P-G: Mt. Lebanon commissioner enters county executive race

Encouraging startup companies is key to bringing more jobs to Allegheny County, the newest candidate for county executive told about 50 cheering supporters this morning.

D. Raja, a Mt. Lebanon commissioner and founder of an information technology company, became the third Republican to announce a run for his party's nomination for the post.

Read the full article:

• http://www.postgazette.com/pg/11048/1126132-100.stm (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

How Lebo Voted For President

According to the Allegheny County web site, Mt. Lebanon as a whole voted for Barack Obama. School board member James Fraasch has taken the time once again to break down the votes by ward and by district.

Smith, Pippy and O'Donnell Endorsed by Post-Gazette

State Representative Matt Smith, State Senator John Pippy and Steve O'Donnell have been endorsed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in their races for the Pennsylvania State House, the Pennsylvania State Senate and United States House of Representatives.

Link: Smith In The 42nd: The House Freshman Is Off To A Bright Start

Link: Re-elect Pippy: The GOP Senator Has A Solid Grasp Of The Issues

Link: O'Donnell In The
18th: The Challenger Is A Better Choice For The Big Picture

Blazeck Challenges Smith For 42nd District Seat

Republican Jim Blazeck is not a career politician, and, he said, that's a good thing.

He is challenging incumbent Democrat Matt Smith for the 42nd District seat in the state House of Representatives next month, somewhat short on experience but long on enthusiasm.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/08297/921954-55.stm

Link 2: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/10-22-Smith-Blazek-B-w-2-pics

Upcoming Candidate Forums

The Mt. Lebanon PTA Council, The League of Women Voters and Greater Pittsburgh Student Voices will be sponsoring two non-partisan forums this month. The dates/times are as follows:

Wednesday, October 22, 2008, 7:30pm to 9:00pm
Mt. Lebanon High School, Fine Arts Theater

37th State Senatorial District Candidates: John Pippy (R) and Amy Jude Schmotzer(D)

42nd State Legislative District Candidates: Matt Smith (D) James Blazeck (R)

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Monday, October 27, 2008, 7:30pm to 9:00pm
Jefferson Elementary School Auditorium

18th U.S. Congressional District Candidates: Tim Murphy (R) and Steve O'Donnell (D)

Final Election Spending Information

I went to the County Office Building and checked for some financial totals. So far I have collected the 2007 Mt. Lebanon Commission candidates and the County Council District 5 race which included Mt. Lebanon. The totals reflect the amount spent by each candidate. It does not include in-kind contributions. Also, I had to fill in a couple of things so if any candidate would like to correct the information that would be great since I am not an expert in election law.

1st Ward
Bonnie Vankirk (D) - $12,595.13
D. Raja (R) - $43,049.63

3rd Ward
Andy Reinhart (D) - $8,618.53
Joe DeIuliis (R) - $5,254.76/$9,334.76 (His final report lists and additional $4080 as an unpaid debt that the campaign owes him. I couldn't see where that expense had previously been listed so I am assuming that it should be added to his previous total)

5th Ward
Dan Miller (D) - $7,530.19
Bill Hoon (R) - No report in folder. When I asked about this the staff told me that he had closed his PAC but couldn't explain the missing primary report which he filed and allegedly reported around $1,200 in expenses...

County Council
Vince Gastgeb (R) - $60,367.12
Barbara Logan (D) - $15,365.64

If you break it down by party, going off of the information that I found - Republican candidates spent $113,951.51 and Democratic candidates spent $44,109.49.

Lebo Election Roundup

The election is over and here are the results from the following Lebo-related races:

• 1st Ward Commissioner -- D. Raja
  
• 3rd Ward Commissioner -- Joe DeIuliis
  
• 5th Ward Commissioner -- Dan Miller
  
• School Board -- Elaine Cappucci, Faith Stepanovich, Susan Rose, Ed Kubit and James Fraasch
  
• County Council - Vince Gastgeb
  

Mt. Lebanon resident Judge W. Terrence O'Brien will be retained as a judge in the Court of Common Pleas.

Meet The Candidates Night

How do you know who to vote for? Take the time to meet and question school board and commissioner candidates. A non-partisan forum sponsored by the Mt. Lebanon PTA Council and the League of Women Voters.

Date: October 30th

Time: 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Place: Jefferson Auditorium

Lebo Election Results

Act 1 loses:

YES . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,790 29.21
NO. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,337 70.79

School Directors (copied from the Allegheny County website):

SCHOOL DIRECTOR MT LEBANON (Democrat) (winners in bold):
(WITH 38 OF 38 Districts COUNTED)
LA VERNE CONLEY 891 / 8.68%
RENE GARSON 1,041 / 10.14%
ZACHARY BENKOVITZ 960 / 9.35 %
JAMES FRAASCH 672 / 6.55 %
SUE ROSE 1,423 / 13.87 %
CAROL J WALTON 1,167 / 11.37 %
ELAINE L CAPPUCCI 1,877 / 18.29 %
EDWARD KUBIT 774 / 7.54 %
FAITH ANN STIPANOVICH 1,448 / 14.11 %
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 10 / .10 %
Total . . . . . . . . . 10,263


SCHOOL DIRECTOR MT LEBANON (Republican) (winners in bold)
(WITH 38 OF 38 Districts COUNTED)
JAMES FRAASCH 1,371 / 14.09 %
CAROL J WALTON 1,418 / 14.57 %
SUE ROSE 1,575 / 16.19 %
FAITH ANN STIPANOVICH 1,031 / 10.60 %
ELAINE L CAPPUCCI 1,499 / 15.40 %
RENE GARSON 1,263 / 12.98 %
EDWARD KUBIT 1,528 / 15.70 %
WRITE-IN 46 / .47 %
Total . . . . . . . . . 9,731

So: Rose (incumbent), Walton (incumbent), Kubit, Frassch, Stipanovich, Cappucci, and Garson (incumbent) move on to the Fall. Seven candidates, five open seats.

Congratulations to the nominees.

And don't miss Dennis Roddy's clever podcast investigation of the one-named Raja, running for Commissioner in the 1st Ward. Dennis, did you read all the way to the end of the comments at this post?

Joe DeIuliis for Commissioner

Joe DeIuliis is a candidate for Mt. Lebanon Commissioner in the 3rd Ward.

His website is at www.electjoe2007.com

Andy Reinhart For Commissioner

I have added Andy Reinhart's web site to the Candidates section of the right-hand column. He is a candidate for commissioner of the 3th Ward of Mt. Lebanon.

Link: www.andyreinhart.com

Dan Miller for Commissioner

I have added Dan Miller's web site to the Candidates section of the right-hand column. He is a candidate for commissioner of the 5th Ward of Mt. Lebanon.

Link: www.danmiller2007.com

Meet The School Board Candidates

Mt. Lebanon School Board candidates night will take place from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 8 at the Jefferson School auditorium. You can meet and ask questions of the nine candidates: Zachary Benkovitz, Elaine L. Cappucci, James Fraasch, Rene M. Garson, Edward L. Kubit, Sue Rose, Faith Ann Stipanovich and Carol J. Walton.

This non-partisan forum is sponsored by the Mt. Lebanon PTA Council and League of Women Voters.

Link: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/ML_Candidates_forum_5_8

Nine Seeking Five

Though most of the nine candidates for five seats on the Mt. Lebanon school board said they would like a place on the board so they can participate in plans for a new or renovated high school complex, there is no single theme that runs through the campaign.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/07102/777021-55.stm