Dan Bricmont, Endorsed Democrat Commonwealth Court

On May 19th 2009 the voters of Pennsylvania will nominate two individuals to represent the Democratic Party for the position of Commonwealth Court Judge.  My request is that voters evaluate each candidate based on their experience, qualifications, and integrity.  Citizens deserve the best from their judges and that starts with the best candidates.

I believe my qualifications, experience in Commonwealth Court, and reputation for ethical conduct make me one of the strongest candidates.

My career as an attorney and as a Mayor have been devoted to serving the people around me and to protecting the rights of Pennsylvania’s working families.  As a Judge I promise to fairly weigh the concerns and interests of all persons and parties appearing before the court fairly and with impartiality.

In voting for me on May 19th you will not only be voting for the candidate with the highest level of integrity, experience and qualification, but you will cast a vote for the strongest Democratic ticket in November.  I am the best candidate for the Commonwealth Court and I want to take those qualifications and put them to work for the people of Pennsylvania.

Experience Counts
I have far more experience working with the Commonwealth Court than any other Candidate. For example, the Commonwealth Court decides each case with a written opinion. The Court publishes or “reports” the important decisions in order to guide lawyers who rely on the opinions of the Court. Using these reported cases as a measure, I have appeared as Counsel on behalf of working, injured, or disabled men and women or their dependents in over 60 decisions, more than all of the other candidates combined.  I have also contributed in helping other lawyers represent injured or disabled workers by writing “friend of the court” briefs (called Amicus briefs), at no charge to those lawyers or their clients. I have authored more Amicus briefs for the Commonwealth Court than all the other candidates combined.

Service to My Community
In order to present the best possible ticket to the voters in November, it was critical that the State Committee endorse a Candidate with significant political experience. As the Mayor of Avalon Boro from 1993 to 2005, I gained extensive experience both running successful political campaigns and honorably representing the residents in my community. I have dealt with issues related to municipal law including police procedure and public safety matters, and a wide range of issues common to local towns and cities across Pennsylvania. My experience in local government along with my exposure to government agencies, makes me a significantly more qualified candidate for the Commonwealth Court, which addresses some of these same issues.

Finally, while it is fashionable these days to be in favor of protecting the environment, I am the Candidate with tangible experience in this field. In 1996, I was appointed to the Allegheny County Air Pollution Control Advisory Committee. This Committee advises the Allegheny County Board of Health with regard to air quality issues, and approves expenditures from the Clean Air Fund to address air quality in Allegheny County. In 1998, I was selected by my peers to be Chairman of this committee, a post I hold to date.  This knowledge and experience would prove useful when presiding over appeals from the State Department of Environmental Protection, as they are also heard by the Commonwealth Court.

Conclusion
I have an independent mind and consider both sides of a case evenly.  Happily, I have found a home in the Democratic Party.  I consider myself a proud Obama Democrat who joined the party, along with over 600,000 others, within the past two years.  By virtue of my extensive experience representing injured men and women in the field of workers’ compensation, unemployment compensation and other labor related matters, my experience over 12 years as Mayor of Avalon Boro, and my experience since 1996 with regard to advising the Board of Health on Air Quality issues in Allegheny County, I am objectively the most qualified candidate for the Commonwealth Court.

I humbly and respectfully ask for your vote this May.
Thank you for your time and attention.

Daniel K. Bricmont