PoliticsPA a powerful if mysterious player
By Helen Colwell Adams
Jul 6, 2003, 00:01 EST
Lancaster Sunday News
You can find out who's up and who's down. You can find a list of the most
powerful politicians in the state. You can find out who Pennsylvania's worst
mayors and county commissioners are.
About the only thing you can't find on PoliticsPA.com is the true identity
of its pseudonymous editor, Sy Snyder.
'Figuring out who Sy is it's an exciting parlor game in Harrisburg,'' said
pundit Dr. G. Terry Madonna.
Snyder himself (or herself, or themselves), interviewed by e-mail, wouldn't
be drawn into the feeding frenzy.
'Sorry, we cannot confirm or deny anything,'' he wrote in reply to a couple
of queries about the Sy rumor du jour.
From its quiet launch Oct. 22, 2001, the free Web site has become one of the
most influential forces in state political circles.
While cybergossip Matt Drudge hit the public eye with revelations about
Monica Lewinsky and then-President Clinton, PoliticsPA has built its
audience more gradually, with a string of breaking stories, a stable of hot
columnists and fun features like 'Power 50'' and 'Virtual Campaign
Manager.'' Many of the state's political heavyweights and junkies start
their day by clicking on PoliticsPA ( www.politicspa.com ). The site claims
2.5 million hits each month, and as its readership has grown, so has its
advertising.
'It's the most widely consulted Web site in the state for politics,'' said
Madonna, the Millersville University analyst whose column appears on
PoliticsPA.
In addition to original material, the site also links to online stories
about politics across Pennsylvania, making it and its archives a potent
resource for journalists (and, of course, politicians).
PoliticsPA also runs original documents in their entirety for instance,
radio ads, campaign fliers and controversial letters.
It's owned by New Jersey-based Publius Group, which also runs sites in New
Jersey, New York, New Hampshire and Vermont.
'With all due respect to print and electronic journalists,'' the Publius Web
site says, 'there is some interesting inside political news that does not
make it in print or on the air. Our editors have chosen to remain anonymous,
much like James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay when they wrote the
Federalist Papers under the pseudonym Publius.'' From 11,000 hits per month
in October 2001, PoliticsPA reached 1 million monthly a year later. Snyder
said June's figures will show more than 2.5 million hits.
The eyes translate into ads; PoliticsPA has 'a who's-who list of
advertisers,'' Madonna pointed out, mostly political consultants and
lobbyists.
'The cloak-and-dagger approach of PoliticsPA offers a legitimate source of
news and information that keeps the Capitol buzzing and keyboards clicking
around the state,'' House Democratic Whip Mike Veon wrote in one of the
accolades posted on the site.
Not everyone is enamored. Chad Weaver, the chief of staff for Lancaster
County's Sen. Noah Wenger, said he looks at the site, but not religiously.
'I don't believe everything I read in the paper,'' Weaver said, 'and I sure
don't believe everything I read on a Web site.'' But when software mogul and
aspiring candidate Charlie Crystle of Lancaster wanted to raise his name
recognition, the first thing he did was contact PoliticsPA.
The site ran a long Q&A with Crystle, and the Democrat was suddenly a player
in the race to take out U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter.
Snyder pointed out that of the five 'worst mayors and commissioners'' on the
list (none from Lancaster County, we're pleased to report), four lost
re-election races in November and the fifth retired.
Other politically oriented Web sites abound; Capitolwire, for instance,
offers exhaustive state government coverage but it's a subscriber service,
while PoliticsPA is free.
Capitolwire was snapped up recently by the old-media Associated Press. Will
PoliticsPA follow the same course? 'We really don't know what will happen to
the Publius Group in the future, and are really focused on being the source
for Pa. political news. But AP is a great organization!'' Snyder wrote, with
an emoticon smile.
The 24//7 cycle of the Internet, plus a growing group of tipsters, allows
PoliticsPA to scoop other news outlets on stories like Congressmen Joe
Hoeffel (a Democrat) and Pat Toomey (a Republican) deciding to run for
Republican Specter's seat.
And the features, like the weekly 'Up & Down'' scorecard and Snyder's
favorite, 'Harrisburg Meets Hollywood'' (casting movie stars to play Pa.
pols), get readers talking.
What's next? 'Keep an eye on whether Lisa Boscola decides to run for
Congress in the 15th,'' Snyder advised. 'And watch the Allegheny County
executive race; that's about to get a lot more interesting! Finally, the AG
(attorney general) race is going to heat up soon, but most of the action has
been and will be under most people's radar screen.'' Speculation about Sy
remains one of PoliticsPA's fascinations.
The pen name was taken from Simon Snyder. 'We chose it to honor one of our
favorite governors,'' Snyder wrote (parsing the plural pronoun, does that
indicate a collaborative editorship?).
Given the level of expertise on the site, Madonna said, odds are that Sy is
a reporter, a politician or a consultant.
