General Election 2013 Reflections

I was inclined to vote for Attorney Victor Stabile for Superior Court until he began a smear campaign against his opponent, Democrat Jack McVay. To my knowledge, McVay did not respond in kind. The hateful and insulting tenor of the Stabile ad was one which is not consistent with what one would expect of an individual that aspires to such a lofty position.  Stabile won, the message being that negative campaigning works, even when one is running for a judicial position.  This campaign will surely not be one on which Judge-Elect Stabile will reflect with pride;

I voted for Sue Means for County Council in spite of the endorsement of her by State Representative John Maher, an individual that consistently votes against the public interest (FOR the infamous legislative pay garb, FOR a 50% boost in his pension, AGAINST The Clean Indoor Act, which finally swept smoking away from most public places).  I believe Ms Means will be a legitimate fiscal conservative who will look out for the public.

The fact that all judges on the ballot for retention won would indicate that the public is satisfied with the level of justice currently dispensed in the Commonwealth: no capital punishment, probation or home confinement for serious crimes, and getting killers back onto the streets as soon as possible so that they may commit more mayhem;

The retention of Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald Castille is puzzling.  He may serve only one year of the ten-year term before being forced to retire at the age of 70; he is closely linked to a dirty deal with the General Assembly to increase legislative and judicial salaries in a middle of the night scheme in July 2005; he has stated that Justices may accept gifts from those that come before the Court.  What further evidence could there of Castille’s unsuitability for office than the fact that he was endorsed by two disreputable spendthrift governors, Rendell and Ridge?

An individual that would run with the pervasive slogan of “Jen4Judge” is someone that takes the judiciary lightly and does not have the dignity to serve.  One can only hope that “Judge Jen” will develop a level of maturity and an appreciation for the weighty responsibility she will undertake next year;

A better day for Pittsburgh is in the offing with the election of Bill Peduto as mayor.  The victor is a bright, talented, educated, articulate individual with a passion for his city.  He will offer a refreshing break from the era in which an immature, deceitful unsuitable individual held the position and presided over an administration which ends its long tenure mired in scandal.

It is fortunate that the Republicans gained one seat on County Council, but that is not enough to fend off a massive Democratic majority, which in the new Council, will be a whopping 10-5.  Such a margin is not reflective of the makeup or ideology of the county.  I am pleased to learn that Council Member-Elect, Attorney Ed Kress, plans to use Council Member Heather Heidelbaugh as a model of how to govern.  She is a friend to the taxpayer unlike most that serve on this body.

It was awfully nice of joke Republican mayoral “candidate” Josh Wander to return from Israel in time to be present for Election Day.  He had insulted area Republicans through his unserious bid which even he acknowledges was simply to give voters a choice: a choice of what? He should run for a seat in the Knesset;

I was disappointed to see that New York City residents elected as mayor a man that will take the city far to the left, imposing a further tax burden on upper income residents and eliminating or slowing to a crawl the successful "Stop and Frisk" Program, which is credited with bringing about an enormous reduction in violent crime.