Has the fire gone out of Pennsylvania voters over the July 2005 pay raise for judges, legislators and some executive branch officials? We'll have two chances to find out, one on Nov. 6 and one on April 22.

In November, Supreme Court Justice Tom Saylor has to face voters for a 10-year retention election. Even though he was the lone dissenter a year ago when the Supreme Court upheld the pay raises for 1,000 state judges, his critics note that he still took the raise, and some groups are calling for his ouster.

Now another incumbent politician, Sen. Gibson Armstrong, R-Lancaster, is facing a challenge. He has an opponent in the Republican primary for Senate next April, at least in part because he voted for the pay raise (which was later repealed for legislators and cabinet officers).

Lancaster County Recorder of Deeds Steve McDonald officially entered the race for the 13th Senate District seat over the weekend. He promised to run "as a true fiscal conservative."

In a news release, Mr. McDonald said that Mr. Armstrong "is among a small group of Senate leaders facing the electorate for the first time since voting for the infamous illegal pay raise, which led to the ouster of 23 incumbents in 2006." That's how many lost in the 2006 primary or general elections, but combined with incumbents who retired rather than face angry voters, there was a turnover of 55 House and Senate seats last year, the largest in 30 years.

Two powerful incumbents who lost re-election bids in the May 2006 GOP primaries were Senate President Pro Tem Bob Jubelirer of Altoona and Senate GOP Leader David Brightbill of Lebanon. Mr. Armstrong also has an important post, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Mr. McDonald claimed, "It's been a long time since our state government worked for us, the taxpayers. I'm ready to lead the fight to return our state government back to us."

Can't muzzle Mark

Pittsburgh controller candidate Mark Rauterkus has filed an ethics complaint -- against the city Ethics Hearing Board.

The Libertarian Party standard bearer's complaint targets the board's policy, which is written into the city's ethics code, of barring those who filed complaints with it from speaking about those complaints. It apparently exists to keep confidential information, or unfounded accusations, out of the media. The policy first manifested itself when the very first city ethics complaint of the modern era was filed and continues to be in place.

Mr. Rauterkus' complaint demands that the board "strike down the concept of imposing secrecy onto citizens who file complaints." Why? "Sins to the soul of the city should be heard with the Ethics Hearing Board so citizens are able to gain with an increase of empowerment, not a decrease of rights."

He also rails against provisions in the ethics code that could make the complainant liable if they make wrongful use of the ethics process.

Besides filing against the board, Mr. Rauterkus filed complaints against two other candidates for city office, neither of whom is yet a city employee. Of course, by disclosing his filings to Early Returns, he may have rendered them moot by running afoul of the confidentiality rule -- but maybe that was the point.

Jenna and Arlen

Sen. Arlen Specter apparently isn't a major follower of the adult film industry.

Yet one of the senator's aides (possibly an intern) gave ex-porn star Jenna Jameson a VIP tour of the U.S. Capitol building last week, according to the Washington Post.

When a Post reporter asked Mr. Specter about it, he seemed totally unaware:

"I don't recognize that name. Who? General Jameson?" Mr. Specter asked.

"No, sir, Jenna. She's, well, she's kind of an actress, in, well, uh, the adult film industry," the reporter explained.

"Paul, do you mean pornos?" Mr. Specter chuckled.

"Yes, senator, that's what we'd call it."

"I don't think I'm meeting her," Mr. Specter said.

Ms. Jameson, author of "How to Make Love Like a Porn Star," is a Democrat, according to the Post. She's already sworn her allegiance to Hillary Clinton.