WHAT’S AT STAKE
Who’s running for what in battle for Delco courthouse
As campaign fliers start to flow into Delaware County households, commercials are aired on television and organizations pronounce their endorsements, the Delaware County election cycle is in full gear, including critical questions being brought up from Republicans and Democrats as to who is more fit for office.
On Nov. 7, one of the items county residents will choose at the polls are a host of county offices.
For County Council, Republicans John Perfetti and incumbent Dave White will face Democrats Kevin Madden and Brian Zidek. For sheriff, Democrat Jerry Sanders will face GOP incumbent Mary McFall Hopper.
Republican Jack Whelan and Democrat Kelly Eckel are vying for the Court of Common Pleas seat while Democrat Joanne Phillips and Republican Robert Kane are in a contest for county controller.
Republican Beth NaughtonBeck will face Democrat Mary Walk for Register of Wills.
Republicans are looking to continue their dominance in the county courthouse. A Democrat has not been elected to County Council since the Home Rule Charter was amended back in the mid-’70s.
While Democrats now actually enjoy a slight voter registration edge in the county and have been successful in some state and national races, they have been unable to dent the GOP’s base of power in the courthouse.
Back in the spring for the primary, the voter rolls in Delaware County showed 391,438 voters registered in the county. Of those, 178,558 were Democrats and 164,208 Republican. The rest are a myriad of minor parties, while 10,311 are registered non-partisan and another 25,718 have identified as “no affiliation.”
In November, 407,921 voters were registered in Delaware County, with 186,599 being Democrat and 170,720 Republican.
One of the premier kick-off events to any election season is an endorsement. And, this year, the Delaware County AFL-CIO veered from tradition by endorsing its first Democrat in 40 years, Kevin Madden, who caused some commotion with his acceptance Sept. 22.
“This endorsement on a very personal level, it’s one of the great honors of my life,” he said. “I know that I stand here today because of the right to work, I should say the right to organize ...”
That was met with a surge of uncomfortable laughter and heightened conversations before he continued his speech at the Harrah’s Philadelphia facility, But the comment wasn’t missed by his competitors.
On Thursday, while accepting the United Aerospace Workers Local 1069 endorsement, Perfetti said, “We are all Delaware Countians. We understand your problems, we understand your issues and we are against the Right to Work.”
The Right to Work is a term involving the idea of a closed shop, where employees are obliged to join a union for specific jobs. Right to Work is against that, saying that individuals should have the right to determine whether or not to join a union. Right to Work opponents say the idea is backed by corporate interests and impede on the right to association.
That was elaborated by Frank Snyder, secretary/treasurer of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO at the Harrah’s event, when he closed
the event, saying, “Kevin, everybody has the right to work, right? But not everybody has the right to retirement security to health care to a living wage to benefits ... to a voice at work unless, unless you belong to a union.”
In addition, Madden received support from the United Steelworkers Union.
“It is about actions not words and Kevin Madden spent nearly a decade at KPS Capital Partners, working alongside our union leadership to save jobs and strengthen union pensions invested with KPS,” said Tom Conway, Vice President of the USW International Union, said. “He has earned our support and working people need a council that is committed to building the jobs of the future in Delco.”
Republicans, however, charge Madden has not quite been labor’s ally, saying he’s lived in a New York penthouse making millions for “‘a vulture firm’ that took taxpayer money to help finance their acquisitions of struggling companies,” a release issued by GOP spokesman Pete Peterson read. “Madden’s company then proceeded to cut benefits, salaries, lay off workers and eliminate pensions for retirees. Those employees did not deserve what Kevin Madden did to them and Delaware County residents do not deserve what Madden will do to them if he is elected.”
Peterson’s statement also accused Zidek of “striking back room deals to evade property taxes on his new, multi-million dollar corporate headquarters” and in running a business in Bermuda, a move that the GOP said allows companies to avoid paying a fair share of their taxes.
In their own 31-second ad called “Back room Deals,” the Democrats make accusations about their opponents, alleging Dave White’s firm has received millions in contracts from the county and municipalities, and that Perfetti pocketed millions in pay and pensions.
“We are demanding that Dave White reveal how much his company has been paid for government contracts either directly or as a subcontractor,” Zidek said. “Whether it is from the county, a municipality, or a school board, Delco taxpayers deserve to know just how much a sitting politician’s company has been paid using their tax dollars.”
White has vehemently denied the charge, and says his firm has not done any business with the county since he joined council in 2012.
“It is unbelievably hard for the average taxpayer to figure out how tax dollars are being spent in this county,” Zidek charged. “There are no measures in place to prevent politicians from lining their pockets or to shine a light on those who do so. That must change. That’s why transparency measures sufficient to expose this kind of self-dealing should be put into place.”
The Democrats pointed out White and his company received substantial subcontracting work through another firm, CM3, for the William Penn and Garnet Valley school districts – and that individuals associated with CM3 have donated at least $62,000 to his campaign since 2012.
“Dave White admitted that his company receives contracts and/or subcontracts from government entities that also receive funding that Dave White votes on as a member of County Council,” Democrat campaign manager Joel Coon said. “It is clearly inappropriate for someone with White’s influence on funding for local municipalities, school boards and projects in and around them to be lining his pockets with their government contracts or subcontracts.”
The GOP acknowledged White and his business have done work in some local school districts and municipalities, among the firm’s other work in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
“The reality is that Delaware County Council has zero say in what contracts are approved by local school boards and municipal government,” Peterson said. “These baseless accusations amount to Zidek and Madden calling hundreds of Democratic and Republican officials who were elected by voters and every government employee who reviews and recommends proposals and bids corrupt.
“Madden and Zidek’s ignorance of how county, municipal and school district governments operate shows how unqualified they are,” he continued. “Their embarrassing ignorance does not give them the right to tear down the reputation of a man like Dave White and the other elected officials they have smeared.”
In addition, he said Perfetti has a 33-year career as a district judge, which is where the salary and retirement benefits figure add up.
Peterson also said members of the Democrats’ campaign team are based in Washington, D.C., and in Texas.
“For the Democrats, this campaign really isn’t about County Council and the job it is doing,” he said. “To the national Democrats funding and working this race, it’s all about a national agenda and next year’s elections – they could care less about the local issues that affect Delaware County residents.”
And, the banter continues for the next following weeks.
While Democrats now actually enjoy a slight voter registration edge in the county and have been successful in some state and national races, they have been unable to dent the GOP’s base of power in the courthouse.