Sen. Jane Orie's shameful mailing

I thought I would take a moment to share the hypocrisy of one of our State's leaders. Sen. Jane Orie is under indictment on multiple charges of corruption. Even with her upcoming trial hanging over her head, she has the guts to put on a mail piece that she is cleaning up Harrisburg. Is she speaking of the same Harrisburg that I know? A Harrisburg that includes her Republican buddy Tom Corbett ignoring the call from the intern that reported her misuse of taxpayer staff and resources for her sister's Supreme Court campaign? I would only believe the first line of this mailer if she was wearing a janitor's outfit and had a broom in her hand.

I also want to know what she means by 'fighting for us.' I don't believe that 'us' includes me. I believe 'us' only includes those with a name that starts with a J and includes an Orie somewhere.

Today her opponent, Ross Twp. Commissioner Dan Demarco, announced that he is leading her in polls. I hope that the voters see the past Sen. Orie's misleading mailers and think twice before sending her back to Harrisburg.

North Pittsburgh campaigns - State Senate

Does Dan Demarco have a chance at beating Jane Orie?

We all know about the Orie indictment, but will she follow other State legislators that have been re-elected under indictment like Bill DeWeese (D – Greene County) and John Perzel (R-Philadelphia)? The Dan Demarco campaign came on strong to win the write-in nomination on the Democratic side, but I haven’t heard much since. State Senate districts are way bigger than many realize and the Orie’s will bankroll a decent campaign I’m sure to hold onto their power.

Luckily Jane Orie’s trial got pushed back to November. She has always been popular in the North Hills and has crushed quite a few Democrats through the years. I hope the State Democrats and the local Democrats will do what they can to make this a real race, but the lack of news coverage makes me think that Orie has this one in the bag.

Let the political ads begin

I have to say I enjoy political ads during the news this time of year. The positive ads are 60% spin and the negative ads are 75% scare tactics. I have seen mostly positive ads, except for some negative ads in the Special Election to fill Murtha's Congressional seat.

The great invention of the Internet (Thanks Al Gore! Even if the joke is based on a misinterpretation) allows candidates to post their ads on their websites and YouTube. While I question how much posting a commercial on YouTube helps reach undecided voters, it sure is fun for political geeks like me.

My favorite negative ad I've seen this year is by Keith Rothfus who is running in the Republican Primary against my favorite former US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan for Congress. While I don't agree with most of Keith Rothfus's platform, I do believe he is the better candidate for the Republican Primary. Sadly, his campaign has barely been mentioned thanks to Mary Beth Buchanan's superior name recognition.

Mr. Rothfus, you have my vote for best negative ad of this year's Primary season so far:

Pine-Richland School Board is out of control

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported today that the Pine-Richland School Board voted for a $41.7 million cap on expansion project. Does Pine-Richland really need this project?

The Pine-Richland School Board’s spending is already out of control.
The school board claimed it had no intention of raising taxes, but they voted for a proposed budget with a tax increase. Now they have voted for a cap that they have no intention of using. Why do they need to fudge numbers if they have no intention of using reaching the cap ?

"There is no one up here who has any intention of spending that amount of money," Director Kevin Nigh said.

I applaud School Board Vice President Richard Herko for his comments:

Vice President Richard Herko cast the lone dissenting vote. He said he realized the number was "imaginary," in that the board has no intention of spending that amount for construction, "but it feels like a real one."

Buchanan campaign chief quits in Orie furor

The congressional campaign manager for Mary Beth Buchanan -- a man named Kurt Acker who was formerly a staffer for state Sen. Jane Orie, R-McCandless -- resigned yesterday in the wake of the fraud charges filed against his former boss.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10100/1049364-454.stm

Beaver County Times: Beaver County man named in Orie indictment

Republican 4th Congressional District candidate Mary Beth Buchanan’s campaign manager, a Beaver County resident, did political work on legislative time while working for indicted state Sen. Jane Orie, according to testimony in Orie’s indictment. Read more at:

Beaver County Times: Beaver County man named in Orie indictment

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2 Political Junkies: Bravo Debuts "The Real Political Dynasties of Southwestern PA"

2 Political Junkies: Bravo Debuts "The Real Political Dynasties of Southwestern PA"