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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Northampton County Needs a New Controller

Steve Salvesen is a Hanover Township Supervisor running for Controller in Northampton County. His campaign slogan says it all.

You can have a dumass like Barron von Footinmouth, who marches on non-union companies like T-Mobile and actually threatens them for not playing ball. Or you can choose someone who  successfully persuaded non-union Wegmans to voluntarily install sidewalks for pedestrians, not with threats but as an appeal to a good neighbor.
You can have a politically ambitious Controller who always has his sites on the next political office and tried to run for Executive almost immediately after being elected as Controller. Or you can have a Controller who has actually served on Hanover Township's board for twenty-eight years.

You can have a Controller with no accounting education and who flunked the bar. Or you can have one with an M.B.A. and a lifetime of business experience, from a small business owner to a stint as COO at Polybac Corporation.

You can have somebody who engages in extortion like this:

"Please remind [T-Mobile VP Brueckman] that if he needs anything from Northampton or Lehigh County, we're going to remember this day and we'll make sure that it will be part of the negotiations." - Barron von Footinmouth

"I'd also like you [T-Mobile VP Brueckman] to think about why you didn't meet with one of the local elected officials here in the Lehigh Valley, and how that can benefit your company. And when you do that, I'd like you to give me a call - my numer is [redacted] - and discuss it with you." - Barron von Footinmouth

(The Barron von Footinmouth videos are here, here, and here.)


Or you can have an independent, nonpartisan Controller:

"A County Controller must not bring partisanship to the position. The job is to be a watchdog for the citizens of the county, not to act with a personal agenda. My promise to you is that I will be that watchdog." - Steve Salvesen

Your choice.

43 comments:

Anonymous said...

Barron MacBurger, has been telling people he is the next County Executive. He doesn't even see this as a race. his Long Dem buddies are looking past this race and already planning his Executive run.

He has not distinguished himself in his current role and may just get knocked off. He is still the slim favorite to win. His opponent is going to need more than this blog to win. he will need cash for mailers. The Barron has boat loads of it.

The hilarious thing is the Gracedale folks he helped save Gracedale. Really, what exactly did he do?

Barron von Footinmouth said...

Bring him on. What's his plan? Mine is to eliminate any private business in my county that doesn't unionize. What say you Salveson?

Anonymous said...

barron is a huge dissappointment. but i've heard this other guy has substantial baggage as well.

Anonymous said...

Salvesen is well known as a valued member of his township board of supervisors. Everyone I have met who has worked with him is a suppporter. He will be a breath of fresh air and a competent controller

Anonymous said...

The governor in some states has the power to remove elected officials from office for antics such as the infamous Barron "T-Mobile" thuggery which was clearly captured on video. Wow! This is really someone I want to place my faith and trust in - NOT!! He should have been removed and censored. Why can't T-Mobile file some sort of civil or criminal charge against him for this attempt at extortion?

Anonymous said...

A little OT here but somewhat related...given the economic turmoil and moronic and sometimes corrupt behavior of our elected "so-called leaders" at every level of government, maybe it is time for a Constitutional Amendment to impose term limits for all. I believe many pay to play campaign finance issues and personal entitlement agendas would be minimized. It is time to throw out ALL of the current elected's and vote in good, honest people who want to do the right thing in our governments - not what special interest groups (i.e. goons, anarchists) want them to. Thoughts anyone??

Ryan said...

I know both of them and like both of them. Im gonna give em both some money , then sit this one out.

Anonymous said...

Barron and gang is awaiting a successful demise of the Stoffa regime through a recall referendum to be placed on the ballot in November. See how all of the pieces and players over the last few months fall into place?

Anonymous said...

Bernie,

I understand this is a propaganda piece and reporting piece, but both you and the link to the "Friends of Steve Salvesen" webpage forget to mention the short tenure he served as the township manager for Upper Nazareth Township. My understanding is that he was fired from that job.

I bring this up because that is a fairly important piece of his story for two reasons. First, it was not that long ago (3-4 years ago). Second, it would be good to know what happened and why he was let go.

What happened that caused Salvesen, with all of this great experience, to be let go?

Publius

Bernie O'Hare said...

Publius, Steve has had a very long career that includes long stints at some places and shorter stints at others. He's served in Hanover for 28 years, where the voters have the say. As for U Naz, I believe he was downsized there. The Supervisors wanted to avoid using a manager at all. That was what I read at the time.

Anonymous said...

Bernie,

You need to check out what happened in Slatington. A bit longer stint that Upper Nazareth, but??? Birdsboro was another short tenure.

Do some investigating.

Buff

Bernie O'Hare said...

Anonymous smears will be directed at Severson by Barron von Footinmouth. Why is this not a surprise?

Bernie O'Hare said...

" His opponent is going to need more than this blog to win. he will need cash for mailers. The Barron has boat loads of it."

Agreed.

Anonymous said...

Be prepared for the smears to fly. Barron is a protege of the Callahan gang. He is in the same league as willie Reynolds.

