Mister Tredyffrin and Friends

I’ll admit it. I am one of the many Chester County Democrats who voted for Carole Rubley years and years ago. Back then there were no viable alternatives, and Carole was a true moderate politician. We Democrats liked to think that when she first entered politics she might have registered as a Democrat, if that had been a practical option at the time. It’s definite that a lot of her Republican colleagues in Harrisburg felt the same way. Rubley bucked at the reins of the Republican machine, and was often successful in driving moderate options in the face of conservative opinion.

Now, though, she has announced her retirement. And as she did so, she tapped as her favored successor another moderate Republican, Judy DiFilippo, the outgoing chair of the Tredyffrin Township Board of Supervisors. Truth be told, Judy seems no where near as moderate as Carole. But she is apparently not nearly conservative enough for the Tredyffrin Republican Committee.

Our local Bush-Santorum Republicans (see previous post) decided to reject Judy, and voted to endorse a much more conservative candidate. As I said last week, the more moderate Republicans, like Carole Rubley and the majority of the Republicans in our township, have ceded control to the Bush-Santorum arm of the Republican party. DiFilippo is too willing to do what is right for her constituents rather than what is best for the Bush-controlled Republican party. So they decided instead to endorse Guy Ciarrocchi:

Tredyffrin GOP endorses Ciarrocchi
By Dan Kristie MLL 24 January, 2008
When State Rep. Carole Rubley, R-157th, of Tredyffrin, announced last month that she won’t run for re-election, she had a successor in mind.

That successor was Judy DiFilippo, a friend who served with her on the Tredyffrin Board of Supervisors and worked in her office as a part-time legislative assistant.

But the Tredyffrin Republican Committee has a different successor in mind.

At a Jan. 10 meeting, the committee endorsed Guy Ciarrocchi, a well-connected player in state and national politics, to run for Rubley’s seat.

Of the 32 committeepeople who voted, 20 chose Ciarrocchi and 12 chose DiFilippo.

Rubley was out of the country last week and could not be reached for comment.

Both candidates are from Tredyffrin — DiFilippo lives in the Chesterbrook development and Ciarrocchi lives in Paoli.

And both seem well-liked, even among the committeepeople who did not vote for them.

“I really like Judy,” said Wendy DiRicco, who supports Ciarrocchi. “But I voted for Guy for two reasons. First, his political philosophy lines up with mine. He stands for Good Government, low taxes and family values. Second, I just think the experience he’s had will make him effective as a legislator almost from the moment he steps into Harrisburg.”

Many of Ciarrocchi’s supporters said they are attracted to his political experience.

He serves as chief of staff for Congressman Jim Gerlach, R-6th, of West Pikeland. He spent a year as Mid-Atlantic Director of the Republican National Committee, and he served as Pennsylvania director of President Bush’s 2004 re-election campaign.

This has led some local Republicans to believe Ciarrocchi would have a fund-raising advantage in an election that, because of national circumstances, might treat the GOP harshly. A consultant hired by the party estimated it will cost $300,000 to win the race, according to committee members.

DiFilippo’s supporters emphasize her knowledge of local government and of the 157th District’s communities. She has served for more than a decade on Tredyffrin’s Board of Supervisors, she is chairwoman of the Chester County Planning Commission and she has participated in a number of local committees.

With this in mind, some DiFilippo supporters have been portraying her as a public servant, while they’ve been portraying Ciarrocchi as a career politician.

Colleen McCauley, a Tredyffrin Republican committeewoman who supports DiFilippo, said, “I’ve worked with Judy on the Tredyffrin Tercentennial Committee and the Tredyffrin Historic Preservation Trust. I know she’s engaged, committed, passionate, communicates well with people. And she’s demonstrated a lot of concern for a lot of the same things Carole Rubley has.”

The Tredyffrin Republican Committee’s endorsement is not official. Potential endorsements are made at the county Republican convention on Jan. 24.

The 157th District also encompasses the Phoenixville area, and Republican committeepeople there will make an unofficial endorsement Sunday night.

DiFilippo hopes to pick up some support at that event.

“Obviously, there’s some disappointment that I didn’t get the Tredyffrin committee’s endorsement,” she said. “But it’s kind of like national politics. I lost in Iowa. Now I’m moving on to New Hampshire.”

For his part, Ciarrocchi said he’s thrilled to have gotten the Tredyffrin GOP’s support.

“It was very rewarding, very humbling,” he said.

He said if he does get the official endorsement, he won’t rush to quit his job with Gerlach.

“I plan to stay in that position as long as I possibly can,” he said. “If you want to get a job done, give it to a busy person.”

When Rubley announced in December that she would not seek re-election, a number of local Republicans who for years had been waiting for a chance at higher office announced their interest in her seat.

Of that crowd, only three remain: DiFilippo, Ciarrocchi, and Richard Breuer, a Phoenixville lawyer who just last week announced his intention to seek the 157th District endorsement.

Breuer got no votes at the Tredyffrin endorsement event. This, some committeepeople said, was because he was a new candidate, relatively unknown in the township.

There’s a lot to talk about in there, but Wendy DiRico pretty much sums it up for her fellow Bush-Santorum Republicans. Guy, unlike Judy (or Democrats, of course) stands for Good Government. Sorry, Judy. That’s just how it is. You and we aren’t interested in good government. Yes, we prefer our government bad. What’s more, Judy isn’t for low taxes. And, worst of all, Judy and the rest of us aren’t concerned with family values.

Family values. Harrumph. That’s a whole other post. I won’t go there right now.

