Murt, Farley get
an early start

Campaign Bits
By Tom Waring

State Rep. Tom Murt and John Farley, the Republican candidate in the 5th Senatorial District, teamed up last week to collect nominating petitions for the April 22 primary.
Murt (R-152nd dist.) and Farley will probably both be unopposed in the primary, but the petition process allows them to meet voters at their doors.
On the campaign trail, the two tell voters that they are family men who are active in the community. They both support a bill by state Rep. John Perzel that would add 10,000 police officers across Pennsylvania, including more than 1,300 in Philadelphia. And they favor passage of a Veterans Bill of Rights.
Murt defeated Rep. Sue Cornell in the 2006 primary and went on to win the seat in the general election. Now, as the endorsed candidate, Murt finds it is easier to collect the necessary 300 signatures.
"It’s nice to have the committee in your corner," he said.
Murt is expected to face Democrat Lisa Romaniello, an Upper Moreland commissioner, in November. The district includes portions of Montgomery County and a sliver of Somerton.
The lawmaker’s district office is in Hatboro, but he and his staff appear once a month to meet constituents at Congregation Beth Solomon on Tomlinson Road.
In the 5th Senatorial District, Farley is expected to face incumbent Democratic Sen. Mike Stack in the general election. The Republican, back in 2003, filed to run as a Democrat in the 10th Councilmanic District. He was removed from the ballot for insufficient signatures, and three Democrats — including Stack’s father, a former ward leader in Somerton — were indicted by a state grand jury for allegedly forging the petitions. They were never prosecuted.
Farley, a 58th Ward committeeman who was an Archbishop Ryan High School student while Murt was on the faculty, is trying to reach the minimum 500 signatures with the help of fellow committee people, neighbors, friends and supporters. He sensed five years ago that Democrats were not behind his Council candidacy but feels better about this race.
"I’ve gotten nothing but an enthusiastic response at ward meetings, from city committee and the committee people I’ve talked to," he said.
The other local state Senate seat up this year is the 3rd district. The endorsed Republican candidate is Robert S. Nix, a lawyer from Fox Chase. The incumbent is Democratic Sen. Shirley Kitchen.
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Who will challenge U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz?
Republicans in the 13th Congressional District, which include portions of the Northeast and Montgomery County, won’t endorse a candidate until after Tuesday’s filing deadline.
The Philadelphia GOP, for now, is backing Marina Kats, a lawyer from Meadowbrook. Other candidates are Frank Szabo, who ran for the seat as a third-party candidate in 1994 — when the congressional district was entirely in Montgomery County — and Lee Falgoust, head of the Upper Moreland Republican Committee.
The three contenders gathered last week at the Blue Bell Inn to make their pitch to Montgomery County GOP leaders.
Unlike the Republican City Committee — where ward leaders and party bosses endorse candidates — the Montgomery County Republican Committee allows its 400 or so committee people to make the pick. The vote is tentatively set for Feb. 20.
Falgoust, a management consultant for manufacturing companies, hopes the two non-endorsed candidates drop out of the running.
The 46-year-old New Orleans native said committee people will choose among three "very strong" candidates. He has also spoken with city GOP leaders, including general counsel Mike Meehan and Perzel.
Falgoust said he can unite the fractious Republican Party in Montgomery County and appeal to conservative Northeast Democrats. He is hopeful of winning, citing the low public approval ratings of Congress and what he calls Schwartz’s "extremely liberal" voting record.
"That’s not going to sit well with voters this time around," he said.
Falgoust, a father of two who coaches youth soccer and softball, thinks he’s the best candidate because of his business background. He opposes a timed withdrawal of troops in Iraq.

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While U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-8th dist.) will likely be unopposed in the primary, four Republicans are squaring off for the right to oppose him.
The latest to enter the race is Joe Montone, who took 31 percent of the vote in the 2004 primary against then-Rep. Jim Greenwood.
Greenwood dropped out of the race before the general election to become president and CEO of the Biotechnology Industry Organization.
Mike Fitzpatrick replaced Greenwood on the ballot and was elected that November.
In the 2006 general election, Murphy edged Fitzpatrick by a razor-thin margin. The Republican declined a rematch and is instead challenging freshman Democratic state Rep. Chris King.
Fitzpatrick is supporting Tom Manion, a Johnson & Johnson executive and former Marine whose son Travis was killed in the Iraq war.
Besides Montone and Manion, other candidates are Jeff Madden and Tom Lingenfelter.

• • •

Pennsylvania House Speaker Dennis O’Brien (R-169th dist.) will likely run unopposed in both the primary and general elections.
O’Brien angered a lot of fellow Republicans last year when he struck a deal to become speaker but allowed Democrats to control all of the committees.
However, it doesn’t appear that any Republican will challenge him in the primary. No Democrat is expected to run, either.
O’Brien hasn’t faced a primary or general election opponent since Democrat Jack Noonan in 1998.

• • •

Marvin Barrish, a Bell’s Corner resident, will return to the radio airwaves on March 1 with a weekly show through the primary.
Barrish will interview guests on Saturdays from 4:30 to 5 p.m. on WNJC (1360 AM).
Guests will include state Rep. Tony Payton (D-179th dist.), who will appear on the April 9 show. Payton, a freshman, faces Guy Lewis in the primary. Lewis has the party endorsement.
Other guests include Larry Farnese, who is challenging veteran state Rep. Babette Josephs in the Democratic primary in a Center City-based district. Farnese will appear on March 8, 15, 22 and 29. U.S. Rep. Bob Brady (D-1st dist.), chairman of the Democratic City Committee, is Farnese’s honorary campaign chairman. He is expected to phone in his support.
Josephs, meanwhile, will be a guest on March 1.
On April 5, the guest will be Byron Davis, who is challenging state Rep. Rosita Youngblood in the Democratic primary in a Northwest Philadelphia-based district.
To call the show, dial 1-856-227-1360 or 1-856-232-7077. To listen online, visit www.wnjc1360.com and click "Listen now." ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com