Taking McGarrigle to task in support of Kearney
I chuckled at state Sen. Tom McGarrigle’s mailer labeling his Democratic opponent in the 26th District, Tim Kearney, a radical liberal tax and spend Democrat. Delco Republicans dust off the same tired attack campaign rhetoric with every single election for school board and on up since spreading faux hysteria and voicing false narratives and fake facts are their stock-in-trade. How pathetic to think they ply their art of deception and deflection as the best arrow they have in their quiver.
Mr. McGarrigle is filling up voter mailboxes with grossly false and misleading messages, paying for them with big money flowing into his campaign and hoping against all hope that some mud, any of it, sticks as he wages a desperate bid for re-election. But enough with the dog-whistle insults already by insinuating that Mr. Kearney can’t be trusted to serve the public responsibly in Harrisburg because he lives in Swarthmore. Swarthmore is where Tim built a solid record of achievement as chairman of the borough planning council for seven years, a secondterm citizen mayor, and a small-business owner with his wife.
Here are some real facts worth considering. Mr. McGarrigle’s folksy current “Citizen Turned Senator” TV ad features him hanging around his Phillips 66 service station. But drive by today, and you’ll see Tom is the proud owner of a Sunoco station. Yes, Sunoco – the very same reckless company that’s putting lives and property in Delaware County at risk with its ill-conceived and dangerous Mariner East pipelines. It begs the inconvenient question of whether Sen. McGarrigle always faithfully represents constituents or if he sometimes veers off into putting his mouth where Sunoco’s/Energy Transfer Partners’ dirty money is. You can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep, or more to the point, by the company that keeps them and their support in a back pocket.
With all the homespun charm of Sheriff Andy Taylor from the idyllic TV town of Mayberry, Citizen Tom emotes in the ad that “when I saw government serving itself and not us, I knew we needed a change. That’s why I’m putting our community first.” Truer words were never spoken, but ring hollow when uttered by him. It appears by cozying up to Sunoco with its well documented track record of putting communities last, he succeeded in getting his personal interests served first just fine. Is putting the community first what he had in mind when he accepted $11,000 in campaign contributions from Sunoco or gifted a prime P.R. opportunity when he recently presented a humanitarian award to a company with the worst safety record against people in
the pipeline industry? The optics here are horrible, and evidence of real substance and integrity is sorely lacking.
Plain speaking Tom is 100 percent correct when he talks about the need for change in Pennsylvania’s 26th Senatorial District. Tim Kearney is the perfect architect for designing needed reform by keeping a laser focus where it counts most with people. As an effective state senator, Tim will be a strong advocate for prudent budgets reflecting community rather than special interests and values; adequate and fair funding for public schools so all children can earn a highquality education; people actually getting good health care that’s affordable; protecting the environment to safeguard public health and promote tourism; equal pay for women and family-sustaining jobs for everyone; LGBTQ and worker rights;
and sensible gun safety measures to help keep people safe while respecting and preserving Second Amendment rights. Why I bet even Aunt Bee, Sheriff Andy, and even son, Opie, would agree if they were around.
In short, Mr.Kearney is a shining example of what’s right about responsible public service and good government while Mr. McGarrigle represents some of what’s broken. I respect and admire Mr. Kearney’s authenticity and good character and only wish he were in my district so I could vote for him instead of having to be content with offering an unqualified vote of support. I don’t suffer McGarrigle’s hypocrisy very well or in silence especially when it’s hidden in plain sight.
Jim Coyne is a resident of Middletown.