Final vote totals from the Erie County Courthouse gave Democrat Barry Grossman a 343-vote victory in the ultratight race for Erie County executive.

Grossman, of Fairview, garnered 26,211 votes to 25,868 for Greene Township’s Kerner, according to final vote totals.

Both men lauded each other at a news conference earlier today for running clean campaigns that stuck to the issues.  They even shared a handshake — and a hug.

“You don’t have to degrade or demonize your opponent to win,” Grossman said.

Said Kerner, who fought back tears as he talked: “I’m extremely emotional right now. I put an extreme amount of time and effort into this. I hate losing, and it’s difficult to come up short.”

–Kevin Flowers

This might be the easiest blog post I’ve ever put up.

VOTE.

You only have a few more hours until the polls close today at 8 p.m.

– John Guerriero

Some kids and adults have a Halloween story to beat all.

About 2,600 children and adults were invited to trick or treat at the White House, and President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greeted some of them, according to a pool report from USA Today.

Michelle Obama dressed as Catwoman, while other highlights included Press Secretary Robert Gibbs as Darth Vader and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice as Goofy, the report said.

In case you were wondering, President Obama didn’t get into a costume.

– John Guerriero

CeaseFirePA, a gun violence prevention organization, has endorsed Erie Mayor Joe Sinnott’s re-election bid.

Sinnott, a Democrat, is one of 12 Pennsylvania mayors or mayoral candidates endorsed by the group. Sinnott faces Republican Jack Anderson in Tuesday’s municipal election, and the incumbent is widely expected to easily win a second four-year term in the city’s top job.

A recent CeaseFirePA press release stated that the group chose to endorse mayors who have “taken a leadership role, standing up for local efforts to pass common sense reforms to reduce access to illegal handguns.”

Other mayors/candidates endorsed by the group include:

• Munhall – Mayor Raymond Bodnar
• Homestead – Mayor Betty Esper
• West Homestead – Mayor John Dindak
• Lancaster – Mayor Richard Gray
• Oxford – Mayor Geoff Henry
• Allentown – Mayor Ed Pawlowski
• Pottsville – Mayor John Reiley
• Wilkinsburg – Mayor John Thompson
• Pittsburgh – Mayor Luke Ravenstahl
• Harrisburg – Council President Linda Thompson
• York – Kim Bracey
  

–Kevin Flowers

Just a reminder…

Democrat Barry Grossman and Republican Mike Kerner, who square off in the race for Erie County Executive, will debate live tonight on WICU-TV, starting at 7 p.m.

On Thursday, candidates will answer questions from moderator Kim Young during a debate that will air live on WQLN-TV, also at 7 p.m.

That debate will also be broadcast on WQLN Radio Saturday at 7 a.m. and  Sunday at 3 p.m.

And if you missed Grossman and Kerner live on WJET-TV on Tuesday night, that debate will be broadcast on WJET Sunday at 11 a.m., according to the station.

–Kevin Flowers

U.S. Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper, of Erie, D-3rd Dist., today delivered a one-minute statement on the House floor calling for health-care reform to bring relief to small businesses.

The statement included a story about a local Erie business, which was not named.

Provided by Dahlkemper’s office, here is the text of her statement:

“Today, I heard from one of my constituents who owns a small business, a printing company in northwest Pennsylvania. This small business owner received notification that health care premiums for his business are increasing by 51.1% this year. That dwarfs the 14% increase of last year, and 20% increase from the previous year.

“Any one who has ever worked in a small business knows that these costs are unsustainable. This small-business owner told me that his business’ new family rate will be in excess of $1,700 per month.

“He wrote, ‘I don’t know what can be done, but it is small businesses like mine that cannot afford these increases.’

“(Madam) Speaker, we must not allow our small businesses to suffer so unnecessarily when something can be done.

“There is a clear and urgent need to pass health-care reform legislation, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to embrace reform that will help small businesses.”

– John Guerriero

Hurry.

Time is running out if you want to get an absentee ballot for the Nov. 3 municipal election.
The applications are due by 4:30 p.m. today at county election offices, including the Erie County Election Office, Room 112, Erie County Courthouse, 140 W. Sixth St., Erie.

The deadline for most voters to return their voted absentee ballot is 5 p.m. Friday.

Eligible absentee voters include military and overseas citizens, students attending college away from home, people traveling for work-related business, and people with illnesses or disabilities that prevent them getting to the polls.
Military and overseas voters have more time to submit their ballots. For them, the ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 2 and received by county election offices by Nov. 10.

– John Guerriero

WQLN Public Media has announced it will host the final debate in the race for Erie County executive Oct. 29 at 7 p.m.

Democratic nominee Barry Grossman and Republican nominee Mike Kerner will answer questions from moderator Kim Young. The debate will take place at the WQLN studios, 8424 Peach St.

It will air live on WQLN-TV and will be broadcast on WQLN Radio on Oct. 31 at 7 a.m. and Nov. 1 at 3 p.m.

Grossman and Kerner will face off in the Nov. 3 election. They are also scheduled to debate on both WJET-TV and WICU-TV next week, and the two faced off at a Monday candidates’ forum at Edinboro University.

–Kevin Flowers

With the number of gubernatorial and other candidates who have already passed through Erie, the line between the Nov. 3 municipal election and the 2010 election for statewide races is blurring.

Tom Knox, a Philadelphia businessman running for governor on the Democratic ticket, is one of the candidates getting a jump on the 2010 campaign. He spent some time in Erie recently, and I interviewed him at Starbucks in downtown Erie.

Knox, 68, is a no-nonsense guy, at least when it comes to his reading material.

“I only read for information. I don’t read for pleasure,” he said.

Knox said he’s read some autobiographies, but never a novel.

He doesn’t watch much TV either, other than sporting events and, occasionally, the news.

Knox said he spends eight hours on Saturday and eight hours on Sunday reading. I can conclude that Dan Brown’s bestseller, “The Lost Symbol,” is not on his weekend reading list.

– John Guerriero

Richard Figaski, Democratic candidate for Millcreek supervisor, will be lonely at a candidates’ forum, scheduled Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Millcreek Municipal Building, 3608 W. 26th St.

His opponent, incumbent Supervisor Larry Curtis, refuses to participate in the forum because Curtis’ GOP primary opponent, Sue Weber, had some involvement in setting up the event.

Curtis said keeping Weber out of the forum was one of the conditions that both he and Figaski had agreed upon. Curtis and Weber, former friends, had a falling out after Weber got into the primary race.

Weber said she won’t even be at the forum. And neither will Curtis.

You can find out more about the issue here.

– John Guerriero