PSoTD

PCNBlog wants to know: What Pennsylvanian(s) would you like to see on PCN's Call-In Show sometime in the future?

For the Dover School District, it was over $1 million dollars.

Nice going. That's more than 4% of the Instruction Budget for the district for this year.

Interesting story going on in North Lebanon:

A group of residents pressed the North Lebanon board of supervisors last night to not allow a cellular-phone tower to be built at the township building.

Several months ago, Omnipoint, the telecommunications company that services T-Mobile users, proposed a lease agreement that would pay the township $1,200 a month if the tower is built on land along Kimmerlings Road.

Before the tower can be built, however, Omnipoint needs a zoning variance because township ordinances do not allow structures taller than 35 feet.

The supervisors told the group last night that it cannot make a decision on the proposal until the township zoning-hearing board submits its written position to grant the variance.

Citing environmental concerns, residents have begged township officials the past few months to stop the proceedings.

The supervisors are interested in the proposal because of the revenue it will generate for the township. To balance the 2006 budget, the township raised the real-estate tax by 1 mill. The supervisors have said the revenue from the tower would help offset rising costs.

The supervisors maintain that before any decisions are made, they must consider the position of all 11,000 residents of the township and not just the handful that speaks out against the agreement at the board’s public meetings.

It seems to me that the standards for zoning changes should be the same for both private and public land owners. Generating revenue for the township shouldn't be seen any differently than generating revenue for a private enterprise when the standard of the determination is land use - i.e., zoning. Can township buildings have casinos because it will help their coffers? Nude dancing? The revenue for the township should NOT come into play in a discussion about zoning.

I'll be honest. I haven't decided whether I want to vote for Chuck Pennacchio in the Democratic Party Primary for United States Senator in Pennsylvania yet.

But Pennsylvania Democrats deserve a choice if there are candidates willing to give them that choice. Anyone that has lived in Pennsylvania for a while knows the Caseys, and knows what Bob, Jr., brings to the table. In some areas it is impressive. In some areas it is downright depressing. It is not stirling enough, nor hopeful enough, to earn him a walkover in the primary election. The Pennsylvania Democratic Party did voters a huge disservice by trying to give Casey a freebie primary. Fortunately, they have not completely succeeded.

Support choice in the primary. Tell a friend about Chuck Pennacchio's campaign for U.S. Senator in Pennsylvania.

From PennLive:

State upgrades warning steps for water emergencies
The state is changing the way it notifies the public of drinking water emergencies. Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty unveiled the plan today at the Cornerstone Coffeehouse in Camp Hill.

Water companies must adopt new procedures to notify their customers when there is a threat to drinking water supplies. Customers will be able to chose whether they want to be notified by telephone, e-mail, beeper or another method that works for them.

They also must work with local emergency management agencies, police departments and fire companies who will make door-to-door visits and bullhorn announcements of the emergency. Announcements also are to go out immediately through the news media.

McGinty said that while new regulations are being drafted to require the new procedures, water companies are being asked to implement the procedures as soon as possible.

The new regulations are in response to a Dec. 10 incident in which about 34,000 homes and businesses on the West Shore received a "do not consume" order after a fluoride leak at Pennsylvania American Water's Yellow Breeches Water Treatment Plant. The advisory was lifted Dec. 11, but some municipal officials and residents complained that they didn't receive proper notification of the spill or the restrictions.

Russ Diamond and PA Cleansweep have made some foes that are fighting back with a web site. So far, I'd have to say that Uncleansweep is pretty damn weak, both on content and message.

As soon as he cleared out the Republican competition, Lynn Swann's poll numbers dropped.

Steve Karas is running for Pennsylvania State Representative as a Democrat in District 34. This is currently another Democrat's seat, Paul Costa, who apparently is also running.

Mr. Karas was good enough to answer questions about lobbyist reform. Here are his responses:

Question 1: What should be the goals of any lobbying laws or reform in Pennsylvania?

