Written by Roberta Biros
First, I must apologize. I have been out of commission for TOOOOO long. It has taken me far too much time to sit down and write this post, but I do have a good excuse . . . I’ve been sick. As many of you know I caught a bad cold a few weeks ago and I lost my voice (my husband hasn’t complained). I then worked the polls in the rain on Election Day and I made things worse. I’ve been sick in bed and I’m only just now getting back on my feet. I’ve been struggling to catch up.
I’ve got a great deal of material to cover so I might as well get started. Without further adieu . . .
Primary Election: 3rd Congressional District Democrat Ticket
Congresswoman Dahlkemper is up for re-election, and it has been my guess that she will have a real job of it this year. Mrs. Dahlkemper was up against Mel Marin of Erie for the Democrat nomination in the Primary. Mr. Marin has a bit of a questionable background (read more HERE) and he was running with a war chest of less than $2000. Some would say that he didn’t have a chance. Surprisingly enough, however, Mr. Marin received roughly 27% of the Democrat vote in the 3rd Congressional District (30% in Erie).
Why is this information important? Well, it illustrates the number of Democrats that were unable to “hold their nose and vote for Kathy Dahlkemper”. 27% of her constituents went to the poll to vote and refused to vote for her. This could be bad news for Mrs. Dahlkemper in November, but time will tell.
Primary Election: 3rd Congressional District Republican Ticket
As many of you know, I’ve followed the 3rd Congressional Republican race in great detail over the past few months. I knew all of the candidates personally and I was anxious (and nervous) to see the final results. In the end, the grassroots candidates were unable to compete with the big money in the race. Paul Huber and Mike Kelly fought out the race with their bank accounts, and a winner was selected. The top vote getter in the race was Mike Kelly of Butler County.
It had been suggested by many that Mr. Kelly was in the pocket of Republican Party insiders, and that was illustrated on Tuesday night. Mr. Kelly was the top vote getter in the final tally of the District in the field of six great candidates. Mr. Kelly will now face a bigger challenge as he tries to find a way to compete with Congresswoman Dahlkemper in November. Once again, time will tell. We’ll be following this race closely.
Six great candidates, but only one winner.
I’ve never been quite so connected to one race with so many great candidates. I can honestly say that any one of the six Republican candidates that ran in the 3rd Congressional District would have been well deserving of the party nomination. Mr. Kelly was the final choice, but I’d like to congratulate Paul Huber, Steve Fisher, Ed Franz, Clayton Grabb, and (last but not least) Dr. Martha Moore for running amazing races. I was proud to have gotten an opportunity to get to know each and every one of them. I suspect that we will see many of these names again in the not so distant future.
Highlights?
It was a tough election, and I hated to see any of the six candidates “not win” (notice that I did not use the term ‘lose’ as there were no losers in this group). I have to admit that the personal highlight of the evening was one very important statistic. Dr. Martha Moore managed to win her home county of Mercer. Mercer Countians came out in a big way for their hometown Doc and gave her their votes by the bushel full. Dr. Moore took over 2600 votes in Mercer County with her next nearest competition over 1000 votes away. Mercer County came out to support their great Doctor and it was well deserved. After having the opportunity to get to know Dr. Moore, I became a real fan.
I have a great respect for ANYONE that is willing to run for public office, but I especially respect women that are willing to do so. Dr. Moore should serve as a role model to other conservative women out there that are saying “Enough is Enough”. She deserves a special applause all her own. Thank you Dr. Moore.
Moving on Toward the General Election
For those of you that follow Mercer County politics, you already realize that some extra excitement has been going on over the past week or so. I wrote about the extracurricular activity last week HERE and HERE. In a nutshell, here is a “blow by blow” and basic timeline of events.
- I announced in April that I’d be running as an Independent for State Senate against Bob Robbins.
- As a 20-year Republican incumbent, Bob Robbins decided that he may very well lose the General Election to an Independent (that’s me), so he began a VERY AGGRESSIVE campaign to get the Democratic nomination as a write in. This decision was made with County Democrats (read “Bob Lark and Associates”) and Mr. Robbins decided to spend TENS OF THOUSANDS of dollars on a full-color postcard / robo-call / yard sign campaign.
- When ‘real’ Democrats realized what Bob Robbins was up to they came up with their own write-in campaign in an effort to beat Bob Robbins on Election Day. Art Allen, a Mercer County Democrat, started his own write-in campaign on the Democrat ticket.
