DV Journal

When I was in high school, I accompanied my dad on a business trip and we visited the newly constructed Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. Adjacent to the National Mall, the minimalist design consists of two walls, engraved with the names of those classified as dead, missing, or still a prisoner of war.

I did not come from a military family and had no personal connection to our armed forces.  However, seeing the loved ones of the Vietnam veterans at the site, leaving mementos, and tracing the names onto pieces of paper, personalized the grief and loss experienced by our veterans and their families. That visual made it real: Our liberty came at a human cost.

We all face risks every day. Those in our armed forces accept heightened risks as a way of life, knowing they put their lives on the line defending our country.  Our armed forces throughout history have secured our freedom – and many of those brave men and women never came home – or returned with physical and emotional wounds that changed them, and their families,  forever.

In America, our way of life affords us the luxury of not constantly having to think about the sacrifices that secure our freedom. Indeed, those of us in southeastern Pennsylvania pass by our many memorials repeatedly, probably not even thinking about our country’s hard-fought path to democracy.

We need to do better.

Travis Manion, a Doylestown native, was a United States Marine who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Iraq War when he was mortally wounded while aiding his fellow Marines. His entire patrol survived. His legacy lives on through the Travis Manion Foundation, established in his honor to “empower veterans and families of fallen heroes to develop character in future generations.”

We benefit every day from the sacrifices of our veterans and the Travis Manion Foundation allows us to give back. This Friday, March 21, Philadelphia radio station 1210 WPHT is partnering with the Travis Manion Foundation for an all-day radiothon to raise money to benefit the cause. Tune in to hear from all of the WPHT hosts, as well as many special guests – including me, who will be honoring the memory of Travis Manion and all of our brave veterans.

Reflecting on the sacrifices that secure our freedom should be a part of our everyday lives. Living in America should never be taken for granted.  Surveys indicate 54.9 percent of the world’s population live under authoritarian, or partially authoritarian, regimes. We owe a debt to each and every veteran, living or dead, along with their families. But for them, we would not be free.

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Candidates and their supporters socialized last Tuesday at the Delaware County GOP’s “Delco on the Deck” fundraiser at Anthony’s at Paxon Hollow.

Frank Agovino, Delco GOP chairman, rallied the troops for the fall campaign, telling them they will have to work hard to elect Republican candidates.

The event raised $10,000.

Agovino also introduced County Council candidates Jeff Jones, an insurance industry professional from Upper Darby, and Bill Dennon, the Upland Borough mayor who works as a maintenance mechanic.  A third council candidate, Joy Schwartz, a retired history teacher, who worked in the William Penn District, could not attend.

DA candidate Beth Stefanide-Miscichowski, Kyle and Christopher Grupp, who are married and running for the Radnor School Board.

Also on hand were Dawn Getty Sutphin, who is running for Common Pleas judge, and Beth Stefanide-Miscichowski, the Republican candidate for district attorney.

Sutphin currently runs her private legal practice but previously served as a Delaware Sutphin. She’s served as county assistant public defender, internal and outside counsel for PECO, and an attorney at Ballard Spahr.

Stefanide-Miscichowski, now in private practice, spoke to DVJournal and others about a case she remembers from her early days in the district attorney’s office, watching the trial for serial killer Arthur Bomar, who preyed on young women.  Bomar stalked the victim, Aimee Willard, 22, at Smokey Joe’s, a Villanova bar, before killing her, Her empty car was found at an exit on I476 and her body was left in north Philadelphia.  Bomar, who was previously convicted of second-degree murder in Nevada, was on parole. He is now on death row.

Judicial candidate Dawn Sutphin, DA candidate Beth Stefanide-Miscichowski, county Council hopefuls Bill Dennon and Jeff Jones.

“It could be your daughter,” said Stefanide-Miscichowski, mentioning how crime can happen anywhere, even in Radnor. “It could be my daughter. Our office did an amazing job.”

But she does not think the DA’s Office is currently doing everything it can to bring criminals to justice under the management of her opponent, Democrat DA Jack Stollsteimer.

She noted that Stollsteimer “benched the man who prosecuted (Bomar) and did all the appeals,” only to bring him back on a per diem basis. She said Stollsteimer fired other experienced attorneys with institutional knowledge and could have trained young lawyers starting out.

(From left) Seamus Murtagh, Paul Murtagh, J.P. Kelly and Theresa Murtagh
enjoying the evening.

When he first ran for office, Stollsteimer received campaign funding from financier George Soros, who has backed DA candidates nationwide, including Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner.

“Crime is up outrageously,” said Stefanide-Miscichowski said. “Crime is leaching into Delaware County like never before.”

Agovino agreed with Stefanide-Miscichowski.

“Crime is unbelievable,” Agovino said. “We need to do things differently. We need to support our police.”  And as for Stefanide-Mischowski, he said, “She’s right out of central casting.”

Stefanide-Mischowski worked in the District Attorney’s Office for eight years, serving in both the pre-trial and trial divisions of the office. Her work included handling misdemeanor and felony cases, including multiple homicides, and she was ultimately elevated to trial team leader of the office’s juvenile division. Upon starting her family, Stefanide-Miscichowski left the DA’s Office, worked with the Public Defender’s Office and eventually started her law practice, which specializes in elder law and estate planning.

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