Election jabs heat up in Media Borough Council race

Media, PA – Media Borough council candidates are trading blows online and in their election literature in Media, PA. A recent promotional piece by Media Republicans on All Things Media, PA titled “A Proven Record of Leadership that Works for Media” was countered by the Media Democrats in a piece titled “A Proven Record of Distorting Facts and Spinning Accomplishments,” as one example.

Election day is next Tuesday, November 8th.

The Republican candidates for Borough Council, Pete Alyanakian, Tedman O’Hara, and Toni Cavanagh DiMonte have been mailing and posting materials which tout their accomplishments in the past 17 months, and criticizing the Democratic candidates in Media. Their primary themes are their success solving the 3rd Street Dam issue in 10 months, selling 1 West State Street, opposition to CMAQ, and defeating “political cronyism” in Media Borough, and for reducing the impact of the Hampton Inn project.

Similarly, the Democratic Candidates for borough council, Paul Robinson, Kent Davidson, and Brian Hall, have been refuting the claims made by the Republican candidates in their Fact Check articles, and in highlighting the controversy of the “coup” last year in which Pete Alyanakian was elected president in a surprise vote, with “Democrats” voting against their own party. In addition, the Democrats highlight independence from County influence, open government, public safety, and civility in their literature.

Unfortunately, for residents who are unfamiliar with the candidates or the history of Media and County politics, differences between the candidates may be difficult to determine from their materials, and source references to support statements are not always given.

2011 is a “local election year” meaning voters have a chance to choose who represents their interests locally; and typically the local race for Borough Council is decided by differences of 10 votes or less.

So, regardless of your party or allegiance, residents can learn more about either set of candidates on the campaign web sites, or Media, PA News:

• Media Democratic Campaign Site
• Media Republicans

Issues:

• CMAQ
• 3rd Street Dam
• 1 West State Street
• Hampton Inn in Media, PA
• The “Coup” and New Coalition

Candidates:

• Alyanakian, Pete (campaign link)
• Davidson, Kent (campaign link)
• Dimonte, Toni Cavanagh (campaign link)
• Hall, Brian (campaign link)
• O’Hara, Tedman (campaign link)
• Robinson, Paul (campaign link)

Third-party resources:

• All Things Media, PA
• Town Talk Article about Borough Council Candidates 2011

[Full Disclosure: Kent Davidson is the author of this site, and a candidate. Similarly, Tedman O’Hara is the author of All Things Media, PA (link), a candidate, and is the head of the Media Republican party. While we do our best to check facts prior to publication, we encourage readers to check facts independently.]