Good morning everyone,
Northern Delawareans get a heavy dose of sensational news out of Philly TV stations.
But the tabloid TV case of U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan is drawing interest from both sides of the border.
Meehan last week announced he won’t run again after word came down of a taxpayer-paid settlement in a harassment case involving a former staffer.
Meehan came to Congress after an interesting career as a county district attorney, federal prosecutor and, for a short time, a National Hockey League referee. It’s the perfect resume for a district that includes Delaware County, an area known for its fierce allegiance to the Flyers and Eagles.
After the news got out, Meehan came up with a cringe-worthy explanation of his actions that were reported on WHYY and other media outlets.
The Delaware delegation is known have a good relationship with the moderate Republican on issues of mutual interest.
In some ways, Meehan’s district could be considered Delaware’s second congressional district, since it surrounds the First State’s northern tier.
This area of the oddly designed district has many active and retired executives of DuPont and other companies. Families often take on big mortgages to live in top-notch school districts like Unionville-Chadds Ford.
While Meehan issues his press releases out of his office out of middle-class suburb Springfield, PA, newspaper datelines often list his address as Chadds Ford. The affluent crossroads, best known as the home of the Wyeth family of painters, is, to many, an extension of Delaware’s Chateau Country.
The area has seen wave of development, due to the school situation and to some extent development restrictions in Delaware that according to some critics kept Wegmans and Whole Foods on the other side the line.
Meehan has walked a fine line in championing entities in the county that employ Delawareans, including Philadelphia International Airport and Boeing’s defense-driven operation in Ridley Park.
The airport takes heat from his constituents for jet noise, a similar concern in the northern tier of Delaware. PHL remains a key employer and economic asset for the region.
The focus on bread and butter issues has now taken a back seat to an embarrassing situation and concerns among Republicans that their chances of keeping the seat in the swing district are dimming. Last week, a divided state Supreme Court ruled that the current district maps are invalid. Republicans want the Supreme Court to stay the decision.
Be sure to check out tomorrow’s newsletter. – Doug Rainey, publisher
