Pattye Benson

Community Matters

Tredyffrin Republican Committee Race Heats Up in W-2 Precinct

The upcoming Primary Election will present an interesting phenomenon in Tredyffrin’s W-2 voting precinct. This is the voting district for State Rep Paul Drucker, Supervisor and State Rep candidate Warren Kampf, and Supervisor John DiBuonaventuro — interestingly, my part of the Great Valley is also included in the W-2 precinct.

Tredyffrin has 17 different precincts and I believe that W-2 is the only district that will have a contested primary election for a committee seat (either Republican or Democrat). If my math is correct, there are 2 positions in each precinct; 17 districts x 2 positions = 34 positions. There are 34 Republicans and 34 Democrats committee positions in Tredyffrin. Sixty-four total committee positions from both political parties; and the only precinct contested is my W-2 precinct. The W-2 Republican committee race will feature supervisors Kampf (current W-2 Rep committeeman), DiBuonaventuro and attorney Bill Lynch running against each other in the primary. Yes, the only contested committee race in Tredyffrin and it will feature 2 supervisors against each other. In addition to running for the local committee seat, Supervisor Kampf is also on the ballot for the Republican State House opposing fellow Republican Ken Buckwalter of Phoenixville. Democrat Paul Drucker is the current State House Representative and will be on the primary ballot unopposed.

This week, registered Republicans in the W-2 precinct received the following campaign letter from supervisor DiBuonaventuro. Anteresting battle is brewing in this section of the township . . . I’m thinking that Primary Day in W-2 could provide a Kodak moment or two when I go to vote.

Dear ____________,

Thank you for all of your support these last two years. It has been an honor to serve as your Supervisor, representing the Western District of Tredyffrin and providing the support and constituent services our citizens need.

I am writing to let you know I am a candidate for Republican Committeeman in our voting precinct, W-2. This position, along with Committeewoman Jean Sauer, represents registered Republicans in Tredyffrin Township who vote at Delaware Valley Friends School on East Central Avenue in Paoli.

On May 18th, I am running to challenge appointed Committeeman Warren Kampf. Kampf, who recently moved to the district, is also a Township Supervisor and is also running to be the Republican Candidate for State Representative. There is a third person on the ballot who is also challenging Kampf for committeeman.

The position of Committeeman for W-2 will have significant impact for not only the residents of Berwyn, Paoli, and Malvern, but for all of Tredyffrin as we elect four Supervisors next year. The committeeman post is for two years and will have a direct role as to which Republicans are candidates for Township Supervisor and School Board in 2011.

Over the last two years as your Supervisor, I have represented the interests of all of our citizens in the Western District and throughout Tredyffrin. We delivered results together. They include the demanding Turnpike negotiations that directly impacted our Summerhill neighbors and others, the Paoli Train Station and Town Center Plan, and the storm water management issue in Valley Hills. These are just a few of the major challenges we effectively managed as a team.

Many issues and future challenges remain. This is the reason I need your vote on May 18th.Let’s make sure to the extent we can, that candidates endorsed to run for the Board of Supervisors and the School Board are both qualified and that they always put our interests first.

Thank you for your consideration and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to seeing you on Primary Election Day, May 18th, if not before.

With appreciation, I am

John DiBuonaventuro

Western District Supervisor

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  1. So who votes for this? All registered Republicans at the Primary? Who else other then Kampf is running? Should Kampf be running for this if he is running for something else? Because that would mean his name will be on the ballot twice, I find that odd.

    What does this position entail?

    1. For the W-2 Republican Committee seat, there are 3 candidates — Bill Lynch, Warren Kampf and John DiBuonaventuro. You are correct, Kampf’s name will appear twice on the ballot, for State House 157 and W-2 Rep. Committeeman. I think at one point there may have been a possibility of his name appearing on the ballot 3 times — I believe he is currently the PA State Rep Committeeman and if he had sought re-election to that position, his name would have appeared 3 times. (candidate for PA State Republican committee, local Tredyffrin W-2 Republican committee and PA State House 157, and serving as a Tredyffrin Township supervisor). Registered Republicans who live in Tredyffrin’s W-2 voting district vote in this contested committee race.

      Back in December, I wrote a post about political party committee members also holding elected municipal office. A number of municipalities require that an individual (upon election to commissioner/supervisor) immediately vacate their political party committee position. The idea being that when you are elected to serve, you should be ‘taking off’ your political hat to serve ‘all the people’; the thought is as an elected political party committee person you would associate more closely with one party vs. another. Someone help me — is it Lower Merion (Radnor?) that does not permit individuals to serve as commissioner and as committee person? Currently, as both supervisors and committee people, we have Kampf, EJ Richter and Michelle Kickline. Come Primary Day, either Kampf will be re-elected to the Republican committee seat or JD will become Republican committeeman; either way we still have 3 of the 4 supervisors serving as both Supervisors and Republican committee persons. But, as was evident at the last BOS meeting, you don’t have to be a committee person to ‘wear the hat’ of your political party as a supervisor — as in the case of Bob Lamina and Paul Olson.

