In Pennsylvania, when someone is running for office, he must first circulate and file a nomination petition signed by voters who are registered with the party whose nomination is sought. For some offices, as few as 10 signatures are needed. Other offices, like County Council, require a candidate to seek 250 signatures from voters who belong to the party whose nomination he is seeking. Democrats are prohibited from signing a Republican nomination petition, and Republicans are barred from signing for a Democratic nomination. If a candidate fails to get the required number of signatures, the nomination can be challenged in court. If a judge agrees, the candidate will be denied ballot access. But there are very tight time limits on filing such a challenge to prevent an election from being delayed. Tuesday was the last day on which such challenges could be filed. In Northampton County, 11 putative candidates have been challenged. These objections will be heard in court on Friday morning. Who has been challenged and why? Let me fill you in.
Northampton County Council: The nomination petition filed by Democrat Patti Bruno has been challenged by Ed Nelson, a former Upper Mount Bethel Tp Supervisor and Township Manager. Papers filed by Attorney Ray Lahoud contend that Bruno failed to file her Statement of Financial Interests, known as her Ethics statement, with the Clerk of County Council. If proven true, this is usually a fatal defect because the statute makes this mandatory.
If she is stricken, there still will be five Democratic candidates for County Council whose nomination petitions are unchallenged. They will square off against five Republican nominees.
Easton City Council (west ward): The nomination petition filed by Lance Wheeler has been challenged by Susan C Eagle, who is represented by Att'y Leo K Howell II. Wheeler was required to obtain the signatures of 100 Democratic voters who reside in his district. According to Att'y Howell, there are only 88 valid signatures. Hard as this might be to believe in Easton, some are not Democrats and others reside outside the district.
If this challenge is sustained, Julie Zando-Dennis will run unopposed for the Democratic nod, and will face Sharbel Koorie in the Fall.
Magisterial District Judge (Wind Gap): Judges and school board candidates are permitted to cross-file, i.e. seek the nominations from both parties. That's what Democrat Ellen Kingsley did. But both the Democratic and Republican nomination petitions she filed are under siege by Matt Flower (Republican) and Garry Flower (Democrat).
The Flowers maintain that after she filed her nomination petition, Kingsley was allowed to alter it with unspecified handwritten changes. Under the Election Code, a nomination petition must be stricken if it contains "material alterations made after signing without the consent of the signers."
But are these handwritten changes, if they were made, material? That will be answered by a judge.
If successful, the battle for Magisterial District Judge in Wind Gap will be between Matt Flower and Robert Kemmerer, both of whom are Republicans.
Forks Tp Supervisor: Four Republicans and two Democrats are running for two seats. Jennifer Parziale, represented by Att'y Rich Santee, has objected to the nomination petition filed by Republican Orlando Ortiz.
Santee argues that Ortiz failed to file his Statement of Financial Interests with Forks Tp, which as I've told you, is usually considered a fatal defect. He also contends that Ortiz failed to live in Forks Tp for one year prior to the election, which is required under state law.
If successful, there will still be three Republican candidates. They include Gene Parziale, Jennifer's husband.
Lower Saucon Tp Council: Five Republicans and three Democrats are running for two seats. Three Republicans - Curt Balch, Kathy Pichel-McGovern and Mark Dzimek - have been judicially disputed in papers filed by David ME Boulin. He contends these candidates failed to obtain the requisite number of good signatures because of bad addresses, wrong party, etc.
If successful, only Republicans Mark Ozimek and Donna Louder will remain on the ballot.
Stockertown Borough Council: Richard Wagner, a Democratic candidate, has challenged the nomination petition filed by Republican Renee Cantwell on the basis that she failed to file the required Statement of Financial Interests with Stockertown Borough Council.
I've told you this failure is ordinarily fatal. But objections to a nomination petition must be filed by a person who belongs to the party in which nomination is being sought. So this complaint is questionable.
