GOP turns back Democratic tide locally

Republicans hold all nine Chester County state house seats, Romney wins narrow victory By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times Among Tuesday’s legislative winners in Chester County, from top left: State Sen. Andrew Dinniman (D-19), State Sen. Dominic Pieleggi (R-9), from middle left: State Rep. Tim Hennessey (R-26), State Rep. John Lawrence (R-13), State Rep. Steve Barrar (R-160), from left left, State...

Column: Election 2012, it comes down to this

In the race for the White House, look past the rhetoric and dig deeper By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times You’ve probably heard so much about Tuesday’s presidential election that you must feel a little bit like that four-year-old girl in Colorado who became a media sensation for crying and saying she was tired of hearing about “Bronco Bamma” and Mitt Romney. I join you in that — and wish Facebook,...

Locals make final pitch for Tuesday’s election

Democrats, Republicans hold events to boost enthusiasm for election day By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Tom Smith chats with East Marlborough’s Roger Howard as Chester County Sheriff Carolyn “Bunny” Welsh looks on just before a campaign event, Sunday, to boost voter enthusiasm. WEST CHESTER — Local Democrats and Republicans gathered this weekend...

Letter: Hennessey against women’s health

To The Editor, If you are a woman or care about women’s rights, regardless of your party affiliation, consider what Rep. Tim Hennessey has done to eliminate those rights. He voted IN FAVOR of Senate Bill 732 and House Bill 574 which could cause the closure of all freestanding abortion clinics in PA. He co-sponsored House Bill 1077 a.k.a the mandatory ultrasound bill. He voted IN FAVOR of House Bill...

Column: My take on the area legislative races

Is competency more important that ideology? I think so. By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times We had some internal discussions about doing our first endorsements as a publication this year, something I decided was probably not the right thing to do in 2010 or 2011. And while we were split — at the end we still decided that the negatives outweighed the positives. It is a position we will revisit in 2013,...

7th District Election Preview

Redrawn 7th is more GOP friendly, but race is a microcosm of presidential race By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times The new Seventh Congressional District, in green above, runs through numerous counties and adds many new voters for 2012. In an unusual race because of redistricting, an incumbent congressman is a virtual new face to nearly two thirds of his new constituents — but a district that is likely...

Letter: mad about voter ID? Show it.

To the editor, On Election Day, Tuesday, remember that the Republicans in Harrisburg and Rep. Tim Hennessey brought you that horrible Voter ID law. Thankfully, a court ruling has delayed the law’s implementation, so you will NOT be required to show photo identification prior to casting a vote in this historic election. Forgive yourself if you are confused. A lot of people are. For starters, you...

Letter: Ross didn’t protect open space

To the Editor Rep. Chris Ross (R-158) voted for House Bill 2224 which, according to the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association, PennFuture and many other open space organizations,  puts public land, including much-loved parks, at risk of being sold for short term gain or on a political whim.  It tosses out longstanding rules that ensure government cannot sell parks and other Open Space if the lands...

Will HB 1077 impact statehouse races?

Will abortion politics motivate voters to vote for Democrats? By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times I hate the subject of abortion. With a deep, dark abiding passion. But it’s possible I may have underestimated its impact on the 2012 elections when it comes to local state house races. I spent the better part of my Saturday morning last week on the courthouse steps in West Chester listening to a rally...

Op/Ed: Hays talks background, positions

By Mike Hays, Guest Columnist, The Times My name is Mike Hays, and I am running to be your next state representative in Harrisburg. I decided to run against 20-year Republican incumbent Tim Hennessey because Mr. Hennessey’s values and record no longer represent Coatesville, or the other communities within the 26th District. But first, a little bit about me: Raised by blue-collar parents, I was...