Time for me to fall on my sword again. I seem to be doing that a lot lately.
You might remember that on Election Day, there was a bit of controversy in Philadelphia when it was discovered that voting machines were incorrectly displaying the name of one of the candidates for state Commonwealth Court.
That was of interest to us because the candidate was none other than Delaware County Judge Christine Fizzano Cannon. Somehow, between the time the ballot in Philly was proofed and the time it was loaded onto the machines, her name was shortened to just Christine Fizzano.
Republicans were not amused. They noted the importance of the judge's full name, which is how she campaigned, and went to court to get the City Commissioners to issue a public statement.
Fizzano Cannon's spokesperson, Pete Peterson, called it a "colossal screwup."
Well, I guess he can add me to the list.
Fast-forward a few days.
I wrote Sunday's editorial reviewing what happened on Election Day, and the tide of Democratic wins that rolled across the country. I noted that the only two bright spots for local Republicans were the Delco Court of Common Pleas race, which was won by Republican D.A. Jack Whelan, and the Commonwealth Court win for Fizzano Cannon.
All except for one thing.
I made the same mistake that had been made in Philly.
Yes, I referred to her only as Judge Christine Fizzano.
Luckily, this was after the vote and didn't have any effect on the election. Despite the voting machine snafu, Judge Fizzano Cannon still won one of two seats on the state appeals court. The other went to Democrat Judge Ellen Ceisler.
In fact, Fizzano Cannon was the top vote-getter.
Still doesn't make me feel any better for making that silly mistake.
My thanks to local activist Nancy Day, who posted a note on my Facebook page to let me know about the mistake.
"Imagine my dismay to see her name appear in Sunday’s Editorial as “Delco Judge Christine Fizzano,” Day wrote. "What’s a woman got to do to get accurate billing?"
Good question, Nancy.
More careful editing would help, I suppose.
My apologies to Judge Fizzano Cannon. And congratulations on your win.
Comments