Karas: The goals of lobbying laws should be full disclosure: lobbyists should register (for a period of longer than one year, or every year), monitor and report their meetings, and eliminate any gift giving. PA should lead the country with these reforms, we have been followers too long. It has been reported that PA is last in diclosure laws. We should be first. Legislative members should : 1) not be allowed to vote if there is a conflict of interest with themselves or any relative, 2) should not be allowed to work for lobbying firms at any time after serving in elected or appointed positions (this should include immediate family), and 3) minutes of all lobbyists meetings should be kept by both parties and be available in public record. We should establish a maximum amount any lobbying group can spend. It is no coincidence that gambling lobbying costs have increased to four times what they have been in the past. Now PA legislatures are linked to Jack Abramoff contributors. This is Democracy for sale and the people of PA are worse off because of it. Those without healthcare and working at minimum wage jobs do not hire lobbyists.

Question 2: What entity or entities should be responsible for administering these laws?

Karas: If all records are public, groups such as citizens against government waste, project vote smart, and the league of women voters will more that likely monitor these records. These groups provide an invaluable service to active voters. Ethics committees have their place, remember that Tom Delay was "charged" by a bi-partisan ethics committee. Unfortunately, shorter afterward, the house speaker, Hassert (R), removed the chairman, Hefley (R), from his position as ethics chair. To avoid this, the ethics chair and co-chairs should be appointed and monitored by the leadership of both parties. In addition, a combination of outside observers and/or members of the judicial and executive branches should also be involved.

Question 3: Are there any other states that could or should serve as a model for lobbying regulation?

Karas: I would refer to the coalition of the following groups: public citizen, common cause, Democracy 21, Public Campaign, Campaign Legal Center, Us PIRG, and The League of Women Voters, who have "started the work" for us. The framework is there, but we need new legislaures who have the conviction to allow this change to happen and not just : "go along to get along" with the leaders who refuse to address this issue.

The coalition has a six point plan for reforms which include:

1. capping lobbying contributions
2. prohibit financing of trips
3. ban all gifts to legislature and staff
4. oversee and enforce ethics rules
5. prohibit legisaltues for two years form working with lobbying companies (I would make this a lifetime ban)
6. strengthen financial disclosure laws

Question 4: What kind of public reporting requirements should be required for lobbying? How much information should a citizen be able to find publicly about the activities of a lobbyist, and how should that information be made available?

Karas: 100% full disclosure of political contributions, meeting minutes, and costs. All of this information should be public and available within a given time (less than two weeks) and posted as a PDF file on the state capitol website and provided to the oversite board.

Question 5: Should lobbyists be required to pay, through registration fees, for all costs involved in providing such registration/regulation/public reporting?

Karas: Yes if the fee is a nominal filing fee, such as the fee candidates must pay. Increasing the fee will do nothing but limit access of groups that may be well-meaning , but not well funded.

Thank you for taking the time to discuss these issues. Candidates who do not have the strength of conviction to bring this information to the public lack the leadership skills to promote true change in the PA government.

Bill Scranton drops out of the Republican Pennsylvania gubernatorial primary. And the Pennsylvania Republicans opt for a celebrity candidacy with Lynn Swann.

Check out above average jane's interview with John Featherman, the other Republican candidate for U.S. Senator. Interesting reading.

The PCN Blog project seems to be coming along pretty well. The goal, of course, is not to build a blog that we'd manage permanently, but to build a blog with the kind of traffic and useability - on the cheap, mind you - that would entice the Pennsylvania Cable Network to build their own blog and try to provide commentability and tie it into programming.

Yesterday was a banner day for the PCN Blog - thanks to the Senator Jubelirer - Tim Potts skirmish at the PA Newspaper Association Government Affairs Conference (which was covered live by PCN), and subsequent link from Grassroots PA, there were 796 page views for the day on the blog by 6 PM on Wednesday.