Philadelphia Inquirer | 02/16/2006 | Swann sat out on most election days

Philadelphia Inquirer | 02/16/2006 | Swann sat out on most election days: "Posted on Thu, Feb. 16, 2006
Swann sat out on most election daysBy Mario F. CattabianiInquirer Staff WriterWhen Lynn Swann votes for himself in the May Republican primary, it will be a rare springtime trip to the polls.
Despite once saying that the right to vote should never be taken for granted, Swann missed 20 of the state's 36 elections in the last 18 years - including 13 of his party's primaries, records show.
In that period, Swann missed elections for governor, U.S. senator and president, while also skipping a chance to vote on a dozen statewide referendums, including a 1989 question on property-tax reform - now a centerpiece of his campaign.
Swann, who was unanimously endorsed by the state GOP last weekend, was not available for comment yesterday. But his campaign spokeswoman, Melissa Walters, said: "He regrets not voting, and he should have voted. He encourages all Pennsylvanians to vote, and he feels that it is an important duty."
Asked why Swann missed so many votes, Walters said it was probably because he was traveling. Records from Allegheny County, where he has lived since 1983, show that Swann was aware of absentee-voting rules, because he voted by absentee ballot three times.
Swann's campaign manager, Ray Zaborney, later added: "Like many Pennsylvanians, he did not vote in every election. It was a mistake, but unlike career politicians, Lynn has not been focused on his next campaign."
By comparison, Gov. Rendell, who will face Swann in the fall, has not missed a trip to the voting booth dating back at least to 1980, records show.
"It's not for us to explain Mr. Swann's voting record," said Rendell's campaign manager, Tricia Enright. "That's between him and the voters."
In October 2004, in an interview with the Sun-Sentinel newspaper in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Swann said: "I have always been someone to believe that when you have certain freedoms, you should exercise them and not take it for granted. If you don't take part in the process and you don't vote, then I am not willing to listen to your complaints."
Swann voted by absentee ballot in the general election the month after making those comments. But earlier that year, he missed the pivotal GOP primary election in which U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter narrowly defeated challenger U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey, and Swann didn't cast votes at all in 2003.
In 1988, Swann missed the general election for George H.W. Bush, and also the reelection bid of U.S. Sen. John Heinz (R., Pa.), whom he has called his political idol.
Three years later, he did not vote in the race to fill Heinz's seat after the senator was killed in a plane crash.
In 1990, when Gov. Robert Casey was seeking reelection against Republican Barbara Hafer, Swann didn't vote. Nor did he vote the last time his party had a contested gubernatorial primary - 1994, when Tom Ridge claimed the nomination.
Since 1988, Swann has missed voting on 12 of 20 statewide ballot referendums, including several that asked whether voters supported borrowing billions of dollars for a variety of programs, from environmental initiatives to funding for volunteer fire companies.
Swann, a Hall of Fame wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, will be alone on the GOP gubernatorial ballot May 16. Last week, his major party rival, former Lt. Gov. Bill Scranton, bowed out of the race. On Tuesday, former business advocate Jim Panyard did the same.
With the field clear, Swann - a former football analyst with ABC Sports - is focusing on unseating Rendell, a veteran campaigner, in November.
And the reality of a spotty voting record doesn't help in that uphill climb, analysts said yesterday.
Still, poor voting records didn't affect fellow celebrity gubernatorial hopefuls in other states. In 2003, Arnold Schwarzenegger withstood bitter campaign ads that trumpeted the fact that he missed 13 of the previous 21 elections in California.
And five years earlier, Jesse Ventura - in a campaign in Minnesota that succeeded by getting disaffected voters to the polls - had a history of his own of not bothering to vote. Of the 14 elections before his own, Ventura cast ballots in just four.
Like Schwarzenegger and Ventura, Swann is a novice politician, in his first bid for office, who is already facing pointed questions about his readiness to serve as the state's chief executive.
Swann's voting record "underscores the emerging theme of a lot of recent news coverage: that he's not prepared to run for governor," said Michael Young, a former longtime Penn State politics professor.
G. Terry Madonna, a pollster at Franklin and Marshall College, said the news was damaging to a young campaign that appeared to be building momentum. It puts the campaign on the defensive, he added.
"We have all been sort of captivated by his candidacy," Madonna said. "This is the beginning of what will become extensive scrutiny into every aspect of Swann's life. Now, the honeymoon is over."

Contact staff writer Mario F. Cattabiani at 717-787-5990 or mcattabiani@phillynews.com."