It is an off-year election, mostly consisting of county and township level contests – row officers, judges, supervisors and school board.

Although it is an off-year election, know that Primary Election Day, Tuesday, May 19, 2015, directly impacts your quality of life. These races are about your county, school district and township taxes, your property value, the environment, and the strength of your community.

Every school board election brings change to a school district. The Better Direction candidates want to continue to build upon our district’s successes. West Chester ranks in the top 1% of school districts in Pennsylvania according to PA School Performance Profile and has been named to the Annual AP District Honor Roll by the College Board five years running. All three high schools are ranked in the top 100 high schools in PA and the top 500 high schools nationwide. WCASD maintains the lowest school property millage rate in the county. Voting on May 19, 2015 for the Better Direction for West Chester school board candidates is a powerful way to support student success and strengthen our community and property values.

Voting is your chance to stand up for the issues you believe in; do not skip it.

Region 1: Kate Shaw and Sue Tiernan
Region 2: Samantha Bloom and Matt Morley
Region 3: Gary J. Bevilacqua

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