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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Wednesday, April 02, 2025

Cozze Campaign Complains Zrinski Not Gay Enough

Amy Cozze and Tara Zrinski are the two contenders for the Democratic nomination in this year's race for Northampton County Executive. The winner will go on to face Republican Tom Giovanni in November. Though the relatively nonpartisan Giovanni is known as Council's Quiet Man, I suspected he'll be laughing a bit after reading this story. That's because the two Democrats in this race, just like the protestors at Sunday's supposed "democracy" march at Easton's circle, are still walking in circles instead of addressing what matters most to everyday Americans. By the way, it's not menstrual products in men's rooms or trying to outdo each other with the trans and gay community. 

I'd be a bit more concerned about whether 911 dispatchers and county corrections officers have the resources they need to be effective. I'd be very worried whether we have the staff to deal with claims of child or elder abuse and neglect. Those are real county issues and ones that everyday voters care about. My party, however, has been so focused on being woke that the word "Democrat" has become something of a dirty word. How could Donald Trump be more popular now than he was eight years ago? It's because we Democrats have forgotten what we stand for. A tiff yesterday between the Cozze campaign and Tara Zrinski, spread out over the pages of Facebook, proves this point. 

Amy Cozze's "life partner" (she might be her husband) is Anne Wakabayashi, a political consultant for Democrats and progressive causes. Obviously, she's helping in and managing Cozze's race. Yesterday, she used Trans Day of Visibility (which of course had the obligatory flag raising in Easton and Bethlehem) to take a shot at Tara Zrinski. Here's what she said on her Facebook page 

Let me be clear. Trans and Nonbinary people are under attack in this country. Queer folks are under attack in this country. Amy Cozze will never back down from a fight to protect LGBTQ Folks in Northampton County, and that's why LGBTQ+ Victory Fund has endorsed her campaign. Her opponent may have spent the better part of a decade telling us how pro-equality she is without ever pushing forward LGBTQ+ rights in her role as an elected official, but that isn't Amy. Equality isn't a talking point. Protecting Trans Lives isn't a talking point. Protecting LGBQ+ Families

Zrinski pushed back:

Let's be clear, I have definitely worked to protect LGBTQ folks. This is some of the work from 2019 that the administration and County Council did to protect LGBTQIA rights. "It is the policy of Northampton County to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, sex, gender identity, gender expression, age, genetic information, disability, or any other status protected by the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and any other state, federal or local law.... this is one of the first policies enacted in Northampton County under the McClure Administration. I went on to promote this same policy at the LNAA Board and the Wildland's Conservancy Board and even asked our County Council, on March 7, 2019, to support a resolution supporting this effort which passed 6-0. This is an important issue to me as I have family and friends within the LGBTQIA community. These are human rights and all people are entitled to human dignity. As County Executive, I will continue to fight for and protect the human Rights of all individuals.

That's not good enough for the Cozze campaign, so Wakabayashi takes yet another shot: 

Unfortunately, the half-assed policies you named do not in any way protect me, a citizen of Northampton County. I can still be fired, denied housing, and denied public accommodations in the majority of municipalities in the county. These policies are a nice nod to equality, but have a fairly limited reach in terms of real impact on people's lives. I'm so sick of hearing from elected officials who show up at pride and use equality as a talking point but in office they leave some of the biggest opportunities to actually protect our community on the table. Why - in your 8 years on council, did you never introduce a non-discrimination ordinance? If you knew discrimination in employment was an issue, why d... See more

Wakabayashi is apparently unaware that county government has no authority to legislate these issues. But then again, Zrinski appears to be just as unaware, as she demonstrates in this response:

