Crunch time for Delco GOP

The Delaware County Republican organization, long considered the best suburban political machine, will be fighting a trifecta of bad news next week: an unpopular GOP president, declining party registration, and strong Democratic candidates for the county council.

The Democrats are not-so-quietly contending that they can win a council seat for the first time in nearly 30 years.

Three of the five seats are open in Tuesday's election.

At stake is control over a $300 million budget and 3,200 employees who run the courts and a variety of social-service agencies. The council controls myriad contracts, and influences economic- and community-development projects throughout the county. A Democrat has not had a seat on the council since 1980, when a home-rule charter eliminated guaranteed minority-party representation.

Democrat David Landau, 54, began an aggressive campaign in June, surprising both Republicans and fellow Democrats.

He is given the best chance of beating one of the GOP candidates: Christine Fizzano Cannon, 38, of Middletown; Andy Lewis, 51, of Haverford; and Thomas McGarrigle, 48, of Springfield.

The Republicans concede nothing. "We are going to do just fine," said Lewis, a Haverford commissioner. "We need to get our Republican base of support out, and we have some appeal with Democrats and independents as well."

Landau's centerpiece has been a series of news conferences outlining what he contends is a history of GOP cronyism, backroom deals, no-bid contracts, patronage jobs, and "Bush-style government."

"The issues in the race have entirely been the ones we have put forth," Landau said. "We have laid out the message of ending one-party government."

The GOP rejects his criticisms.

"He is trying to take advantage of a national mood," said Council Chairman Andrew Reilly, who is not seeking reelection. "People understand the difference between county and national government. County government has nothing to do with the Iraq war."

Democrats Ann O'Keefe, 47, of Haverford, and John Innelli, 52, of Rose Valley, lack the money and infrastructure that Landau has, but their campaigns are more ambitious than some prior party efforts. They are helped by the victory last year of U.S. Rep. Joseph Sestak (D., Pa.) over incumbent Curt Weldon.

"The Democrats [once] ran candidates that didn't campaign; they were just filling spots to save face," said Rocco Polidoro, a former Republican. "Now we have a race, and it is engaging voters."

Democrats were unable to field a challenger to District Attorney G. Michael Green, a Republican.

A GOP theme is that the council has not raised taxes in three years, but that the Democrats will if they win a majority. Democrats say that's a scare tactic. They have taken particular glee in noting that one Republican candidate has not always paid his local and state taxes on time.

McGarrigle, who owns an auto-repair business, acknowledged that he had $15,000 in tax liens for nonpayment of school taxes in 1992. There were also liens for sewer taxes in 1995 and 1996, and sales taxes in 2002, according to court records. McGarrigle said he had paid up all his taxes with penalties.

He attributed some of the liens to a business downturn during a recession, and said he had to choose between paying taxes on time or keeping his business open.

McGarrigle was appointed to the county's three-person tax assessment board 18 months ago and is paid about $12,000 a year.

The most substantive debate has been about whether Delaware County should have a full-fledged health department; it is the only suburban-Philadelphia county that does not.

Most funding would come from state and federal money, say Democrats who contend crucial public-health work, including restaurant inspections, isn't routinely done or is left to the 49 municipalities to handle.

Republicans balk at the cost and say other state and local agencies handle public-health issues; they say they are planning to study the issue, though no consultant has been hired.

Republicans have also emphasized that none of the Democratic candidates has held a local political office, and all three of their candidates have been elected to municipal positions.

While Democrats are quick to point out the Republicans' faults, they have overlooked some of the council's achievements, including working with a private investment group on proposed plans for a major-league soccer stadium in Chester. Combined with a new slots casino, the proposal has raised prospects of an economic rebound in the city.

The key to the win is always who gets out the vote, a traditional strength for the Republicans. Lewis also said Landau's campaign had been too negative "and could well turn people off."

As of Oct. 16, the Republicans accounted for 53 percent of the registered voters in the county, down from 78 percent in 1970, a reflection of demographic trends running against the GOP in all the suburban counties.

Democrats also hope to do something they have never been able to accomplish in the courthouse - win an elected seat for a Common Pleas Court judge.

Democrats Frank Daly, 58, of Media, and Michael Farrell, 41, of Springfield, and Republicans Mary Alice Brennan, 49, of Drexel Hill, and Greg Mallon, 59, of Secane, will run for two seats.