With less than one week until Tuesday’s primary, endorsement season is in full swing.

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

Here’s a reminder about the upcoming May 21 primary.

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

This is no fish tale.

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

Two debates, focused on the race for Erie County executive, are set for next week.

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

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the newly drawn boundaries for state House and Senate seats, starting with the 2014 election cycle.

One consequence of the ruling is that it will move the 5th House seat, now held by Greg Lucas, R-Edinboro, across the state into Berks County.

State Rep. Greg Lucas, of Edinboro, R-5th Dist.

I talked to Lucas about the ruling yesterday. But in a statement released this afternoon, he goes into more detail about the redistricting plan.

Here are his written comments:

“I currently represent the 5^th Legislative District covering parts of Erie and Crawford counties.  As a result of the redrawn district lines, I will now live in the 3^rd Legislative District currently served by Rep. Ryan Bizzarro (D-Millcreek).

“Because of the change, I may lose my job.  But to be honest, that’s not what’s important here.

“While the redrawn maps and my future as a legislator have gained media attention, the real story is the underlying reason behind the shuffle of legislative districts.

“The 5^th District is moving from northwestern Pennsylvania to the eastern part of the state because our region has seen a population decrease during the past decade, while other parts of the Commonwealth are growing.

“When a state legislator could potentially lose his job, it’s front-page news and a top story on TV and radio. When a few factory workers are laid off or a small business shuts down,  few people outside their immediate friends and families take notice.

“The two instances are directly linked. The loss of a legislative district will reduce our region’s clout in the state Capitol. There’s nothing we can do about that right now. The deal is done and the ink is dry.

“But these maps are redrawn every 10 years. If we’re going to get that legislative seat back in the future, we need to do something more important: Bring jobs and the residents they attract back to northwestern Pennsylvania.

 ”My job is just the latest victim in a decades-old tragedy that has affected too many local families. When jobs leave our region, families usually aren’t too far behind.  They search elsewhere for their slice of the American Dream.  If opportunity doesn’t knock locally, our residents are willing and able to track it down wherever it may be.

 ”I sought my current position knowing that there was a good chance the district would be moved when the lines were redrawn.  People have asked me what I intend to do in the future and whether or not I will run against Bizzarro. There’s plenty of time to figure that out.  My current term doesn’t run out – and the lines won’t move – until after the November 2014 general election.

 ”I’m focused on doing the job I was hired by my constituents to do – serve them locally and represent them in Harrisburg.

 ”At the same time, I am hopeful that my potential job loss will serve as a wakeup call instead of a metaphorical kiss goodnight. The fight for northwestern Pennsylvania’s future is far from over.

“We have some of the best-trained, hardest-working employees in the nation.  We have some of the most innovative employers on the planet. Neither group should be ready or willing to throw in the towel.

“During the next year and a half – and any time I may be privileged to serve in the General Assembly beyond that – my focus will remain on growing existing businesses, bringing jobs to our area and reversing the trend of population loss in our region.

 My job may be leaving, but there are too many jobs left to fight for to give up now.  My greatest hope is that this becomes the moment when our region turned the tides and began its triumphant return to greatness. Our residents deserve nothing less.”

– John Guerriero

Selena King, Democratic candidate for Erie City Council. (Erie Times-News photo)

Selena King, a Democratic candidate for Erie City Council, has been endorsed by the International Association of Firefighters Local 293, the union representing city of Erie firefighters.
Dave Chiaramonte, the union local’s president, made the announcement this week.
King is one of six Democrats running for four seats on City Council in the May 21 municipal primary.

–Kevin Flowers

In a steelmaking state, this appointment make sense.

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey,  R-Pa.,  has been named a vice-chairman of the bipartisan Senate Steel Caucus.

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey/ File photo.

Toomey joins a leadership group of Sens. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., Jay Rockefeller , D-W. Va., who will serve as co-chairmen, and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, who will also serve as a vice-chairman.

The Senate Steel Caucus works to promote American manufacturing and the steel industry, according to Toomey’s office. The caucus will serve as a forum for policy talks regarding issues that affect the U.S. steel industry.

Steel is still an important driver of the state’s economy.

The steel industry employs more than 12,000 people across the state, according to a 2011 study that Toomey’s office cited from the Pennsylvania Economy League of Southwestern Pennsylvania. The same report showed that more than $9.3 billion is generated by the state’s steel industry annually.

“Western Pennsylvania is known as the heart of steel country,” Toomey said in a statement.

“The production of steel is key to our state and national economy. It is an integral component in products we find everywhere, from our cars to our kitchens. I appreciate the efforts of Senators Rockefeller, Sessions, and Brown to help ensure that American steel producers and the industries they supply remain strong to boost our national security and our economy,” he said.

– John Guerriero

Want to meet a number of local Democratic candidates for office?

Well, here’s your chance.

The Erie County Democratic Party’s “Candidate’s Night” will take place May 16 at Erie County Democratic Party Headquarters, 1305 State St.  The event, which starts at 6 p.m., is free, and refreshments will be provided.

“I’m sure that most of the candidates will appear,” local Democratic Party Chairman Bill Cole said.  

For more information, call 790-5408.

–Kevin Flowers

The latest poll numbers for Gov. Tom Corbett again don’t look good.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett. Photo by CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE

His job performance remains low, with only 25 percent of registered voters saying he’s doing an excellent or good job,  according to the Franklin & Marshall College poll released today.

That percentage represents little change from February’s 26 percent.

Not surprisingly, the poll showed that few Democrats (12 percent) or Independents (20 percent) think he deserves re-election in 2014, but the poll summary said it’s surprising that fewer than half of Republicans (46 percent) think he should get a second term.

“The governor’s difficulties with voters may be due in part from the priorities he has emphasized in recent months,” the pollsters wrote.

“Debate in the state capital has centered on efforts to privatize the state liquor stores and the state lottery, but these issues rank well below the economy, creating jobs, or improving public schools as important issues (that) voters want state government to address,” they wrote.

The data represented the responses of 526 registered voters, including 265 Democrats, 196  Republicans and 65 registered as Independent or a third party.

The survey was conducted April 30-May 5.

Among other findings, the survey showed that U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey’s favorability ratings jumped to 35 percent, up from the 26 percent in February.

That could be due to the senator from Pennsylvania’s bipartisan effort to close the loopholes on background checks for gun buyers – an effort that was defeated in the Senate.

– John Guerriero