Between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., the campaign’s rented Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority trolley will make stops at various eastside locations, including the Polish Falcons Club, 431 E. 3rd St.; the Huzars Club, 1122 E. 10th St.; and the Pulaski Club, 2114 Wallace St., according to the campaign.

The Grossman campaign will also visit Millcreek, Harborcreek, Summit Township, and Girard for various events before Tuesday’s municipal primary.

Grossman faces former U.S. Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper for the Democratic nomination for county executive.

–Kevin Flowers

Barry Grossman/contributed photo

Congressman Glenn Thompson/File photo

I reported on that, and more, in my recent in-depth report on Thompson and U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly.

But now comes some more information about the size of Thompson’s district, courtesy of his office.

Thompson’s district stretches from his hometown of Howard Township in Centre County to Erie County, of which he represents two thirds.

The district’s total land mass is 10,711 square miles, or 23.3 percent of the state’s total land mass.

U.S. Rep. Tom Marino, R-10th  Dist., has the second biggest district, with 8,378 square miles. That sprawling district is in north-central and northeastern Pennsylvania.

It appears that Thompson’s 5th District is larger than the land mass of nine states: New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, Delaware, Hawaii and nearly twice the size of  Connecticut, which is 5,543 square miles.

The source of the information is an update to the 2010 Census Congressional District summary.

– John Guerriero

The Erie County Democratic Party will hold a candidates night at its headquarters, 1305 State St., from 6 to 9 p.m.

Admission is free and all are welcome, according to the party. Refreshments will be provided.

The party said it’s a chance to become informed on the issues and to hear directly from the candidates.

The primary is Tuesday.

Are you voting?

– John Guerriero

State Rep. Ryan Bizzarro/File photo

He could be forced to run against fellow state lawmaker Greg Lucas, of Edinboro, R-5th Dist., in the wake of a court ruling that upholds a plan to remap both the state House and Senate districts starting with the 2014 elections.

I got reactions from both Bizzarro and Lucas the day that the court’s decision came out.

And like Lucas before him, Bizzarro has elaborated on the issue with a statement.

Here it is:

The news of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision to uphold redistricting plan seems to leave some confusion within our region.

Here in our office, we have been fielding many questions about what the new maps mean—and how it will affect residents’ voices in Harrisburg—and at home in Erie County.

It’s hard not to think of the decision as politicking prevailing over need—but regardless of the motive—now is the time to work together to ensure we’re in the best position for when the decision takes effect after the November 2014 election.

State reapportionment, along with congressional redistricting, is required every 10 years after the U.S Census to try to maintain equal representation based on population changes.

Our population loss is Berks County’s gain, or so that’s the way it was drawn. The 5^th Legislative District now represented by my colleague and neighboring State Representative Greg Lucas will be moved eastward, and Erie County will have one less voice representing it in Harrisburg.

It’s easy for both Republicans and Democrats to criticize the redistricting plan. The process has been mired in politics, and the first redistricting plan, which also moved the 5^th Legislative District to Berks County, was thrown out by the court because of its blatantly partisan design.

We need jobs. We need to rebuild a deteriorating economic infrastructure that has led to the population losses. We need effective leadership to respond to crises like the possible layoffs of nearly 1,000 local workers at the GE locomotive plant in Lawrence Park and the devastating effect this will have on other local manufacturing and freight companies.

We need to return the Erie region to its glory days. We must continue to grow together, doing all that we can to ensure our region thrives as an economic powerhouse.

But, beginning in the next election cycle, we’ll be doing it with one less voice in Harrisburg. That’s why I will make sure the needs of the third legislative district continue to be heard louder and clearer than ever, as I continue my first term.

I can’t help but note the irony of the situation. At a time when Erie needs strong, effective leadership the most, it is stripped of a member. It makes a tough climb just a bit steeper.

Rep. Lucas and I hold the region’s best interests at heart and share a commitment to work on its behalf. That won’t change with the redistricting decision.

You will be hearing more from me about the new districts in the coming months. But the most important thing to remember for now is that the new boundaries are not in effect until after the November 2014 election. I continue to keep your best interests in mind while I serve as your state representative.

I have no doubts that the region will not only endure but prosper in the long run. We have the resources, the skilled workers, the know-how and the heart to do this! If you have any questions or concerns about the new district maps, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our office. We’re located in the Peninsula Plaza at 1101 Peninsula Drive, Suite 209 in Millcreek Township—and our phone number is 814-835-2880.

We’re here to make sure you have the loudest voices possible—representing you here at home, and in Harrisburg.

