Doris A. Smith-Ribner

Thank You Message to Our Friends and Supporters

2010-05-26T13:52:00.001-04:00

May 26, 2010

Thank You Message to Our Friends and Supporters:
(2010 Lieutenant Governor Primary Election Results)

The 2010 Pennsylvania Primary Election unofficial statewide results are in. Although we did not win the race for Lieutenant Governor, we achieved impressive results in the statewide balloting.

We came in first place with very strong showings in Lehigh, Berks, Lancaster, Susquehanna, Wayne, Lackawanna, Pike, Luzerne, Monroe and Northampton Counties.

We came in second place in 52 other counties throughout Pennsylvania and in many cases with very strong showings, including Erie, Mercer, Crawford, Washington, Dauphin, Bucks, Chester and Bradford Counties, to name a few. We garnered almost 270,000 votes statewide.

These results would not have happened had it not been for the support of so many throughout the state who were committed to our campaign. I am truly grateful for this support!

My experience as a statewide appeals court judge for more than two decades deciding cases that involve every aspect of local and state government has provided me with a keen awareness of many of the issues that we face in Pennsylvania. I am committed to remaining involved in our government to do whatever I can to make it more responsive to our citizens and most importantly to help prepare our young people to assume responsibility for their, and our, future.

I look forward to communicating with our friends and supporters on Facebook, and I hope to stay in touch to discuss our active participation in the upcoming November 2010 general election and beyond.

My very best regards,

Doris A. Smith-Ribner
Candidate for Lieutenant Governor

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Election Day Information for Democratic PA Lieutenant Governor Candidate Doris Smith-Ribner

2010-05-18T10:22:00.001-04:00

May 17, 2010 Dennis Lee

215-568-7844 (campaign office)

dennislee465@msn.com (e-mail)
Election Day Information for Democratic Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor
Candidate Doris Smith-Ribner campaign

Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Voting:
8:30 AM
Allen Lane Art Center
601 West Allens Lane
Philadelphia, Pa. 19119

After voting, Mrs. Smith-Ribner will immediately leave to start last-minute
campaigning throughout Pennsylvania.

Election Night Location:
8:30 PM
Holiday Inn Hotel
Hancock/Sherman rooms (first floor)
Fourth and Arch Streets
Philadelphia Pa. 19106

Mrs. Smith-Ribner will be monitoring election results from another location
and is not expected to arrive at the party until 9 PM at the earliest.

Any media outlets interested in setting up interviews with Mrs. Smith-Ribner
either on Monday, May 17th and Tuesday, May 18th should contact Dennis
Lee.

#####

Letters of Endorsement for Doris Smith-Ribner for Lieutenant Governor

2010-05-14T10:01:00.000-04:00

Endorsement statement from Allegheny County
Council Member William Robinson
April 2010

I have served in local and state government as a
Pittsburgh City Councilman, a State Representative
and now as an Allegheny County Council member and
have known Doris A. Smith-Ribner during this entire
time. I can truthfully say that I have met few who
meet her qualities. She has always brought honesty
and integrity and commitment and compassion to her
every endeavor, whether as Solicitor to the Allegheny
County Controller, Juvenile Court Judge or member
of the Freedom Unlimited board where she helped to
start a holiday feeding program for needy people in
the community 35 years ago. W need more people like
her in government, and I will do all that I can to
help her win and become the next Lieutenant Governor
of Pennsylvania. I ask everyone to support Doris’
candidacy and to make history again in Pennsylvania.

William Robinson
Allegheny County Council

Endorsement of Doris A. Smith-Ribner
for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania:

April 2010

I enthusiastically support Doris A. Smith-Ribner in
her campaign for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania
and strongly endorse her candidacy. I have known Doris
for more than three decades, and I can tell you that
she has been a consistent voice for women’s
equality and for integrity and fairness in the way
our government treats all people. Because of her background
and experience as an attorney (fighting issues of
violence against women or lack of women in the judicial
system) or as an outstanding statewide appeals court
judge (insisting on integrity and fairness in the
courts), I can’t think of a better qualified
and more sensitive candidate than Doris to become
the next Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. She
will serve with honor, will stand up for those without
a voice and will fight the issues that matter.

Eleanor Smeal
Feminist Majority President

Volunteermatch.org

Please volunteer and contribute so we can get our message
out and win the campaign.
To Contribute online, visit our secure online merchant Paypal

Letters of Endorsement for Doris Smith-Ribner for Lieutenant Governor

2010-05-08T17:21:00.000-04:00

www.smithribnerforlieutenantgovernor.com/lettersofendorsement

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Contribute to Smith Ribner for Lieutantgovernor

2010-05-08T16:39:00.000-04:00

Please contribute so we can get our message out and win the campaign.

