Why ‘Johnny Doc’ supports Lazer for Congress
To the Times: Let’s get the fun out of the way first.
Yes, Charlie’s Hamburgers in Folsom has always been my favorite burger joint. For the record, Mayor Jim Kenney’s grandmom, Jean, managed the counter there for more than 30 years. When I’m feeling under the weather, I want a breakfast sandwich from Nifty Fifty’s on MacDade Boulevard. I still have a locker stall at the Tinicum Volunteer Fire Co. and one day may actually help. When I want a cold one, I’ll hit Stick’s or Haggerty’s. And although I never went to the Llanerch Diner for the bacon and eggs I often went for the politics.
Now for the serious stuff. There are many qualified candidates in the Democratic primary in the congested and competitive 5th Congressional District race. But there’s only one Rich Lazer.
I’ve known Rich most of my life. He’s only 32 years old, yet comes across as much older and wiser than his years because he’s always been a conscientious member of our shared middle-class community. He’s been immersed in progressive Democratic politics since he was a teenager. His sharp mind and tireless work ethic caught the attention stuff of then-City Councilman Jim Kenney, who first hired Rich as his director of constituent services. When Kenney was elected mayor in 2016, he appointed Rich as deputy mayor for labor. Rich did a fabulous job in that demanding role and helped eliminate a lot of red tape that impeded economic development. His efforts, in large part, helped lead the city to an unprecedented surge in new residential and commercial construction that continues to this day.
Over the years, Rich also has been deeply involved in every rally in the city for progressive Democratic causes — gun control, raising the minimum wage, worker’s rights, more funding for public education, women’s rights, gay rights, equal pay for equal work and many other important social issues.
After all the candidate forums, a couple of things are clear: Rich Lazer lives in the 5th District and he’s best prepared to take on the Trump administration. What we all should want is to send the best candidate to D.C., not the one with the right ZIP Code. The difference between Rich’s rowhome community and the neighborhoods of Folcroft, Upper Darby, Ridley and other towns amounts to an artificial boundary line that can only be seen on a map. All of us share the same middle-class values.
We all want quality education and safe schools for our kids; good paying jobs; affordable health care; and safe communities. Rich Lazer can make it happen. And Rich won’t change when he gets to Washington. He won’t forget his roots and he’ll never embarrass himself or us. He’s a genuinely nice and humble guy. He met his wife, Lindsey, while both were volunteering after school at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church. When he knocks on doors to ask people for their votes, they not only show interest in supporting him, they ask if he’s married because they want to introduce him to their daughter or granddaughter.
But don’t let that “AllAmerican Boy Next Door” image fool you. Rich can be tough when fighting for what’s right. He’s told me and other labor leaders “no” on many occasions In fact, when I ran for state Senate, Rich wasn’t for me because he’d already committed his support to another candidate. I didn’t like it, but I understood it. He’s a guy for whom the term “principle” still means something.
The winds of change are blowing. I felt that my friend and fellow labor leader John Kane’s 2014 Senate run opened the door for Democrats in Delco (I penned a proKane op-ed in this very paper as a counterpoint to its endorsement of Tom McGarrigle). As a result of the recently redrawn 5th Congressional District, we’ve added many more IBEW Local 98 households, including the McGees, the Farrows and hundreds more.
The district is vital to our regional economy. Boeing, Harrah’s casino, Monroe Energy, SAP, the Navy Yard, Port of Philadelphia, Philadelphia International Airport, Marcus Hook, Kinder-Morgan and other major economic drivers are in the district. We need to elect someone with real experience to maximize these and other resources. Someone like Rich Lazer who’s had success already. If it wasn’t for Rich, there’d be no contracts for the Fraternal Order of Police, the firefighters, SEIU or the American Federation of Teachers.
Rich Lazer will be an effective and honorable congressman. At just 32 years of age, he can have a long career in our nation’s Capitol and be in a leadership position for years.
When it comes to candidates, I’ve seen them all. Only a few times in my life have I felt this strongly about the importance of a race and the ideal candidate. The last such race was for the three state Supreme Court seats and the clean sweep by the three terrific Democratic judges. Rich Lazer is also that special. I hope you’ll join me in voting for Rich Lazer for Congress on Tuesday, May 15.
Over the years, Rich also has been deeply involved in every rally in the city for progressive Democratic causes — gun control, raising the minimum wage, worker’s rights, more funding for public education, women’s rights, gay rights, equal pay for equal work and many other important social issues.
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