MacBarron needs this job since he can't find any real job. He and the Long Dem's will stop at nothing to keep him in. He is seen as the "great white hope" of the Dem party.

Salveson can count on getting a hatchet job done on him. Check out who is helping run the Barron MacRibs campaign.

Anonymous said...

Bernie it's not smear. Do some investigating. Salvesen has a big bag of baggage.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I have done some investigating, and it is mostly smears. It's nice to know exactly what kind of campaign Barron von Footinmouth will run.

Why don't you spend some time doing your job instead of going to political rallies and union functions? You did pledge to be a FT controller.

Plaid Skirt and Lispy said...

Doeth thith Thalvethen have a pwetty fwower gawrden to thtep in and twample?

Anonymous said...

"barron is a huge dissappointment (sic)."

Correct on both counts.

Sincerely,
Bathroom Scale and Public Opinion

Anonymous said...

Bernie - come to Slatington and ask. It's not smear, it's s_u_.

Buy two vowels below.

d, h, m, p or t

Bernie O'Hare said...

I have been to Slatington. I have asked. It is smear. And you are an anonymous coward.

Anonymous said...

Bernie,

I have no political agenda and could care less about either of these guys on a personal level. And I'm not trying to smear Salvesen, but I heard a very different story at the time from someone who is very reliable and not looking to smear him. If I wanted to smear I would say what I know. As for being voted in by the people of HT, there is very little if any competition for the vote in those elections. And it's the old boys club there which I am sure you are aware of.

If you are inclined to be open minded and to look into it, what was his record on the board of the Bethlehem Water Authority? Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't he there back in the 1990s when they were deeply indebted and the dam was in disrepair?

All I'm saying is that Salvesen is not as squeaky clean as he claims to be, he has a long record to look at, and to be fair you should objectively look at his entire record.

Publius

Sister Miriam Webster said...

" ... I have no political agenda and could care less ..."

If you could care less, it sounds like you would. Perhaps you should care less. If you couldn't care less, that's a different story. Many are careless with the common usage of "care less." While careless grammar is annoying to some, many are inured and could not care less.

Anonymous said...

Put da baby on ma belly! Where is da baby?? Put da baby in my belly!!!

I love ma baby back, baby back, baby back ribs!

Anonymous said...

Barron Von Footinmouth, aka "Little Stevie Blunder" and
"Sir Lacks-a-Lot", with a sign outside his office "Gone Politickin'" should be trounced at the polls in November. But the dumbass unions will be the wings beneath his kilt and the county will suffer from at least two more years of his incompetence until he gets trounced in the county executive race in 2013.

Anonymous said...

Wrong, even if he loses the county executive race in 2013, he will still remain as Controller. The only good news is he will have opposition in 2013 whether the union likes it or not.

Anonymous said...

Two candidates for publice office (County Controller) and neither one of them "truly" qualified for the job. This is a case where we vote for the lesser of two evils. Really sad isn't it.

Anonymous said...

Rolly Polly Controlly

Anonymous said...

He has an Elmer Fuddish mystic about him.

Anonymous said...

What is a dumass? Why has Barron got his sites on anything?

In your own words, Bernie, get it right.

BTW, I didn't know Barron confirmed he was running for executive. When did this happen? Where's the tape or the newspaper report?

Bernie O'Hare said...

I did get it read. You're just poorly read. The term "dumass" was used by Bill White in a column about Barron von Footinmouth, and I linked to it. I also linked to the story in which he did confirm he was considering taking a shot at the Exec osition after being in office for only one year.

Anonymous said...

No, you linked to your own blog in which you said he confirmed.
Bill White is not an expert on anything, contrary to what you might think.
You didn't even get the 'sites' reference. Unless that's more Bill White creative spelling.

Anonymous said...

What's up, are you deleting straightforward comments so you can have the last word?

Bernie O'Hare said...

No, I am deleting mindless argument with an anonymous moron.

Anonymous said...

How is pointing out that you spelled the word sights incorrectly - it's not sites - be construed as mindless argument with an anonymous moron? It's not mindless, not much of an argument, and hardly moronic. Anonymous, yes.
I would even go so far as to call it nitpicking, if it wasn't the sort of thing that you do yourself.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Just as the word "dumass" was used correctly, so was the word "site." Get yourself a dictionary. That's what makes your comment mindless and moronic.

Anonymous said...

Put da baby in ma belly!! Or unda ma skirt!

Anonymous said...

I see you deleted the posts which explained the correct uses of tjhe word dumass and sites. Why did you do this?

Anonymous said...

Hey Bernie, can't you man up and admit you were wrong, instead of deleting the evidence.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Because Blanstein, you are wrong on both counts. I don't mind admitting an error but there is no error.

Anonymous said...

Then why did you delete the two posts that showed the correct uses of the words?

Bernie O'Hare said...

Blankstein, you showed nothing except that you're an idiot.

Anonymous said...

Why is it with a full-time paycheck, full benefits, and an expense account for your own lawyer, we can't get a line of qualified candidates? Why do we have to pick the "lesser-of-two-evils"?

Anonymous said...

I still want da baby in ma belly!!!