WINNERS LOSERS

Who was up and who was down last month

As the weather heated up in June, so did the drama in Pennsylvania politics. These winners and losers span from a university president making waves to a politcian leaving police out to dry. We hope you enjoy our toasting and roasting of Keystone State notables. Luckily for us, there never seems to be a shortage of material. If you have suggestions for Winners & Losers, e-mail us at editor@cityandstatepa.com.

AMY GUTMANN

The UPenn president has been tapped to be the next U.S. ambassador to Germany. She’s known for her writing in political theory, and her family has a history with the country, as Gutmann’s father fled Nazi Germany in 1934. Now, she’s President Joe Biden’s pick to represent us there. You could say it was “schicksal” (fate).

WINNERS

OUR PICK

THE BEST OF THE REST

JASON WINGARD

Dr. Jason Wingard made history on July 1 when he became president of Temple University. Succeeding Richard Englert, who had served as president since 2016, Wingard is the first Black president in the school’s 137-year history. As Temple’s new president, he has committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion at Temple and in the surrounding North Philadelphia community. Wingard got his first taste of Temple as a child, when his father attended graduate school there. Now, he’s the big man on campus.

BRANDI LEVY

When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of students’ free speech off campus, it was a major victory for this Schuylkill County cheerleader with a potty mouth. The Court stated that students retain their First Amendment rights as long as they don’t cause a danger or threat. Schools maintain the right to regulate student speech sometimes, but that wasn’t the case here, so, “GOOOO BRANDI!”

LOSERS

OUR PICK

SCOTT PERRY

The congressman was among 21 House Republicans who voted against awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to all police officers who defended the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riots. He said the vote was “all politics,” but for someone who claims to “back the blue,” the decision to honor his protectors should be an easy one.

THE REST OF THE WORST

KEVIN STEELE

Steele looked like a hero in 2018 when he secured a sexual assault conviction for Bill Cosby, the first celebrity to be tried in the #MeToo era. All that changed, though, when the state Supreme Court overturned it and Cosby walked out of prison a free man. The Court’s decision hinged on what Steele called a “procedural issue.” Convincing a jury of Cosby’s guilt might have been one of the most satisfying moments of Steele’s career, but now, we’re willing to bet it’s just a memory he’s trying to quickly forget.

CHRIS SAINATO

This state rep. has allegedly charged taxpayers for more than $1.8 million in mileage, meals and lodging since he first got to the state House in 1994. Included in that figure is more than $600,000 in per diems – flat payments lawmakers can collect whenever they travel more than 50 miles outside their districts. But hey, who wouldn’t love to have a blank check, right?

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Vol. 1 Issue 2

July 2021

Does Ed Gainey have what it takes to be the

MAYOR OF STEEL?

Physician, Zoom thyself Pennsylvania’s plan for telemedicine How Harrisburg shed the quarantine 15

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