May 21, 2002 5 min read

Common Election Day musing is that if the weather is wet and cold it doesn’t matter how hot the political contests, voters will stay home. With an unseasonably snappy May that is expected to continue into today, turnout at the polls might be less than what candidates had hoped.

Registered voters have an opportunity to prove the rainy day theory wrong. And there is every reason to venture out and do so.

Fayette County’s Democrats have a chance to weigh in heavily on picking their party’s gubernatorial candidate. In order to win, Auditor General Bob Casey Jr. must have heavy support in southwestern Pennsylvania. Without it, Ed Rendell, Philadelphia’s former mayor, would most likely come out ahead in a very tight race.

Equally important is the 12th Congressional District race between two incumbents Frank Mascara and John Murtha. Redistricting has pitted the men against each other. Murtha is the heavy favorite, but Mascara has a chance if his supporters rally.

Area voters will also be deciding a couple state legislative races.

The Herald-Standard Editorial Board has made endorsements in these races. We are by no means telling voters which lever to pull but are simply passing along recommendation for the candidates we believe will best serve the public’s, rather than their own, interests.

– Governor: Both Casey and Rendell adhere to the Democratic Party principles. They aren’t far apart in their visions for Pennsylvania, although they espouse different ways of getting the commonwealth there. However, on the single-most important issue for our area’s future, that of completing the Mon-Fayette Expressway, Casey stands out as the clear winner. Casey’s father the late former Gov. Robert P. Casey, immediately on taking office, renewed hope that the Mon Fayette would be built. He worked tirelessly through his two terms in office to get the project moving, with construction started on two legs and momentum building on the other sections. Casey Jr. says he is “100 percent committed” to completing this project. That alone, earns him our support.

– 12th Congressional District: Mascara and Murtha have both served their constituents well. Regardless of who wins this contest, district residents will be the losers in that only one of the seasoned congressmen will represent them. Both can point to jobs they created, projects that they steered funding toward and veterans and ill people they have helped during their tenure. With a district that stretches over nine counties (Fayette, Greene, Washington, Westmoreland, Allegheny, Indiana, Somerset and Cambria) there will be many more squeaky wheels wanting greased than either man has had to attend before. Mascara, who lives in Charleroi, is much closer to the problems unique to southwestern Pennsylvania, while Murtha, of Johnstown, leans toward central Pennsylvania. Again, Mascara has been a dedicated and strong proponent of the expressway, and if returned to Washington, D.C., will be the ranking Pennsylvania Democrat on the transportation committee, that will decide funding for the project. For these reasons we favor Mascara.

– 50th Legislative District: Frequent readers of this page know that the newspaper has been very disappointed in Rep. H. William DeWeese’s representation of his district. As House Minority leader DeWeese has appeared more interested in his political career and courting other House Democrats than he has in bettering his district, which remains stymied in poverty, poor schools and a declining tax base. We could not recommend his nomination. Two men – Rev. Robert Spence and Lonnie Miller – are challenging DeWeese. Until recently Miller was a registered Republican, and therefore, does not truly represent the ideals of the Democratic Party. Spence, on the other hand, is politically astute, has a grasp of issues important to residents of Fayette, Greene and Washington counties and has a long history of public service. He has served on the Brownsville Area School Board so he understands the difficulty that schools are facing both in raising student achievement and lowering the tax burden on their parents and grandparents. Most importantly, Spence will work for the district, not solely the party.

– 51st Legislative District: Again, regular readers know that this newspaper is no big fan of Rep. Larry Roberts, in fact we still have a lawsuit pending against him, in order to review what should be considered public records. Even setting that aside for a moment, we might ask what has Roberts done for his district? He has failed to reform property taxes as he has pledged to do each time he asks to be returned to office. Instead he has meddled into county tax issues, of which he should not play a role. This is typical as to how he handles most issues. Ignore or introduce radical bills that have no chance of advancing and then attempt to capitalize with publicity on routine grant announcements. It’s time for a change. It’s true that we don’t know much about his challenger Terry Janosek. We do know that he is a lifelong resident of the county, has worked for Invensys Metering Systems for 25 years and has experience in mediation as he has served for the past three years as president of the Fayette Labor Council. Perhaps it is time to get to know Janosek better.