Letters: Be cautious of ‘Forward’ candidates; No-show candidates mean no comparison
Editor’s note: The CDT welcomes letters endorsing candidates in the May 16 primary election and will accept letters that are received by May 11. Letters are subject to editing, must be based on facts and should avoid attacks on other candidates.
Be cautious of ‘Forward’ candidates
The Penn State alumni election for seats on the board of trustees is in full swing. A group calling itself Penn State Forward is running a slate of candidates. But the small group calling itself that appears to be just a front group for Harvard Forward, a subversive group that recently suspended operations to reevaluate its platform and behavior.
But before it suspended operations, Harvard Forward recruited a slate of like minded “woke” ideology extremists to try to infiltrate the board of trustees at Penn State. Running under the banner of Penn State Forward, the candidates use the same platform and talking points that were such abject failures at Harvard and Yale.
No one should be fooled by the lofty rhetoric and glittering generalities they espouse. All of their promises are pernicious and designed to mask their real hidden agenda. If elected, instead of using their skill to advance Penn State, they will try to use Penn State as a platform to advance their own Harvard based radical agenda.
One of the PSU BOT strengths is their ability to stay focused on the things that matter to the university and to rise above the divisive culture wars, identity politics and social engineering fray that has roiled many other universities. But those things are the raison d’etre of the Forward groups. Hopefully, PSU alumni electors see that and will not allow an outside group to hijack their election.
Robert Ennamorato, Downingtown
No-show candidates mean no comparison
When I was running for elective office back in the last century, I looked forward to any event at which I was able to share my views. Panels that included all of the candidates for a particular office were always good, not just for the candidates but also the voters. It was an evening of compare and contrast, the quintessential marketplace of ideas.
But according to a story in this newspaper, that did not happen in some school board races this year. Candidates running as a pack in State College and Bellefonte opted out of a candidates night sponsored by the venerable League of Women Voters of Centre County. Why would anyone running for office not want to share their views in an open forum with all other candidates?
As a taxpayer in the Bellefonte school district, I wanted to listen to all of the candidates at once, not in separate sessions of like-mindedness that fail to differentiate ideas and principles. As I’ve pointed out before, the Win4Bellefonte folks are nothing but puppets, beholden to a puppet master.
Maybe that’s why they skipped the opportunity to share their views with other candidates in front of all voters. They would have been found out.
R. Thomas Berner, Benner Township
Balachandran’s historic candidacy
I write in strong support of Penn State Law professor and former public defender Gopal Balachandran’s historic candidacy for Centre County Court of Common Pleas judge. Gopal offers our county an incredible opportunity to have a judge with important and unique experience. Gopal would be the first person of color elected to the bench in Centre County Court of Common Pleas and is thoughts to be the first Indian-American to be elected to any judicial position in Pennsylvania’s history. His perspective and life experiences, which include serving the indigent and powerless, and diverse clientele, would be a great asset in our court system. While the historic nature of this campaign is noteworthy, what really stands out about Gopal is his intellect, work-ethic, humility and empathy. I have seen first-hand his ability to assess complex, voluminous case files, and formulate legal arguments in cases of significant consequence.
I’ve been very impressed by his dedication and skill. His clinic is known throughout the state for their willingness to help in difficult cases.
Expertise like Gopal’s is tough to find and one that the Court here in Centre County desperately needs. Having practiced in the Centre County Court of Common Pleas and in federal court for more than 30 years, I recognize the importance of electing a judge with significant criminal law and a history of protecting our constitutional rights. The experience that Gopal has will allow him to remain independent and not become a rubber stamp for powerful interests. Judicial campaigns are mostly sleepy affairs, but I am truly excited about Gopal’s campaign and look forward to casting my vote for him.
Andrew Shubin, State College
