Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr. announced today he will not seek the Republican nod for the soon-to-be-vacated 24th District state Senate seat held by Republican Rob Wonderling.

Castor was one of three Montgomery County politicians competing for a chance to fill Wonderling's unexpired term in a special election this fall.

Castor's surprise announcement leaves state Rep. Bob Mensch, R-147th, as the likely choice to run on the GOP ballot.

The other potential GOP challenger, former state Rep. Jay Moyer, announced late Monday he's dropping out. Moyer endorsed Mensch and said he wants to concentrate on another run for the 70th House District seat that he lost in 2008.

Castor said he received plenty of encouragement from residents of Bucks, Lehigh, Northampton and Montgomery counties about a 24th Senate District run, but he decided to finish his term as a commissioner in Montgomery County, which is facing a fiscal crisis under the leadership of Democrat Joe Hoeffel and GOP turncoat Jim Matthews.

"If I were to run in the Special Election I would vacate my seat as a commissioner at a critical point in the budget process, leaving my colleagues to adopt a budget with no third commissioner in place or with a new commissioner who had little or no time to study the budget before being asked to act on it," Castor said in a written statement. "I do not believe that is fair to the citizens of Montgomery County to create such a situation and at this time I believe the best way I can serve the citizens is to remain a commissioner and a vocal critic of the policies that have led us to this point while offering my own suggestions on a better way to govern Montgomery County."

Castor was the top vote getter in the 2007 election to fill three Montgomery County commissioner seats. Hoeffel finished second and Matthews came in third thanks to a last-minute push by Castor to get Matthews re-elected at the request of party leadership.

Instead of joining Castor to form a GOP majority on the board, Matthews made a deal with Hoeffel to form a power-sharing arrangement, where Hoeffel supported Matthews as commissioners' chairman in return for obtaining unprecedented control of county government by a minority commissioner.

Hoeffel has hired all sorts of Democratic Party cronies to high-paying county jobs in the past 18 months.

"For 18 months, I have warned that the spending policies pursued by the county commissioners would lead to an unavoidable budget crisis," Castor said in a written statement. "Last year my colleagues used $16 million of our savings and failed to fund $7 million in pension obligations to our county employees in order to balance the budget. They do not have that option this year. The Finance Department projects a $50 million plus budget shortfall for 2010 while reminding us that the pension obligation will come due at the end of this year -- an obligation my fellow commissioners failed to budget for and now do not have the funds to meet. I cited this failure as one of my principle reasons for voting against the 2009 county budget.

Castor is the lone voice of fiscal reason on the commissioners' board and said he will work to inform Montgomery County taxpayers about the irresponsible spending by the Hoeffel-Matthews regime.

"This year we face a mounting deficit that my fellow commissioners will attempt to blame on the economy, Harrisburg, Washington, and just about anyone and anything else they can," Castor said. "But the fault lies in their reckless pursuit of cronyism, patronage and borrow and spend governance using tax dollars to fuel their appetite. This year may be the most critical budget deliberations in the history of Montgomery County. I believe I have an obligation to see this budget process to completion and that is what I intend to do."

The 24th District Senate seat will become vacant on Aug. 1 when Wonderling steps down to take a new job as president of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.

Republicans should be able to hold Wonderling's seat in a special election this fall and again in 2010 when a full four-year term is up for grabs.

Democrats have had trouble finding a candidate. The leading contender, state Rep. Bob Freeman, D-136th Dist., bowed out last week after a poll showed Freeman losing to both Castor and Mensch.

I predicted a schism in the Montgomery County Republican Party over the 24th District state Senate race in a June 8 column you can read here.

Below is a copy of a letter state Rep. Bob Mensch sent over the weekend to Montgomery County GOP Chairman Bob Kerns regarding the soon-to-be vacated 24th state Senate seat held by Rob Wonderling.

It appears Rep. Mensch, who was the first to announce he is running for the Senate seat, initially had the support of Kerns until Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr. also expressed interest in the seat.

From the tone of the note, it appears Kerns is favoring Castor over Mensch. Castor has not announced his candidacy yet, but is expected to enter the race. A third Republican, former state Rep. Jay Moyer, is also planning to run, but nobody is paying much attention to Moyer.

Here is Mensch's June 14 letter to Kerns:

Bob,

I was honored and flattered when you called me on June 1st to ask me to run for the 24th Senatorial District as your, County Chairman's, candidate. However, since then I've been disappointed that you have decided instead to campaign full time for Bruce Castor, so I guess your commitment to me on June 1st wasn't really worth very much.

