Mary Gay Scanlon, Self-proclaimed Progressive PA-5 prospect has deep connections to neo-liberal forces

A week ago, Holly Otterbein stated that Delaware County Democrats had neglected to endorse a candidate when it comes to PA House that is 5th District, split between candidates Mary Gay Scanlon and Ashley Lunkenheimer. Seat for the celebration David Landau expressed dissatisfaction that the Delco Democrats neglected to endorse some body when it comes to chair, and it has formerly expressed a misgivings in regards to the leading prospect Richard Lazer, winning the competition, stating that he hoped the region might be represented by somebody from Delaware County (the 5th district, for the many component, is made up of about 80% Delco. residents.) And that is the big 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 states it front—her landing page checks out “Tough. Smart. Modern.” A closer glance at the records and systems of Scanlon, her spouse, and their boss, law practice Ballard Spahr, show questionable credentials that are progressive

Scanlon and previous Gov. Ed Rendell, whom endorsed her campaign and additionally works for Ballard Spahr. (Emma Le/WHYY)

In accordance with Mary Gay Scanlon’s expert biography she is the seat associated with pro bono group at Ballard Spahr, an enormous nationwide law practice located in Philadelphia. She’s additionally “a member associated with 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”, an area pro bono appropriate help team.

Her campaign web site touts her experience as a progressive fighter and she seals her modern cred with an array of strictly modern policy positions. Lacking however through the list and from her experience are any reference to modern income tax reform, finance and https://cartitleloansplus.com/payday-loans-ne/ banking industry reform, or consumer defenses. This is when her spouse, Mark S. Stewart, and their employer that is mutual lawfirm Spahr LLP can be worth using a closer glance at.

Protesters fighting against unjust housing financial obligation.

While Scanlon touts just what look like impressive modern qualifications, her spouse is a lawyer that is corporate the seat of Ballard Spahr LLP. The company happens to be making headlines when it comes to decade that is past its massive expansion through mergers and purchases around the world, that the Legal Intelligencer called a “Merger Spree”

Ballard Spahr is targeted on many appropriate areas finance that is including pharmaceuticals. These people were additionally recently into the news for leading the fee to block a major laws from the customer Financial Protection Bureau. It was the agency set up following the 2008 collapse which was likely to provide citizens ways to simply take appropriate action against banking institutions and economic agencies that preyed on low earnings people and caused the crash. The law that is online Law360 praised Ballard Spahr for going following the CFPB. Certainly, this became among the revenue that is key when it comes to law practice, plus they sank millions into court situations and lobbying efforts. Those efforts paid down, plus in 2017, President Trump fundamentally eliminated the CFPB.

As another an element of the exact same strategy, the firm took in the CFPB’s pay-day financing laws:

“Ballard Spahr’s Jeremy T. Rosenblum, co-practice frontrunner regarding the company’s customer economic solutions team, has represented payday loan providers, including ACE money Express and Advance Financial, inside their battle resistant to the CFPB’s payday loan guidelines. The legislation, that has been introduced in October, would impose an test that is ability-to-repay all payday advances with a 45-day repayment term, automobile name loans with 30-day terms along with 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 law practice 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 legal counsel.

Scanlon’s Husband and Ballard Spahr seat Mark Stewart in the Mortgage Banker’s Association’s Diversity and Inclusion Summit (supply)

Holly Otterbein and Andrew Seidman report that: “Contributions from BallardSpahr solicitors account fully for about 45 percent regarding the $254,000 Scanlon raised through March. That doesn’t count the $150,000 she lent her campaign.” These campaign finance documents cast ability that is scanlon’s distance by herself from Ballard Spahr’s interests further into doubt . It might be plausible to wave the actions off of Scanlon’s employer as unrelated to her campaign, nevertheless the proven fact that Scanlon’s campaign is essentially financed by Ballard Spahr employees is another matter.

Otterbein and Seidman continue inside 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.”

This might be 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.)

Our company is in a right time where we can’t waste work and votes on a person who just isn’t wholly, completely, individually committed to dismantling the structures of inequality that retain the status quo. Mary Gay Scanlon may really think most of her “progressive” points, however it is crucial to inquire of whether she will be in a position to say “No” to a lobbyist taken care of by her husband’s company, along with her donor that is largest, and vote to safeguard those that need the absolute most security.

Read the sources and much more links right here.

Ballard Spahr LLP workers contributed nearly three quarters of Scanlon’s campaign efforts. (Supply: Philly Energy Analysis)