To Contribute online, visit our secure online merchant Paypal

If you prefer to mail your contribution,
please send a check or money order to:

Doris Smith-Ribner for Lieutenant Governor
P.O. Box 12379
Philadelphia, PA 19119

Nomination Petitions

2010-03-29T00:03:00.002-04:00

March 15, 2010

Message to Our Friends and Supporters:

(Nomination Petitions)

I am delighted that the nomination petition circulation drive is over and that through the hard work of so many of you our campaign was able to file petitions for Lieutenant Governor with the PA Department of State, Bureau of Elections as of March 9, 2010. We filed over 150 pages containing thousands of signatures from electors throughout Pennsylvania. We needed only 1000 valid signatures to get on the May 18, 2010 primary ballot, with 100 valid signatures from at least 5 counties. We met and exceeded the requirements to get on the ballot in the primary.

Electors signed our nomination petitions in counties from all over the state, including Bradford, Sullivan, Berks, Bucks, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Delaware, Lancaster, Dauphin, Union, Westmoreland, Allegheny, Mercer, Erie and many others. We are extremely grateful to them.

Our hats are off to those wonderful and dedicated Circulators who expended their time and effort to make sure that we met the requirements to get on the primary ballot for Lieutenant Governor.

Our next major step is to “Get the Vote Out” to guarantee victory in the primary election. To do this we need continued support through giving of your time, talent and contributions. Please call the campaign office at 215 - 568-7844 to volunteer, and please contribute by sending a donation of any amount to P.O. Box 12379, Philadelphia, PA 19119 today. All donations are appreciated.

The countdown has begun “on the road to victory.”

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First Ballot Position!

2010-03-29T00:02:00.002-04:00

March 23, 201

Message to Our Friends and Supporters:

First Ballot Position!

One of the last steps in the petition circulation process ended with a procedure called “casting of lots” to determine the statewide candidates’ ballot positions for the May 18, 2010 Pennsylvania primary election. Last week our lot was cast for the First Ballot Position in the May 2010 primary election for Lieutenant Governor. Voters should look for “Doris A. Smith-Ribner” first on the ballot and then cast their votes.

We are excited about the upcoming election, and each day our campaign is building in momentum and energy. Endorsements are growing, and travel throughout the state speaking and making appearances at numerous events and sessions with political, community and business groups and organizations has been extremely rewarding and enlightening.

We continue to ask for support by volunteering with the campaign and making contributions of any amount that can be mailed to Smith-Ribner for Lieutenant Governor, P.O. Box 12379, Philadelphia, PA 19119.
We are “on the road to victory” in the May 2010 primary election.

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County Endorsement Conventions for Lieutenant Governor:

2010-03-29T00:01:00.000-04:00

March 15, 2010

County Endorsement Conventions for Lieutenant Governor:

Our friends and supporters might like to know that the Lancaster County Democratic Committee had its endorsement convention in Lancaster, PA on Saturday, February 20, 2010 and that our campaign for Lieutenant Governor received strong support and encouragement. Because I fell one vote short of actual endorsement (63 votes were needed and I received 62), Lancaster County made no endorsement for Lieutenant Governor. This is one of those many examples of the truism that “one vote does make a difference.”

The Bucks County Democratic Committee held its endorsement convention in Trevose, PA on Saturday, February 27, 2010 where the 350+ committee people engaged in a stirring debate about the need for an open primary for Lieutenant Governor and other statewide positions up for election this year. Many people said what voters are saying throughout this country. Voters want to learn about the candidates and make up their own minds about who will serve as our elected public servants. No longer should a few party politicians dictate to the voters who they should elect to represent them. Voters have a right to make their own decisions. Bucks County voted overwhelmingly for an open primary in May 2010.
The Montgomery County Democratic Committee held an endorsement convention in Plymouth Meeting, PA on Thursday, March 11, 2010. This committee took the same route as Bucks County. Montgomery County voted for an open primary in May 2010. Some of the same sentiments were expressed about voters having the right to make their own choice about whom they want to serve in their government.

I am heartened by the results in all three of these endorsement conventions. The message is becoming louder and clearer. Voters are calling for effective and experienced leaders who will serve the interests of the people rather than the interests of a few in the party. Voters also want elected public servants who bring integrity and a history of service and commitment to the people. My candidacy for Lieutenant Governor answers this call.

