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1. Delaware County’s spending on third-party attorneys now over $4.5 million

By Todd Shepherd
 

Delaware County spent $4.5 million in 2023 to hire the help of third-party attorneys, continuing a dizzying years-long rise in that category, according to a Broad + Liberty analysis of documents obtained by a Right to Know request.

The $4.5 million figure is eleven times more than what the county spent on outside counsel in 2019, the last year Republicans were in control of the county council. For a simple year-over-year comparison, it’s a 30 percent increase over what the council spent in 2022.

Why It Matters. The increase in spending is just one of the contributing factors that led to council’s decision to raise taxes in 2023 by five percent, and at least one council member is already signaling that a “sizable” tax increase is likely for the next year.

The legal spending also surprises when compared to the county’s neighbors. For example, Delco’s third-party attorney spending in 2023 is just a few thousand dollars away from the same category of spending by Bucks County across all four years of 2020-2023.

Quotable. Delaware County GOP Chairwoman Meaghan Wagner blasted the latest numbers: “As a practicing attorney, former prosecutor, and local elected official who has intimate knowledge of the inner workings of both county government and political parties, these numbers are offensive. It’s just another example of this administration’s total incompetence which comes at the expense of Delaware County taxpayers.”

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2. Josh Shapiro — A wolf in sheep’s clothing

By Beth Ann Rosica
 

"Throughout his career, Josh has taken on the status quo, brought people together, and fought to keep Pennsylvanians from getting screwed — and that’s exactly what he’ll do as Governor.”

That statement was part of his campaign in 2022 when he was running for Governor of Pennsylvania. A month before the election, I questioned whether Shapiro would actually fight for Pennsylvanians because if past performance is indicative of future behaviors, it did not seem likely.

Before being elected as Governor, Shapiro served as the Attorney General for the commonwealth. As Attorney General, he supported former Governor Tom Wolf’s Covid-19 mandates and lockdowns. Shapiro never pushed back on the extended school and business closures or mask and vaccine mandates. And then he did a complete 180 and claimed the actions were not necessary.

Whether you like his choice of words or not, Shapiro did not fight to keep Pennsylvanians from being screwed as Attorney General and he certainly has not fought as Governor.

Why It Matters. While Shapiro talks about working across the aisle, getting things done, and preventing people from getting screwed, it is only that: talk. Rather than bringing people together, he has angered both sides. 

His progressive base and the teachers’ union are unhappy with his verbal support of school choice.

He has also alienated the moderates and conservatives who hoped and possibly believed he would do the right thing for students in failing schools.

The bottom line is Shapiro has failed everyone and does not deserve consideration for the Vice President seat. He may present as polished and politically savvy, but Shapiro is nothing more than a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

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3. Podcasts

• Political Experts React to Kamala Harris’s Ascension + 2024 Predictions | Voices of Reason – A Podcast by PoliticsPA

4. Lightning Round

• McCormick’s qualified immunity stance wins over police union

• Christine Flowers: Harris’s campaign is MAGA — Make Abortion Great Again

• Guy Ciarrocchi: The end of safe spaces

• Carol Aichele: Election security is national security — Congress should treat it that way

• Gordon Tomb: Pennsylvania’s energy future is alarming — and the governor isn’t helping

5. What we're reading

The Democrats are getting back into segregation — but they promise it’s for a good reason this time. That’s the impression one gets reading articles like this one in the Free Press about the “White Dudes for Kamala” Zoom meetings, and others like it. Reporter River Page sees through the double standard. “Imagine if Republicans put on a celebrity-studded event called “White Dudes for Trump” that raised $4 million. Imagine the endless op-eds. Consider the B-roll that outlets like NPR or MSNBC might use: Klan rallies, January 6, clips from The Handmaid’s Tale, perhaps.”

And they call Trump weird?