- When the word got out that a Dem had bravely stepped up to run, Kathy Frederick (a Greenville Democrat) decided to start her own write-in campaign in order to get onto the Democrat ballot against Republican Representative Michele Brooks.
- In a panic (and in true Robbins fashion), Michele Brooks had to open up her wallet to start her own write-in campaign against Frederick (also including robo calls) for the DEMOCRAT nomination. Ms. Brooks was also forced to get out and work the polls on Election Day (which was a refreshing sight). Michele Brooks actively running as a Democrat . . . “who would have thunk it”.
In summary, Bob Robbins and Michele Brooks decided that they both wanted to be Republicans AND Democrats this year. Demonstrating ALL THAT IS WRONG IN POLITICS, the dynamic duo has illustrated to the 17th and 50th Districts that they ARE just as bad as everyone has been saying. They have demonstrated that they are, in fact, self-serving politicians that are ONLY concerned with getting re-elected.
The votes are not yet counted and the results of the write-in wars are not yet known, but the funniest part of the story is just now beginning to hit the papers. That portion of the story is the part that includes Mercer County Democrat Chairman Bob Lark.
Last year some thought that my public “dust up” with Bob Lark was a fantasy story. It seemed like “make believe” in a fantasy world of Democrats run amuck. They couldn’t believe that the things that I had been claiming could possibly be true. No one man could be so deranged as to do the things that he does. However, this year Bob Lark has illustrated to ALL of Mercer County exactly what I’ve been claiming. He is a representative of the “Mercer County Incumbent Party” I is more concerned with elevating members of the ‘inner circle’ than the promotion of good government.
Two Democrats (Art Allen and Kathy Frederick) stepped up in an attempt to organize a last-minute write-in campaign against career politicians (Robbins of 20 years and Brooks of the first 4 of 20 years). Rather than embrace the brave souls that were willing to step up to run for office, Bob Lark . . . get this . . . I’m not kidding . . . came out and CRITICIZED THEM BOTH.
Why? What reason could he have for criticizing two willing participants in a political challenge? He was angry that they didn’t go through the standard process of getting petitions signed and running in the Primary. What? Are you kidding me? He is joking, right? For those of you that don’t realize it, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I DID LAST YEAR and Bob Lark didn’t like that EITHER.
So why is Mr. Lark so upset? I suggest that Mr. Lark is angry for two reasons. He admits that he was aware of Bob Robbins plan to run as a Democrat, and I think that Mr. Lark WANTED Mr. Robbins to win the nomination. He simply didn’t like that I called him out for being a willing participant (and active recruiter). The second reason that Mr. Lark is angry is that Michele Brooks WAS NOT part of that plan of his. He had made a deal with Bob Robbins (and Company) but he had made no such deal with Michele Brooks. After the write-in battle is over Mr. Lark may find himself having to support a Robbins/Brooks ticket and that simply wasn’t part of his original agreement. Unfortunately, Mr. Lark got more than he bargained for and he isn’t happy about it.
If you sit back and you look at the statements that have been made by both Robbins and Lark you have to just scratch your head. You have to stop and wonder, “what is going on here?”. Common-sense thinkers like me are stopping and saying “something doesn’t smell right”. I would suggest that your nose is not playing tricks on you. There is something seriously wrong here and we should all be wondering ‘why’.
In Closing . . .
It is important that I clear the air regarding Mr. Lark. Last year my race for County Treasurer became a game for Mr. Lark and I refuse to be caught up in it again this year. The 2010 Election for State Senate in the 50th District needs to be a focused race between me (an energetic and dedicated independent candidate with a platform for good government) and Bob Robbins (a 20-year incumbent that is running as a Republican AND Democrat who would sell his soul to the Devil if he thought that it would win him re-election).
I look forward to moving towards November with a focus on the issues and policies . . . and NOT politics.
Let the games begin!
