Election-related thuggery has become an increasingly common aspect of campaigns in recent years. It's not just the national Republicans and their supporters, though. The local candidate for State Rep that I've been volunteering for,
Casey Roncaglione in PA's 164th, recently experienced that first hand.
More below the fold.
The 164th includes parts of Upper Darby, Drexel Hill, East Lansdowne, and Millbourne. For those not familiar with Upper Darby politics, everyone down to the dogcatcher is a Republican. The incumbent, Mario Civera, has been a state representative for 26 years. He's been essentially unopposed for at least the past two decades, but Casey has actually made a bit of a run at him. At the very least, Casey has a noticeable lawnsign presence, something previous challengers simply did not.
Some of those signs started disappearing. Thanks to the vigilence of the Casey team, the crook was spotted and reported to the police, who stopped him and found several of Casey's lawn signs in his trunk. Surprise, the thug was an Upper Darby city official! A full investigation is pending. In the meantime, getting this out to the media is very important. The people of Upper Darby (self included) deserve to know about the corruption within their city government. Casey's press release with more information on this crime can be found here.