Primary election next Tuesday

By KATIE WORRALL and MICHAEL J. MISHAK

The Primary election ballot for Tuesday, April 27 includes Democratic and Republican nominees for president, delegates to both parties' national conventions, nominees for attorney general, auditor general, U.S. House of Representatives and the state General Assembly as well as one ballot question. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

In local races, one of the most contested is the bid for state representative of the 198th District. The Democratic primary pits Marc Stier, former president of West Mt. Airy Neighbors, and Latrice Y. Bryant, former office manager for Councilman-at-Large Wilson Goode Jr., against incumbent Rosita Youngblood.

Stier survived a protracted petition challenge from Youngblood last week while watching rival candidates Lamont Thomas and Curtis Alton McAllister withdraw from the race. Candidate Latrice Bryant remains on the ballot as a result of an appeal to the Supreme Court.

Stier, a first-time candidate, also claimed victory last week when a federal court judge granted a temporary injunction to a group seeking to prevent the enforcement of a city law that bans political posters on utility poles and other public fixtures. Stier had testified on behalf of the ACLU as a political candidate and former president of WMAN.

Stier says he has been gaining support throughout the legislative district, which encompasses parts of Chestnut Hill, West Mt. Airy, Germantown, East Falls, Nicetown and Tioga. According to his campaign, Stier claims the endorsement of nearly half the committeepersons in the 13th Ward where the five-term incumbent is ward leader.

The core theme from challengers in the 198th race has been a need for change, especially in light of the 2000 redistricting, which considerably shifted the district's boundaries.

Responding to claims of inefficiency and absence, Youngblood sees herself as an independent voter who has had to cope with fiscal fallout since the state's Democratic Leadership cut her staff funding in 2002. Though constituents have often found her Germantown office shuttered, Youngblood contends that she was elected to legislate in Harrisburg, and occupies her district office when not in the state capitol.

The incumbent touts her kinship care bill — passed into law last fall, along with legislative initiatives that address forensic rape, domestic violence and consumer protection as evidence of accomplishment.

"I've never been a follower," Youngblood said in a recent interview. "I'm a fighter. I love a challenge."

Stier will spend the remaining days of the campaign going door-to-door. "The response has been incredible," said Stier, who claims he's lost 12 pounds since he declared his candidacy in January. "When you go door-to-door people are impressed. They've never seen this."

Stier is the 9th Ward's endorsed candidate for the 198th District seat. There are no candidates for the Republican nomination in this race.

 

Le Anna Washington, the incumbent state representative in 199th District, which includes much of Chestnut Hill, will not face a challenge in either the primary or general election.

President

Names on the Democratic ballot for president are Howard Dean, John Edwards, John F. Kerry, Dennis J. Kucinich, and Lyndon Larouche Jr. George W. Bush is running unopposed for the Republican nomination.

U.S. Senate

In the race for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate race, incumbent Arlen Specter is being challenged by U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey. The Democratic nominee, Joe Hoeffel, is not facing a challenge in the primary.

State Attorney General

The primary races for attorney general are contested on both sides of the electoral map. Democratic candidates are David Barasch, Chestnut Hill's Jim Eisenhower, Matthew T. Mangano, and John M. Morganelli. Republican candidates are Bruce Castor and Tom Corbett.

Auditor General

Jack Wagner is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination for auditor general. John Maher and Joe Peters are vying for the Republican nomination in the race for that position, a fiscal watchdog for taxpayers that is currently held by Bob Casey Jr.

State Treasurer

Casey is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination for state treasurer. Jean Craige Pepper, of Erie, is his counterpart in the Republican primary.

U.S. House of Representatives

Two races for the U.S. House of Representatives are of interest to readers within the Local's circulation area. Neither of the candidates in the races for Democratic and Republican nominations for the representatives from the Second Congressional District, which includes Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy, have opposition. Incumbent Chaka Fattah is on the ballot for the Democratic nomination, while Stewart Bolno, a Roxborough resident, is seeking the Republican nomination. Bolno, who operated a former business in Mt. Airy — the Army-Navy store — was active in various community organizations during his years as a merchant there.

The race for nomination for the Democratic and Republican candidate in the 13th Congressional District, which includes parts of Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia, is contested on both sides. Candidates for the Democratic nomination are State Sen. Allyson Schwartz and Flourtown's Joe Torsella, former president of the National Constitution Center. Candidates for the Republican nomination are State Rep. Ellen Bard; Melissa Brown, a Flourtown ophthalmologist; and Al Taubenberger.

Convention delegates

Candidates for delegate to the Democratic National Convention from the Second Congressional District are Maria F. Bulat and Jeremy Vetter, who are listed on an unofficial ballot on the Pennsylvania Web site as being committed to Kucinich; Eleanor M. Dezzi, Jerry T. Jordan, Garnett Littlepage, Jerome W. Mondesire, Wilhelmina Moore, Rita Rufo and Sharp Street as being committed to Kerry; Brunhilde R. Durbec and Dean Vance, committed to Larouche; and Michael Weiss, committed to Dean.

Candidates for delegate to the Democratic National Convention from the 13th Congressional District are Lawrence H. Curry, Frank X. Custer, Theodore Kirsch, Carene Makinson-Sanders, Joan H. Nagel and Ann Thornburg Weiss, committed to Kerry; Mary Ann Dollinger and Robert K. Prince, committed to Larouche; and Michael Horwits, committed to Dean.

According to the unofficial ballot, there are fewer candidates for delegate to the Republican National Convention. From the Second Congressional District, delegates on the ballot are Bruce M. Harris, Agnes Tilley and Jesse Walters.

From the 13th Congressional District, candidates for delegate are Bill Donnelly, James R. Matthews, Michael J. McMonigle and Sheryl S. Perzel.

Deborah R. Willig, committed to Kerry, is running as an alternate delegate from the Second Congressional District to the Democratic National District. Colleen Alexander, also committed to Kerry, is running as an alternate delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

Candidates for alternate delegates to the Republican National Convention from the Second Congressional District are Gilbert W. Cox, Bernice T. Rosenfeld, Joan D. Sundheim and Joseph C. Toland. Candidates for alternate delegate from the 13th Congressional District are Kelly Preski and Susan Rosenbaum.

Ballot Question

Voters throughout the state will be asked to vote yes or no on the following question: "Do you favor the incurring of indebtedness by the Commonwealth in the amount of $250,000,000 for use as grants and loans for construction, expansion or improvement of water and wastewater infrastructure, including water supply and sewage treatment programs?"