City Republicans skirmish over party leadership
A dissident faction plans a meeting Wednesday night to choose a new party chairman, but Vito Canuso says there's no vacancy -- he's staying put.
City Republicans skirmish over party leadership
BOB WARNER
The skirmishing inside Philadelphia’s Republican Party is heating up again, this time focused on the status of Vito F. Canuso Jr., who either is or was the party chairman, depending on which faction is telling the story.
Canuso is still listed as chairman on the party’s official stationery, thanks to a disputed vote of some Republican ward leaders two years ago at the United Republican Club in Kensington. Some duly-elected ward leaders were barred from the premises, others were ejected before the vote took place and others were allowed to vote despite challenges that are still pending, two years later – overall, such a mess that the credentials committee of the state Republican party (already at odds with the party leadership in Philadelphia) said Canuso’s election was invalid and took away his vote at state committee meetings.
But the party’s de facto leader, general counsel Michael P. Meehan, says Canuso is still Philadelphia chairman in all other respects.
Ward leaders Matthew Wolfe and Michael Cibik, part of a dissident faction that has been battling Canuso and Meehan for the past two-plus years, beg to differ. They say the chairman’s post is vacant, and they invited some of the city’s Republican ward leaders – about 32 they regard as legitimately elected – to a meeting Wednesday night in the St. Michael’s Church hall at 335 Fairmount Ave., to fill the vacancy.
Their candidate for chairman is Rick Hellberg, 60, founder and president of a financial consulting firm based in Conshohocken and the Republican candidate for Congress two years ago against Chaka Fattah. Until now, Hellberg has largely avoided taking sides in the intra-party dispute.
“I’m just tired of the fighting,” he said Tuesday. “It’s very difficult and frustrating when a bunch of grown people act like three-year-olds in a sandbox….If this is one step to get the fighting resolved, so be it. If nominated I will run and if elected, I’d look forward to it. It’s something the party needs and, I think, the city needs….The city of Philadelphia suffers by not having two viable parties.”
It appears unlikely that anything will get resolved anytime soon.
"I am the chairman and there's no vacancy," Canuso said Tuesday. "This is ridiculous."
Meehan sent a two-page letter Tuesday to the party’s officers and ward leaders , listing 11 alleged flaws in Cibik’s notice of the Wednesday night meeting.
“Mr. Cibik has no authority to call a meeting,” Meehan said in part. “The Credentials Committee of Republican State Committee has no authority to determine the validity of the election of City Committee’s chairman and its officers….Any alleged actions taken at that meeting are invalid. It is recommended that the meeting not be attended.”
Comment removed.- the city has a republican party? you wouldn't know from the 60+ years of the meehans' complete and total incompetence in running the city GOP. getting rid of that hack duda was a great first step. good luck to messrs wolfe and cibik
— barry m goldwater 
left wing mooks at the " Daily Left News " have refused to post
a message posted a half hour ago commenting on jimmytheloonieliberal losers slander against the GOP. Yes jimmy, get a real dog, a real life ,your so dumb your have to say your name twice.. DUMMY works.— goodsax- Sounds like a group of midgets arguing over who is tallest.— Moe_Syzlak
- In 2014, the Republican voters of Philadelphia will elect new committeepeople. Those committeepeople will elect ward leaders. Those ward leaders will elect a new slate of Republican leadership. Change is on its way.— featherman
- I think there are more members of the Whig party in Philly than there are Republicans.— bford823
- Sad to see issues are still the same since I was a GOP committeeman in the late 70's and eighties in the 57th. The Meehan dynasty need to retire and they should visit the pastures.— alt210
- Why even bother? The entitlement minded attitude of left wing loonies is so engrained in Philadelphia nothing will ever change. They will keep blindly voting for the "progressive" utopian society which continues to move the city of Philadelphia "forward" to financial ruin and its final demise. The GOP has zero shot of succeeding in Phillay as long as the natives continue to strongly embrace the liberal loves of patronage, unions, corruption, gross fiscal mismanagement and an overwhelming opposition to personal responsibility. Detroit points & laughs out loud at Philly. Keep moving forward to the perfect "progressive" utopian society. Keep voting Democrat....the destruction is almost complete.— kelprod2
- Comment removed.
- I guess the Republican parts of Philly ain't no longer part of a "Christian Nation," according to quarreling elephants, who are always against "being our brother's keeper."— truthreseeker
- Fighting over a DEAD HORSE.— phillygtown
- Stunned to learn there are republicans in Philly. Who knew?— jimmymack
- Canuso is a NOTHING!!! Just another lawyer getting his piece of the pie.— PhillyTerm
- What has this vito canuso ever done, why is he even in this position he is a zero— the commodore
- Although I am a Democrat, I have voted for several Republican candidates (mostly when I lived in Illinois, where the typical Republican is more my taste than here in Pennsylvania). If there was a credible, responsible Republican running for mayor, I would give him/her careful consideration. And I think many Democrats would feel the same way- contrary to what some believe, we do not always vote by reflex. My problem is that I see a Republican party nationwide that takes a such a prehistoric approach to social issues that it turns me off. If Republicans want to be competitive in urban areas, they have to find a way to distance themselves from the Bachmanns, Gingriches, and Santorums of the GOP. Sadly, the types of moderate Republicans that could at least compete in cities are going by the wayside, voluntarily (Olympia Snowe) or involuntarily (Mike Castle, Richard Lugar). This is the challenge of urban Republicans and I hope for the sake of a healthy democracy that they find ways to address this issue.— MrHumphries
- Lets get real- the Rs in Philly are dwindling because of years of white flight and a national party of pasty faced angry, nasty suburban country club types alienating all of the remaining voters that are left with hateful messages and punitive political acts aimed against the cities. Come up with candidates and a solid message that appeals to voters not a food fight of who is in charge.
Making Canuso and Meehan the bogey men is petty and goofy.— canalbluedog - Republicans control the state. They should start using it to protect pa residents who happen to live under this corrupt regime.
Philly pols power can be limited and their incompetent control over functions like the sheriffs office eliminated.
The massive tax increases coming are a call to action.— samac
