Pattye Benson

Community Matters

Republicans Make their Choice for the 157. . . Drucker will Oppose Kampf in November

The Republicans in the 157th House District (which includes Phoenixville, Schuylkill and Tredyffrin townships in Chester County, and portions of Lower Providence and West Norriton in Montgomery County) have made their choice. The battle of the Republicans has determined that it will be Warren Kampf facing off against incumbent Democratic State Rep Paul Drucker in November.

Phoenixville Borough Councilman Ken Buckwalter captured the Phoenixville precincts but Kampf’s strong showing in the Tredyffrin area and Montgomery County became the deciding factor and ultimate victory for Kampf.

On the Democratic side, Drucker, who ran unopposed yesterday, is completing his first term in Harrisburg. Drucker filled the seat after he succeeded longtime Republican Carol Rubley, who retired in 2008. In a nail-biting close race, Drucker defeated Republican opponent Guy Ciarrocchi by a narrow margin of 50.9 percent to 49.1 percent in 2008.

As was the case with the Drucker-Ciarrocchi race, the November election for the 157 will pit two local attorneys against each other. Interestingly, both candidates from Paoli and also from the same precinct – W2. As this new phase of the State House race starts today, here’s hoping for a campaign of civility and one focused on the issues.

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  1. Pattye —

    In terms of a campaign of civility, I believe you have the power to control that, at least on your blog.

    A suggestion: anyone making claims about either candidate should be REQUIRED to include legitimate source material to back that claim up [a legitimate news article (not letters to the editor or opinion columns), links to voting records, meeting minutes, etc.]

    In this way, you will have the ability to keep your blog focused on at least that which is true. This does not proclude opinions on what this factual information may mean, but it does at least start those opinions with some basis of fact.

    Sadly, as occurred during the Primary, many charges were made that offered no proof. One fine example was that Kampf had a secret meeting with Tim Carson of the Turnpike Commission to “sell his township out.” When asked for proof, the poster said “dig for yourself.”

    I did some digging — it wasn’t hard as Mr. Kampf posted the background on his website — and found the meeting was approved unanimously by the BOS. This was confirmed by the township. Not exactly “secret” and highly doubtful that the purpose was to “sell the township out” when all of the BOS had publicly opposed the expansion in its form at that time due to possible takings and storm water management issues.

    Just an idea, but one I believe would enhance the discourse of your website.

    1. regarding the supposed ‘turnpike meeting’, i saw that JP had posted this accusation on various places on the internet. in an email exchange i had with JP, he said that if i contacted mimi gleason and asked her about it, she would verify everything he said.
      so i contacted mimi, and, she did no such thing. she said that what JP had said was a total mischaracterization of what actually happened.
      when i relayed mimi’s response to JP, he first accused me of lying about contacting her, then he said that there was a different ‘secret meeting’, and that mimi would never own up to it.
      i was waiting for him to claim the tooth fairy was at the meeting too.

      the bottom line… JP has ZERO credibility. he talks a big game, but in the end, its all BS.

      1. “Put it this way, the kind of guy Kampf is, if the statement was false, he would have done something about it… ”

        have you ever considered that perhaps your assumption about ‘the kind of guy kampf is’ is wrong? i think perhaps are getting yourself confused with kampf.

        i still don’t understand why you told me to ask mimi about the meeting

        you say you don’t know what i asked mimi, yet i forwarded what i asked her, and her response. still not good enough for you?

        for kampf to respond to your accusations would be a waste of time in my opinion. you would never be satisfied with what he would say in his response.

        whats a PAB anyway?

      2. Freddy: Don’t take John Petersen seriously. No one else does. He has his own version of reality. One that no else can seem to perceive and which is not based on any discernible fact.

        Case in Point: I recall a few months ago when he repeatedly claimed that during a December Township meeting, the Tredyffrin Board of Supervisors had denied the Boy Scouts the right to perform some community project on public land.

        Petersen was either mistaken or making stuff up because the project was not rejected at the meeting nor did such a rejection ever appear in the minutes.

        When called on this falsehood, Petersen insisted that the Boy Scout project had been rejected. When asked to offer proof, he couldn’t. When told that the Boy Scout Troop could confirm that there was no rejection, Petersen said he would not ask them, and then actually said: “[o]f course the BSA is not going to go on record challenging the BOS”. Petersen can be unintentionally funny with his ridiculous rants.

  2. This will be a nasty campaign. Anyone, especially those in the TTRC are kidding themselves if they think otherwise.

    Kampf v. Drucker…ding ding ding.

  3. John —

    When did you stop beating your wife? I have information I opine proves it that I suggest you and others dig to find.

    Obviously, this is sarcastic, but it is the basis of almost every claim you make. Your bias is at least now admitted so others can take what you say with the huge grain of salt it deserves.

  4. John — do you even remember what you write in the past about things or is it just whatever you feel at that point must always be 100% right?

    Kampf ran a good campaign and won. Apparently he ran a good campaign for Committeeman as well, because he won that too.