I'm not going to recount all the incidents and occurrences in the past two weeks, but there is one large issue which screams foul, and that is the total lack of integrity to send me a copy of the poll that you insist on running to favor Castor. On several occasions, and notably, in front of others on June 5th at Republican State Committee you promised me a copy, but I've not yet received one. I understand that the other County Chairmen (Bucks, Lehigh and Northampton) have received theirs as well as Jay Moyer. I've emailed you several times asking for a copy, but to no avail. Then, earlier this evening I received a voice mail from someone by the name Ken Gates, with the message that I need to respond by tomorrow morning with any comments or changes on the poll. Funny thing though, he called from a private number and didn't leave an email or a phone number for me to respond. He said he sent a copy to me via email, but I have not received one in either of my emails, and he will be unable to present a verifiable receipt that he did. At this point, this just seems to be one more purposeful deceit in this process.

I have no doubt, despite your first commitment to me, you will continue to try to create every advantage for Castor in this polling process. Regardless, I will continue to pursue the nomination, even though I fully realize you are stacking the deck for Castor in Montgomery County. You know if Bruce is so serious about public service in the State legislature, why don't you first encourage him to run for the House seat in the 70th, which was lost by the Republicans in the last election.

You have my cell and you have my email. I expect to hear from you before this poll "goes to press". My previous two emails to you have not been responded to, but I expect that you will respond to this message.

Sincerely

Bob Mensch

Within 24 hours of the announcement by state Sen. Rob Wonderling that he is resigning his Senate seat to take a private-sector job, Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr. and state Rep. Bob Mensch, R-147, each stated publicly they'd like to replace Wonderling.

Both already have high-profile elected positions, but a chance to serve in the state Senate is too good for either official to pass up.

There's no downside for either man to make a run for the Republican nomination in the predominantly Republican district. Castor and Mensch both have jobs to fall back on.

Castor still has two years left in his four-year term as one of three elected commissioners running one of the largest county governments in the state. Mensch won re-election last November to a second two-year term in the state House.

They don't have to quit their day job to make a run for Wonderling's 24th Senate District seat. The loser simply returns to his current position. The winner gets to move to a higher-profile office.

Castor would appear to be the bigger beneficiary because he is currently in political purgatory as the odd-man out in a power sharing agreement between renegade Republican Commissioner Jim Matthews and Democratic Commissioner Joe Hoeffel. Although Castor was the top vote-getter in the 2007 election (and basically got Matthews re-elected on his coattails), Matthews surrendered control of county government to Hoeffel rather than allow Castor to take the lead.

Although he would have the least seniority of anyone in the 50-member Senate, the Republicans have a solid 30-20 majority and can push their agenda, especially with a lame duck governor in Ed Rendell counting down the days to the end of his term.

Mensch would rather run every four years for the Legislature as a member of the Senate instead of every two years in the House. He would also like to be in the majority instead of suffering another two years in the Democratic-controlled House.

A potential Castor-Mensch showdown for the 24th Senate District seat will probably a cordial affair with both men touting their experience. Both are fiscal conservatives so don't expect any major differences on the issues. They are friends and will remain friends despite the outcome of an election.

While Mensch represents many of the same communities in the House that Wonderling has in his Senate district, I think Castor has the edge because of better name recognition throughout Montgomery County ... and beyond.

The 24th District stretches over four counties and Castor is better known as the flamboyant, two-term Montgomery County District Attorney. Castor also has more access to cash and has run larger campaigns as Montgomery County D.A. and commissioner.

And consider this scenario. Castor could win the state Senate seat in a special election this year, but make a run for higher office in 2010, say lieutenant governor, giving Mensch another shot at the 24th District Senate seat next year. Stranger things have happened.

Opportunities to run for a state Senate seat don't come around very often in Pennsylvania. Monday's announcement by state Sen. Rob Wonderling that he is resigning his 24th Senatorial District seat to take a job as president and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce will prompt a lot of jockeying to replace Wonderling.

The 24th District covers parts of Bucks, Lehigh, Montgomery and Northampton counties. A prominent political figure from Montgomery County just happens to live in one of the communities within the 24th Senate District.

Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce L. Castor, a former county District Attorney, is considering making a run for the Republican nomination for Wonderling's seat.

"I am weighing all of these factors and considering whether my experience in government and in the judicial system would offer the best representation to residents of the 24th Senate District," Castor said in a prepared statement released today. "I am continuing to discuss this decision with citizens, Republican Party leaders and my family. The most important factor in my decision is whether I think I can do more good in Harrisburg then I can in Norristown."

That's is a no-brainer. Under the secret power-sharing pact made last year by Republican Commissioner Jim Matthews and Democratic Commissioner Joe Hoeffel, Castor is the odd-man out on the three-member commissioners' board.

