We must be getting close to Election Day.
The ads are starting to ratchet up. So are the emotions.
Who said editorial doesn't contribute to the bottom line? As I look at today's front page of the newspaper, I see the lovely Jennifer Holsten Maddaloni smiling back at me.
It's not Jennifer's first foray onto our first page. She's been taking out strip ads for some time now. After the first one ran, her opponent, Democrat Frank Daly, reminded me that it needed a disclaimer on it to denote that it was advertising. Of course it does, I added.
That's when I got that queasy feeling in my stomach in the pit of my stomach that seems to be the permanent bane of newspaper editors. A glance at the front page confirmed my fear. The ad had no such disclaimer. As Daily pointed out, it looked for all the world as if the Daily Times was trumpeting the candidacy of Maddaloni. I assured him that was not the case, and I pointed it out in a subsequent blog. In fact, in our endorsement editorial, we gave our backing to Daly, although we think Maddaloni is a solid candidate as well. Unfortunately, in that same editorial, I managed to transpose Maddaloni's maiden name with her married name. When she was in Wednesday night for our 'Live From the Newsroom' show, the first thing I did was apologize to her. You'd think that with a name as prominent in Delco political circles as Holsten, I wouldn't make that mistake, but there it was in print.
There's no such issue with today's ad. It's what we in the business call a "sticky." The candidate pays to have it applied to the front page of every paper. I wish it did not have to go right on top of our lead headline. But I guess I'll have to accept it in the name of the bottom line.
There is something I find pretty interesting about the ad, however. After it hails her "integrity, vision, experience," it says this:
"The first woman to be elected register of wills in Delaware County."
That very well may be true. On Tuesday. It is not necessarily so today. Both Maddaloni and Daly are seeking the open row office seat.
One thing I have to say about Republicans - they spend money. In addition to her front page sticky ad, Maddaloni also took out a full-page ad inside today's paper. I notice that the ad inside the paper adds a fairly important word - "to" - as in her pursuit to become the first woman elected register of wills in Delaware County.
She has company today. A page in front of her ad, Mario Civera and Dave White, the Republican candidates for County Council, have a full-page ad of their own.
Then there is the phone call I got yesterday from a woman in Springfield.
She was not happy. She was outraged and why the Daily Times was saying all these nasty things about Rocco Polidoro, the township Democrat who is running for county sheriff.
She said she had just received a campaign flier in the mail from "The Committee for Delaware County's Future" attacking Polidoro.
A little background. The Delco GOP no doubt would find it most humiliating if they lost a race to Polidoro. They don't like him, not even a little bit. That's in part because he used to be one of them. Rocco switched parties years ago after a falling out with the GOP and has been a thorn in their sides ever since.
The flier - which I have not seen - has been described to me as being particularly vicious. It features a lot of quotes from Polidoro that have appeared in the Daily Times. The problem with that is some of this stuff was said two decades ago. Suffice it to say it does not paint a nice picture of Polidoro.
But the woman who called wasn't upset at the Republican Party, which is behind "The Committee for Delaware County's Future." She was ticked at the Daily Times, and me in particular.
"How can you say such vicious things about Polidoro?" she demanded to know. "You should be ashamed of yourself."
Then she said she was going to cancel her subscription.
I decided to talk her through the way this works. She didn't understand the rough-and-tumble of politics, especially the way it is practiced here in Delco.
She really believed the Daily Times was saying these things.
Just as so many people who called the newspaper the day that first strip ad appeared across the bottom of Page One for Maddaloni believed this was the Daily Times endorsing her candidacy.
If I was Rocco Polidoro, I would probably take the flier as a compliment.
If they're reaching down to this level, they must be worried.
Do you think the Delco GOP is sweating their new position as the minority party here in Delaware County. I guess we'll find out on Tuesday.
Buckle your seatbelts, folks. It's likely going to be a bumpy ride.
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