Anne Wakabayashi also, I did work with Adrian Shankar to write one. If you read the minutes, I didn't just reach out to my "gay friends" for advising—I went to the stakeholders and leaders in the LGBtQ community —Adrian and Corrine Goodwin— for policy advisement. This was on the agenda but was not well received by the other members of council because I was seen as "too progressive". You can spew as much venom as you will and say that I didn't do as much as I possibly could have as a part-time legislator but the reality is, there are many issues that warrant attention and your understanding of anything I did on council and the conditions that existed are woefully ignorant and misinformed. As a County Executive, I will have exponentially more potential to pass the kind o... See more

Unhappy with the answers she's getting from Zrinski, Cozze's campaign manager finishes with the last refuge of someone who is losing an argument - the ad hominem:

Tara M Zrinski What's the benefit of a controller that spends her work hours posting on Facebook instead of finding out what happened to the $10m missing at Gracedale?

As Democratic strategist James Carville himself has noted, people are sick of "woke era" politics.  As a result of voter dissatisfaction, we now have a President whose HHS has just laid off 10,000 workers; has threatened bombing Iran "the likes of which they have never seen before;" who kicked Ukraine's President out of the White House because he refused to bend the knee; and has generally alienated our allies while embracing our foes. 

If Democrats want to be taken seriously, they need to start acting like Democrats. not elitists with a stick up their asses.  

Unless that tune changes, the next NorCo County Exec will be Tom Giovanni. 

57 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm an old democrat who will be voting for Giovanni this year. Neither of these would be candidates are qualified. Zirinski's (carefully managed by the McClure team) year as controller(managed) tenure, means nothing., What is sad is you, since you will not be a fair information abettor of the race because of your tight connections with the McClure group you cannot even be fair. Your source for years, Barron is feeding you partial information. The facts are Zirinski pandered to the gay community for years. When council wanted to beef up the charter she said no and condemned those who disagreed with her. Her statements on council are notorious and are public record, and they will be share by November. You are right, this is how democrats lose elections. I am very disappointed in our once glorious Party that now is a viscous group of extremists. Mr. Barron wants to keep his job, so you can excuse his feelings. But many Democrats that know better are willing to support a person so unqualified is held up as competent. She did not even support a pay study; she was one of th original rubber stamps for McClure.
Th Cozzie campaign is exploring the facts you are just repeating the message fed to you. You seem not to care that like Barron working for the community college when he was controller, Zirinski has seen jumping around to gay rights events on the taxpayer's dime. Glad this fiasco will only be two months long. Bob Casey has been maligned for not backing the right progressive candidate. Casey did more for Workers and all Democrats than any of the self-laudatory dems of today. Union leader types should be ashamed of themselves Fortunately, hypocrisy won't be fatal. Mr. Giovanni win so we real Democrats may be able to salvage our Party.

Anonymous said...

Well, you and Carville are right. Most of us on the conservative side view Democrats as far left lunatics. Cozze, Zrinski, and now this Booker in the Senate- we just look at them and shake our heads and ask when will it all end? When will any Democrat show the least bit of common sense? Truly, you all are as responsible for President Trump as any Republican voter.

Anonymous said...

This is ridic. Can we stop with the identity politics. This just made my future vote for a D go to Giovanni.

Bernie O'Hare said...

1:10, Boy are you full of shit! The person who broke the story that Controller was working at the community college when he was supposed to be a full-time controller was me. The person who pointed out that Zrinski was little more than a rubber stamp was me. The person who pointed to her opposition to the pay study was me. I am pretty much the sole source for everything you know about what is wrong in NorCo. I am pretty much the sole source for all negative information about her. I'd write about her spending all her time as Controller in running around to gay events, too, but that's just a lie.

What you dislike is that I am pretty much the sole source for all information about Cozze that is negative. And the source of this Facebook story is not Steve. Yes, it makes Cozze and her life partner or husband look pretty bad, but it also makes Zrinski look bad. Why would Barron feed me something that makes her look almost as bad as Cozze's campaign manager?

The purpose of this story is to point out what is wrong with my own party and that Democrats seeking office just don't seem to get it.

Anonymous said...

Who among us doesn't remember the great trans genocide of '23?

