Raise a big issue
in court race
Campaign Bits
By Tom Waring
As he travels the state meeting voters, Pennsylvania Supreme Court candidate Mike Krancer has been asked repeatedly, "What did you do with your pay raise?"
"It’s the question I get all the time," he said.
Krancer, former chief judge and chairman of the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board, likes to answer the question because his court was not included in the controversial 2005 pay hike for judges and legislators.
Furthermore, Krancer tells voters, he opposed the raise, which was voted on by lawmakers in the early morning hours with little debate.
"I never would have taken it," he said.
Krancer argues that candidates know what the salary for a job is when they run for the office.
In his case, he expects to earn the same salary for his 10-year term in office.
"I will not take a pay raise at all if I’m elected," he said.
Krancer said the pay raise is the "embodiment" of the disconnect between voters and the judiciary.
The candidate acknowledges that anger at the pay hike is much greater across the state than it is in Philadelphia and the suburbs.
While statewide and Common Pleas Court judges who are facing retention votes this year are worried about a public backlash, it’s hard to gauge the impact on the Supreme Court race.
Krancer, a married father of four from Bryn Mawr, is one of four candidates seeking two seats. The other hopefuls are Superior Court Judges Maureen Lally-Green, Debra Todd and Seamus McCaffery, who lives in Bustleton.
The race is intriguing. It features two Republicans against two Democrats, two men vs. two women and two candidates from the eastern part of the state squaring off with two from the west.
Lally-Green, of Butler County, joins Krancer on the Republican ticket. The Democrats are McCaffery and Todd, of Butler County.
Krancer notes that about half the state’s population lives in the east, including the Lehigh Valley and the Scranton area. He’s counting on high voter turnout because of the mayoral race in Philadelphia, the Council race in Delaware County and commissioners races in Bucks, Chester and Montgomery counties. There are few high-profile races in western Pennsylvania.
"That’s a tremendous dynamic for a candidate like me," he said.
Krancer, a great-nephew of the late newspaper publisher Walter Annenberg, has campaigned a lot in the Northeast, meeting with ward leaders, marching in the Steuben Day Parade on Frankford Avenue and attending the Republican City Committee clambake at Cannstatter’s.
On the campaign trail, he preaches integrity and transparency in the judiciary.
"The message is bringing the courts closer to the people," he said.
Krancer, a Civil War re-enactor who lists Abraham Lincoln as his hero, tells voters they should be interested in the race because the court deals with consumer issues, public safety, labor relations and medical malpractice. It would also handle illegal immigration, if that issue becomes a legal battle.
"The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania affects everyday Pennsylvanians," he said.
As a judge, Krancer would apply and literally interpret the law as prescribed in the Pennsylvania Constitution. He favors public outreach, with a goal of visiting every high school in the state during his 10-year term.
On the court, he would insist on written opinions, rule-making discussed in the public and television broadcasts on the Pennsylvania Cable Network.
Republican mayoral candidate Al Taubenberger is a big fan of the city’s curfew centers.
In fact, Taubenberger plans to volunteer at the centers if he is elected next month.
Taubenberger, whose volunteer duties already include patrolling as a member of the Burholme Town Watch, has met with representatives of Philadelphia Safe and Sound, the non-profit organization that manages the centers.
"The centers have a great ability to serve the youth by bringing together all the potential resources that the kids need, such as social services, mentors and, more importantly, it brings the parents into the process," he said.
Minors who are out past curfew are picked up, but not arrested, by police officers and taken to a center until their parents come for them. At the centers, the minors and their parents are interviewed by staff to identify needs or risk factors.
"I like the concept," Taubenberger said. "It enforces the letter of the law, creates strong community involvement through the volunteers and ultimately helps the youths. In the end, Philadelphia will be better for it."
Taubenberger can talk about curfew centers and other issues on Tuesday at a forum at Norcom Community Center, at 10980 Norcom Road.
The candidate will be joined by his Democratic opponent, former City Councilman Michael Nutter.
The forum, sponsored by Special People In Northeast, will run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Audience members will be permitted to ask questions. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com