Pennsylvania State Capitol. Photo credit: Zack Frank/Shutterstock.com |

Primary Elections

Republican primary voters on May 15 chose Pennsylvania Sen. Scott Wagner, R-York, to challenge Gov. Tom Wolf in November's general election. Meanwhile, Democrats dumped Lt. Gov. Mike Stack from their ticket, choosing John Fetterman, the left-leaning mayor of Braddock, Allegheny County, to be Wolf's running mate.

Wagner secured the GOP nomination with 44 percent of the vote over Pittsburgh businessman Paul Mango, who received 37 percent, and Pittsburgh-based Jones Day lawyer Laura Ellsworth, who trailed with 19 percent. Montgomery County real estate executive Jeff Bartos was nominated to run for lieutenant governor with Wagner.

On the Democratic side, Wolf was unopposed for re-nomination, and Fetterman was nominated with 38 percent of the vote ahead of former Philadelphia Deputy Mayor Nina Ahmad, who received 23 percent, and Chester County Commissioner Kathi Cozzone with 19 percent. Stack, who was ostracized by Wolf in the wake of reports alleging mistreatment of staff and overspending, was fourth with 17 percent.

Special Elections

Republicans and Democrats each flipped a seat in the state House of Representatives in special elections held May 15. In the 48th District, in Washington County, Republican Tim O'Neal was elected state representative with 54 percent of the vote to 44 percent for Democrat Clark Mitchell. O'Neal, an Army combat veteran and construction executive, is set to succeed Democrat Brandon Neuman, who left the House to serve as a Common Pleas Court judge in Washington County. No Republican had been elected to represent the district in 50 years.

Across the state in Bucks County, Democrat Helen Tai was elected state representative in the 178th District. Tai finished just 96 votes ahead of Republican Wendi Thomas, winning with 50.4 percent of the vote to Thomas' 49.6 percent. Tai, chairwoman of the Solebury Township Board of Supervisors and head of a business consulting firm, is set to succeed Republican Scott Petri, who left the House to head the Philadelphia Parking Authority. The GOP had held the seat for 36 years.

Meanwhile, Republican Clint Owlett, a Tioga County businessman, held the 68th District seat for the GOP. The special election results leave the Republicans with a 121-82 margin in the House.

Opioid Crisis

Wolf on May 14 gave a status report on progress in the four months since he formally declared opioid abuse a public health disaster in Pennsylvania, and directed 14 state agencies to take action to combat the crisis by increasing prevention efforts, opening access to treatment and improving data collection.

“Our continuing goal is to make forward progress in fighting the scourge that is the heroin and opioid crisis in Pennsylvania,” Wolf said. “The data from progress to date indicates we are achieving that goal. And we will continue to evaluate and advance initiatives to help all Pennsylvanians suffering from this disease and their families.”

Wolf highlighted a 56 percent increase in calls to a toll-free help line, with nearly 2,400 callers connected to services, including almost 1,900 who were connected to emergency treatment services. He also said more than 1,400 overdoses have been reversed thanks to naloxone distributed under an emergency initiative to law enforcement, firefighters, community agencies and EMT personnel. More than 29,000 doses of naloxone have been distributed under the program, the administration said in a fact sheet.

Child Protection

Auditor General Eugene DePasquale on May 16 released a 43-page special report, “State of the Child Action Plan,” which included 28 recommendations to immediately give children and youth services caseworkers needed resources to help keep at-risk children safer.

In a press statement, DePasquale said the new report delivers on a promise made in September 2017 to outline steps to fix what he called a “broken” child welfare system.

Among the recommendations were the elimination of unnecessarily cumulative data collection required by the state Department of Human Services; increased funding for proven preventive and diversionary programs; and working to strengthen partnerships between county CYS personnel and child advocates and child-abuse medical experts. •