Stockertown Borough Mayor: Two Republicans and one Democrat are running. Candidate Peter C Dewey is objecting to the nomination petition filed by fellow Republican Herbert Koenig for failure to file the required Statement of Financial Interests with Stockertown.
If successful, Dewey will square off against Democrat Rosemarie Wenzelberger in November.
West Easton Mayor: Dan DePaul wants to knock fellow Democrat Asim J Quareshi off the ballot for filing what he called the worst nomination petition he's ever seen. But his challenge is pretty bad as well, and it's hard to make heads or tails of exactly what he is saying. Calling signatures "suspicious," without more, is a no-starter. But I do agree the petition, circulated at least in part by Mohammed Nadeem Qayyum, is pathetic-looking. But this time, Qayyum did not get the signature of State Senator Lisa Boscola
Bethlehem Area School Board: Silagh White, who has a good Irish name, cross-filed for both the Democratic and Republican nomination to a thankless and unpaid job that I consider a mark of insanity.
Unfortunately, her Republican petition had a few too many Democrats. So my bastard brother Mike, being the prick that he is, decided to challenge her.
"She can't get away with this!" he exclaimed as he stumbled over his Trump signs to draw up a complaint, which I told him to file in Monroe County.
He ignored me and was very proud of himself after consulting with blackguard Republican lawyers. They took a break from evicting people, to help him screw a Democrat by showing him how to prepare a petition.
His joy was short-lived. In the course of serving his challenge, he could not believe how nice a person White is and felt just a little guilty.
"I think I'd be tempted to vote for her," he told me in a moment of remorse.
She withdrew her Republican petition, but Mike, you can switch sides and vote for her in the Fall.
I won't tell anyone.
11 comments:
Your write up of Silagh had me laughing out loud.
The system is flawed in making anyone challenge for a missing statement of financial interest. That should be an automatic elimination.
Absolutely should be an automatic elimination. Word is a longtime incumbent in Easton filed his very late as well, but no challenge was filed. You would think these guys would have a clue what they were doing by now.
Why does Santa Claus Nelson care about Bruno? Unless she was on his naughty list.
Pastor Matt (Matheus Flores) Flower Esq. is a true legal genius as well as noted actor. As you eloquently put it O'hare, he has a checkered past to say the least. Anyone one who has committed so many crimes as him belongs inside. Yet he still walks free. Wonder why? He proudly admitted he took part in Jan 6th and was contacted by the feds. If you ask me he informs to them and they turn a blind eye on his criminality.
https://lehighvalleyramblings.blogspot.com/2021/05/constable-candidate-in-moore-tp-has.html
To think this mentally unwell criminal thinks he's fit to be a judge is amazing....maybe he should stick with his day job (collecting road kill, getting drunk AF, and making those movies with his wife!!!). I think Flower and his "wife" are two deeply disturbed individuals. I predict he gets less than ten percent of the vote. He's pathetic.
Dumbass
Bernie, I believe you have an error on the Lower Saucon section...if the dispute from Boulin is successful, then the only republicans to remain on the ballot would be Donna Louder and Cheyenne Reiman, both of whom are Banonis/Carocci allies. Boulin is the old guy who sits in the front row at council meetings, heckles the democrats, and whose off-topic diatribes were the reason why they had to eliminate the public comment period before every single vote.
Last night's council meeting was a new low. The acting township manager just quit as well.
How do I contact Ellen Kingsley? I know something that may help her challenge her challenge.
We get it. Dumbass doesn't like this guy. I'm tired of reading about it every election cycle from the same aggrieved party. Get over it.
Flower challenging a petition is a joke. It's well known when he "circulates" a petition for a candidate it is just him and his Scarlett Letter taking turns forging signatures. Look at any petition he signs the back of very closely. Unfortunately it is hard to prove. He knows you'd have to have those people willing to testify so he gets away with it year after year.
"Ellen S. Kingsley for MDJ" on Facebook
Anyone who wants to be on the school board should be incarcerated until their sanity is proven.
1228 is Pastor Matt or his purple haired starlet hahahahahaha
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