HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 18, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry has partnered with Harrisburg-based NeriVerbanac Public Affairs to publish The Insider, a new, non-partisan newsletter and capital report devoted to covering statewide politics. In conjunction, with the "Election Year Edition" of the 18th Annual Chamber Dinner, to be held Monday, September 23, 2002, at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, the September issue of the The Insider will feature exclusive interviews with both gubernatorial candidates, Republican Mike Fisher and Democrat Ed Rendell.
"Our members tell us continually how important the political process is to their business," said Floyd Warner, President of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry. "With The Insider, we are giving our members a view of politics that isn't available anywhere else."
Al Neri, principal of NeriVerbanac and a long-time state capital correspondent, columnist and television political analyst, is the editor of The Insider. Mr. Neri has been quoted on the subject of Pennsylvania politics in the New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, the Philadelphia Daily News and on CNN. "The Insider will give its readers a special window on the key political players in the state and how the game is continually in flux both at the state Capitol and in the four corners of Pennsylvania," said Neri." "I am pleased that NeriVerbanac has this outstanding opportunity to partner with the Pennsylvania Chamber."
Media representatives are cordially invited to pick up their copies of The Insider by attending the "Election Year Edition" of the 18th Annual Chamber Dinner, which will also feature over seven hours of inside political insight and perspective, including:
* Political Keynote Address (2:30 p.m.) -- NBC Political Analyst Tim Russert will provide insight and commentary on both the PA and federal scene, including a complete mid-term review on the Bush administration and what to expect in 2004.
* Gubernatorial Candidates Forum (3:15 p.m.) -- With most governors serving two terms, this is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to hear where the final two candidates stand on critical business issues just weeks away from Election Day. Moderated by NBC's Tim Russert.
* A Celebration Of Excellence (6:30 p.m.) -- WGAL's Kim Lemon will preside over the evening's festivities, which will honor the PA Chamber's second-ever recipient of the Ben Franklin Award For Distinguished Leadership in the Commonwealth, former Pennsylvania Governor George M. Leader, as well as Central PA's Harrisburg Region as the Chamber's 2002 Outstanding Pennsylvania Community.
* Featured Evening Entertainment -- Straight from the halls of Congress, America's leading political satirists, the Capitol Steps, will take center stage to cap off the "Election Year Edition" of the Chamber Dinner with their own bipartisan brand of music and comedy.
Every year, the Chamber Dinner draws close to 1,300 attendees, including Chamber members, members of the Governor's Cabinet, legislative leaders from the PA House and Senate and members of the General Assembly, making it the largest annual gathering of business and political leaders in the Commonwealth.
With more than 10,000 members representing every county in the Commonwealth, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry is the state's largest broad-based business association and the fastest growing state chamber in the United States.