Fucking idiots. I am so sick of this tale wagging the dog.

To call them retards is an insult to every genuinely disabled person in the world.

Anonymous said...

This is like a back and forth between two high school girls. We need adults in the room right now. Ridiculous!

Anonymous said...

Who do we vote for that will work to eliminate this pro-gay bullshit infecting this once great country? Why are we tolerating this less than 3% of the voting base that distracts us from the REAL problems facing us as Americans?

Anonymous said...

You can always tell a normal Democrat from a "woke" Democrat fairly easily. If they start their little rant with something like "let's be clear..."; "for the people in the back..."; or "I don't know who needs to hear this but..." you can usually ignore what they are about to say. It's like a warning phrase. The real trick is when they put the warning at the end by saying something like "I said what I said" or "don't question what I just said or else I will melt down."

Anonymous said...

'm a Libertarian/Independent. I say live and let live. Isn't that what the alphabet people wanted all along? That being said, I get nauseous when I read about the rainbow-alphabet people complaining. They're the most grating, gaslighting, annoying, and coddled special interest group alive. In conclusion: 1) love whomever you want, I'm cool with that, 2) as soon as you start whining about persecution, you've lost my vote. Suck it up, buttercup. I'm not sold on Giovanni. But I'm definitely not voting for either of these two.

Anonymous said...

Barron didn’t feed Bernie anything in this case. You had your fight on Facebook where anyone who is your friend can read it and pass it on. I think Barron scares the Cozze campaign because he has the goods and is respect among the Democrats who have told Amy she is running for all the wrong reasons and they cant support her this time. Sorry Anne. The local born and raised Bethlehem Boy who was holding campaign lit at a polling place before you were born will always be trusted more than a left coast transplant and her wife who grew up in Lehigh County. You guys have lived in Bethlehem like 30 seconds compared to Tara’s 30 + years. Kinda a no brainer here. Zarinski all the way. Can you believe we have found someone farther left than Tara Bernie?

Anonymous said...

well spoken --tired of the woke gay bullshit

Anonymous said...

amen --

Anonymous said...

Nobody is attacking lgbtq shit go be whatever you want you can be anything! We have always had the boys and girls and the freaks in the middle, the freaks always were played well with and also had there circus carnival attractions.
Today we don't need this exhibitionism in government we need leaders of which these types of humans are marginal for the most part. Some even use this sexuality thing as a tool to put there face out there in the new media trying to think they are stars when fact is they deep mental health issues.

Anonymous said...

Who cares about who's gayer? If it matters in county politics, we're doing something wrong. Zelenskyy is a vicious nitwit dictator who canceled democratic elections and won't schedule any because hell lose. That's disgusting. Also, 10,000 layoffs isn't nearly enough. For all the bluster, Musk has only cut about one quarter of one percent of the shiftless federal workforce. Wake me up when he gets serious about cutting.

Anonymous said...

ac/af wouldn't know a real issue is it bit them on the butt. But they do understand dem hate and silliness.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations to Giovanni on be elected county executive

Anonymous said...

Normal dem's jaws are dropping. Giovanni just garnered a lot of D votes.

Anonymous said...

What did happen to the millions of dollars missing (or unaccounted for apparently)? Lamont’s hair must be on fire after his attempts to present Tara as a qualified candidate for executive just literally are going up in smoke.

Anonymous said...

Hands down, Northampton County is the most entertaining dumpster fire in the northeast.

Anonymous said...

Bernieohare to 8:25, no money is missing. I already provided a partial answer. The retention bonuses for AFSCME ended with new pay scales followed shortly thereafter by a new contract. The retention bonuses are likely still being paid to Steelworkers RNs. The retention bonuses were ended for career service in contravention of a council resolution.

Anonymous said...

come back after you have some coffee

Anonymous said...

Look at me! Look at me! The chief identifying characteristic of Alphabits is narcissism. The question isn't who's more gay. The question is who's more narcissistic.