– John Guerriero

Kathy Dahlkemper/file photo

Millcreek Supervisor Brian McGrath, Erie County Council members Phil Fatica and Fiore Leone, former County Councilwoman Joy Greco and Jim McCall, a former Millcreek Democratic Party chairman, are all endorsing Dahlkemper.

She is running against incumbent Barry Grossman for the Democratic nomination in Tuesday’s primary.

In an endorsement that the five signed, they addressed Millcreek Democrats in a letter. “Please join us in supporting Kathy Dahlkemper for county executive. Erie County is at a pivotal point in time. Kathy has the ideas and skills to lead Erie County in the challenging days ahead,” they wrote.

They said that a vote for Dahlkemper is a vote for the county’s future.

The Democratic winner will face the winner of the GOP primary - Don Tucci, Thomas Wesley McGahen or Tom Loftus.

They will square off in the Nov. 5 election.

– John Guerriero

Erie City Councilman Dave Brennan has received endorsements from several labor and professional groups.

City Councilman Dave Brennan/ETN file photo

They are: The northwestern Pennsylvania chapter of the American Institute of Architects; American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees District Council 85; Erie Professional Firefighters, IAFF Local 93; and Great Lakes Building and Construction Trades Council.

Brennan is an architect and urban planner.

– John Guerriero

Kathy Dahlkemper/File photo

Democratic Erie County executive candidate Kathy Dahlkemper is heading to Sara’s restaurant at the entrance to Presque Isle State Park on Wednesday as part of her “mobile headquarters” strategy.

Dahlkemper will be at the restaurant from 6:30 to 8 p.m. to meet with voters and answer questions.

Instead of establishing a typical campaign office, Dahlkemper instead is campaigning from a “mobile headquarters” which visits different parts of Erie County each week.

Dahlkemper faces incumbent Erie County Executive Barry Grossman, a fellow Democrat, in Tuesday’s municipal primary.  The winner will face one of three Republicans in the Nov. 5 municipal election — Tom Loftus, Don Tucci or Thomas Wesley McGahen.
–Kevin Flowers

Tuesday is the deadline to apply for a civilian absentee ballot for the primary.

The Erie County Election Office will stay open Tuesday until 5 p.m. to accept applications. The office is in Room 112, Erie County Courthouse, 140 W. Sixth St.

Voters can apply for the ballots and fill them out at the election office, or download and print them online by going to www.eriecountygov.org then clicking on “voter registration” and then clicking on “absentee” application.”

At this late date, voters will have to hand-deliver the absentee applications to the election office to meet the deadline.

The completed ballots must be returned to the election office by Friday at 5 p.m.

Absentee ballots are acceptable for any number of reasons, including if voters will be away due to work or vacation or if they are ill, said Doug Smith, Erie County clerk of elections.

– John Guerriero

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., called on the Obama administration today to act quickly to prevent Asian carp spawning, which he said can occur in more varied environmental conditions than researchers first thought.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey/File photo

Casey pointed to the destructive effects Asian carp could have on Lake Erie and Pennsylvania’s economy. That caution was made in a letter to Daniel Ashe, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“Lake Erie, an invaluable natural resource, supports local businesses and industries in Pennsylvania and is threatened by the spread of Asian carp. In fact, Lake Erie’s coastal region supports 1.2 million Pennsylvanian jobs and is an integral part of Pennsylvania’s economy,” Casey wrote.

“We must address the threat posed by Asian carp in order to ensure that Pennsylvania’s economy remains strong and jobs are protected.”

Casey said he has pushed for a law to require the speedy creation of an action plan to block Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes through a number of rivers and tributaries.

He said he has also urged the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency to crack down on the smuggling of live Asian carp into Canada from the U.S.

Casey is an original co-sponsor of the Strategic Response to Asian Carp Invasion Act, which will enable the federal government to have a more effective partnership with state and local entities that are working to slow the spread of Asian carp.

– John Guerriero

The Erie Reader’s 2013 Downtown Debate Series takes place Monday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Jefferson Educational Society, 3207 State St.

Barry Grossman, incumbent Erie County Executive, will debate Kathy Dahlkemper, his challenger in the Democratic primary. Republicans Don Tucci and Tom Loftus will also take part.

The debate will air live on WICU-TV.

David Kozak, professor of political science at Gannon University and director of Leadership Erie, and Sean Lafferty, anchor for WJET-TV, will moderate a Thursday debate between the two Democratic candidates, Grossman and Dahlkemper.

That debate will air live on WQLN-TV on Thursday at 8 p.m. and again on WJET-TV Friday at 7 p.m.

WQLN-FM radio will rebroadcast the debate on Saturday at 7 a.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.

–Kevin Flowers