Snyder won't bite when some of the most popular rumors are floated past
him//her//them for example, that Snyder is a combination of Harrisburg
Patriot-News reporters Pete DeCoursey and Charles Thompson, or, in the
latest gossip, that Sy is former legislator-turned-consultant Tom Druce.
And wouldn't finding out be like learning Superman is really Clark Kent? 'We
plan to continue growing and offering additional resources to a bigger
audience,'' Snyder said. 'And maybe we'll find some time to sleep ... but
probably not.''
Two arrows up When PoliticsPA posted its 'Up & Down'' list last week, it
featured this item: 'The winner of the week may be Franklin & Marshall
College, as they acquire political and public affairs analysts G. Terry
Madonna and Berwood Yost.'' Yes, in one of the biggest coups in local
politics (at least since John Barley was deposed), F&M has raided two of the
highest-profile faculty members at cross-county Millersville University.
The relocation of the pair Madonna had headed MU's Center for Politics and
Public Affairs, while Yost ran the Center for Opinion Research gives F&M a
powerhouse of political scientists, factoring in Stephen Medvic, who joined
F&M last year.
Almost as soon as F&M had released the news last week, the speculation
started that Madonna's move was triggered by the change in MU's leadership
Joseph Caputo, a staunch Madonna backer, just retired as president and was
replaced by provost Francine McNairy.
Nothing of the sort, Madonna said.
'I was a very strong supporter of Francine McNairy,'' he said. '... No one
was more enthusiastic.'' Instead, Madonna said, he was drawn by the
opportunity to establish a new politics and public affairs center under the
auspices of the Floyd Institute for Public Policy.
Yost will head a similarly new opinion research center in the Floyd
Institute.
And the vision of F&M's new president, John Fry, on the role of the college
in the civic life of Lancaster was another lure, Madonna said: 'I love
Lancaster.'' Plus, F&M has a more national reach, as opposed to MU's
regional reputation. But Madonna, who's 61, said Pennsylvania politics will
continue to be his prime focus.
He'll keep hosting the 'Pennsylvania Newsmakers'' TV show and writing his
columns, distributed by such outlets as PoliticsPA and Capitolwire.
Madonna actually has another semester at MU before moving to F&M. Yost,
however, will be making the transition by fall.
'Millersville's a strong institution. It's a great institution,'' Madonna
said. 'It will move along nicely without me.'' Ah, but it won't be the same.
A familiar face If you were watching TV news the night the state Senate
voted in favor of slots at racetracks, you might have caught a snippet of a
speech against the bill by Noah Wenger, the 36th District veteran lawmaker.
It was a good sign that Wenger, who was hospitalized earlier this year for a
buildup of fluid in his brain, is on the mend.
Weaver, his chief of staff, said the boss has been back at work nearly full
time for the past two weeks.
'He's almost 100 percent now,'' Weaver said. '... He's doing very well.''
Wenger will be opening a new full-time district office in Mount Joy on
Wednesday, with an open house from 4-7 p.m. at 21 E. Main St.
Welcome back, senator.
Political potpourri lDon't get your hopes up on a state budget deal; county
legislators say that despite being tethered to the Capitol while waiting for
a break in the fitful talks, they don't expect substantive action till the
week of July 14.
Later that week, you see, Harrisburg will empty out as Gov. Ed Rendell and a
gaggle of top lawmakers head to the National Conference of State
Legislatures convention, July 21-25 in San Francisco.
While the governor has been saying Pennsylvania is $2.5 billion in the hole,
Republican lawmakers like Roy Baldwin of the 97th District pointed out last
week that since the revenue shortfall was less than anticipated, and since
the federal government is giving the state some $900 million as part of the
tax cut, Harrisburg actually ended the fiscal year $25 million to the good,
with $300 million in the Rainy Day Fund.
lFreshman Rep. Dave Hickernell of the 98th District saw his first piece of
legislation signed into law last month by Gov. Ed Rendell. House Bill 235
lowers the age limit for falconry permits.
The proposal was first advanced by the late Rep. Leroy Zimmerman of the 99th
District, who died in December. Hickernell re-introduced the bill this
session.
'This legislation was important to Rep. Zimmerman and, as a tribute to my
departed friend and a great legislator from Lancaster County, I was proud to
sponsor it and guide it through the legislative process,'' Hickernell said.
'I'm even prouder now that it has become law, and I'm sure Leroy would be
very pleased.'' lAnd 100th District Rep. Gibson C. Armstrong presented a
House citation last weekend to the Quarryville Volunteer Fire Company to
honor its June 28 centennial celebration.
lHarrisburg Online says Manheim Township resident William Bostic, formerly
executive director of the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, is the new
executive director of the state Higher Education Facilities Authority.
Helen Colwell Adams is an editor of the Sunday News Perspective section.
E-mail her at hcolwell+alnpnews.com, or call 291-4962.