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Posts
Well, what can one say...it is very disappointing that good or better candidates, don't have a chance because of the money factor, and the money factor doesn't necessarily give you the best candidate. Is it the pragmatic part of the GOP that looks at a race and because the one or two of the candidates have the "cash" to bankroll a campaign and that is less than the "they" have to shell out? If that is the case, then limit who can run! That opens up another topic... 5 candidates all of them really new to the scene, and 1 to the GOP running, what really were the chances? Tea Party people, christian coalitions, right to lifers, dislike for "Nancy" Dahlkemper, on and on. Where were you and where was the rest of the republicans, you certainly had a variety to choose from. Once again, low voter turn out, what is the matter? Why, when there is so much going on...you hold the key in your vote!If there is any hope for winning in November, then please stop the self-serving crap, and back this guy who won. He may have not been your choice, nor mine, but he came out the leader. I have to hold out hope for Mr. Kelly, so give us the best you can, and so will the voters.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, that is the way that elections work. The best candidates often don't end up on top. It stings. Money is a huge factor especially in a race like the 3rd. All 6 candidates were really good and their platforms were almost too similar. The ONLY THING dividing them was money. Money won.
ReplyDeleteI need to call you on a few of your statements, though. When you say "Where were you", remember that there were DROVES of concerned citizens that have abandoned BOTH parties because they are tired of the inside politics and they are tired of the broken system. I am one of those people. As independents, many of us did what we could, but we were not able to cast a vote.
If you think R turnout was bad, D turnout was even worse. Low voter turnout is not uncommon, and a cold and rainy day keeps EVERYONE at home. Is it a sad commentary on the level of interest? Absolutely. People are all excited about politics while you have their attention (and if there is a good party going on), but when you ask them to put their shoes and coat on to go out in a drizzle, they draw the line. THEY STILL don't understand how important it is, and that is unfortunate.
You are preaching to the choir when you say that we need to back the winner. I've been saying it since March. Regardless of who the top vote getter was, concerned citizens need to get behind him if they want Kathy Dahlkemper gone. However, there is a certain amount of responsibility on Mr. Kelly's shoulders. He needs to be the uniter. He needs to extend a few olive branches and attempt to heal some of the wounds. If he does not and if he does not prove that he is worthy, voters will choose the 'enemy that they know'.
Advice? Mr. Kelly doesn't have time to take a break. He needs to get on the horn and start reaching out to people that can help him. AND I'M NOT referring to the Mercer GOP.
i love the summary of the Bob Lark, Bob Robbins, and Michelle Brooks business. the way you lay it out makes it clear what happened and everything that Lark and Robbins have said supports it. Lark talked to Robbins but wasn't offended but he's ticked at Allen and Fredrick for trying to stop Robbins and Brooks. he opened his mouth and stuck his foot in. what a joke
ReplyDeletethe one that i don't get is brooks. what the heck was she thinking. she is just as bad if not worse than the two Bobs. were robo calls really necessary. why couldn't she just let it go and run against Fredrick if she got the write ins.
Bob Robbins and Michelle Brooks prooved how weak and desperate they are and Lark prooved again that he needs to go away
I talked to lots of people over the weekend regarding this subject. Every time Lark protests by claiming that the allegations are "ludicrous" he looks more guilty. When he comes out and says that he is "disappointed and irritated" by Art Allen and Kathy Frederick for attempting to stop both Bob Robbins and Michele Brooks he simply proves my point. Best of all, each and every time that Bob Robbins claims that he DIDN'T spend TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS for the Democrat nomination because I am running against him, HE ILLUSTRATES THAT HE IS A LIAR.
ReplyDeleteI don't use the term "liar" lightly. It is the ONLY word that describes his behavior. Everyone sees it, and no one respects it. After 20 years as a GOP Senator and deep Republican, the ONLY reason that he would seek the Democrat nomination (for the first time in his LIFE) is because he is attempting to defeat the one candidate that he is unprepared to take on. I'm a woman . . . I'm an independent . . . I won't be intimidated . . . and I won't go away. That is a combination that Bob Robbins doesn't know how to handle.
The issue (and the fact that the press is beating up on both Bob Lark and Bob Robbins) is stirring up the crazies, though. I received a "comment" to this blog yesterday morning accusing me of everything under the sun (it was WAY off topic and I did not publish it). The loonies are coming out of the woodwork on this one for sure. Insiders from Lark's camp are angry for me 'outing' Mr. Lark. Insiders from Robbins’ camp have been coming to events and giving me the 'evil eye' for hours on end. Insiders from the Brooks' camp have confronted me face to face in a public location screaming that I am the liar. If these examples illustrate who the 'insiders' are, who would ever want to be one of them?
Bob Lark, call off your pit bulls because I'm not going away.
Bob Robbins, tell your cronies to take a break because their old tactics tire me.
