Wednesday, May 16, 2007

So, we're a little late. We tried to get a post or two in before the election, but we just couldn't find the time. But if you add up all the winners from the past blogs, we're running 1 for 1. Not bad.

This was a big victory for the Eichelberger camp. Big. Democrats built a strong machine and in almost every race, filled up the ticket, but discouraged in-fighting and kept things civil. Only Republicans had the stones to go toe-to-toe with each other. Think of all that money wasted, hours and hours of effort down the tubes, and names that have been linked to losing campaigns. While you might be thinking that a loss in a municipal election isn't that bad, ask the candidates who lost. While we're sure some will be back again, we place the blame squarely at the feet of the chairman, who did nothing to discourage Republicans from eating their own young. And with Eichelberger at the helm now, here's our new prediction: Stabile will be ousted before the leaves turn. Take a look at the current state of the party and you'll see enough evidence to know that he won't step by and let nature take its course. In fact, we've got a pretty good idea what the Cumberland County Republican Committee is headed toward.

Since we were asleep at the wheel, we're in last place when it comes to accurate and expedient reporting. The commissioner story is huge, but we would like to take a look at a few other races than no one else seemed to cover.

While incumbency reigned supreme in most of the county's hot spots (Carlisle, Camp Hill, & Mechanicsburg), Silver Spring Township was a spot we had our eyes on. The Republican side had 4 candidates running for 2 open supervisor spots and the Gunnison folks threw their weight behind Mary Lou Pierce McLain. We thought Chris Latta, who serves as Sen. Gib Armstrong's chief of staff, would have been a good pick for one of the seats, but he finished dead last. After years and years in the state government system, what would he know about legislating anyway? While we're not surprised by the outcome, this race was a real litmus test for the building strength of Republican women in the county. While they're not quite strong enough to carry a candidate to the commissioners board, they can manhandle a township race with ease, which means that they're gaining steam. Cumberland County's Republican women are gaining power and clout - this is a group to watch out for.

The last place you'd look for a squeaker? Dickinson Township. The Republican primary was half circus, half Gladiator. Louise Keckler only lost by 62 votes to Allyn Perkins, but the real story is that Keckler ran on a push that Perkins favored Partial Birth Abortion. What that has to do with township governance is beyond our scope of comprehension, but its a good example of classic campaign strategy.

So the winner this time? Well, Gary Eichelberger, of course. The key now is for the commish to use his power effectively. Deal with the right people in the right way because a bloodbath harbors resentment and in a place like Cumberland County, that can last years. So while Gary is the king of the day, we do have a caveat: treat it like the Serengheti - seperate the weak from the herd and take them down. The greedy lions try to take the whole herd and what happens? No dinner.

Since the election is over, we're going to keep the focus on Cumberland County politics and if things should come up, we'll be on it, but we're already starting to speculate for 2008 and the status of the county reps, who all endorsed Gunnison at the last minute. Challengers, begin your training regimen.

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