The other day, Holly Otterbein stated that Delaware County Democrats had did not endorse an applicant when it comes to PA 5th House District Race, split between applicants Mary Gay Scanlon and Ashley Lunkenheimer. Chair associated with the celebration David Landau indicated disappointment that the Delco Democrats neglected to endorse some body when it comes to chair, and contains formerly expressed a misgivings concerning the leading prospect Richard Lazer, winning the competition, stating that he hoped the region might be represented by some body from Delaware County (the 5th region, when it comes to part that is most, is made up of about 80% Delco. residents.) And that is the big publicized split over PA-5—should a Philadelphian represent the fifth region?
At first glance, Lunkenheimer, Scanlon, and Lazer have actually comparable sounding that is progressive. Mary Gay Scanlon also claims it front—her squeeze page checks out “Tough. Smart. Modern.” A closer glance at the records and sites of Scanlon, her spouse, and their manager, law practice Ballard Spahr, show questionable credentials that are progressive
Scanlon and Gov. this is certainly former Ed, whom endorsed her campaign and additionally works for Ballard Spahr. (Emma Le/WHYY)
Based on Mary Gay Scanlon’s expert biography she is the seat associated with the pro bono group at Ballard Spahr, an enormous nationwide attorney located in Philadelphia. She’s also “a member associated with Association of professional Bono Counsel, and serves as Co-Chair of this Philadelphia Bar Association’s law practice professional Bono Committee as well as on the board of Philadelphia VIP”, an area pro bono appropriate help team.
Her campaign site touts her experience as a progressive fighter and she seals her modern cred with an array of strictly progressive policy positions. Lacking nevertheless through the list and from her experience are any reference to modern income tax reform, banking and finance industry reform, or customer defenses. This is how her spouse, Mark S. Stewart, and their employer that is mutual lawfirm Spahr LLP can be worth using a closer glance at.
Protesters fighting against unjust housing financial obligation.
While Scanlon touts just what look like impressive modern qualifications, her spouse is a corporate attorney and the seat of Ballard Spahr LLP. The company happens to be making headlines when it comes to decade that is past its massive expansion through mergers and purchases around the world, that the Legal Intelligencer called a “Merger Spree”
Ballard Spahr centers around numerous appropriate areas including finance and pharmaceuticals. These people were additionally recently when you look at the news for leading the fee to block a major regulations from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This is the agency applied following the 2008 collapse that has been expected to offer residents a method to simply take action that is legal banking institutions and economic agencies that preyed on low earnings individuals and caused the crash. The online law journal Law360 praised Ballard Spahr for going after the CFPB. Certainly, this became among the key income channels for the law practice, and additionally they sank millions into court situations and lobbying efforts. Those efforts repaid, plus in 2017, President Trump fundamentally eliminated the CFPB.
The firm took on the CFPB’s pay-day lending regulations as another part of the same strategy
“Ballard Spahr’s Jeremy T. Rosenblum, co-practice leader associated with the company’s customer economic solutions team, has represented payday loan providers, including ACE money Express and Advance Financial, inside their battle up against the CFPB’s payday loan guidelines. The legislation, that was introduced in October, would impose an test that is ability-to-repay all pay day loans with a 45-day payment term, automobile name loans with 30-day terms as well as other small-dollar loans.” (Through the company’s news and news web page.)
Even though it is completely plausible to contest the significance of this instance pertaining to Mary Gay Scanlon’s individual record, it really is harder to separate your lives the fact Scanlon is hitched towards the mind for the company and her campaign is essentially financed by firm workers. In a strange paradox, Mark Stewart’s law practice earnestly encourages appropriate actions that keep the indegent in poverty, while Mary Scanlon’s pro-bono legal work provides assist with people in poverty who can’t pay for legal counsel.
Scanlon’s Husband and Ballard Spahr seat Mark Stewart in the Mortgage Banker’s Association’s Diversity and Inclusion Summit (supply)
Holly Otterbein and Andrew Seidman report that: “Contributions from BallardSpahr solicitors take into account about 45 per cent associated with $254,000 Scanlon find out here now raised through March. That doesn’t count the $150,000 she lent her campaign.” These campaign finance documents cast Scanlon’s power to distance by herself from Ballard Spahr’s passions further into doubt . It might be plausible to wave the actions off of Scanlon’s employer as unrelated to her campaign, nevertheless the proven fact that Scanlon’s campaign is essentially financed by Ballard Spahr workers is yet another matter.
Otterbein and Seidman continue inside their reporting to throw Scanlon’s progressive qualifications into concern further, reporting that “Comcast senior executive vice president David L. Cohen held a fundraiser a week ago for Scanlon, who’s a longtime buddy of him and their spouse, Rhonda.”
This can be to express, Ballard Spahr and Comcast’s David Cohen are maintaining Mary Gay Scanlon’s campaign afloat (about matching Scanlon’s own $150,000 investment.)
We have been in a right time where we can’t waste work and votes on a person who isn’t wholly, completely, really committed to dismantling the structures of inequality that keep up with the status quo. Mary Gay Scanlon may actually think each of her “progressive” points, however it is essential to inquire of whether she is in a position to say “No” to a lobbyist taken care of by her husband’s company, along with her donor that is largest, and vote to safeguard people who need the absolute most security.
Take a look at the sources and much more links right here.
Ballard Spahr LLP workers contributed nearly three quarters of Scanlon’s campaign efforts. (Supply: Philly Energy Analysis)