    Today you write…
    “Mr. Kampf’s victory yesterday does not come as a surprise. Between the strong numerical advantage of Tredyffrin and his Montco endorsement, I was not shocked by his victory. That said, Ken ran an honorable race on the issues. Phoenxiville supported Ken and that was also entirely expected.”

    Apparently you forgot your very words dismissing the geographic, economic and organizational advantages you attribute Kampf’s victory to today. When challenged about these very things a few weeks ago you wrote:

    1. Geography…
    Perhaps. But then again, his own local committee couldn’t deliver the Chesco endorsement. Geographically speaking, Kampf’s committee is divided and Buckwalter’s is united.

    3. Organization/Campaign..
    Definitely not buying this one. Kampf does not have an organization. It took Kampf this long to get a website up and running. Everything we hear from Kampf comes from him. Going back to #1, in races like this, you need the local committee to be unified behind you. That is something that Kampf does not have. In fact, he is the only committee person who is being challenged for his seat. There is no evidence of any real campaign structure for Kampf.

    4. Money…
    Again, remains to be seen. Unless you are likable, money is not a decisive factor. Ask the fire service how likable Kampf is? Ask the folks that could have lost their homes to the turnpike expansion how likable Kampf is. This gets to the Tim Carson meeting I have been referring to. You really do need to follow up on that. For those of us not members of private country clubs ala St. David’s, how likable is Kampf? Kampf, in 2007, ran on a pledge to not raise taxes. He broke that promise in 12/2007 – right after the election. For his yes vote on St. David’s, Kampf did so only because the timing of the vote was as far away from the primary as possible. All of the money in the world won’t counteract those negatives. And yes, there are more negatives to follow……

    1. Interesting, thorough analysis, John. And I agree that waiting until after the election is too late to begin the discussion of the Township’s 2011 Budget.

      BTW, I’m sure Mr. Kampf is genuinely touched by your concern for him and the stress he’s under.

    2. What was the heavy price that Kampf paid? Maybe the jilted Phoenixville voter or two will still vote republican and not for Drucker. Hopefully Republicans learned their lesson, examining the national condition we are in. Maybe they don’t care for Kampf, but maybe he is the least of two evils. I know you think he is the most evil, so no need to respond to that. How churlish to say he will look 60 by November. Maybe next post you will say 80? Enjoy!!

      1. As the elected committee person, I wonder how much actual time Warren will stay at W2 in November?

  5. I think Kampf is aging well. Your comment about this is absurd. Can you be any more obvious about your hatred for Kampf? Yes, you said you will vote for Drucker.. No surprise! I have a feeling he is alot smarter than you give him credit for. Two lawyers from Paoli, lawyers… yuk.

    1. We are taxed to death. And rates are going higher. Businessmen like me are getting hit hard. Oh, well I guess I am “rich” so I can afford to support those pet programs of some politicians that are designed to enrich the constituencies of those in power. But the bottom line is someone has to make hard choices w/o dipping into the poor private sector bastard’s bank account. If you want to pay more taxes, I am sure the township will take your extra donation. Maybe you think this is dishonest, maybe by delaying the inevitable increases you desire something else will happen… new regime in washington and harrisburg.. cutting expenses in government.? The fact is many of us just don’t trust government for reasons different than those that don’t allow you to trust government. It is just too much already. If taxes are raised now, will they be cut in better times, assuming they come? I am optimistic, but not for a couple of more years. Ask yourself, why are revenues down? Rube Goldberg? hey I agree, but it starts way up at the top. Our township, like others is victimized by bad government higher up the food chain. I would rather hire 2 employees, who would pay their own taxes then pay more taxes out of my pocket and not hire these folks. Economics 101 has been rewritten, like so much of our economic, social and strategic rules. Just tax tax tax, and when that doesn’t work, inflate your way out of the jam you created. maybe the buck stops here. In any event, thanks for listening..

    2. John: Why should the Board of Supervisors start discussing the budget early? They have traditionally addressed the budget in November, and just approved the last one a few months ago.

      Oh wait…you just want some more stuff to rant about, and want to use any budget discussion as a platform to distort reality to your own off-the-wall version of reality.

      Obviously you are short on anti-Kampf material as indicated by your repeated claims that the primary aged Warren Kampf. Never saw the guy look more alive and energetic.

      1. Mr. Roboto,

        “just approved the last one a few months ago”. Seriously?? It was 5 months ago! And it was in the face of a continuing decline in revenues…

        They should open the discussions and start the analysis and planning well before November because that would be an effective and honest approach in the face of another deficit.

        But they will resist, because the most important thing to the TTRC and the majority of the TTBOS is that Kampf win 157, and the inevitable tax increase for 2011 could hurt his chances significantly. If Kampf wasn’t running for 157 we would’ve had a tax increase for 2010, under the cover of a BAWG recommendation of course. Instead the tax increase was been deferred to 2011.

        This is the township budget, it is important, it is one of the TTBOS key responsibilities – why is it repeatedly a last minute scramble to get a budget approved? You have to have better reason than because it is “tradition”.

        Domo arigato

      2. I completely agree with John on this. There is absolutely no reason (apart from politics) for the Township budget to be slammed through with a month of debate. Any self-respecting corporation has started the process by August. Our School Board will have taken six months or more, in a process that I think was highly regarded by the community.

