State AFT backs Saidel for lieutenant governor

Jonathan Saidel, candidate for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, has won the endorsement of the American Federation of Teachers-Pennsylvania, the first big union to weigh in on the developing 2010 statewide campaigns.

Saidel, the former controller of Philadelphia who has deep labor ties, got the nod in a vote during the union's biennial convention at the end of June, said AFT state president Ted Kirsch.

"We have a history with Jon," said Kirsch, who was president of the Philadelphia AFT local. He cited Saidel's role, along with U.S. Rep. Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), in brokering peace during tense negotiations with the city in 2000. "Jonathan was up all night with us, and played a big role," Kirsch said. "He's a public school graduate who was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He is one of us."

AFT represents 36,000 educators across the state, including in Pittsburgh and Scranton. So far, Saidel is the only Democrat to announce he's running for lieutenant governor, and he claims a bankroll of $1 million. The union's executive committee will weigh in later on the governor's race, Kirsch said. - Thomas Fitzgerald