Artsquest Seeks "Main Street Matters" Grant

Main Street Matters is a state program "designed to support our downtown cores and surrounding neighborhoods with tools to create healthy, vibrant, and welcoming communities. Funding is available to support revitalization efforts in planning, business support, aesthetic improvements, and the increase of safety and security."

ArtsQuest would like some of that dough. It will be making a presentation today before County Council's Economic Development Committee, and a few hours later, Council will be asked to approve a resolution to seek the grant on behalf of the biggest non-profit group in the Lehigh Valley, which hosts innumerable free events every year. This seems like a no-brainer.

Last year, Governor Josph Shapiro's DCED approved a $1 million grant for the "Gateway on Fourth," a 120-unit apartment complex that will actually provide affordable housing. But three members of NorCo Council would rather give tax breaks for luxury apartments. 

NorCo Elections Comm'n Cancels Meeting After Failing to Post Agenda

A meeting of NorCo's Elections Comm'n that was supposed to take place at 3:30 pm had to be canceled because the Zrinski administration, which really runs our elections system, failed to post the agenda on the county's website as required by the Sunshine Act.

This error was brought to the attention of an Elections Comm'r by Matthew Flower, a NorCo GOP committee area chair. 

It was canceled just four hours before it was scheduled to start. 

On his Facebook page, he rhetorically asks, "If our county administration cannot competently schedule a public meeting, why should we believe they can take on the complexity of additional pop up voting, satellite election offices and expanded drop box use?"

He also set up the nifty little flyer you can see as part of this blog.

And that's the problem. The administration runs elections when that role should fall to the elections commission under both our Home Rule Charter and state law. 

Despite the clear language of both state statute and our county constitution, all the elections commission really does is act as a rubber stamp for decisions made by the administration. They do serve one useful purpose. These unelected volunteers are usually the whipping boys (and girls) whom voters can yell at when the count administration screws up an election, which is now becoming something of a routine. 

In the county commissioner form of government, the elections board consists of the county commissioners, and this makes sense. It is the county commissioners who both administer the county and pay the bills for election expenses.  

It is time to amend the Charter so that the Elections Comm'n actually does the job it is required to do. Its members should consist of Council members who are not seeking election or re-election and the Executive, with one spot reserved for a member of the minority party. If it is an election year for the Exec, her spot should be replaced by a person appointed by the Courts or Council.  

Then and only then will the elections commission actually be able to fulfill its statutory role. 

And yes, I thin k Council members should weigh in on pop-up elections, which strike me as something far too easy to manipulate by conducting them in areas where you know your preferred party is going to vote. Moreover, given that the county has managed to send out the wrong mail-in ballots in two consecutive elections, it should master that first before branching off into something else. And yes, that decision should come from the Exec AND council, which is, after all, the governing body. 

Fraud Case Against Pa. 07 Congressional Candidate Bob Brooks To Move Forward, Sez Judge

Bob Brooks is the Democratic nominee in the upcoming Pa. 7th Congressional District race against incumbent Ryan Mackenzie. Brooks portrays himself as an Everyman. In a way, he probably is. He presents himself as a woke liberal to the Bernie Sanders and Jamie Raskins of the Democratic left, while simultaneously positioning himself as conservative Democrat to Josh Shapiro and his herd. He tries to be all things to all people. I call him shady. 

A lawsuit filed in Northampton County on February 17 alleges that he and his current wife (who has pretty much the same name as Wife #1), have engaged in what amounts to a fraudulent conveyance to avoid a judgment he owes his former mother-in-law. An attempt to dismiss this lawsuit has been dismissed by Judge Jennifer Sletvold in an 11-page Opinion filed July 27. She has ordered Brooks and his current wife to file an Answer within 20 days. (You can read her Opinion and Order below). 

Let me give you some background. In 2008, Brooks' in-laws transferred a residential property to Brooks and his Wife #1. They even fronted the cost of subdividing the property to the tune of $55,000. Everyman Brooks promised to pay the money back but never did. Eventually, he and Wife #1 signed a promissory note for the money, but he never paid a cent. He was sued, and a $130,000 award was entered against him in 2020. In an effort to string things along, he appealed. He lost in a unanimous Pennsylvania Superior Court ruling. In 2022, judgment was entered against him for $130,000. 

That judgment remains open of record. 

After screwing over his in-laws, he and his wife eventually parted ways, with a divorce being granted in 2018. Then, in the midst of two mortgage foreclosures and lawsuits by two credit card companies, Brooks quitclaimed his interest in the property to a person who I thought was Wife #1 in 2022. But according to the lawsuit filed against Brooks, he actually quitclaimed his interest to Wife #2 in a Quitclaim Deed that both he and Wife #2 executed. 

