Two supporters of Sen. Robert Casey called me today to accuse the Erie Times-News of being "too parochial." Both callers used those words, so it sounded like a setup, but, no matter, I would argue in favor of the story on Casey in today's newspaper.

It said he's working on opening an office in Erie. Sen. Arlen Specter maintains an office here, as did former Sen. Rick Santorum. Casey, who defeated Santorum in November, has already opened offices in Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Scranton. His representatives said he also plans to open offices in Bellefonte, Allentown.

The question most readers will have about this story is: What's taking Casey so long to open his Erie office? We're less than a week away from May 1, after all, which means he should have his Erie operation up and running by now.

Politicians, as a rule, hate this kind of story. They think, as a caller told me this morning, that "the newspaper is just putting it to them -- and for no good reason." Not necessarily, but a good newspaper always looks out for its readers and the entire region, for that matter.

Who can argue that Casey should not open an office here? Nobody, and neither is Sen. Casey. It's just taken him a while, that's all. Now, if he doesn't open it by the end of May, well, then that might be symptoms of a more serious problem.

-- Kevin Cuneo

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