Philly chairman dumped, reinstated in GOP dispute

The state Republican Party's credential committee yesterday stripped Philadelphia GOP Chairman Vito Canuso of his title, citing "numerous irregularities" in a disputed June election.

But state party chairman Rob Gleason immediately reinstated Canuso until after the Nov. 2 election, saying that he didn't "want to divert attention away from our candidates' being successful in November."

The credential committee held a hearing last Thursday to consider a challenge to the chairman's election filed by by attorney Matthew Wolfe for Kevin Kelly, a leader of a local Republican group critical of the GOP leadership here.

Kelly claimed that Al Schmidt, a senior adviser for the state party in Philadelphia, would have won that election for chairman if local party leaders had not improperly allowed some people to vote as ward leaders while preventing other ward leaders from voting.

While pleased with the ruling, Wolfe and Kelly said they intended to appeal.

"We were not arguing for a new election," Wolfe said. "We were arguing the election was held and Al Schmidt won."

They were disappointed that Canuso will hold onto his seat until after the Nov. 2 election, but not surprised at Gleason's decision to postpone final action.

"The priority is getting Republicans elected," Wolfe said.

"At the end of the day, we're gonna prevail," said Kelly, who won two separate votes to become the Republican ward leader in Mount Airy's 22nd Ward, but has yet to be recognized by the party leadership. "Chairman Gleason is a straight-shooter and when the dust settles after November I'm confident he'll deal with it four-square."

Reached by telephone, local party general counsel Michael Meehan said Canuso continues to have the support of roughly 80 percent of the city's Republican ward leaders, and he questioned whether the state party had the authority to unseat a county chairman, elected under the county organization's rules.

"We don't believe they have the ability to affect the election of a county chairman," Meehan said.

The dispute will not affect the party's effort to elect its candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and U.S. Senate, Meehan said.

"We're committed to Tom Corbett, Jim Cawley and Pat Toomey," Meehan said. "We have never wavered on that."

Gleason jumped ahead of his party's bylaws, which allow both Kelly and Canuso to appeal the credential-committee ruling. Those bylaws give final authority in an appeal to the chairman.

Gleason issued a statement before either man could appeal, saying that he was "temporarily" reinstating Canuso "until he can conduct a full review of the matter after the election."

Cumberland County attorney Richard Stewart, chairman of the credential committee, yesterday joked that Republicans here "need to have a little more love in the City of Brotherly Love."

"It's a shame, because they all want to work for the party," Stewart said, "but they seem to have some trouble working together."

Canuso, who initially described the petition against him as a "waste of paper," did not return a call for comment.