I've told you that Wives  #1 and #2 have virtually identical names. Wife #1 is Jennifer Lynne Brooks. Wife #2 is Jennifer Lynn Brooks. There is no "e" in "Lynne" in Wife #2's name. The lawsuit avers that the Quitclaim was a fraudulent attempt to obscure the real identity of Wife #2 in order to avoid paying a $130,000 judgment. As a bonus for Brooks, this alleged subterfuge would have and did enable Wife #2 to obtain a $330,000 mortgage. 

According to the lawsuit, the signature in the Quitclaim is different than the Note signed by Wife #1 and Brooks for the cost of subdividing their property.  

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the mother-in-law, now seeks $160,000 from Brooks and from Wife #2. In addition, punitive damages are sought for "outrageous" and "malicious" subterfuge that "shock the conscience"

Instead of just paying the judgment and getting rid of something that paints him in a negative light right before an election. Brooks instead had the hubris to file preliminary objections based on a supposedly expired statute of limitations and the argument that the Complaint against him is legally insufficient. Judge Sletvold has ruled that he's wrong on both counts.

She observed that Brooks' Statute of Limitations argument, which alleges that it's too late to execute on a judgment entered in 2022, to totally misses the point. The suit has been filed as a result of a fraudulent conveyance, not the actual judgment. 

More importantly, Judge Sletvold dismissed Brooks' argument that the Complaint, on its face, is legally insufficient. Not so, according to Judge Sletvold. She observes that Brooks' mother-in law has alleged facts that show fraud was afoot. 

Plaintiff alleges particular facts to claim how Defendants actually intended to defraud Plaintiff, the judgment creditor. The Complaint alleges that the judgement in the 2018 lawsuit was entered on January 10, 2022, and the quitclaim deed, transferring ownership of the Property from Mr. Brooks and Second Wife to solely Second Wife, occurred in close proximity, approximately two months. The quitclaim deed was a transfer to an insider, Second Wife. The debtor, Mr. Brooks, still resides in the Property and uses it as his primary residence. The transfer of the property was for $10.00 when the value of the property was $413,200.00 at the time of transfer. Second Wife immediately encumbered the property with a $330,000 mortgage, and the loan proceeds were not used to pay the debt owed to Plaintiff by Mr. Brooks. See Compl. ¶¶ 21-31. We find these allegations to be pled with particularity and are legally sufficient to sustain causes of action under 12 Pa. C.S.A. § 5104. Accordingly, this preliminary objection is overruled.

Brooks is no working-class hero. He's shady. While there might be an innocent explanation to these allegations of forgery, there's no denying that Brooks has adamantly refused to pay a family loan, not just a bank loan, for the home in which he lives.  

He's no everyman. He's shady. He was actually soliciting campaign contributions for fellow Democrat Lamont McClure. Before stabbing McClure in the back, Brooks called McClure a "strong Democrat with a proven track record of putting out fires and a long history of standing up to corruption." 

He's no Bernie Sanders or Josh Shapiro. He's shady.

Brooks' mother-in-law is represented by David Dunn, Esq., who said he's looking forward to moving ahead with the case. Brooks is represented by GREENBERG TRAURIG LLP, a nationally known law firm with offices in Pjiladelphia.

Judge Rules That Fraud Case Against Pa. 07 Congressional Candidate Can Move Forward by BernieOHare

Trump and TR

In 1901, just two weeks before the assassination of President William McKinley, Vice President Theodore R Roosevelt delivered an hour-long speech at the Minnesota State Fair. The rough-rider and pugilist who was also an intellectual who read one book a day and had a photographic memory, had this to say about foreign policy: 

A good many of you are probably acquainted with the old proverb, "Speak softly and carry a big stick – you will go far." If a man continually blusters, if he lacks civility, a big stick will not save him from trouble, and neither will speaking softly avail, if back of the softness there does not lie strength, power. In private life there are few beings more obnoxious than the man who is always loudly boasting, and if the boaster is not prepared to back up his words, his position becomes absolutely contemptible. So it is with the nation. It is both foolish and undignified to indulge in undue self-glorification, and, above all, in loose-tongued denunciation of other peoples. Whenever on any point we come in contact with a foreign power, I hope that we shall always strive to speak courteously and respectfully of that foreign power.

President Donald Trump is the very kind of "obnoxious man" that Roosevelt described 125 years ago. He is always "loudly boasting," engages repeatedly in "undue self-gratification" and the "loose-tongued denunciation of other peoples."  But he always backs away and his position has become "absolutely contemptible." 

Unlike most of my readers and the country as a whole, I completely supported the attack on Iran. But not a half-assed attack that has put us in a worse position than we were in before we did anything.   

On Friday, Trump brayed, "“The U.S.A. is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II.” But as he has done too many times now, he has backed away, claiming that the perimeters of a "deal" exist."

