NEWS
Congressman Patrick Meehan Resigns Abruptly
Republican Pat Meehan, who had represented the Congressional District that includes all of Radnor Township since 2010, abruptly resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives this past Friday, April 27th. Meehan had already announced back on January 25th that he would not seek reelection in the wake of a report that he had used thousands of dollars of taxpayer money to settle sexual harassment claims by a former staffer, and he was facing a House Ethics Committee investigation into his conduct. Under Pennsylvania law, Governor Tom Wolf will announce within ten days the date for a special election to fill the vacancy left by Meehan’s resignation. Ten candidates are currently seeking the Democratic nomination in the November general election race to fill this Congressional seat (now PA-5).
George Badey, Dan Muroff and David Wertime Withdraw from PA-5 Race
Geoge Badey, Dan Muroff and David Wertime have each withdrawn from the PA-5 Democratic primary race. The candidates who remain are: public school teacher Larry Arata, State Representative Margo Davidson, Chester Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland, former Philadelphia Deputy Mayor of Labor Rich Lazer, former Morgan Stanley wealth manager Lindy Li, former federal prosecutor and healthcare advocate Ashley Lunkenheimer, attorney Mary Gay Scanlon, bioengineer Molly Sheehan, State Representative Greg Vitali, and entrepreneur Theresa Wright.
ACTION ITEMS
Be a Poll Greeter on Primary Day
We need as many volunteers as possible to sign up for a shift (or two) to be a poll greeter on Primary Day. The job of a greeter is to solicit subscribers to this newsletter and to hand out Democratic party materials, including sample ballots and literature for our Wards 1 and 7 Commissioner races, to voters as they enter their polling place. Bring a friend to help, and see all your neighbors on a hopefully nice spring day! Click here for more details and shift availability.
Blanket Our Township with Campaign Signs for Jack and Sean
Campaign signs for Jack Larkin (Ward 1) and Sean Farhy (Ward 7) are here and ready for distribution! If you would like us to plant a sign on your lawn (we will also retrieve it after May 15th), please email Rob Armstrong with your street address. Even if you do not live in Ward 1 or 7, we are looking to place these signs in high traffic/visibility locations throughout Radnor. Thank you!
Contribute to the RDC Special Election Fund
With the Vacancy Board's appointment of Republican Matt Marshall as the Interim Commissioner of Ward 1 on January 22nd, we lost our Democratic majority on the Township Board of Commissioners. We need your support so that we can help Jack Larkin and Sean Farhy run strong, effective campaigns in their wards. Even if you do not live in Ward 1 or 7, you will be well served if Democrats regain the majority on the full Board. Every dollar you contribute helps; please help by clicking here!
Write in Candidates for the Radnor Democratic Committee in Precincts 6-2 and 7-2
Attention, all registered Democrats who vote at the Radnor Township Building (Ward 6, Precinct 2) or Radnor United Methodist Church (Ward 7, Precinct 2): on Primary Day, May 15th, please write in the name(s) of the individual(s) listed below to be the Radnor Democratic Committeeperson(s) for your precinct. If elected, he and/or she will represent you on the Radnor Democratic Committee and help organize the Democratic Party's efforts for your precinct for a term of four years. Detailed write-in instructions are below, but you can always ask a poll worker for assistance. Thank you!
If you vote at the Radnor Township Building (6-2): Noreen Piatt
If you vote at Radnor United Methodist Church (7-2): Matthew Brukman and Dianne Thompson
Write-in Candidate Instructions:
- STEP 1. Locate the area for Radnor Democratic Party Committeeperson on the Democratic (left) part of the voting machine. Press the X where it says "Write In." The light next to the X should come on.
- STEP 2. A button at the top of the machine will start flashing red. Press the button.
- STEP 3. The write-in slot to the right of the red button will open. Stamp, sticker, or handwrite in pen the name of the candidate for whom you wish to vote.
- STEP 4. Pull the door for the write-in slot down.
- IF YOU ARE VOTING IN 7-2, REPEAT STEPS 1 THROUGH 4 ONE MORE TIME TO WRITE IN THE NAME OF THE SECOND CANDIDATE. DON'T FORGET TO VOTE THE REST OF THE BALLOT AND HIT THE GREEN "VOTE" BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM RIGHT OF THE VOTING MACHINE TO CAST YOUR VOTE FOR ALL OF THE RACES.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Radnor League of Women Voters Board of Commissioners Wards 1 and 7 Candidates Forum
Monday, April 30th, 7-9pm
Radnor Township Municipal Building
301 Iven Avenue, Radnor, PA
The League of Women Voters of Radnor Township will moderate this forum for those seeking election to Radnor's Board of Commissioners in the May 15, 2018, special elections to fill vacated spots in Ward 1 and Ward 7. Democratic candidates Sean Farhy (Ward 7) and John Larkin (Ward 1) and Republican candidates Jane Galli (Ward 7) and Bill Morrissey (Ward 1) have accepted invitations to this event. Register for free here.
