Joe Rocks
Encyclopedia
Joseph M. Rocks is a former Pennsylvania
State Senator and Pennsylvania State Representative. He was a Philadelphia mayoral candidate and currently works in the mental health profession. During his time in the Pennsylvania State Senate
, Rocks, a Republican, created the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority
board to monitor all spending by then mayor Wilson Goode and the city council. All money spent by the city government had to be approved by the board. Rocks ran for Philadelphia City Controller in 1989, where he lost to Democrat Jonathan Saidel. Rocks also ran as a Republican for mayor in 1995, losing to incumbent Ed Rendell
.
Throughout his career in politics, Rocks was known as a fighter and an aggressive campaigner. His campaign against Allyson Schwartz
in 1990, when he lost his State Senate seat, was particularly bitter, with negative campaigning from both sides. Among the more wild accusations was the assertion from the Schwartz campaign that Rocks had an alcohol problem and engaged in promiscuous behavior. The comments had apparently been prepared as a joke by a staffer, released accidentally, and Schwartz apologized, but the campaign became increasingly acrimonious from that point forward.
Upon leaving politics Rocks turned his career towards the mental health field.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
State Senator and Pennsylvania State Representative. He was a Philadelphia mayoral candidate and currently works in the mental health profession. During his time in the Pennsylvania State Senate
Pennsylvania State Senate
The Pennsylvania State Senate has been meeting since 1791. It is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such...
, Rocks, a Republican, created the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority
Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority
The Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority is a special administrative body created by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to oversee the finances of the City of Philadelphia....
board to monitor all spending by then mayor Wilson Goode and the city council. All money spent by the city government had to be approved by the board. Rocks ran for Philadelphia City Controller in 1989, where he lost to Democrat Jonathan Saidel. Rocks also ran as a Republican for mayor in 1995, losing to incumbent Ed Rendell
Ed Rendell
Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell is an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003...
.
Throughout his career in politics, Rocks was known as a fighter and an aggressive campaigner. His campaign against Allyson Schwartz
Allyson Schwartz
Allyson Young Schwartz is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes parts of Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia...
in 1990, when he lost his State Senate seat, was particularly bitter, with negative campaigning from both sides. Among the more wild accusations was the assertion from the Schwartz campaign that Rocks had an alcohol problem and engaged in promiscuous behavior. The comments had apparently been prepared as a joke by a staffer, released accidentally, and Schwartz apologized, but the campaign became increasingly acrimonious from that point forward.
Upon leaving politics Rocks turned his career towards the mental health field.
See also
- LeAnna WashingtonLeAnna WashingtonLeAnna M. Washington is a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania State Senate who was first elected to represent the 4th District in a special election in May 2005.-Career:...
- Pennsylvania Senator, former Rocks staffer