First Read PA – Nov. 8, 2023

WEATHER: Philadelphia: sunny, high of 53; Harrisburg: mostly sunny, high of 54; Pittsburgh: increasing clouds, high of 61.

FROM CITY & STATE:

* Philadelphia voters elected former City Councilmember Cherelle Parker as the 100th – and first female – mayor in city history. 

* Philadelphia City Council will have a markedly different makeup next year, including the chamber’s first South Asian member and its first out LGBTQ member.

* Former state Rep. Sara Innamorato defeated Republican Joe Rockey yesterday in a race to decide Allegheny County’s next chief executive, ensuring the office will remain in Democratic hands for the next four years.

* Voters across Northampton County encountered confusion at the polls yesterday when voting machines in the county began printing out inaccurate voting summary cards, though county officials stressed that the issue would have no impact on election results.

* Yesterday’s appellate court elections gave voters the opportunity to shape Pennsylvania’s judiciary for the next decade – and in the state’s highest-profile race of 2023, Democrat Daniel McCaffery emerged victorious in a contentious and expensive race for the state’s high court.

NEW THIS MORNING:

* Democrats won big across the state, from school board races to the Supreme Court. But an off-year election is an imperfect comparison for the 2024 presidential race, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

* Democrats maintained control of all of Philadelphia’s collar counties yesterday, winning the commissioners boards in Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware counties, the Inquirer reports.

* The Tribune-Review has an extensive roundup of Western Pennsylvania races.

* PennLive has compiled the results of key races across Central Pennsylvania.

* The Times-News has the latest on Erie County election results here.

* Lehigh Valley Live recaps the Lehigh Valley election tallies here.

* New U.S. Census Bureau data show that the number of Pennsylvania residents who relocated to Florida has grown steadily since 2010, while the number of Floridians moving to Pennsylvania has stayed relatively flat. The result is that the net loss for Pennsylvania in movers between the two states has grown from fewer than 2,000 in 2011 to nearly 20,000 in 2022, the Inquirer reports.

* U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick introduced bipartisan legislation with Michigan Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell to designate Election Day as a federal holiday, Politics PA reports.

* As part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture initiative, farmers and small businesses in rural areas of the state got $3.6 million for renewable energy development on Nov. 1 – an investment expected to save them half a million dollars each year, WITF reports.

* Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a bill Monday that repeals a section of the state’s school code from 1949 that penalized teachers for wearing jewelry or clothing bearing a religious emblem and held the school board liable if they failed to enforce that mandate, the Tribune-Review reports.

* Harrisburg is the No. 1 place in the country to retire in 2024 with an overall score of 7.1, in the annual U.S. News report. Ranks two through five – Reading, Lancaster, Scranton and Allentown respectively – all received an overall score of 7.0, PennLive reports.

EDITORIAL PAGES:

* The Inquirer has an op-ed explaining why Pennsylvania can no longer afford the luxury of kicking the can down the road to the next generation when it comes to uncapped oil and gas wells.

* The Tribune-Review examines the rift between U.S. Sen. John Fetterman and U.S. Rep. Summer Lee over the Israel-Hamas war, and what the implications could be for both.

NATIONAL POLITICS:

* Abortion rights advocates won major victories in Ohio, Kentucky and Virginia, sending a stark signal for 2024 about enduring demands across the political spectrum to protect access to abortion, even in conservative states, the Washington Post reports.

* House Republicans yesterday grasped for a way to avert a government shutdown amid deep divides in their ranks over federal spending, debating how to strike a compromise with the Democratic-led Senate and President Joe Biden just 10 days away from the funding deadline, the New York Times reports.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: To Fredrick Cabell Jr., director of legislative affairs at the Pennsylvania Bar Association … Want to wish someone a happy birthday in our newsletter? Email their name, job title and upcoming birthday to editor@cityandstatepa.com.

TODAY’S SKED:

10:30 a.m. – Gov. Josh Shapiro and Insurance Commissioner Humphreys take action to support Pennsylvanians with autism and expand autism benefits, Drexel University, MacAlister Hall – City View Room, 3250 Chestnut St., Philadelphia. Watch here. 

1 p.m. – Shapiro administration tours Skyline Pastures to announce grant opportunities for military veterans in farming, Skyline Pastures, 96 Skyline Drive, Mohrsville.

1:30 p.m. – The Pittsburgh City Council Committee on Hearings and Policy meets, Council Chambers, City-County Building, Pittsburgh. Watch here. 

KICKER: 

“I’m stunned and I’m honored and wow.” – Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia after winning her reelection bid, via the Inquirer.