Anonymous said...

Good answer but will see. DOGE would be great in Northampton County.

Anonymous said...

This why we vote for Trump he told those 4 Rhino republicans off Trump is no politician that is one reason why he is great.

Anonymous said...

Wakabayashi really took Tara to school in that tiff, Cozze is in perfect position to take the reins in this race identity politics all the way Tara is a milquetoast neo liberal cis gendered Caucasian unworthy of the progressive wing. She cozied up to big Solar and has totally neglected wind and geo thermal because they did not enrich her. Vote Amy!

Anonymous said...

This topic is why the Democrat party is a joke. 2 women playing victim Olympics over identity politics.

Could you imagine a founding father, or hell - someone from the 50s, being sent in a time machine to see what the topics of the day were? No wonder we are losing the lead the greatest generation built. A bunch of do nothings complaining about how things aren't fair for them.

For the love of God, Tom needs to win.

Anonymous said...

I'm a Republican, voting for Giovanni. I've talked to him a few times, real nice guy, but I do worry. Cusick was a good guy, very qualified but quiet like Tom so he lost. Qualified candidates lose to people like Tara because the Democrats show up whether it's a presidential election year or not and vote D whether its a qualified candidate or not. Tara showed up at my door when she was running for council. At that time I was a registered Democrat. She was cursing and wanted to argue instead of listen to why I was voting for Republican candidates over the Democrat candidates. Democrats like her are what encouraged me to change my party. Woke Democrats isn't a new problem. It started years ago but is now more out in the open. While I'm trying to figure out how to support my family in a terrible economy they want to call me an extremist, racist and sexist based on who I voted for instead of asking why I voted for him. I don't care what your sexual preference is, have friends that have come here illegally but work hard and don't commit crimes and I'm far from extreme. All the progressive Democrats care about are labels. Hopefully Republican's wake up and start showing up to vote or get on the mail in ballot train. Better yet, can we have open primaries instead of forcing people to register D or R to have a say!

Anonymous said...

Amy is definitely a Pickme Girl!

Anonymous said...

My argument exactly! except Dems will more easily be able to sell/drag Tara across the finish line. Amy and her baggage is too heavy!

Anonymous said...

Tom beats Amy by 5%. Tara wins over Tom by 2%

W.A. said...

This is Zrinkski's best campaign ad yet. Cozze must have forgotten to check "Intelligence" on the "What are you looking for in a companion?" box on the dating profile website.

Anonymous said...

Isn't it terrible that democrats care about marginalized people? They should only care about white straight men and women like Republicans. And also only those that were born here and carry their ID on themselves, and who are married and have children and go to church. Really ladies, as long as you only foster white fragility you won't be verbally abused on this shitty blog.

Anonymous said...

And in Bethlehem the people have Wee Willie, Allentown has Pee Wee, Tuerk.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Marginalized people are those who have marginal social or political status and often are relegated to a powerless or unimportant position within our society. They have limited access to basic services and opportunities. Democrats have forgotten, starting with NAFTA, that our working class has become marginalized. While I certainly care about other marginalized groups that include trans and LGBTQ, immigrants and those suffering from penury, the group that has historically motivated Democrats has been our working poor, who have limited or no access to basic services and opportunities because we've been so focused on groups that think they are more important. They aren't. The simple reality is that the gay culture can often be toxic. It turns people off. Dave Chappelle, who is a modern Mark Twain, has often pointed out how silly you look.

Anonymous said...

Amy’s partner Ann should not be underestimated. She is a political professional, and has demonstrated her chops by getting Fetterman elected to the Senate.

Anonymous said...

Gay culture can be toxic? Your shitty blog is toxic, and all the people who respond to it are toxic. Every day I lose faith in humanity reading what these Republican jerk offs have to say. So I guess it's of your opinion that Democrats should only worry about the working poor, but guess what Bernie, Democrats can walk and chew gum at the same time, so they ARE ABLE to worry about the working poor and other marginalized people within our society. Unlike Republicans, who only worry about white men and how they're becoming extinct. Poor babies.