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Smith-Ribner enters race for Lt. Governor

2010-02-25T19:16:00.000-05:00

Smith-Ribner enters race for Lt. Governor

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Judicial System

2010-02-05T16:11:00.000-05:00

Policy Position Statements

Judicial System

The preservation of an independent, fair, impartial, honest and effective judicial system in Pennsylvania is central to the proper functioning of our government. Without it we lose the only place in government where every citizen can go to uphold his or her constitutional rights. The courts represent a safeguard to our democracy and are essential to a civil society.

In recent times, the system has failed those who are most vulnerable—our children. The nation heard about the “justice for sale” scandal involving Juvenile Court judges in one of Pennsylvania’s counties. They adjudicated minor children delinquent in proceedings before the court and then committed them to juvenile facilities in Pennsylvania for monetary payment. This travesty of justice should not have occurred at all, but it did and in the process caused harm not only to the children and their families but also more fundamentally harm to the entire judicial system. It is a lesson learned and one that must never be repeated again in Pennsylvania.

As Lieutenant Governor (and former Juvenile Court Judge), I will continue to advocate for the kind of judicial system that every citizen is entitled to have in Pennsylvania as well as throughout the nation. Educating the citizenry about the judicial system and the policies that exist to protect litigants against judicial corruption, encouraging more involvement by the citizens in the electoral process and generally providing information to the public about the courts will remain a priority for me. We must never again allow courts in Pennsylvania to be a place where constitutional rights are subverted to the personal greed and corruption of judges. Instead, our courts must be a place where constitutional rights are upheld and honored to advance the rule of law.

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Student Education Loan Indebtedness

2010-02-05T16:10:00.000-05:00

Policy Position Statements

Student Education Loan Indebtedness

Many of today’s college students are required to pay their way through school on student education loans. High student education debt is one of the most pressing issues facing undergraduate and graduate students. Student education debt studies by The College Board show that well over half of the students who received undergraduate degrees from 2000-2007 incurred debt to pay for their education. In 2007-2008 an estimated $17 billion in private education loans were provided by lenders, which students or their families must repay. A 2006 Bar Association survey of law students in Pennsylvania law schools showed that 95 percent of them incurred average student loan debt of over $98,000, and a new American Bar Association survey shows that one-third of our law students expect to graduate with a $120,000 education debt.

While confronted with the prospects of no job upon graduation or withdrawal from school due to high debt load, many students and their families still face what amounts to paying a mortgage. Relief from high education debt is needed through fully funded loan forgiveness programs for Pennsylvania students willing to perform public service in Pennsylvania for a specified time in areas where the need is greatest, such as work in public interest law groups or government agencies that deal with the health, safety and welfare of our children and youth and our senior citizens.

Various public service loan forgiveness programs have been proposed by the Pennsylvania Interbranch Commission and others. This is an issue that requires full attention from our government leaders. As Lieutenant Governor I will continue my involvement in this issue so that we can encourage more, not fewer, of our young people to go to college and to graduate and to return to our communities to perform much needed public service. Loan forgiveness programs, if properly implemented by our state, can accomplish these goals.

Our Veterans

2010-02-05T16:08:00.000-05:00

Policy Position Statements

Our Veterans

There is no question that our nation should have the most technologically advanced military establishment in the world, without which we all would be at risk. However, as a nation we have not provided the full range of support that those who serve in our military deserve upon discharge from their duty. Our Pennsylvania women and men who give so much to protect our nation must be supported when they return home. The women and men who served in our wars, including World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars and others, should not have to face homelessness, joblessness or lack of health care. Whether we accept the Veterans Administration’s (VA) estimate of 131,000 homeless veterans or the Urban Institute’s estimate several years ago of over 500,000 veterans homeless at some point during the year, the fact remains that homelessness among veterans should not exist at all in our state or elsewhere in our nation. Added to the homelessness issue is the lack of sustainable income and full health care coverage.

Veterans must be given the best health care that our state and nation can provide. The VA should provide health screenings that automatically include mammograms for our female veterans and PSA testing for our male veterans. It is well known that routine health screenings can prolong and save lives. We owe these and other protections to our veterans as part of the “deferred compensation” due for their sacrifice and as part of our duty to keep faith with those we call upon to serve.

