The LuLac Edition #1815, October 30th, 2011

Political Endorsements, an American tradition.

LEIGHTON ENDORSED

The Times Leader endorsed Mayor Tom Leighton for a third term. The Leader touted his revitalization of the downtown as well as his command of the issues regarding city government. In a nutshell, this is what the newspaper said:
“Regrettably, the recent accusations hurled at Leighton, some unwarranted, could detract from the fact that he is far and away the most qualified – indeed, the only qualified – candidate in this race. His two opponents seem well-intentioned but lack basic understandings of how, for instance, state government mandates and union contracts can dictate city operations. Consequently, their campaign proposals tend to be unrealistic.”

MUSTO CARROLL GETS NOD

Incumbent DA Jackie Musto Carroll received the endorsement of the Times Leader. Musto Carroll has been under severe attack by the Republicans for her supposed lack f action in the Kids for Cash scandal. The GOP tried to say Musto Carroll wasn’t doing her job and took one tiny component of her tenure and blew it all out of sensible proportion. The bottom line is this: U.S. Attorney Peter Smith would not have her standing next to him at a Press Conference when the scandals were being discussed. The Times Leader very nicely put to rest the notion that Musto Carroll did not care about kids with this following narrative on their endorsement.
“Musto Carroll oversaw reforms in the wake of the “kids-for-cash scandal,” for which even former critics have commended her, she said. The office appointed two assistant district attorneys for specialty training and agreed to vacate thousands of juvenile cases. The county also established Youth Aid Panels – a diversionary program intended to keep certain misbehaving youths out of the courtroom but hold them accountable for criminal acts.
During Musto Carroll’s term, the office also tallied these accomplishments: Opened a Child Advocacy Center in Wilkes-Barre, for cases involving children who allegedly have been physically or sexually abused; established special units within the office to address cases involving, for instance, elder abuse and domestic violence; and established a “precious metals database” to help stop the sale of stolen goods at pawn shops.
Musto Carroll also has been responsive to calls for cost-cutting and fiscal responsibility. In search of new revenue sources to support the office’s work, she has collaborated with the county’s grant writer as well as implemented fees for people who complete the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program and the Bad Check Program.”
Similarly the Citizen’s Voice in their endorsement of Musto Carroll seemed to echo the same sentiments. The Voice said Musto Carroll made her case and reiterated what I have been saying all along that the two disgraced Judges fooled and intimidated just about everyone in even minor opposition to them. Politicos in the know told me that Conahan was still settling scores from the early 1990s when he was in his last year as a sitting Judge. The Voice, like the Leader commended Salavantis for a rough and tumble campaign. But made the point that Musto Carroll would be a better choice.
“Salavantis mounted a write-in campaign for the GOP nod, saying she could not allow Musto Carroll to cruise to re-election without addressing the actions, or inaction, of her office while two county judges conspired to reap kickbacks for jailing juveniles in for-profit detention centers.
We believe Musto Carroll has adequately made her case in that regard.
While the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice concluded that Musto Carroll, as first assistant district attorney in 2004-2007 "demonstrated no initiative, interest or concern with what was occurring in juvenile court," it also concluded she took affirmative steps to fix the system after the scandal broke on her watch in 2009.
If Musto Carroll failed to connect the dots that linked disgraced juvenile court judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr.'s "zero tolerance" policies to the millions in secret kickbacks he and former judge Michael T. Conahan received, she had a lot of company at the courthouse.
It is telling that federal prosecutors, when announcing their racketeering prosecution of Conahan and Ciavarella, invited Musto Carroll to the press conference and thanked her for her office's cooperation.
Musto Carroll's role in clearing the records of thousands of juveniles sentenced by Ciavarella, while ensuring that victims in those cases were awarded proper restitution, won similar praise from Berks County Senior Judge Arthur E. Grim, who was appointed by the state Supreme Court to review those cases.”

JUDICIAL ENDORSEMENT

The Times Leader endorsed 6 out of 7 candidates running for Judge. The big news is who they did not endorse. The paper’s editorial board left off dual nomination winner Attorney Lesa Gelb. Gelb has been a constant presence on the campaign trail. She has been relentless in attending events, meetings And every public venue available to her. Newspaper endorsements are nice to have but they by no means insure an election. The political landscape is strewn with the newsprint of endorsements of candidates that went down to defeat by a much ;larger entity than an editorial board, the voters. Anyway, the newspaper endorsed Molly Hanlon Mirabito, Jennifer Rogers, Richard Hughes, Michael Vough, Fred Pierantoni and Joseph Sklarosky. The paper said, “Our endorsement board decided on these six, not only because of their legal expertise, but also because of their comportment and communication skills. Those characteristics, we think, will translate into an ability to control a courtroom, while also maintaining respect for its varied occupants: plaintiffs, defendants, witnesses, lawyers and jurors. In turn, that conveys fairness – the bedrock of the justice system.”

LULAC POLL RESULTS

The LuLac poll results will be released on Tuesday, one week before Election Day.