        But with Kampf, it’s all about politics. That ploy to vote against the sewer tax increase after he knew it had the votes to pass was despicable. Such a shame that Republicans in W2 couldn’t find 10 more votes for JD, because now the power is unbridled, the residents an after-thought.

  6. Let’s face it — as long as John thinks John is right, that’s what we will hear.
    He beat JD because he was there all day? So what I hear is that he did what it takes….where else did JD have to campaign?
    Politics does get like religion — you canNot Prove ANYTHING so you have to decide what you believe. While I don’t think it’s up to Pattye to have to scrub allegations to ensure fairness, I also don’t think anyone reading this blog is learning something new…and is perfectly capable of judging claims on their own. Who cares about the Carson thing? Over and done with, and Carson is too. Political expedience — doing what it takes to get it done. Joe Sestak might be the nastiest man in DC, but he smiles for the camera, holds his daughter’s hand and beat the old guy (handily — but some would say better weather might have brought out a few more Philadelphians). The phrase “you get what you pay for” sadly applies to politics and campaigns as well.

  7. Mr. Petersen, I hope Gregg will be successful. But let’s start with unemployement at 9.9 percent, optimistically. Let’s continue with forclosures at, still an all time high, and no end in sight. Product of a national condition of politicians thinking up the Community reinvestment Act. Tax rates going UP UP UP.. So take away some more disposable income and see how much is left to shop at Wegmans and Gregg.(Circuit City location). Well all must be well. President Obama has said so so it must be true. Government debt coming due…Where are the jobs? If Bush was running a 10 percent unemployment raate for 18 months, he’d be strung up and crucified. By the way, unlike Democratic partisans who cannot think of anything publically to say negatively about the annointed one, I can actually say I think Bush sold out. But he is dwarfed by the amateur idealogue(sp) that is running up trillion dollar debts. Looking forward to when the adults get back in charge of the candy store. But I guess we have to pay for all the ILLEGAL aliens that we seem to need so much . Well thats another story. I am glad that someone other than Obama cronies got some stimulus money. I look at “stimulusmoney askance” because I am wondering what it stimulated, other than some make work programs and payoffs to unions. Well you mentioned one if all is in order than we can say thank you for the dough.

    Want to talk about national defense? And the carteresque decline in our armed forces that is occuring? Oh yes, libs love that until a terrorist blows a cherrybomb up your butt. Then the next Repubican President will have to get us out of trouble, if it isn’t too late by then. Enjoy the give and take. thanks

      1. Isn’t that enough? But it was long enough ago that we have forgotten the damage he did, and we are reprising it again

  8. “Then the next Repubican President will have to get us out of trouble, if it isn’t too late by then…” Just like the last Republican President did? God help us all.

    1. Obama is making Bush look good,. OPEN YOUR EYES and stop following the Pied Piper… GEEZ! Even Clinton look good, stains and all

    2. I wonder how many of the 53 million folks who voted for Obama, Kathie, would like their vote back. George Soros is running this country,and Obama and the Pelosis and reids are the devil’s protectors. The product of our educational system has come home to roost.. This is what you get. I hope we do better in 2010 and 2012. With 2 years of unemployment benefits now running at around 500+ per week, it pays not to work. No incentive. ANd with fewer and fewer workers paying taxes, well it doesn’t look good does it? Bush made some mistakes, and he wasn’t as glib as Obama, Chavez, and the rest. If I can reign on Mr Petersen’s parade, Hitler was glib, a great orator and well…….

      I am looking for a return to the American way, a way that has been battered and pilloried over the last couple of years. No apologies for America. So while we watch the new civil war erupt in the west, with our Federal government looking the other way and saying all the wrong things, and not understanding the law, I look for a better day. China is better on human rights than Arizona?

      The pot is boiling, and not from the right wing conspirators. I hope that sanity will be restored, and the ship will be righted by the American people at large.

      sorry if you disagree . You probably do.

      1. “I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write.”
        Voltaire, 1770
        Chet, you and I see the world through different eyes. Nothing I could say would change your mind, nor you mine. However I am an optimist, and I wish you well.

  9. All this talk about budget for the township — please. The school millage is going to be almost 20 — and that made noise for about one news cycle….the 2.9% the district capped with dwarfs anything the township can or would do….And you can stop saying the GOP run school board — it’s union driven– we all know that. And parent run. Board members send their kids into the lions’ den every day. If the taxpayers cared as much about school issues as you want them to care abou these petty township fights — just lazy rhetoric. The school budget is BORROWING $5M or more — to pay current bills (borrowing from Fund Balance — because they won’t raise the revenues). We can argue about semantics about whether it is borrowing to use fund balance, but there is no debate on the fact that taxes are far short of expenditures, which means we are officially deficit spending. And the school board posed for pictures with Mr. Kampf (and will do so with Mr. Drucker no doubt from the D side) because people like them — so their “endorsements” mean good kharma. When are we actually going to SoLVE a problem??? Stop with the 157th politics and start to reflect on what it costs to live here — and what we are willing to pay for that.

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