Bassil, Warner, Brown & Ruggles Stand Out at Easton Town Hall

Last night, nearly sixty Easton citizens met at St. John’s Lutheran Church, in Easton, to watch eight candidates wrestle over three seats on Easton City Council and the Controller's slot. This event was sponsored by The Lehigh Valley League of Women Voters and the Easton branch of the AAUW. Among those attending were some students studying English as a second language. One facilitator proudly noted they came to see "democracy in action." Another person who came to watch was Easton's next mayor, the affable Sal Panto.

What is Easton City Council?

Easton City Council includes five members: Sandra Vulcano, President; Pamela Panto, Vice President; and councilpersons Ken Brown, Carole Heffley and Joe Corpora. They meet twice monthly and are paid an annual salary of $9,371. In addition, these part-timers get full medical coverage and a pension. As I learned last night, the actual compensation per member is $21,000.

The four year terms for Carol Heffley, Pam Panto and Ken Brown expire this year, but only Ken Brown has decided to seek reelection. His seat and two open seats are in contention. Jeff Warren and Elinor H. Warner join Brown in completing the Democratic ticket. They face off against Republicans Roger Ruggles, Peter Melan, and Bill E. Timmann.

Easton City Controller

Republican Tony Bassil, Easton's current controller, is facing Democrat Vicki Davis for Easton's $28,389 controller position.

After last week's slugfest in Pen Argyl, last night was a real letdown. It had nothing to do with the candidates or the audience, but the format. The LWV would lob a softball, and then candidates would answer, one by one. Of course, by the time the third candidate was speaking, everybody was agreeing with everything. The audience was permitted to submit written questions, but none could be addressed to any specific candidate.

In their introductions, a few of the candidates began to impress me. Tony Bassil, in halting English, was still quite eloquent as he told us he's "here to protect your investment." Ken Brown, although the incumbent, was humble, complimenting his opponents. By contrast, one candidate turned me off. Jeff Warren, who must have mentioned his association with the Boys and Girls Club 1,000 times, demonstrated his humility by saying, "I have great potential and great ideas."

How do they feel about Riverwalk?

Easton's $27 million Riverwalk condominium, parking and bus facility, located in the Delaware River floodplain, has been controversial from the start. Ken Brown, part of the city council that approved this project, mumbled that their role was very limited. El Warner flatly stated she does not like Riverwalk, and that the city's community block grant money should not be sent there. That drew some applause. But Jeff Warren, whose campaign is heavily funded by developers, just loves it. "We need to move forward," he claimed.

Republican Roger Ruggles, who is actually an engineer, claims this project is just too big. Pete Melan echoed him. Bill Timmann loves it. But if twenty people come in and say they don't like it, he'd vote against it. He feels a councilperson is just there to do the bidding of whoever screams the loudest, and said as much several times.

Are Benefits and Pensions Appropriate for Part-Time City Councilmen and the Controller?

Of course, no one spoke in favor of medical benefits or pensions for themselves. Incumbent Ken Brown simply stated, "I have it because I need it." But he claimed to have no problem with seeing it taken away. Bassil pointed out that he has actually declined health benefits and a pension, which will save taxpayers $21,000 per year.

How Will You Reduce the City's $4.5 Million Debt in 2012?

Ruggles gets a pop tart for the best answer here. He notes there are $2 million in uncollected revenue, and thinks the city needs to concentrate on capturing that. Ken Brown thinks the city also needs quarterly reports and a five-year plan.

In View of Costly Lawsuits, How Will You Improve Police Conduct?

Bill Timmann complained that council is always "rolling over" whenever the city sees a lawsuit, and that it needs to "fight a few of them." "We need to support the police." But Warner thinks the city would most benefit by seeing a few more beat cops all over town instead of just in the downtown. The other candidates agreed with her, and Ken Brown added he'd like to see a few cops out of uniform. Before you get any goofy ideas, he quickly added that he'd like to see more officers playing sports with area kids. Brown also commended the changes from Easton's new chief.

How Can Council Communicate Better with the Mayor Over Finance?

Roger Ruggles claims "It's got to be a two way street," and requires work from council and the mayor. El Warner, in a pointed criticism of the Home Rule Charter proposal, claimed the mayor need not sit on city council to work with them. Ken Brown gave the best answer here. He noted problems are inevitable because there is a separation of power, but that council needs to work directly with the controller and treasurer. Tony Bassil added that communication can improve best if there is a Director of Finance. "This is the key."

Should City Employees Live in Easton?

El Warner had a quick response. Noting that it's a collective bargaining issue, she would like to make vacant properties available to city employees to encourage residency. Bill Timmann suggested separate payscales for residents and nonresidents, which is obviously illegal. Roger Ruggles said that our administrators and cabinet official should be city residents, and favored Warner's plan to offer incentives to encourage other employees to move into Easton. "We provide incentives for Hotel Easton, why not for employees of the city?"

Conclusion

The candidates who distinguished themselves last night, despite a lousy format, were Interim Controller Tony Bassil, incumbent council member Ken Brown, Easton businesswoman Elinor Warner and Lafayette College's Roger Ruggles. Bassil understands finance. Ken Brown understands people. El Warner is a source of new ideas. And Roger Ruggles is a voice of reason.

Update: The Morning Call has a thorough account of last night's debate here.