Steel City Stonewall Democrats - THE STEEL-CITY STONEWALL DEMOCRATS ENDORSED SLATE OF CANDIDATES FOR THE MAY 19TH, 2009 PENNSYLVANIA PRIMARY

STRONGLY ENDORSED CANDIDATES

Pennsylvania Supreme Court

Jack A. Panella http://votejackpanella.com/index.php

Pennsylvania Superior Court

Anne Lazarus - http://www.lazarusforsuperiorcourt.org/

Below is the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Endorsement of Anne Lazarus:

"• Judge Lazarus, 56, has served on the Philadelphia bench for 18 years. After stints in the criminal and civil divisions, she is now assigned to Orphans Court, where she deals with guardianships, trust cases and failing nonprofits. She was the first female judge in the county to handle the court's "rocket docket" to cut the backlog of cases, valuable experience for Superior Court.

Judge Lazarus puts a premium on doing community service and has made a priority of encouraging pro bono work among the lawyers who practice before her. She chaired the judiciary's pro bono committee and was honored for her efforts by the state bar. Two years ago, the judge sought this same nomination but was unsuccessful. This time Democrats should not overlook Anne E. Lazarus."

Kevin McCarthy - http://www.mccarthyforsuperiorcourt.com/

Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court

Barbara Behrend Ernsberger - http://www.ernsbergerforjudge.com/

Allegheny Court of Common Pleas

Hugh Fitzpatrick McGough - http://www.mcgough4judge.com/

                                        http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hugh-McGough/43836122521

Below is the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette endorsement of Hugh McGough:

"• Hugh McGough, 53, of Shadyside, a specialist in labor and employment law, was a negotiator, labor relations manager and assistant solicitor for the city of Pittsburgh for nine years. Today he is in private practice, primarily handling workplace, municipal and criminal law. He comes highly recommended by the bar association. A former producer at KDKA-TV, he is active in the community, including as a board member and former president of the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force. While his brother, Tom, is the Post-Gazette's attorney, that didn't influence our decision. We endorse Hugh McGough because he is a hard-working, experienced attorney who would bring dignity, impartiality and ethics to the court." 

Allegheny County Sheriff

Bill Mullen

Allegheny County Council

District 1 - Thomas R. Michalow

District 13 - Amanda Green - http://www.greenforthirteen.com/

Pittsburgh City Council

District 4 - Natalia Rudiak - http://nataliarudiak.com/

CLICK HERE to read Natalia Rudiak's Endorsement from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

District 8 - Bill Peduto

RECOMMENDED CANDIDATES

Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court

Linda S. Judson

Allegheny Court of Common Pleas

Joe Williams

Below is the Pittsburgh Post Gazette Endorsement of Joe Williams:

"• Joe Williams, 57, of Penn Hills is the only contender who already is serving as a Common Pleas judge. Appointed to a vacancy based on his 23-year career as a criminal defense attorney, Judge Williams now seeks a full 10-year term. He is assigned to the criminal division, where his experience is enhanced by his sensitivity to the impact court proceedings have on friends and relatives of both defendants and victims in the courtroom. A Manchester native, Judge Williams received the top rating of the Allegheny County Bar Association -- "highly recommended." The Post-Gazette heartily endorses Joe Williams as a candidate who brings the right skills, knowledge and demeanor to Common Pleas Court."

Allegheny County Council

District 3  - Jim Burn

Mayor of Pittsburgh

Patrick Dowd -   http://www.dowdformayor.com

                         http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=49398610387

CLICK HERE to read Patrick Dowd's Endorsement from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette                       

Pittsburgh City Council

District 2  - Georgia Blotzer - http://georgiaforcouncil.com/about.html

CLICK HERE to read Georgia Blotzer's Endorsement from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

HONORABLE MENTION

Pennsylvania Superior Court

Robert Colville - www.judgecolville.com 

Allegheny Court of Common Pleas  

Susan Evanshavik DiLucente

Arnie Klein - http://www.kleinforjudge.com

Don Walko

Pittsburgh City Council

District 6 - Tonya Payne

Completed questionnaires from all of the above candidates are posted in the news section of www.steel-city.org

Per official procedures of the organization, Candidates will receive a "Strong Endorsement" if they received 2/3 of the membership vote as given by members who attended the endorsement meeting. They will receive a "Recommended" endorsement if they receive 50% of the membership vote as given by members who attended the endorsement meeting. The intent of our endorsement levels is to focus a key part of our support on candidates "strongly endorsed" by the membership while also offering some level of guidance on candidates "recommended" by voting members. We also would like to acknowledge with an "honorable mention" those candidates who, while they did not make the 50% threshold, were top vote getters in their respective races. This category is offered for informational purposes.  If an endorsed candidate withdraws from their race than in accordance with our bylaws a majority of the SCSD Board may vote to endorse a replacement.