Gray rallies city’s Demos
In high spirits, they aim to take back mayor’s office and council. They even endorse a Republican.
By Patricia Poist, Lancaster Sunday News, Feb 19, 2005
LANCASTER COUNTY, PA -
Lancaster City Democrats say they are blessed with the unity, diversity and leadership they need to wrest control of city government from Republicans in the November election.
“I look at our ticket and I do know one thing; this is our year; this is our year,” said Lancaster attorney Rick Gray, Democratic mayoral candidate, who received a resounding endorsement from the committee Saturday morning.
About 50 committee members gathered at Democratic headquarters, 53 N. Duke St., in an enthused and amicable meeting to nominate and endorse candidates.
“Rick Gray has outstanding capacity to bring this city to a whole new level,’’ said former Democratic county commissioner Ron Ford in making Gray’s endorsement.
In addition, city Democrats threw their unanimous support behind four others running for four seats on city council as well as endorsing other candidates, including a Republican.
City Democrats said they hope Gray can unseat Mayor Charlie Smithgall, who easily received the GOP endorsement to run for a third term. Smithgall has competition within his own party from city council member Luis Mendoza, who will run against Smithgall in the May primary.
Besides getting Gray elected, city Democrats hope they can regain a majority on the city council, which they lost to the GOP in 2001.
Endorsed city council candidates are:
*Civic leader Louise Williams, a longtime city district justice and now a crime victims’ representative for the the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons, who said she wants to help “uphold the values we represent in city government that are beneficial to all of the citizens of this city”;
*Tim Roschel, an electrician, member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and Lancaster Planning Commission. Roschel said he wants to ensure all city residents are safe and enjoy a good quality of life;
*Jose Urdaneta, who owns Urdaneta Photography Studio, who ran unsuccessfully in 2001, but said he has never lost his interest in devoting his energies to the city;
*Kendra Saunders, a psychologist and professor at Millersville University, who said she has lived in eight other cities and can bring a fresh perspective to the council as a relative newcomer.
“The interest is there, the commitment is there,’’ said city committee chairman Gregory Paulson.
“We’ve got a group of people who are really committed to changing things.’’
City Democrats say their mission is attracting new residents, cracking down on crime, fixing up blighted neighborhoods and implementing a better trash collecting system.
They also said their goal is ensure that city residents reap the benefits of new economic development initiatives already under way. City residents should be given the first shot at jobs that will be generated by the minor league baseball stadium and the convention center, they said.
The committee also endorsed attorney Sam Mecum, for Lancaster County Court judge; Kelly Ballentine over Scott Selby for district justice in the city’s Southeast; Brook Duer for city treasurer and Craig Lehman for city controller.
Mecum, who received the highest rating from the Lancaster County Bar Association over the two Republican contenders, told the group that judicial canons prohibit judge candidates from speaking about any issues that are political or controversial.
Mecum is a proponent of putting judges on the bench via appointments as opposed to elections.
To that end, as opposed to running for judge, Mecum said he will “walk for judge.’’
“When you walk for judge, you have to be bipartisan,’’ he said. Though he said he cannot address specific political issues, Mecum revealed that his hero has always been the character Atticus Finch, the lawyer in the famous novel and movie “To Kill a Mockingbird’’ who goes up against a town’s prevalent racism to defend an innocent black man.
And then he added: “Democrats have values too.’’
Duer, an attorney, couldn’t attend the Saturday meeting because of a family emergency. In a letter he sent to the committee, however, Duer said he is “energized’’ to get involved in city government to improve life in the city.
Lehman, a budget analyst for the state House Appropriations Committee, served on city council until 2001, when he lost his seat over a controversial trash plan, which Democrats blame the Republicans for politicizing to orchestrate Lehman’s ouster.
In endorsing him, Democratic City Councilman Nelson Polite praised Lehman for sticking to his guns, no matter how politically difficult, while he was a city councilman and said Lehman is “well qualified’’ for the job as treasurer.
The committee also endorsed one Republican, Bruce Roth, to keep his district justice seat in the city’s northwest.
Paulson said he was quite happy with the Saturday meeting and said it underscores that city Democrats are living up to their fighting words: “leadership for a change.’’
“Our position is that we believe that the current administration shows no leadership whatsoever and that change is needed,’’ Paulson said.
Though supporters were pumped up at the morning meeting, Gray warned them that things could get ugly after the primary.
“When they [the GOP] are done with each other, they will focus their hostilities on us,’’ he said.
He said he expects he will be criticized for his job as a criminal defense attorney and will be portrayed as being soft on crime.
Having access to a lawyer in a court of law is a basic constitutional right, he said.
“I will call them on it and ask them if they believe in the Bill of Rights,’’ Gray said.
ppoist@lnpnews.com
© 2004 Lancaster Newspapers
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