The problem with Doug

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa Way back in the “good old days” of 2018, Scott Wagner, then the GOP nominee for Pennsylvania governor, threatened “I’m gonna stomp all over your (Gov. Tom Wolf’s) face with golf spikes.” We’ll assume for the sake of this column, that this claim was strictly metaphorical.  Wagner, of course did nothing of the sort at the ballot box, losing...

McSwain brings shame on Chester County when he attacks kids

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa It’s still a little rare that you see a politician be such a hateful jerk — and rarer for that politician to be from Chester County. But here we have West Chester’s Bill McSwain — a gubernatorial candidate — bringing shame to the other 550,000 residents of our county by trashing middle school kids in a Tweet that went viral, until he deleted...

GOP continues to whine when they can’t rig the vote

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa If you can’t win fairly, then rig the game. This is pretty much the new motto of the Pennsylvania Republican Party. Whiny over new legislative redistricting maps that only give them a slight advantage, the GOP in the legislature is trying to use a constitutional amendment to make sure they can fix the game again.  They’re trying, again, to do the...

It’s time to stand up against GOP’s abusive relationship with America

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa If you grew up in an abusive household, as I did, the last four years probably seemed a lot like an echo of days gone past, but writ large. The denial of truth, the gaslighting, the abusive behavior and the cruelty for the sake of cruelty are staples of an abusive relationship and, it seems to be mainstream Republican politics now. For years, I was told...

The fact-challenged whiners are winning on COVID, and we’re all going to lose

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa Well, ready or not, we’re reopening. Tomorrow, restaurants will be allowed to operate at 50% capacity, it looks like the college football leagues that initially cancelled will now try to play and there is increasing pressure for local school districts to resume in-person instruction. Now, understand, these moves aren’t based on science or that things...

When it comes to opening schools, Trump has to either put up or shut up

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times Open the schools! Or else. Says President Donald Trump. Okay, there’s almost no one (besides a few kids, maybe) who do not want to see our public schools reopen this fall. My college-age kids are counting the minutes they can return to their campus. As great as our teachers have done over video, there’s no question that kids learn better in the classroom and benefit...

Wolf was right; early reopening is killing people & the economy elsewhere

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa A few weeks back, I wrote a column suggesting that the people of Chester County be careful, listen to health experts, wear a mask, wash their hands frequently and continue social distancing as we worked through the process to reopen our county and state, carefully, and slowly. And while it is clear most of the residents in the county agreed — we continue...

Wolf’s conduct on the pipeline is impossible to explain

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times It runs like a scar across Chester County, a tear far more than a flesh wound, winding across the middle of the county as a reminder that the rich and the powerful can always buy off government at the expense of the people. It is, of course, the Mariner East II pipeline. It is appears to be back under construction because of a waiver from the Wolf Administration deeming...

DiGiorgio out as state GOP chair after texting scandal

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times Val DiGiorgio HARRISBURG — Former Chester County GOP Chair and row office holder Val DiGiorgio abruptly resigned Tuesday as Chairman of the state Republican Party, just hours after a series of stories in The Philadelphia Inquirer detailed a series of sexually-charged and graphic texts he reportedly shared with a female candidate for Philadelphia City Council. DiGiorgio,...

New Congressional map puts all of Chesco in 6th; GOP to file suit

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times The new Sixth Congressional District. It seems like almost everyone has an opinion about the new Congressional map issued Monday by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court — predictably, Democrats generally lauded it as fair, while Republicans, including President Donald Trump blasted the new plan and pledged to fight it in Federal Court. The state court issued the new map...