Thursday, May 2, 2013
County Republicans say the interim Voter Services director's involvement with a Democratic political committee is evidence of 'cronyism.' Castor: 'Everyone associated with this process has acted honorably.'
The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners on Thursday continued to face questions regarding the recent dismissal of Joseph Passarella, the former long-time head of the county's Voter Services department, as the county's Republican committee pointed to his interim replacement's erstwhile role in a Democratic political committee as evidence of "Philadelphia-style political cronyism." Passarella was dismissed April 17 after almost two decades in the post. Commissioner Bruce Castor led off Thursday's meeting of the Board of Commissioners with a statement directly addressing the "public controversy," saying that he believed "everyone associated with this process has acted honorably and in the belief that they were doing what they thought …
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Don't count the county commissioner out just yet.
As Patch has previously reported, Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce Castor is still undecided on whether to run or not in the 2014 Pennsylvania governor race. Castor's run against current Republican Gov. Tom Corbett once before, and it is unclear if he'll make a run in the coming year's primary. According to TribLive.com, Castor may want a rematch of the 2004 attorney general primaries. Castor told the Trib "he doesn't want the GOP to repeat the mistake it made in 2006 by backing then-Sen. Rick Santorum for re-election." "Castor, 51, called Corbett a 'ham-handed' politician who has failed to deliver on a conservative agenda," said the Trib. "He said Corbett blew his opportunity to push through conservative priorities, such as a right-to…
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Corbett meets with PA leaders, still undecided in action.
- GOVERNMENT
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Thursday, April 4
Gov. Tom Corbett is still undecided on an action. He is facing a decision to expand Medicaid in the state of Pennsylvania under the Affordable Care Act, though many area politicians do not think he should. Montgomery County Commissioner, and possible future contender for Pennsylvania governor, Bruce Castor told PoliticsPA.com that he wants Corbett to reject the current plan, though the publication says "he has expressed support for a private insurer-based option." The governor's office released a press release Wednesday indicating no change has been decided upon at this time. “Corbett indicated that he will await further information from HHS and that no further decisions will be made at this time," said the release. While many of the state…
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Two politicians from the county may face-off in a race for the state's seat.
Of course, nothing is set in stone just yet, but with phrases like "80 percent sure" and "pragmatism and practicality" being floated around, it is possible that Montgomery County may be home to a hot race in the 2014 Pennsylvania governor's race. Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce Castor has not put a percentage on his desire to enter the race, but has said he is keeping a close eye on the current governor, Tom Corbett's actions in the second half of his term. "I'm not going to run just to make a splash. I want Pennsylvania to go down the right path," Castor said in an interview with Pennsylvania Cable Network, covered by Patch in January. "I want Pennsylvania to be a conservative state, but with pragmatism and practicality. I don't see …
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Previously ran against Corbett in 2004 Pa. Attorney General primary
Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce Castor could challenge Pa. Governor Tom Corbett in 2014, PoliticsPA reports. The 51-year-old former district attorney and Lower Salford resident is the minority Republican on the county's 3-person executive and legislative board, alongside Democrats Josh Shapiro and Leslie Richards. Castor told the political news website that he believes Corbett is "vulnerable" to a reelection challenge. Corbett and Castor have a storied history, including a 2004 Republican primary race for Attorney General. The Republican State Committee endorsed Corbett for the post and Castor ran a grassroots campaign throughout the state, losing the nomination by five points. Castor has served on the Board of Commissioners since …
Friday, October 19, 2012
The Montgomery County Commissioner mourned the late Senator as someone who strove to make government work in spite of political differences of opinion.
- GOVERNMENT
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Friday, October 19, 2012
In his closing comments at Thursday morning's Montgomery County Board of Commissioners meeting, Commissioner Bruce L. Castor, Jr. spoke at some length about the recent death of Senator Arlen Specter, praising him as a great Pennsylvania statesman who did not allow political differences with his colleagues to make "practical" decisions that allowed the government to function properly on behalf of the people. A full transcript of Castor's remarks follows. Montgomery County, in my judgement, lost a great friend this week in Senator Arlen Specter. There is no question that from a political standpoint, Senator Specter marched to his own drum, but there's an entire body of work that the public might not know about when you're dealing with a …
Friday, October 14, 2011
Commissioner candidates Josh Shapiro and Leslie Richards say one party has ruled county government for too long.
- OPINION
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Friday, October 14, 2011
By Josh Shapiro and Leslie Richards Visualize one of those old movie sets of a grand mansion that has fallen into disrepair. Creaky doors. Sheets over the furniture. Heavy drapes drawn keeping out the sunlight. An old grandfather’s clock that stopped ticking 20 years before. Cobwebs everywhere. Well, it may not be quite as extreme, but from a governmental and political standpoint, Montgomery County’s government has fallen into a similar state. For over 100 years one party has controlled the courthouse. One party has made the decisions. One party has handled the upkeep of the county with benign neglect, and treated it more like a caretaker than an owner. Power, patronage and perks have counted for more than good policy, visionary thinking …
Monday, June 27, 2011
Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce Castor said he supports what the community wants in air base redevelopment.
Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce Castor stopped by Monday’s Horsham Township Council meeting to show solidarity with residents and local elected officials’ opposition to an airport at Willow Grove air base. Following his speech, which was reminiscent of a town hall meeting, Castor, who is running for re-election, took questions and received applause from the roughly two dozen people in attendance. “If the community doesn’t want it, then I’m not for it,” Castor said, noting that if a “groundswell” of support suddenly emerged he would be in favor of an airport. “It seems to me you could put in town centers … that would also be a use that the people here would like.” Montgomery County, along with the Bucks County Airport Authority, …
Thursday, June 23, 2011
The Montgomery County Commissioner candidates promised to restore 'economic sanity.'
With the Montgomery County Republican ticket standing behind them, Jenny Brown and incumbent Bruce L. Castor Jr. held their first press conference Thursday, which aimed to solidify their stance and unify the party for the election in November. Standing inside the Swede Street entrance of the Montgomery County Courthouse, Montgomery County Republican Committee Chairman Bob Kerns began the press conference with a brief statement, introducing Brown and Castor and setting a tone for what seems likely to be a highly contested race against the Democratic ticket of Josh Shapiro and Leslie Richards. "We have two candidates as commissioners who I believe are the epitome of what is good about Montgomery County," said Kerns. "We are ready to go. We …
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Residents and airline industry representatives expressed both their worries and support of the potential airport in Horsham.
In an effort to address the numerous concerns that have arisen since the airport possibility took flight, the Montgomery County Commissioners held a special meeting Wednesday to hear public input on future runway use at Willow Grove air base. The eighth floor board room was packed with about 60 people - many of whom were angry Horsham residents vehemently opposing using the 892-acre base as an airport. As the meeting began, a Montgomery County comprehensive plan was displayed, stating that the 8,000-foot-long runway should stand. Immediately following the presentation, Roger Moog, a board member of the Aviation Council of Pennsylvania, made a case for using the airport for corporate use. "I believe the airfield should be retained as an …
Joe Koenig
6:57 pm on Thursday, May 2, 2013
With all due respect, David Robinson is a Democrat School Board of Director in Upper Dublin, Mike Paston was the past President of the same Board, and an active Democrat in Upper Dublin who just ran for District Justice. And this is not political??? more ›