Hoeffel makes all the decisions and Matthews rubber-stamps them, often keeping Castor out of the loop. As long as Matthews bows to Hoeffel's wishes, Castor might as well give up the commissioners' seat since he doesn't have a role in determining county policy.

The only other rub is that Castor has been considering a run for lieutenant governor in 2010. If he runs for state Senate, it's doubtful he'll make another run for higher office next year. Would he want to be labeled a perpetual candidate like Bob Casey Jr., who is planning his next political campaign as soon as he wins an election?

Reporter Keith Phucas recaps the political soap opera otherwise known as the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners in a year-end roundup story published in The Norristown Times-Herald.

The problem began when Republican Commissioner Jim Matthews, reelected with the help of fellow Republican Bruce Castor, stabbed the former district attorney in the back and made a pact with Democratic Commissioner Joe Hoeffel.

Almost every vote taken by the commissioners in 2008 was 2-1 with Matthews/Hoeffel getting the advantage over Castor.

Don't expect things to change in 2009, Phucas says.

From his story:

Based on what has transpired, expect the two Republicans to remain at odds and occasionally butt heads on policy issues going forward.

What political fallout will result long term from the rift is anyone's guess.

Read the full story, "As Montgomery County turns," at the newspaper's Web site.

The Montgomery County Republican Committee has adopted a unanimous resolution censuring renegade county Commissioner Jim Matthews.

"Since I was elected chairman and even while I was campaigning, everywhere I went, I was asked 'What are we going to do about Jim Matthews'?," county GOP Chairman Bob Kerns said in a press release announcing the censure.

"The voters I talk to feel betrayed and the Republican committee members are just devastated by Jim's actions. The voters placed their trust in Jim Matthews and Bruce Castor and the committee members put their hearts into the campaign to elect the Matthews-Castor team last year. This has been a difficult year for everyone," Kerns said.

Matthews rode Bruce Castor's coattails to re-election last November, but on Dec. 18, he announced that he had negotiated a power-sharing agreement with the lone Democrat on the three-member commissioners board. The deal made Democrat Joe Hoeffel vice chairman of the commissioners. Hoeffel then proceeded to hire all sorts of political cronies to lucrative county jobs.

Most votes taken by the board have been 2-1, with Matthews and Hoeffel getting their way over the objections of Castor.

More from Kerns' release:

"Montgomery County's voters pick the person, not the party. It's been that way for two decades and Jim Matthews and Bruce Castor campaigned on a set of priorities that are not being implemented. Instead, we're implementing the major priorities outlined by Joe Hoeffel and Ruth Damsker, but that agenda was rejected by voters in favor of a Matthews-Castor agenda. The voters have to know we don’t condone what’s happening in Norristown."

As an example Kerns cited the Hoeffel promises of hiring a Chief Financial Officer, enacting a $50 million economic development plan, and Hoeffel's record in the 1990s of running up debt and paying for budget items with bond issues.

"When Hoeffel left the Board of Commissioners in 1998 he left us with hundreds of millions in debt and just $12 million in the bank. Our AAA bond rating was threatened. It was a disaster. Hoeffel and Matthews are pursuing policies that will put us right back in the same hole. This year alone they are looking to raid the county’s dwindling savings to pay for their programs. It's not the way Republicans would run this government. Jim Matthews got elected in 1999 and again in 2007 by pointing out what a disaster Hoeffel was as a commissioner in the 1990's. Now he's forming a government with him and implementing Hoeffel's agenda? It makes no sense and our committee and the voters are confused and hurt,” Kerns said.

Since taking over control of the county party in the spring, Kerns said he attempted to "bring Matthews back to the table."

"I did meet with him in early summer in the hopes of bridging the divide between he and his Republican colleagues in county government. He made it clear that he was not interested in any kind of reconciliation. I continued to pursue the matter through intermediaries throughout the fall," Kerns said in the release.

“At some point, we have to decide to move on and accept that, based on his actions, he is not a Republican anymore. No matter how often Jim insists he is a Republican, you are ultimately judged by how you govern and your record, not your words," Kerns said.

Kerns said on Election Day many committee members reported incidents where voters stopped to express their disgust with Matthews on their way into the polls.

"In the end, Jim's actions are the actions of an individual, not the Party. That is the message I hope people take away from this resolution. The party is standing up and making its position clear. We don't agree with Jim, we don't condone what he's doing as a Commissioner and he's not representative of our Party as long as he's engaging in this behavior. Don't blame the Party for the actions of one man," Kerns concluded.

A total of 56 Republican municipal leaders, area leaders and executive committee members attended Monday's Leadership Conference, where the censure vote against Matthews was taken.

