Wednesday, November 8, 2017

The Numbers

For the most part, the ballots have been counted.  Let's take a look and try to explain what it all means.

>>>SCRANTON MAYOR:  Four years ago, Bill Courtright defeated Jim Mulligan by ten points.  This year, the margin was just two.  I expected a Courtright win, and for Mulligan to close the gap.  Two points is smaller than I expected.  I believed Courtright would take a second term in City Hall by about five.  It's clear Scranton voters have a Courtright problem, and his win really doesn't signal a mandate.  But a win is a win.  He's worked with a generally friendly city council.  It will be interesting to see if that continues amidst speculation at least one city council member is eyeing the mayor's office.

>>>LACKAWANNA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY:  A Mark Powell win is not a shocker, given the Democratic party's big registration edge in the county.  A four point margin seems in line with what I expected.  Gene Talerico had the credentials and he worked hard.  It's clear the voters wanted change.  Republicans have controlled the Lackawanna County DA's office for decades.

>>>SCHUYLKILL COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Mike O'Pake over incumbent Christine Holman by ten points.  I'll lever with you.  I don't get to Schuylkill County much, so I didn't have a feel for this race.  However, I will make this note:  Both Holman and Talerico, in their commercials, attempted to make being a defense attorney a crime.  They tried to taint their opponents by saying they represented drug dealers and child molesters.  It's all true.  However, being a defense attorney is a noble profession and the last time I checked the United States Constitution, people charged with crimes have the right to a lawyer.

>>>LUPAS RETENTION:  Speaking of the right to representation, David Lupas breezes to retention on the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas.  Lupas was district attorney during the Kids for Cash scandal.  A big part of that was thousands of juveniles going before a judge without a lawyer.  No assistant under Lupas uttered a peep.  It's clear that Kids for Cash is an ancient and nasty memory, and Lupas isn't being held responsible.  There appeared to be no organized effort to battle his retention.

>>LUZERNE COUNTY CONTROLLER:  Michelle Bednar easily gets a second term, defeating Walter Griffith.  He used to have the job.  Griffith was forced to resign four years ago after admitting to secretly recording telephone conversations.  Voters do remember some things.

>>>MONROE COUNTY CORONER:  Bob Allen defeated and it wasn't even close.  There have been allegations of inappropriate behavior by Allen's assistants.  Voters held their boss responsible and Allen is out.

>>>ALLENTOWN MAYOR: A criminal indictment didn't matter.  Ed Pawlowski breezes to a second term.  Innocent until proven guilty.

>>>SHAMOKIN MAYOR:  William Milbrand loses to John Brown.  Milbrand faced criminal charges relating to operation of a cemetery.  The charges later disappeared, withdrawn by the district attorney.  Again, I don't get to Shamokin much these days.  I don't know how large a role the criminal charges played.

>>>LACKAWANNA COUNTY REASSESSMENT:  It went down in flames, even though the results won't count.  There has to be a better way.

>>>VOTER TURNOUT:  It looked good in parts of Lackawanna County, thanks to some hotly contested races.  I understand it was dismal elsewhere.  It makes me sad.

Congratulations to all the candidates-- those who won, and those who did not.  Politics is a brutal game, and my hat is off to anyone who participates.