A week ago, Holly Otterbein reported that Delaware County Democrats had neglected to endorse an applicant for the PA fifth home District Race, split between applicants Mary Gay Scanlon and Ashley Lunkenheimer. Seat associated with celebration David Landau indicated frustration that the Delco Democrats did not endorse somebody when it comes to chair, and has now formerly expressed a misgivings in regards to the leading prospect Richard Lazer, winning the battle, stating that he hoped the region might be represented by some body from Delaware County (the 5th district, for the part that is most, is made up of about 80% Delco. residents.) And that’s the major publicized split over PA-5—should a Philadelphian represent the district that is fifth?
At first glance, Lunkenheimer, Scanlon, and Lazer have actually comparable sounding that is progressive. Mary Gay Scanlon also claims it front—her landing page checks out “Tough. Smart. Modern.” A closer glance at the histories and sites of Scanlon, her spouse, and their manager, law practice Ballard Spahr, show questionable credentials that are progressive
Scanlon and previous Gov. Ed Rendell, who endorsed her campaign and additionally works well with Ballard Spahr. (Emma Le/WHYY)
In accordance with Mary Gay Scanlon’s expert biography she is the seat of this pro bono group at Ballard Spahr, an enormous nationwide law practice situated in Philadelphia. She’s also “a member of this Association of professional Bono Counsel, and serves as Co-Chair associated with the Philadelphia Bar Association’s law practice professional Bono Committee as well as on the board of Philadelphia VIP”, a nearby pro bono appropriate help team.
Her campaign site touts her experience as a progressive fighter and she seals her modern cred with an array of strictly modern policy roles. Lacking nevertheless through the list and from her experience are any reference to modern taxation reform, banking and finance industry reform, or customer defenses. That is where her spouse, Mark S. Stewart, and instant same day payday loans online Alaska their mutual boss lawfirm Ballard Spahr LLP can be worth using a better check.
Protesters fighting against unjust housing debt.
While Scanlon touts what look like impressive modern qualifications, her spouse is a corporate lawyer and the seat of Ballard Spahr LLP. The company happens to be making headlines when it comes to past decade for its massive expansion through mergers and purchases around the world, that the Legal Intelligencer called a “Merger Spree”
Ballard Spahr centers on numerous appropriate areas including finance and pharmaceuticals. They certainly were additionally recently when you look at the news for leading the fee to block a regulations that are major the customer Financial Protection Bureau. It was the agency put in place following the 2008 collapse that has been designed to provide residents ways to just take appropriate action against banking institutions and economic agencies that preyed on low earnings individuals and caused the crash. The online law log Law360 praised Ballard Spahr for going following the CFPB. Certainly, this became among the key income channels for the lawyer, plus they sank millions into court situations and lobbying efforts. Those efforts reduced, plus in 2017, President Trump essentially eliminated the CFPB.
The firm took on the CFPB’s pay-day lending regulations as another part of the same strategy
“Ballard Spahr’s Jeremy T. Rosenblum, co-practice frontrunner associated with company’s customer economic solutions team, has represented payday loan providers, including ACE money Express and Advance Financial, inside their battle contrary to the CFPB’s payday loan guidelines. The legislation, that was introduced in October, would impose an ability-to-repay test to all payday advances with a 45-day payment term, car name loans with 30-day terms as well as other small-dollar loans.” (Through the company’s news and news web page.)
It is harder to separate the fact that Scanlon is married to the head of the firm and her campaign is largely financed by firm employees while it is entirely plausible to contest the importance of this case in relation to Mary Gay Scanlon’s personal record. In a paradox that is strange Mark Stewart’s lawyer earnestly encourages appropriate actions that keep the indegent in poverty, while Mary Scanlon’s pro-bono legal work provides assist with individuals in poverty whom can’t manage an attorney.
Scanlon’s Husband and Ballard Spahr seat Mark Stewart during the Mortgage Banker’s Association’s Diversity and Inclusion Summit (supply)
Holly Otterbein and Andrew Seidman report that: “Contributions from BallardSpahr lawyers account fully for about 45 per cent regarding the $254,000 Scanlon raised through March. That will not count the $150,000 she was lent by her campaign.” These campaign finance documents cast ability that is scanlon’s distance by herself from Ballard Spahr’s passions further into doubt . It might be plausible to wave from the actions of Scanlon’s employer as unrelated to her campaign, however the undeniable fact that Scanlon’s campaign is basically financed by Ballard Spahr workers is yet another matter.
Otterbein and Seidman carry on in their reporting to throw Scanlon’s progressive qualifications into concern further, reporting that “Comcast senior executive vice president David L. Cohen held a fundraiser the other day for Scanlon, that is a longtime buddy of him along with his spouse, Rhonda.”
That is to state, Ballard Spahr and Comcast’s David Cohen are maintaining Mary Gay Scanlon’s campaign afloat (about matching Scanlon’s own $150,000 investment.)
We have been in a time where we can’t waste effort and votes on a person who isn’t wholly, fully, physically dedicated to dismantling the structures of inequality that retain the status quo. Mary Gay Scanlon may individually think each of her “progressive” points, however it is essential to inquire of whether she could be in a position to say “No” to a lobbyist taken care of by her husband’s company, along with her biggest donor, and vote to safeguard people who need the absolute most security.
Take a look at the sources and much more links right here.
Ballard Spahr LLP workers contributed very nearly three quarters of Scanlon’s campaign efforts. (Supply: Philly Energy Analysis)