Margaret Gibbons, who covered Montgomery County government and politics for the Norristown Times-Herald for decades, has left the newspaper for greener pastures.

She is now writing for The Intelligencer in Doylestown, but her beat remains Montgomery County.

In a recent column, Gibbons expresses concern about the mental health of embattled Montgomery County Commissioner Jim Matthews, who made a power-sharing deal with Democratic Commissioner Joe Hoeffel at the start of the year. That has brought widespread criticism of Matthews, whom many feel betrayed the Republican Party that elected him.

From Gibbons' latest column:

Republican Montgomery County Commissioner Chairman James R. Matthews is beginning to show some cracks from the strain under which he has been operating since he entered that unprecedented power-sharing pact with Democratic Commissioner Joseph M. Hoeffel III.

Matthews had convinced himself that the controversy would die down in January and that he eventually would be lauded for his so-called “statesmanship” in fashioning a bipartisan government.

That has not happened.

The criticism from those within his own party has been relentless. And Republican Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr., the top vote-getter in last November's commissioners' election but the odd man out in this administration, never misses an opportunity to yank Matthews' chain.

In the past, Matthews has simply sloughed off Castor's comments or lectured him about his acting in a political fashion rather than as an elected government official who represents everyone.

However, now Matthews is verbally flinching even before Castor opens his mouth.

Matthews went off on Castor at a recent agenda meeting when Castor simply questioned something on the agenda.

Come on, Jim, get a grip.

Read the full column at The Intelligencer's Web site.

Two great quotes from Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr. about the Barack Obama campaigns efforts to woo convicted felons on Election Day.

From an article by Chris Friend in The Philadelphia Bulletin:

Bruce Castor, Montgomery County Commissioner and former District Attorney, disagreed with the emphasis placed on registering felons.

"Obviously, the Obama folks are going after the 'criminal vote.' Frankly, that is one voter block I'd rather not appeal to," Mr. Castor said. "Elections are about getting more votes than the other side, but what does it say about your candidate that you are reaching out to the nation's felons for support?"

Mr. Love emphasized that the felons have paid their debt to society, stating that, "We feel this is something that should be encouraged, and is a positive thing."

Registering felons, he said, is just a small part of a much larger effort to register the general public, explaining that he is involved in the registering of ex-offenders based on his legal expertise in this area.

"If we believe in getting the vote out, then we should believe in getting it out for every eligible voter, regardless of who they are or where they live. In my own community, in my own way, I have worked to get the 'common man' registered as well," Mr. Love said.

Mr. Castor cautioned Democrats, who are much more active as a political party in registering ex-offenders.

"I know the Democrats are the 'big-tent' party, but with the criminals under the big top, the rest of the Democrats better keep their hands on their wallets," Mr. Castor said.

Read the full story at the newspaper's Web site.

The Montgomery County Commissioners are taking their show on the road starting tonight.

The "show" is their weekly board meeting, which some have likened to a circus thanks to the antics of Democrat Joe Hoeffel and Democrat-wannabe Jim Matthews.

The first road trip begins tonight at 7:30 in the Upper Dublin Municipal Building, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington.

This gives Montgomery County taxpayers who work during the day to pay their taxes or those who can't get to Norristown for the morning meetings an opportunity to see how their tax dollars are spent.

One other road trip is planned: a Sept. 18 meeting at 7:30 p.m. at the recently refurbished Old Mill House in the county's Central Perkiomen Valley Park in Perkiomen.

The commissioners traditionally hold their bi-weekly meetings in the commissioners boardroom at 9:30 a.m. in the county-owned One Montgomery Plaza high-rise office building in Norristown, according to reporter Margaret Gibbons.

The scheduling of the two out-of-Norristown meetings came about through the persistence of Republican Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr., who repeatedly said that these evening meetings will give more citizens an opportunity to see the commissioners at work, Gibbons said.

Robert J. Kerns, the new chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Committee, is accusing Democrats of bringing "Philadelphia-style pay-to-play" to Montgomery County government, according to reporter Margaret Gibbons.

"The Democrats have put a 'For Sale' sign on our county courthouse," Kerns says. "It's reprehensible."

Montgomery County voters elected what they believed was a Republican majority last November, but Jim Matthews turned his back on the voters and made a deal with Democrat Joe Hoeffel to share power on the three-member commissioners' board.

That left Republican Bruce Castor out of the loop and turned Hoeffel loose to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money to hire political pals and award contracts to politically-connected firms.

"(Montgomery County Commissioner) Joe Hoeffel and his Democratic cronies have put their integrity up for sale to the highest bidder," Kerns is quoted as saying in Gibbons' article.

Read "Kerns claims pay-to-play" in today's edition of The Times Herald of Norristown.