      As for the job requirements for an elected committee person — can someone give us a job description?

  2. “Because of how PA functions, the political party committee structure wields a lot of power because they effectively controls who we as citizens vote for.”

    1. No one “effectively controls who we as citizens vote for.”

    Party structures — both GOP and DEM — put forth their preferred candidate(s), but anyone can run and anyone can vote for the candidate of their choice. Yes, a closed primary precluded Dem from voting Rep, vice versa and blocks out Independents, but anyone can run and anyone can vote for whom they wish on the ballot.

    b. I, assume, John that you believe this statement applies to both parties since both have the same type of endorsement process?

  3. John
    Can you please respect anonymity for those who want it? I don’t need you or want you to “disclose” for the record…you can contact them personally but people have the option of being anonymous, and I as a reader and a writer would prefer to honor that effort.

  4. Pattye
    I know you aren’t censoring and I applaud that, but I agree with Anon that speculating on identities is inappropriate. Maybe you could let those comments go unpublished?

    1. Sarah — OK, let’s not speculate on people’s identity. If someone posts with their ‘real’ name and you wish to address that individual by name, that would be fine.

      Also, there have been some instances where people are trying to ‘post’ as others, taking their nickname and using it. When I catch that I do not post the comment. Everyone needs to act like grown-ups . . . it’s time-consuming to moderate as it is, please don’t try taking on someone else’s persona. There have been instances where people have tried using someone else’s nickname (but obviously with a different e-mail address) so when that happens I don’t post the comment. Then I get emails asking why I ‘censored’ the comment? Don’t use someone else’s nickname and I won’t censor for that reason.

  5. Thanks Pattye. All good practices — and you shouldn’t have to be bothered….but I really feel like speculating on identity is not fair…though few do it. Thanks!

    1. Not miffed John — just would prefer you allow people to stay anonymous that sign in that way. Everyone has an opportunity to share their identity — and I appreciate and respect that. You can know all you want — but no need to disclose it to the rest of us. I don’t WANT that information without it coming from the contributor. Just a shot at civility. You are really the only one who has gotten off on that info — so now I have asked Pattye to help keep it from going public.

    1. CT Alexander is head of the Tredyffrin Township Republican Party. Kampf moved in to W-2 and due to a vacancy was appointed as committeeman. To retain his W-2 committee position, Kampf must run in the Primary. He is being challenged by JD and Bill Lynch, a local attorney.

  6. Is ‘Head of the Tredyffrin Township Republican Party’ an elected or appointed position?

    1. Elected by TTRC members. He/she is usually a TTRC member, but could be someone not on the committee if they could get enough votes. Don’t think it’s ever happened.

  7. CJ,

    Party Chair, vice-chair, secretary and treasurer are all elected by committeepeople ( the only voting members of the local political parties).

    The only CP’s who are able to vote in County Republican (or Democratic) Party endorsement conventions have been elected by members of their own party in their own precinct at the May primary – the one at which gubernatorial candidates are chosen.

    It is my understanding that CP’s appointed on an interim basis (but not elected) cannot vote to endorse state and federal level candidates. They may only carry proxies of those who have been elected.

    What I’m saying is that an elected committeeperson has an official status while an appointed one does not.

  8. I’d be careful when voting for this committee position. JD has close ties to Joe Tarantino, who is running for state committee. Mr. Tarantino has given over $15,000 to Democrat Vince Fumo. He says it was just to get on the board of real estate…yes pay to play is back! He should not be running for such a high level position in the party.

    CT Alexander & Co. should be ashamed they even pushed him through the endorsement process. So remember when voting for this committee position please note who JD’s “Good Friends” really are.

  9. Although they have “close ties”, JD is principled & keeps his own counsel. I don’t think JD is counting on Joe Tarantino for support.

    Joe is backing Kampf.

    And did you ever notice that most legal firms donate to both parties (“to hedge their bets”) in order to get business? So technically, what Joe did was not unusual.

    Running for TTRC committee does not entail being approved by the TTRC. You just need 10-15 signatures to file a petitiion w/Voter Services in order to appear on the ballot. The State Committee seat is for a specific district usually made up of several townships &/or boroughs.

    Actually, a registered voter could run for any county/state/federal position as long as the correct number of uncontested signatures appear on the petitions. This would normally be a “grassroots” campaign.

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