Off and running

I'm still trying to come to grips with all this blogging action.

I actually work every day in two mediums, print and online. A poster
(actually David Diano) of 7th Watch who did such yeoman work keeping
tabs on the Curt Weldon-Joe Sestak battle royal last year, had some
comments about my print column.

That's when I realized that some people who read the blog might not have
seen my print column advancing the fall County Council race. Here it is.

By the way, Diano is now back with a new blog, Pa Delco Watch, in which
he plans to comment on the fall campaign as well.

<a href="http://padelcowatch.blogspot.com/"><u>You can check it out by
clicking here.</u></a>

I'm also going to be experimenting with some other items in my daily
blog, such as breaking out the Daily Numbers into a separate item. If
you have suggestions for the blog, please post a response.

A funny thing happened on the way to the traditional post-Labor Day
start of the political season.

It showed up early. Again.

Maybe you've noticed. Today we take time out to honor working men and
women. We say goodbye to summer. We take one last dip in the ocean, then
close up the beach house.

Tomorrow it's back to business. And in Delaware County, that means politics.

Except that nobody bothered to tell the candidates for Delaware County
Council. They've been going at it for weeks now. Holding dueling press
conferences, sometimes even showing up at an opponent's event to offer a
dissenting opinion.

This is something of a new trend. By that I mean Republicans even
bothering to notice that Democrats were running for County Council.
There was a time when the local GOP would nominate their candidates,
then promptly ignore what too often amounted to token opposition from
county Democrats before reveling in their usual lopsided rout in November.
Along the way there would be complaints about the lack of debates, the
annual argument over whether the Chamber of Commerce Meet the Candidates
night should even count, and maybe a League of Women Voters function.

Not this year. Exactly 11 weeks from tomorrow, voters will go to the
Delaware County polls to elect three new members of County Council. Both
the Delco GOP and county Dems have put up three candidates. Ironically,
none of them are incumbents. That's because council boss Andy Reilly
can't seek another term. Instead he'll have to settle for managing the
Republicans' campaign. Council member Mary Alice Brennan is running for
a seat on the county court of common pleas. She was a district justice
before joining council. Councilman Mike Puppio is not seeking re-election.
The Republicans nominated the troika of Haverford Commissioner Andy
Lewis, Springfield Commissioner Tom McGarrigle and Middletown
Commissioner Christine Fizzano-Cannon.

They will run against the Democratic slate of attorneys David Landau and
John Innelli, along with Ann O'Keefe.
In years past, these would be fairly sleepy affairs. After all, a
Democrat has not been elected to County Council since the Home Rule
Charter was adopted in the mid-'70s.

Republicans would do their best to ignore their overmatched foes,
banking on their fat war chests, lopsided voter registration edge and
well-oiled election day machinery to cruise to victory.

Then something strange started happening. At least here in Delaware County.

Democrats started winning elections. This once-unthinkable notion
started from the top down, with a guy you might remember. They called
him the Comeback Kid. He certainly was in Delaware County.

Bill Clinton carried Delco in two straight presidential races. It was
the start of a trend. Al Gore also took the county, even while losing to
George W. Bush. Same holds true for John Kerry, who racked up a win here
as well.

Take a look at the governor's race. Delco was crucial in doing something
most people thought was impossible: Electing a Democratic former mayor
of Philadelphia to statewide office. Ed Rendell rode to Harrisburg
largely on the strength of voters in the traditionally GOP-dominated
Philly suburbs. Delco went for him big-time, then proved it wasn't a
fluke by doing it again last November.
Of course, those were national and statewide races. The Delco GOP kept
its ironclad grip on local offices.

Right up until last November. That's when the thunderbolt struck. Joe
Sestak stunned the Delco GOP by beating 10-term incumbent Congressman
Curt Weldon. Yes, they were helped in no small part by a federal
investigation that blew up in Weldon's face just a few weeks before the
election.

Now the Democrats have their eyes on the one prize that has eluded them,
the Media Courthouse.
Landau was a key member of the Sestak campaign. It's evident he's using
the same game plan. He's been out front for weeks, hammering away at the
Republicans.

The GOP has noticed. And they've returned fire. Specifically, Reilly has
been in the forefront of defending the GOP positions in Media.
Now the Republicans are talking about increasing the openness of county
government. Yes, that would be the same government they have ruled for
the past three decades.

They are talking about how many doors they will knock on, saying they
will go face-to-face with 10,000 Delco residents.
And, of course, they are responding with a passion when they believe
their position is not getting a fair shake in this newspaper.
This very well could be a new day in Delco politics. Who would have
thought that Democrats would be taken seriously, let alone considered a
threat, in a race for County Council.

Buckle your seat belts, voters. It's going to be an interesting couple
of months.
And we'll all likely be better off for it.

/Philip E. Heron is editor of the Daily Times. Call him at (610)
622-8818. E-mail him at editor@delcotimes.com. To visit his daily blog,
the Heron's Nest, go to
www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/delcotimes/philh/blog.html./