Easton's brightly lit historic State Theatre was the setting for last night's mayoral "Debate at the State," pitting Democrat Sal Panto against Republican Gary Bertsch. The marquee proudly announced the evening's entertainment, and there was the same commotion on the sidewalk outside that you'd see before any of the State's usual shows. But instead of the usual 6' 5" door greeters, I was met by Northampton County Controller candidates Steve Barron and John Schimmel. I hope they weren't expecting a tip.Once inside this elegant and classy theatre, I was shocked by the number of people. There must have been two hundred. And they were all dressed very nicely. Except for me. I wore a stained polo shirt, smelly sneakers and faded jeans. I spied Express Times reporter Sarah Cassi, and before she could bolt, sat right next to her.
"Hi, Sarah."
Sarah: "Hey."
"Some night, huh?"
Sarah: "Yep."
"Do you come here often?"
Sarah: "Shut up, Bernie."
I forgot to tell you this was an Express Times production. The panel consisted of a reporter and three editors, including Joe Owens. I tried waving at him, but he kept pretending he didn't see me. And, of course, the facilitator was none other than State Theatre executive director Shelley Brown. I'm trying to talk her into replacing those controversial Freddys with the Bloggy Awards.
The first person Shelly introduced? Publisher Martin Till. Holy cannoli! That dude looks just like Daddy Warbucks! Everyone held their breath when he came out, but he didn't fire anyone. He instead threw a few dollar bills into the audience and introduced the candidates, who came from backstage to take separate podiums.
In this show biz setting, you'd think everyone would be on their best behavior, right? Maybe Bertsch could tell a few blue jokes. Maybe Panto could wear a turban and do a few magic tricks. But whatever happened, I didn't expect to see Bertsch go dark. Panto retained his calm, demonstrating what I've known from the moment he announced - he will be Easton's next mayor.
Player Stats
Sal Panto, born and raised in Easton, is clearly the heavy hitter in this mayoral fight. A former Easton teacher, Sal served a solid two terms as mayor about sixteen years ago. In the private sector, he's been the top administrator at Charles Chrin Companies, Coordinated Health Systems and Strausser Enterprises. Proud of his Italian heritage, he even hosted Festa d'Italia on local radio for a number of years, during which he would both play some great music and give a few Roman history lessons.
Let me tell you how I first met Panto. Right after I sued Northampton County over its megabond, we had a little rally at Northampton Community College. There were nearly a hundred of us at that forum, and we were all giving speeches and slapping each other on the back. But there was this guy, in the back of the room, who decided to challenge us all over the funding for the state theatre. He noted all the good that comes out of that nonprofit, like last night's debate.
That was Panto.
One man against one hundred. Maybe he's part Spartan. It was an incredibly gutsy thing to do. He had no press entourage. He wasn't looking for ink. He was just interested in seeing the right thing done, and had enough respect for his fellow citizens to come and talk to them, instead of at them. I felt really bad after we strung him up. Ever since that night, Sal Panto has had my deepest respect.
Although Gary Bertsch has never had the misfortune of meeting me, he has impressive credentials, too. Like Sal, he's a former teacher. But instead of teaching in Easton, he was in Annandale, NJ. He has worked on Wall Street as a corporate recruiter for Ross Perot, and claims to have had a business in the healthcare industry for fifteen years, although he does not name it. He currently manages Easton's West Ward Neighborhood Partnership, something he mentioned at least a gazillion times last night.
I was prepared to like Bertsch, but he blew it when he went dark towards the end of the debate. If he had any shot at winning, he can kiss that goodbye now. "What an asshole!," was one of the comments I heard from this artsy crowd as I fled the building. "Hey Bernie, when you write this up, be sure and say he's an asshole!" Well, I can't do that. I have standards, damn it!
The First Few Innings
Things started quietly enough. Panto and Bertsch politely addressed a few city issues. Panto likes the proposed home rule charter, while Bertsch likes things as they are. "I don't want to experiment. I like the present system."
Asked how they'd increase revenue without simultaneously increasing taxes, Panto said he'd decrease management by 20 per cent in ninety days, would raise the EIT while lowering property taxes that hurt fixed income residents and would support three major downtown developments expected to yield $700 million. In contrast, Bertsch said there will be no downtown development. "I don't see anything going on." He proposed to raise revenue with direct deposit and by cutting the salary and benefits for five council members.
