send to a friend | print | comment

LEFTOVERS: Earmark scrutiny for Critz, firefighters for Specter, Young Dems for Pike

Mark Critz’s staunchest critic might be out of the race, but that doesn’t mean he’s out of the woods.

The candidate who Barbara Hafer lambasted as un-vetted is facing scrutiny over a meeting he apparently attended in 2005 that led to an earmark for defense contractors, an earmark that eventually led to convictions. CQ Politics reports that Critz represented his late boss John Murtha at the meeting, though it’s far from clear if Critz himself did anything wrong. What is clear is that Critz is taking Murtha’s tack in defending earmarks in general.

“Some may say Mr. Murtha fought too aggressively to bring economic development and jobs to western Pennsylvania,” a Critz spokesman told the site. “Mark disagrees, he will continue to fight for jobs and economic development in Congress. Families are really struggling right now and he’s going to work hard to get folks back to work because that’s exactly what western Pennsylvania needs.”

Critz is certainly taking steps to address the skepticism Hafer and others have spawned. Shortly after Hafer dropped out of the race Wednesday, Critz followed up on a pledge to ask the Office of Congressional Ethics to release any notes and transcripts from interviews it conducted with Critz during its investigation into the lobbying scandal that eventually cleared Murtha of wrongdoing.

“As a firm believer in the principle that an open government is an honest government, I am committed to seeking transparency and accountability in the way Congress conducts its business,” Critz said in a statement. “It is in this spirit that I’ve formally requested the Office on Congressional Ethics to release these documents for the public to review.”

Meanwhile, Senator Arlen Specter got still more labor support Wednesday, when he won the backing of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association, which represents more than 10,000 emergency responders in the state.

“Specter has always stood with first responders and they will now stand with him,” union president Art Martynuska said in a statement. “Senator Specter’s door has been open to us and he has been receptive to our needs in protecting those we are sworn to serve.”

And Democrat Doug Pike got another endorsement in his bid for the 6th Congressional District, this one coming from the Chester County Young Democrats.

“We endorsed Doug Pike as the best candidate to beat Jim Gerlach in the Fall and as someone who has shown a real commitment to Democrats and all residents of Chester County,” Sean McCarson, a spokesman for the group, said in a statement. “Doug is passionate about creating jobs, fixing our broken health care system, and making sure every child has the education to advance in a competitive global economy. Doug has a strong belief in protecting our civil liberties and fighting for equality for all Americans.”

The endorsement came a couple weeks after the county’s Democratic Party backed Pike’s primary opponent Manan Trivedi, and with Montgomery County Democrats set to make their endorsement in the race Thursday night.

March 10, 2010 at 11:31 pm

--Dan Hirschhorn

Tags: Arlen Specter, Doug Pike, Manan Trivedi, Mark Critz, PA-12, PA-6

comments

comments [3] | post a comment