Monthly Radnor Democrats Meeting
Tuesday, May 1st, 7pm
Radnorshire Room, Radnor Township Municipal Building
301 Iven Avenue, Radnor, PA
Voting members of the Radnor Democratic Committee will be considering whether and whom to endorse in the primary races taking place on May 15th. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Delaware County Council Meeting
Wednesday, May 2nd, 6pm
Radnorshire Room, Radnor Township Municipal Building
301 Iven Avenue, Radnor, PA
The governing body of our county will be holding one of its regular meetings right here in Radnor (they are usually held in Media, the county seat). For the first time in over a century, the County Council now has Democratic representation through members Kevin Madden and Brian Zidek. Come see what goes on at the county level. There is a period for public comment at the end of the meeting.
Deadline to Apply for Absentee Ballot
Tuesday, May 8th
Will you be out of town or otherwise unable to vote in person on Primary Day (May 15th)? If so, click here to request an absentee ballot in time for the Primary and Special Elections!
Pre-Election Open House, Materials Pick-up and Rally
Saturday, May 12th, 3pm
Home of George Badey
238 Chamounix Road, Saint Davids, PA
We will gather at George's house to distribute Election Day materials and rally for Tuesday's Primary and Special Elections. All are welcome and encouraged to attend!
PRIMARY AND SPECIAL (WARDS 1 AND 7) ELECTIONS
Tuesday, May 15th
Click here to find your polling place. THEN GO VOTE!
Wayne Music Festival
Saturday, June 9th
Downtown Wayne, PA
Stop by the Radnor Democrats' big blue tent as we turn our attention to the General Election!
Monthly Radnor Democrats Meeting
Tuesday, June 12th, 7pm
Radnorshire Room, Radnor Township Municipal Building
301 Iven Avenue, Radnor, PA
All are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Radnor Democrats Present: A Special Evening of Humor with Lucy Bell Jarka-Sellers
Thursday, October 18th, 7-9pm
Join the Radnor Democrats for a special evening of humor with Lucy Bell W. Jarka-Sellers, author of the political satire "Meet John Dough, Superhero: A Political Fantasy." Details to come.
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Sean Farhy
Candidate, 7th Ward Commissioner
Sean Farhy was appointed Interim Commissioner for Radnor's 7th Ward on December 12, 2017. Sean is also the Democratic candidate in the May 15th Special Election to elect a Ward 7 Commissioner to fill the remainder of the unexpired term, which runs through the 2019 election.
Sean has lived on the Main Line all his life and in Ward 7 for the past 16 years. He is the husband to his beautiful wife Carrie, and he has two children, Jackson and Isaac. Prior to becoming a small business owner, Sean worked in the financial services industry for 15 years as an adviser, options trader, and securities analyst. He is a graduate of the University of Delaware and received his MBA from Drexel University in 2007. In his free time, you may be able to catch him coaching his older son’s Little League game, fishing with his dad, or at a swim meet.
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FROM THE CHAIR
We are counting down to the May 15th Primary.
In Radnor Wards 1 and 7, it's not just a Primary, but a Special Election that will determine which Party will govern Radnor until the November 2019 elections. We have two excellent Democratic candidates. Jack Larkin is running in Ward 1 and Sean Farhy in Ward 7. Ordinarily in a primary election you can only vote for candidates in your own party, but these special elections are essentially general elections for commissioner in Wards 1 and 7. So, Republicans and Independents can vote for Jack and Sean. It's important that we get a large voter turnout in both these wards to ensure a Democratic majority prevails.
Please make every effort to attend the Commissioner Candidates Forum, hosted by the League of Women Voters on Monday, April 30th, at 7pm at the Township Building. It should be an interesting and lively event as our own Democratic candidates will be going up against two candidates fielded by the party led by Donald J. Trump (still commonly known as the Republican Party). It would be nice to have a good turnout to show support for Sean and Jack. Also, if you did not get a yard sign, please email us or come to the candidates forum.
On May 15th, Radnor Democrats will also be nominating our Democratic candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House (the new 5th District), State House, and Democratic State and County Committees. It'll be a busy ballot. As of last count, 10 people are still vying for the Democratic nomination for the PA-5 U.S. Congressional seat. All Radnor Democratic Committeepeople elected in 2014 (and ex officio members of the Committee) will be permitted to vote on endorsements for these races at our meeting this coming Tuesday, May 1st, at 7pm at the Township Building. Please make every effort to attend.
On Saturday, May 12th, starting at 3pm, we will be holding our election materials pick-up at my house (238 Chamounix Road). Weather permitting, this will also be our pre-election open house (no endorsements, no contributions, just fun) get together and rally.
I hope to see a big turnout at this Monday's (April 30th) candidates forum, this Tuesday's (May 1st) meeting to consider endorsements, and at the May 12th open house.
--George Badey
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DID YOU KNOW?
At least two "super PACs," also called independent expenditure-only committees, are active in the PA-5 U.S. Congressional race. The "Middle Class PAC," which is funded by the International Brotherhood of Electricians Local 98 led by John "Johnny Doc" Dougherty, is spending more than $500,000 in TV ads backing Rich Lazer. "Progress in PA-5" has spent more than $18,000 in mailings boosting Ashley Lunkenheimer. A super PAC can spend an unlimited amount of money on an election as long as it does not coordinate with the candidate's campaign.
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