Michele Brooks, have your friends ratchet down on the rhetoric. If you have a complaint, I challenge you to address me directly . . . but we both know that won't happen.
I'm here . . . and I'm not going anywhere. I will continue to expose every single piece of dirt that I find in the system. That includes Chairman Lark, Senator Robbins, and Representative Michele Brooks. I do so because I’m determined to clean up the system and make things right. We need to get on a path of good government and a system of public servants working for the people, and ‘politicians’ and self-serving individuals like Lark, Robbins, and Brooks are making that impossible. They need to either change -or- go, and I’m passionate about ONE of those two things happening. This country is on a bad path right now, and it is our responsibility to help to get it back on track. Mercer County is small . . . the 50th District and 17th District are small . . . Pennsylvania is small. We need to take care of our small pieces of the pie, and that battle starts right here and right now.
Good news? Over the weekend I had an opportunity to talk to lots of people from both parties that are sickened by all of this too. I talked to elected officials from both sides of the aisle that are 'bright lights' in an otherwise dark cave. I won't mention them by name (as I don't want to cause them problems within their parties), but they are out there. I can simply say that they ARE NOT Lark, Robbins, or Brooks. You fill in the blanks and give me your best guess. My point is that they are NOT ALL bad, but we need to look closely and examine each and every elected official under a microscope. There is hope.
Roberta,
ReplyDeletePerhaps you would like to reprint my letter to the Herald that ran this past Saturday:
Now that the primary election is over, folks may want a break from politics for a while. I can't say that I blame them; we are sometimes so inundated with political advertising, yard signs, and blaring media promos that it tests even the most patient among us.
One politician who continues to test the patience of Mercer County voters is State Senator Bob Robbins. Apparently not being content with his entrenched position as the Republican candidate, Robbins sent a deluge of direct mail pieces over the last several weeks, asking Democrats to write-in his name.
This raises a special irony: Robbins is the classic career politician, who stands for nothing except for keeping himself in office. That he would want to be known as both a Republican and a Democrat is telling. By seemingly standing for everything, Bob Robbins stands for nothing.
I probably don't need to remind voters of Robbins's utter failure to rein in Harrisburg's profligate spending. Has Robbins ever once fought to downsize the absurd and huge government in Harrisburg? No, he was too busy voting himself pay raises under the cover of darkness.
Worse, he continues to dole out pork in the form of state grants (also known as taxpayer dollars) like his own personal piggy bank. Since he thinks more pork can basically buy him more votes, why should Robbins care if taxpayers are the ultimate losers in his game of politics?
The irony is that at a time when so many voters, including Democrats, Republicans, and Independents want to see Harrisburg reformed, there is Bob Robbins, with his huge salary and Cadillac perks for doing what amounts to a part-time job, just continuing politics as usual.
It is time for voters to send Bob Robbins to retirement, once and for all.
Thanks for including the content from the letter, Jason. I saw the article on Saturday and I was not alone. We were at the Home Show at the Hickory VFW over the weekend and there were lots of people that brought up the letter in conversation. Your thoughts are shared by many, and your letter got people to talking about the issue. Thanks for all that you do.
ReplyDeleteI wish the Herald would report more about Bob Lark, and maybe even branch out into a comic strip, with him as the central figure of course.
ReplyDeleteLark is so ineffective as a leader or even cheerleader, BUT he is good as the perennially outraged and deranged chairman of the MCIP (Mercer County Incumbent Party), who seems to have a problem with any woman in politics, and maybe including Dahlkemper.
For all we know, since Lark is supporting Robbins and Brooks (LMAO on that one and she is giggling too I bet), Lark is probably pushing for Mike Kelly. Could it be that the holier-than-thou former Repub wing of the local Dems are lockstep with Lark against Dahlkemper? An interesting theory?
I know that Lark has no love for Dahlkemper. You should have heard the rants last summer regarding her once claimed Blue Dog status .. . And then there is the woman thing. Lark is cozy with Robbins but he HATES Brooks. He will have a difficult time of it walking his fine lines this summer. I CAN'T WAIT for slate cards to be printed! What a Democrat ticket they will have --- Dahlkemper (or Kelly), Robbins,
ReplyDeleteand Brooks! Did you see that coming?
Yeah, Lark got tangled up in his own cheesy web. When you go about life plotting and cheating, occasionally it will backfire!
ReplyDelete