The Byko election slate, for your entertainment

Tuesday, November 7th will be the most important election of your life.

Naaah. It won’t, and don’t you get tired of hearing that every damn year?

I sure do.

This 11/7 is mostly a local election for Philadelphians, and the outcome is unlikely to change your life much.

But you should still participate, as you should every year, and it is shameful that only about one-third of you bother.

The right to vote was secured by millions of American military, many of whom died. In vain, if you don’t vote. 

As always, I avoid telling you how to vote, but I will tell you how I will vote, and my reasons. If you follow my suggestions, fine.

If not? Shrug.

For mayor, David Oh. 

Why? Well, he is a Republican Reformer in a city that screams for reform. 

Yes, I supported Cherelle Parker in the primary, as the best candidate to send harridan Helen Gym to the showers. I was relieved when Gym was eliminated, although she would have been the Democrat Oh had the best chance of beating. Gym was way too far Left for most Philadelphians, which is why she finished third, behind two moderate Dems.

What’s wrong with Parker? Aside from arrogance, I detailed some of her notable shortcomings in a previous column you can read here. 

Parker is a product of the Democratic machine that has overseen — some say created — all of the ills that afflict Philadelphia — poverty, crime, lousy schools, spotty mass transit, drugs, litter, just plain dread.

As for David’s assets and his platform, you can click on www.DavidOh.com 

A recent Lenfest poll reported that 65% of Philadelphians think the city is on the wrong track.

That is 2 out of 3 Philadelphians. Why in the world wouldn’t you vote for change?

You know the cliche about insanity — doing the same thing over and over and hoping for a different result. So why not do something different?

Oh, because Oh is a Republican? I know, some of you think R is like a scarlet A. Can he single-handedly run the city into the ground? Of course not, but he can set priorities — like lower taxes, more cops, better schools, law enforcement, no “legal” drug houses, no more PC. 

Really, what have you got to lose by making him Philadelphia’s 100th mayor, and first Asian to lead the city?

The next-most important choice is for City Council, and this can get complicated. Citywide, there are seven At-Large Council seats, and voters get to vote for only five.

When the City Charter was created in 1951, the Democratic reformers designed this formula in order to guarantee two seats to a minority party to act as a brake, no matter how small, to prevent the majority from going completely ape shit, to use a technical term.

Since then, pretty much, the Democrats have had five seats, and the Republicans had two — in addition to the one District Council seat in the Northeast held by Brian O’Neill since Moses began to shave.

In the last election, lightning struck. The Woking Working Families Party knocked off moderate Republican Al Taubenberger, replacing him with Marxist progressive Kendra Brooks. And this year they want to keep that seat and capture the seat vacated by David Oh, when he resigned to run for mayor.

It is possible WFP candidate Nicolas O’Rourke will win that seat, along with Brooks. 

We must not allow that to happen.

Why?

Not because Brooks and O’Rourke are bad people. They are not, but they are socialists.

What’s wrong with that?

This — the system is designed to have opposing points of view to battle test their ideas.

But the  Working Families Party is not in opposition to the Democrats. They are Democrats on speed. Instead of putting a brake on Democrats, they throw gasoline on the fire. They will pull the Democrats toward the Left, and that is not where Philadelphians want to go, as proven by the rejection of uber progressive Gym.

That’s why Democratic City Committee Bob Brady blew a gasket when some misguided city Democrats endorsed Working Families Party candidates.  

But it’s hard for him to herd city cats when Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, a supposed moderate who can get along with Republicans, endorsed Brooks, which is mildly shocking, given his bipartisan rep. Sen. John Fetterman also endorsed Brooks.

I don’t hate socialists. My parents were socialists who wanted a better world and saw socialism as a path to it. And when they were teenagers and young adults, growing up in an economy wrecked by Wall Street greed, they may have been right.

But today? No.

Even if we had the money to fix every social problem by throwing money at it, I would not sign up for that. I believe working for what you get makes you appreciate it more. Effort builds character and citizenship.

But we don’t have the money for it, and socialists think they can milk business and “the rich” with no consciousness that business and “the rich” can leave to avoid being plundered. And they will.

The best way to thwart the WFP is to vote only for Republicans —  civic leader Drew Murray and small business owner  Jim Hasher.

One exception: I will vote for Democrat Jim Harrity, a regular blue collar guy who worked various menial jobs, then survived alcoholism, to become a trusted member of his community — Kensington.

Four other Dems will be elected without much trouble. The key is to turn away the socialists.

For City Commissioners, three openings and three candidates. I am voting for Democrat Omar Sabir and Republican Seth Bluestein, but not for chair Lisa Deeley. Why? She would not talk to me about motor voter, which I believed is flawed. Elected officials have to be willing to discuss their positions. She’ll get reelected anyway, so this is just my protest.

I am voting for Democrat Christy Brady for controller because she worked under Rebecca Rhynhart, who did a great job.

For sheriff, Republican Mark LaVelle because every Democrat who has touched that job has been either a thief or a screwup.

Register of Wills, Democrat John Sabatina Jr., because of his law background in this field.

There is one proposed charter change, for the city to create an office of people with disabilities. I am voting yes.

For judges, there’s a lot and I make my judgment based largely on the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Bar Associations’ recommendations. The Bars are not perfect, but they have a better idea of judicial performance than do I.

Everyone here is recommended or highly recommended.

If you don’t see the name, I am voting no.

Supreme Court: Democrat Daniel McCaffery

Superior Court: Democrats Jill Beck, Timika Lane

Commonwealth Court: Democrat Matt Wolf

Common Pleas: Democrats Natasha Taylor-Smith, Kay Yu, John Padova, Chesley Lightsey, James J. Eisenhower

Municipal Court: Democrats Barbara Thomson, Colleen McIntyre Osborne

Finally, there is a flock of judges up for retention. I am voting yes on all of them, with the exception of Common Pleas Judges Ann Marie Coyle, Holly Ford, J. Scott O’Keefe, who get a NO.

Whoever you like, do vote.