Familiar Philly face wants to be PA lt. governor
Monday, July 13th, 2009
By: Tom MacDonald
tmacdonald@whyy.org
The potential candidates in the race for governor and lieutenant governor are fundraising and preparing for next year's election. One man running for lieutenant governor is familiar to many in Philadelphia.
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Former Philadelphia City Controller Jon Saidel has about 700 thousand dollars in his campaign warchest to make a run for lieutenant governor. Saidel says he wants to put his knowledge of finance and government he got in Philadelphia to work statewide.
Saidel: The great thing about being an elected official in Philadelphia was the real opportunity to make a difference in people's lives. The state's not doing well and I've spent a lifetime in government trying to fix things, and if I didn't think I could add value I wouldn't be doing it.
Political consultant Larry Ceisler says Saidel will need to build name recognition in the rest of the state to bolster his chance to be lieutenant governor.
Saidel is currently the only Democrat to say he is seeking the party's nomination. Two republicans have announced they will enter the race.