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Health Care

2010-02-05T16:06:00.000-05:00

Policy Position Statements

Health Care

Congress is now addressing the unacceptable status of health care in this country. We need common sense health care reforms so that all citizens can obtain affordable health insurance coverage and subsidies to those who need them in order to purchase coverage.

We cannot ignore the fact that Pennsylvania citizens, businesses and government bodies are suffering due to the out-of-control health care costs, which contribute to the increase in bankruptcies, home foreclosures and other problems caused by medical expenses that the uninsured and the underinsured simply cannot pay. Employers are cutting back and in some cases eliminating employee health care benefits, and local governmental bodies are reducing staff and services and raising taxes to balance budgets.

The Pennsylvania organization “HealthCare4ALL PA” recently completed a county-by-county study of the health care system in Pennsylvania and concluded that local governments can save collectively approximately $2.3 billion per year under the organization’s proposed single-payer health care system. Under this proposed plan doctors and hospitals in Pennsylvania would see a reduction in billing collection expenses; comprehensive health care would be available to all; medical malpractice premiums would be reduced; patients would be able to choose their own doctors; and volunteer emergency responders would receive an income tax credit to encourage more volunteer public service. There are many other significant advantages to this proposal.

The cost savings that can be used to cover budget shortfalls and the potential for health care coverage for all Pennsylvanians merit the legislature’s adoption of the proposed single-payer health care system. It would benefit Pennsylvania’s citizens, businesses and local governments.

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Education

2010-02-05T15:54:00.000-05:00

Policy Position Statements

Education

Pennsylvania must place the highest priority on keeping our children in school and providing all of them with a strong educational foundation if they are to compete successfully in the global economy. Recent studies by America’s Promise Alliance, based upon data from the U.S. Department of Education, show totally unacceptable high school dropout rates among young people in our nation’s schools. An estimated 71 percent of high school students graduate each year, but that estimate drops to 50 percent in far too many urban areas in Pennsylvania and in the nation. We have a fundamental duty to provide the best education system anywhere so that our school children can develop strong skills in reading, writing, math, science and other core subjects. It is imperative that we find ways to increase high school graduation rates and to prepare our students to go on to college, trade school or to work.

Recently, the U.S. Department of Education Secretary shared his vision of our schools as being the heart of the community. Fifteen years ago, during the course of public school litigation that I presided over before the court where I served, the concept of creating community schools was mandated as one of the ways for raising student academic achievement. Community schools would provide a range of educational programs and activities evenings and weekends in safe environments, where children can be encouraged to stay in school. It also is imperative that all children in Pennsylvania’s public schools receive full-day kindergarten, and pre-school as well, to better prepare them for success and eventual graduation from high school.

A reassessment of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and other mandates is in order to determine additional strategies that might exist to improve the quality and outcomes of our education system. A return to teaching phonics might be a strategy or an investment in job training programs in our high schools. Finding ways to get more parents involved in their children’s schools and educational activities is one of the most important links to connect.

Our greatest asset is our young people, and it is our responsibility to guarantee them a strong educational foundation and to see to it that they have a chance to become productive and responsible citizens in our society. We owe them no less.

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Doris A. Smith-Ribner

Thank You Message to Our Friends and Supporters

Election Day Information for Democratic PA Lieutenant Governor Candidate Doris Smith-Ribner

Letters of Endorsement for Doris Smith-Ribner for Lieutenant Governor

Volunteermatch.org

Please volunteer and contribute so we can get our message out and win the campaign. To Contribute online, visit our secure online merchant Paypal

Letters of Endorsement for Doris Smith-Ribner for Lieutenant Governor

Contribute to Smith Ribner for Lieutantgovernor

Please contribute so we can get our message out and win the campaign. To Contribute online, visit our secure online merchant Paypal

If you prefer to mail your contribution, please send a check or money order to: Doris Smith-Ribner for Lieutenant Governor P.O. Box 12379 Philadelphia, PA 19119

Nomination Petitions

First Ballot Position!

County Endorsement Conventions for Lieutenant Governor:

Smith-Ribner enters race for Lt. Governor

Judicial System

Student Education Loan Indebtedness

Our Veterans

Health Care

Education

Please volunteer and contribute so we can get our message
out and win the campaign.
To Contribute online, visit our secure online merchant Paypal

Please contribute so we can get our message out and win the campaign.

To Contribute online, visit our secure online merchant Paypal

If you prefer to mail your contribution,
please send a check or money order to:

Doris Smith-Ribner for Lieutenant Governor
P.O. Box 12379
Philadelphia, PA 19119