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Two weeks ago, we asked selected opinion leaders
across the Commonwealth to tell us which elected officials would make
the yearbook superlatives. We asked our friends to pretend they were in high school and
politics was a game of winning popularity and status, rather than working
for good public policy. We understand this was a stretch for
many of you but we appreciate your help!
The response was overwhelming and PoliticsPA
thanks you. A few notes: many of those listed below have placed
in multiple categories. For example, Melissa Hart would have been
listed as Most Likely to Succeed and as Most Ambitious. In
the spirit of egalitarianism, we decided to list only the category in
which he or she placed higher. In all fairness, we wanted to give
the opportunity to distinguish as many different public officials as possible.
Finally, we notified everyone in advance and gave
them the opportunity to respond. In those cases, their quotes are
listed. In some places we have also added notes of our own. |
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Hardest Working |
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Mike Veon |
"Serving my constituents and helping
Pennsylvanians has always been my
top priority as a state representative and legislative leader. When you
see the benefits that hard work brings to the people you represent, you
become even more determined --- and you're driven to work even harder. The
fact is that when you enjoy what you're doing and you believe in the
cause, it really isn't work at all. I only wish I could do more. But there
just aren't enough hours in the day."
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John Perzel |
"I learned at Moe's Delicatessen that the best
way to get ahead was to work hard and seek out opportunities as they
present themselves. That philosophy has served me well throughout my
entire adult life. My job is to help people." |
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Robert Jubelirer |
"I somehow missed the 'no heavy lifting
required' provision some people believe is part of the legislative job
description." |
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Most Likely to Succeed |
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Bob Casey, Jr. |
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Melissa Hart |
"Thank you, I'm honored. As a Republican running
in a chiefly democratic area, it is especially gratifying to receive such
a vote of confidence from Pennsylvania's political community. Any future
success depends on all of us, Democrats and Republicans, working
cooperatively to move the Commonwealth forward." |
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There was a tie for third place in Most Likely to
Succeed among the following officials: Ed Rendell, James Gerlach and Jeff Piccola. |
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Most Popular |
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Matthew Ryan |
"I am very gratified to have been voted a
'popular' elected official by my colleagues. However, for me to have been
selected you must have allowed Bill DeWeese and John Lawless to have
voted more than once." |
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Tom Ridge |
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Barbara Hafer |
“I’m elated,” Hafer
said. “When is the awards ceremony? Maybe I should get back into the
race for Governor. But seriously, I am honored to be selected as one of
the most popular elected officials by the opinion leaders in the state.
It is especially rewarding to be included among seasoned political
veterans like Matt Ryan and Tom Ridge.” |
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Most Ambitious |
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Rick Santorum |
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Jeff Coleman |
"Ambition without core beliefs and a purpose for
seeking public office is nothing short of vanity. I hope that others see
my eagerness to serve not as an endless pursuit of the next title, but a
transparent desire to serve others and advance causes in which I
believe. I'm flattered by the designation - and hope one day to be able
to look at a record of accomplishment that equals the plaque." |
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Tim Murphy |
"I'm thankful for the compliment, but this is not
about titles. It's about action. This is not about me. It's about
families" |
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Toughest To Work For |
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Arlen Specter |
While our senior Senator did receive a few votes for
Class Clown, Specter won more votes than anyone else, in any
category. |
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Bud George |
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Dave Mayernick |
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Best Dressed |
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Allyson Schwartz |
"I appreciate the honor...it must be the
scarves." |
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Jake Corman |
"This never could have happened if I hadn't met
my wife two years ago. She threw all my clothes in the dumpster, took me
shopping and dressed me properly. Thank you for recognizing Kelli's hard
work." |
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Bill Deweese |
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Missing In Action |
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Bill Rieger |
We asked Rieger, Gekas, and
Schweiker for comments... true to form they were Missing in Action. |
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George Gekas |
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Mark Schweiker |
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Most Athletic |
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John Pippy |
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Bob Mellow |
We are checking to see if any French judges
participated in our poll. We still can't figure out how Mellow and
Murphy made it to the medal stand. |
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Tom Murphy |
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Class Clown |
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John Wozniak |
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Bill Adolph |
Unfortunately, no humorous quotes from this group
but Wozniak, Adolph and Cawley make politics a bit
more fun -- reminding us all not to take ourselves too seriously. |
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Gaynor Cawley |
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