So it should come as no surprise that Guy Ciarrocchi has quite the Bush-Santorum pedigree. He worked as a staffer for many campaigns before making a failed run for the state legislature in 1992. Shortly after that he helped Rick Santorum win his first senate term in 1994: “For a while, my house in South Philadelphia was his home away from home,” Ciarrocchi recalled. He left his job directing public affairs at the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia to become the PA Executive Director of the 2004 Bush presidential campaign. His boss in that campaign to re-elect Bush? Rick Santorum. As a reward for his loyalty, Ciarrocchi was appointed a Regional Director of HUD. He did not stay there long. About six months later he became Jim Gerlach’s Chief of Staff. And now it’s his time to try again for the state legislature.

Gerlach, Santorum, Bush… Could the local Bush-Santorum Republicans be more excited to have such a guy running for them? Could the local moderates be more afraid of this Bush-Santorum prodigy?

Not all Tredy Rs are in agreement, though. Even elected ones:

Letters From Readers
SWT and MLL 24 January, 2008
The following letter sent to the Tredyffrin Township Republican Committee was also sent to The Suburban for publication:
Like you, I read with interest the e-mail from Guy Ciarrocchi announcing his candidacy.

Guy and I served on the Tredyffrin Township Board of Supervisors during his time in office. Guy’s wife, Chris, and I met at a community breakfast sometime earlier. Over the years, I have gotten to know Guy and his family and they continue to impress me.

Later I received an e-mail from John Bravacos and Lou Amici. In that communication, they ask all of us to consider three questions. I’ve been considering the answers for several days and the conclusion that I have reached is that Judy DiFilippo is the best candidate to represent the 157th District.

As Guy said in his letter, we all owe Carole Rubley a debt of gratitude. Carole is supporting Judy DiFilippo.

Guy has stated that he is committed to public service and also building our party. Since Guy presently serves as Chief of Staff for Jim Gerlach, it would be in the best interest of the party if Guy would remain in his present position to assure Jim’s re-election. Jim is facing a long and hard fight to remain in office. Indeed he has faced stiff competition each election cycle. It could only serve to strengthen our party if Guy were to continue to use his exquisite prowess and guarantee a win in this pivotal election.

I have personally known Judy since the late 1970s when she was a member of the Tredyffrin Township Town Watch Committee. Judy volunteered her beautiful home to the Tredyffrin Township Police Department on a rainy, muddy day and watched calmly as 20-plus men tramped through her home.

As a Tredyffrin resident, Tredyffrin Township Police sergeant and fellow Tredyffrin Township Supervisor, I have watched Judy DiFilippo use her intelligence, hard work and dedication to benefit all citizens and employees of our township. She epitomizes the values of the Republican Party.

I may not have always agreed with Judy’s vote on all issues but I have been aware that she worked harder than any person that I have served with on the BOS. I hope that you will consider my thoughts and support Judy’s candidacy.

My position should in no way be interpreted as a reflection on Guy’s ability. It is based on what I have determined as best for our party at this time. We have two excellent candidates; let’s use them in the appropriate positions to better serve the party now. Judy should run for state office and Guy should continue to guide Jim Gerlach’s campaign. This would assure two Republican victories.

Bill DeHaven

Berwyn

Does this mean DeHaven can’t count on the TTGOP’s full support in the next election? Probably not. He should probably start double checking to make sure he’s donated to all the right charities…

Luckily, the Tredyffrin Township Democrats have found someone to represent the 157th who is more concerned about good government than government that is good for the Bush-Santorum Republicans. Former Township Supervisor Paul Drucker has decided to run for the seat.

For Immediate Release
January 26, 2008

PAUL DRUCKER ENDORSED AS DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR STATE HOUSE DISTRICT 157

(West Chester, PA) – Paul Drucker, the first Democrat to successfully be elected to the Tredyffrin Township Board of Supervisors, today announced his candidacy for State Representative in the 157th District. Drucker was overwhelmingly endorsed for the position at the Chester County Nominating Convention, held today in West Chester.

The seat is open following the announcement by the current occupant, Carole Rubley, that she would retire when her term expires at the end of the year.

In his speech to 200 delegates from across Chester County, Drucker stressed his experience working on the issues important to voters during his time as a Tredyffrin Supervisor, including the effort to install sound barriers along the Pennsylvania Turnpike, storm water planning, responsible development and other environmental issues.

Drucker also said his long-time relationship with Andy Dinniman, the State Senator representing the 19th District in Chester County, would be important as he fought to ensure that issues important to the region received attention in Harrisburg.

“I can bring leadership to this position,” Drucker said, and he pointed out that he was proud of his lifelong work as a Democrat as well as his ability to work across the aisle when necessary to get things done.

Stressing his commitment to the region and to public service, Drucker said that he decided to run because our region and our state have many significant challenges to face, and the people who live in the 157th district must have a serious and dedicated public servant who will vigorously represent them.

Drucker was the first Democrat elected to the Tredyffrin Board of Supervisors in its history when we won in 2005. He was widely viewed as a consensus builder and earned the respect of his colleagues for his knowledge of the issues and his skills in shaping policy.

He was narrowly defeated by 20 votes in November. Drucker said that he had heard from many people who supported him but didn’t make it out to vote two months ago, and he pledged to campaign aggressively this year to earn the support of voters.

# # #

Here is a man that reached out to make new friends among the Republicans in the community and on the Board of Supervisors. Paul was able to get the Township to pass a sound barrier ordinance, require a storm water certification with each zoning change request, and install an all-abilities playground at Wilson Park. Like Andy Dinniman, Paul knows how to work with everyone, drawing all together to get good things done. His voting record truly represents the moderate center.