tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7481330.post115572413467280102..comments2023-10-24T11:05:25.288-04:00Comments on Mark Rauterkus & Running Mates ponder current events: Fontana opponent quits Senate raceMark Rauterkushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157914569686528007noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7481330.post-1155868731571798722006-08-17T22:38:00.000-04:002006-08-17T22:38:00.000-04:00While some of the comments are true...district bou...While some of the comments are true...district boundaries and whatnot, and the media MUST question why the fax came from his Senate office...I believe that is a quite serious charge...we have too many "anonymous" folks taking shots.<BR/><BR/>Tom Leturgey, infrequent blogger who just doesn't want to log in.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7481330.post-1155855752847399072006-08-17T19:02:00.000-04:002006-08-17T19:02:00.000-04:00Mark, If this senate district is so important to y...Mark, <BR/>If this senate district is so important to you, you'd think that you'd know what municipalities are in it. Furthermore, after seeing what happened to Michael Diven you would take petition forgery and fraud more seriously.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7481330.post-1155776123156678642006-08-16T20:55:00.000-04:002006-08-16T20:55:00.000-04:00Mark, its not about slime, its about tasty gravy.B...Mark, its not about slime, its about tasty gravy.<BR/><BR/>BTW, Mark, some people care that you are not going to be on the ballot. Although the previous writer could be correct, we do deserve choice.<BR/><BR/>Its just that the gravy train that is in place is just so thick and tasty right now, no one wants to say anything different so as to not break ranks, and break the gravy train. <BR/><BR/>AND, I'm not voting for him, so you surely would have received my vote, not matter what. <BR/><BR/>And I'll still vote for you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7481330.post-1155775700939063232006-08-16T20:48:00.000-04:002006-08-16T20:48:00.000-04:00Wayne needs to explain why these documents were fa...Wayne needs to explain why these documents were faxed from his office. This document has NOTHING to do with his elected position, NOTHING. <BR/><BR/>Why are my hard earned tax dollars being spend on faxes that do not pertain to his position?<BR/><BR/>Wonder what else is being faxed?<BR/><BR/>Or worse yet, spent. <BR/><BR/>This needs explained, soon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7481330.post-1155769527490276172006-08-16T19:05:00.000-04:002006-08-16T19:05:00.000-04:00Mark,Wayne doesn't care about a choice; he wants e...Mark,<BR/><BR/>Wayne doesn't care about a choice; he wants elected to a full four-year term with good election numbers. <BR/><BR/>Too bad you got bumped, but that's what those people do.<BR/><BR/>The best news is that Russ won't be stealing Lynn Swann votes. :-)<BR/><BR/>TLAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7481330.post-1155741426288333742006-08-16T11:17:00.000-04:002006-08-16T11:17:00.000-04:00Fontana cared greatly. His office cared too as his...Fontana cared greatly. His office cared too as his fax machine number was on the challenge.<BR/><BR/>The attorney fees might hit $10,000?<BR/><BR/>I think you are RIGHT in that FONTANA should NOT have cared. He should have gone ahead and won the election on Nov. 7.<BR/><BR/>But he didn't. And, they made a big time error that others do care about....<BR/><BR/>There are a few journalists in town that care. Most are on vacation this week. <BR/><BR/>And, the state ethics board is going to care greatly.<BR/><BR/>And, Fontana has other community opponents who care greatly. Any one of them could and can and perhaps will file an ethics complaint. I would not even need to know of it -- nor would Fontana know who filed the complaint. The service to me delivered evidence that is now with the courts and is part of the public record for others to obtain without my assistance.<BR/><BR/>Finally, people do care about the PA incumbent protection program. There are some who care about democracy still. There are some who don't want slime to go uncontested and unchecked.Mark Rauterkushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17157914569686528007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7481330.post-1155738875799858432006-08-16T10:34:00.000-04:002006-08-16T10:34:00.000-04:00You think this mortally wounded Fontana? Let me t...You think this mortally wounded Fontana? Let me tell you something...you had zero chance of winning and no one cares that you are off the ballot.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7481330.post-1155724238501290532006-08-16T06:30:00.000-04:002006-08-16T06:30:00.000-04:00Fontana opponent quits Senate raceWednesday, Augus...<I>Fontana opponent quits Senate race<BR/><BR/>Wednesday, August 16, 2006<BR/>By Tom Barnes, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau<BR/><BR/>HARRISBURG -- State Sen. Wayne Fontana, D-Brookline, has a clear path to re-election Nov. 7 now that his only opponent, independent candidate Mark Rauterkus, has withdrawn from the 42nd District Senate race.<BR/><BR/>Just before challenges to his petition signatures were to begin in Commonwealth Court yesterday, Mr. Rauterkus told Judge Dan Pellegrini that he wanted to withdraw from the race.<BR/><BR/>The challenge to nearly 500 of the signatures was filed by Dan O'Shea, Mr. Fontana's campaign treasurer.<BR/><BR/>Mr. Fontana alleged that many petition signers didn't actually live in the 42nd District, a fatal flaw.<BR/><BR/>To remain on the ballot, Mr. Rauterkus, a South Side activist, needed 500 valid signatures of registered voters who lived in the district.<BR/><BR/>He blamed gerrymandering by the Legislature for many of his problems. He said Senate district lines were redrawn after the last census in a confusing fashion and some registered voters from the South Side and neighboring areas didn't realize they lived outside the 42nd District.<BR/><BR/>Judge Pellegrini, who was Pittsburgh city solicitor in the 1980s, said, "We're not here to talk about gerrymandering. Gerrymandering is above my pay grade."<BR/><BR/>Mr. Rauterkus said voters in the 42nd District "deserve a choice" in the election, which they won't have if there is only one candidate.<BR/><BR/>He asked the judge to give voters a choice, but Mr. Pellegrini said his only job was to go through the signatures "line by line if necessary" to see if each one was valid.<BR/><BR/>"I'm prepared to stay here until 11 p.m. to do that if necessary," the judge said, but it wasn't.<BR/><BR/>Reached in Pittsburgh after the hearing, Mr. Fontana said his opponent "obviously didn't want the judge to go through those signatures. He knew a lot of them were wrong, otherwise he would have gone through them."<BR/><BR/>Mr. Fontana also said it appeared that a lot of the signatures on the petitions had been signed by the same person.<BR/><BR/>Mr. Fontana, 56, a former real estate agent, took office in June 2005.<BR/><BR/>He has been filling out the term of former Sen. Jack Wagner of Beechview, who is now state auditor general.<BR/><BR/>If re-elected on Nov. 7, as now is virtually assured, Mr. Fontana will begin a full four-year term on Nov. 30.<BR/><BR/>(Bureau Chief Tom Barnes can be reached at tbarnes@post-gazette.com or 1-717-787-4254. )</I>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com