This is news to Iran, which is now claiming that he has backed away from hollow threats "and presented his retreat to the world as a favor."

He has made himself and this country a joke. 

"Green Party" Candidate Andrew Tupone Files Nomination Petition in Pa. 07 Congressional Race

Move over, Ryan Mackezie! You, too, Bob Brooks! A third candidate is entering the campaign for Pa. 07's Congressional District. Andrew Tupone, a certified EMT from Bethlehem Township, has filed a nomination petition to run for the Pa. 07 Congressional District as a member of the Green Party.  His petition has been accepted by the Department of State, but it is subject to challenge. (The nomination petition was not available online as of last night, but Tupone has claimed on Facebook that he has more than double the number of signatures needed). 

Before I make a few of my own observations, let me share his campaign announcement, which I received yesterday

Tupone's Campaign Announcement: Today, Andrew Tupone announced that he has filed more than double the required number ct of signatures to qualify for the November ballot as the Green Party candidate for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District. He received an outpouring of community support, especially from progressive Democrats who are looking for real change.

Tupone said he decided to enter the race because he believes both parties have failed to truly speak for the people of PA-7 and that voters deserve a true progressive alternative.

"Congressman Mackenzie has been in lock step with Trump and he must be stopped. The national Democratic Party failed to nominate a candidate who speaks to the progressive voters," Tupone said. "After the Democratic National Party put their thumbs on the scale in the primary for Bob Brooks as the nominee, I believe local grassroots voters deserve another choice and that's why so many are backing my candidacy”. That's why I'm running—to offer an independent progressive voice focused on the issues that matter most to the people of Pennsylvania's 7th District - affordability and ending corruption, but also stopping the fascist in the White House, fighting climate change, ending the genocide in Gaza and elsewhere.

Tupone concluded, "There was a major outpouring of support from Democrat voters who are tired of the National Democratic party telling us how to vote, so they put on a flawed candidate in Bob Brooks, who has refused to pay back his own family, and violated state law and did not give his employees workers comp and has made racist statements online and stood against minorities as Hecktown Bar Manager. We need someone who will be more focused on standing up against Donald Trump than running from personal baggage. The stakes in this election are incredibly high" Tupone concluded.

Tupone’s background:

Andrew Tupone grew up in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, in Bethlehem Township, Northampton County. He brings experience across local government - in Northampton County under Lamont McClure - state and federal government, as well as the private sector, where he has worked for small and large businesses.

Andrew’s education includes Freedom High School, Northampton Community College, where he earned an associate degree in Business Administration and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, the Pennsylvania State Police Academy, and Pennsylvania State University, where he studied Business Management.

He is a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in Pennsylvania and has volunteered his time serving the local community. Andrew has also held membership in several labor unions, including SEIU and the Teamsters.

His stated values include grassroots democracy, community-based economics, decentralization, non-violence, respect for diversity, and personal and global responsibility. A focus on stopping corruption and ending the genocide in Gaza.

Socials:

AndrewforPA.com

Facebook.com/AndrewforPA

instagram.com/andrewforpa

x.com/electandrew

My observations: 

1) If Tupone is able to stay on the ballot, this is going to hurt Brooks and help Mackenzie. Some Democrats are unhappy at the way that Washington and Governor Josh Shapiro inserted themselves into a local race, putting their fingers on the scale. Brooks a won a plurality, but not a majority of Democratic votes.  Although there is less enthusiasm for Brooks than there would be for a candidate who really was selected by a majority of Democrats, I figured Brooks would win anyway. in what should be a November blue wave. A third-party candidate, and one who leans to the left, changes that prediction. Tupone will draw votes from the left end of the spectrum, and it could be enough to defeat Brooks in a purple district. 

2) Is Tupone a put-up? - I have yet to check elections records, but Topne was a Republican. When he ran for Magisterial District Judge in 2015, he was promoted by the Bethlehem Tp GOP Committee.  He lost to Pat Broscius, who swept both sides of the ticket. He managed to win the Republican nomination in 2021, but fell short to Sandra McClure in the general election. According to The Keystone, Tupone was a Republican as recently as 2025  

3) He claims to have worked for Lamont McClure in Northampton County. Actually, before he ever worked in NorCo, Tupone was part of the Panto Parking Police. At the county, he bounced around from 911 dispatcher to elections clerk to an assessor. He tried to get himself appointed as Controller. His employment was terminated in 2021, although the county may have brought him back.

4) Many of Tupone's claims about Brooks have been documented here, by Rich Wilkins and various news outlets. I was aware that he was a bar manager at the Hecktown Fire Company in the early 2000s. That's a private social club. I never heard that he "stood against minorities" while he processed memberships. I would like to know more about this claim, which I find disturbing. 

5) This is an election that cries out for a third candidate. But not Tupone.