Anonymous said...

Clown. I'm sure Brendan McPhillips, Joe Cavello, and Rebecca Katz might have something to say about that assertion.

Anonymous said...

Bernie's Incel Army bristles at the notion of a woke powerful queer woman taking charge, they should stick to playing fortnite and jerking their gherkins in the basements of their parental nest

Anonymous said...

Team Tara has been fabricating her green credentials, saw her buy. A solitary gallon of milk at Wegmans the other day and had the clerk triple bag it, fraud!

Anonymous said...

Amy only cares about herself and how far she will get and what she can get. She’s an aweful person who will write anything and make up things about anyone to get ahead. Her partner is no better than.

Anonymous said...

Didn't she also help Casey and Wild? That worked well now didn't it!

Anonymous said...

She also asked for straws right?

Anonymous said...

I am glad you brought this little story to our attention.

Anonymous said...

anon,7:12, Ah yes, the standard Bethlehem native Patrician argument. She is not ONE of us.

Anonymous said...

Terra has been carbon neutral since 2017, Cozze was pumping the atmosphere full of CO2 with her cake business for years the record on climate is clear vote Terra!

Vladimir Ill-itch said...

Tzara may be many things, but she's not anti-LGBTQ+. She certainly cannot fix all the problems that group suffers from and her supporters in the LGBTQ+ community are certainly aware of that. Anne Waka-job's attack is a desperate tactic by a campaign that knows it started sinking the day petitions were filed.

Anonymous said...

Coze just lost my vote with all this bullshit spewed by her “life partner” more important issues to worry about beside gay rights and discrimination issues

Anonymous said...

Anne is not the candidate, Amy, yet Tara wasted time arguing on social media. Tara could have signed off at any time as a mature adult would do but she went on and on showing she is not mature enough or balanced enough for the job. By the way, O'Hare love to show your typical hate and love for someone based on the pictures you use in your stories. Why not one with Tiara screaming into her bullhorn. You are really transparent as hell.

Anonymous said...

Cozze and Zrinski are exceptional representatives of today’s Democrat Party.

I wish them both luck. Northampton County deserves both. Or either.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Let's see. I posted several pictures of Zrinski with the bullhorn on my blog. In fact, it was a video. She has been subject to my scrutiny. Now you seem to object to my use of a photo of Cozze and her campaign manager and life partner or husband in a story about Cozze and her campaign manager and life partner or husband. Why does this bother you? It's a flattering photo.

Anonymous said...

Coze chooses to run on her GAY PLATFORM. Nobody exposed her. She addressed it up front. Personally, I don't care about her sexual preferences. I think she is plain nuts to run on the planks she established for herself but she choose to do so and now she has to live with that decision. Conservative Northampton County is not ready for a gay person to hold such a high political office and they proved that in the last election when the Democrats wanted to pay for transexual inmates to have sex changes.

Brahwaithe said...

Cozze sicced her partner on Zrinski for the sole purpose of making this blog. It's the only way Cozze's campaign will get any attention.

Anonymous said...

"Gay" culture is as toxic as a waste dump. It's nihilistic and Malthusian. Very sad.

Anonymous said...

I disagree. The people don’t care about sexual preference, but they don’t want to hear it. Our current treasury secretary is gay. He doesn’t talk about his sexual preference, he just wants to do his job. Cozze is an activist who wants to use the executive position to drive an agenda. She should be roundly rejected.

Anonymous said...

how about neither

Bernie O'Hare said...

I just rejected a comment that attacked someone bc of that person's weight. Grow up.

Anonymous said...

Tara's lack of Sapphic love disqualified her for the highest office, in order to properly combat the Orange menace we must elect our LGBTQIa+ comrades to all levels of government in disproportion numbers for maximum protection