Huh?
With respect to both police and fire departments, Panto insisted both forces must be brought up to full strength. He believes Easton needs at least seventy police officers and would fill the vacancies on the fire department. Bertsch never really answered questions addressed to appropriate staffing.
Panto was at his best when he fielded a question from Joe Owens about Delaware Terrace on Easton's south side. He defended renting to people who can't afford to buy homes. "It's not a gift. It's an opportunity to break off the cycle of poverty." And then he pointed out, with a little pride, "That's where I grew up." Bertsch agreed with Panto.
The Mudslinging Question
Editor Jim Flagg asked the candidates directly about mudslinging. "There has been no mudslinging in this race. Does this mean you are both decent people, or is it that you just don't have enough money to send negative mailers?"
Panto made clear he is running for mayor, and not against Bertsch. "You will not see one negative piece of mail from my campaign." For his part, Bertsch pledged he "will not go negative. That has been a problem in Easton."
Bertsch Goes Negative Immediately After His Pledge
In what has to be a new world record for breaking campaign promises, Bertsch went to the dark side almost immediately.
In his first opportunity to question Panto, Bertsch accused him of strong-arming local merchants to put Panto campaign signs in their shops. A perplexed Panto noted he had a "sign policy" to prevent that possibility.
Steeerike One!
Bertsch then demanded that Panto explain how he could "run for office with a clear conscience," knowing he had destroyed six hundred acres of "pristine farmland" in Forks while working for Strausser Enterprises. Bertsch also suggested that Panto was just running to beef up his pension.
At this point, I started to hear groans. It was the audience or my stomach. Panto calmly answered Bertsch. He pointed out that the six hundred acres had been slotted for 3,200 homes, but that only six hundred homes were built on three hundred acres and that the remaining land was devoted to farming. Panto also explained that he took his pension when he left city hall so he had no pension to beef up.
Strike Two!
Bertsch then swung his third time. In a rambling statement, he told Panto that "Easton's decline began in your administration, blah blah, West Side, blah , blah, West Side."
Panto: "Is that a question?"
"Are you hoping that long-term resident have forgotten your record as mayor and that newer residents won't be aware of what you've done?"
Panto, keeping his cool, answered the question. "I'll stand by my record as mayor. It must have been pretty good because you moved in as an absentee landlord during my administration."
Steeerike Three! You're outa' here, Bertsch.
After these three shots, Panto finally decided to get in a dig of his own. "I wasn't going to ask this question," and then Panto started. He wanted to know these west ward projects that Bertsch brags about could provide grant money for $400,000 homes while people on fixed incomes got nothing, and he wanted to know why Bertsch's group met privately to decide on disbursing state money.
Bertsch denied it was happening.
Panto: "14th & Liberty."
"It's not part of the program."
Panto: "It's on your list."
Bertsch never did answer the question about meeting privately to decide on disbursing state funds. In his closing remarks, a visibly rattled Bertsch told a groaning crowd it's "obvious" he will be the next mayor, and wasted much of his time hurling direct accusations against an unflappable Panto. Bertsch looked like a petty little man. Panto looked like a mayor.
To close the evening, Martin Till popped in after his 'Lil Orphan Annie audition and said, "I'm just glad it didn't get negative."
You can read Sarah Cassi's shorter, and far more objective, report here.
I think Bertsch is still talking at the State.
54 comments:
Good ol' (not old) Classi Sarah Cassi!
"Shut up, Bernie." - Words to live by, lol!
If a tree falls in the forest ....
If a mayoral debate sponsored by your competing news rag occurs ...
I guess The Morning Call didn't hear a sound.
Bernie
Thanks for a much more descriptive article about what really occurred last evening. You are right on target whereas Sarah put the newspaper-style spin on the facts. I was there to observe and actually went there to look for a reason to vote for Bertsch and completely agree with you. I am voting for Panto - he's the clear choice and exactly what we need in Easton.
Anon 7:18, I don't know whether the MC sent a reporter or not. If they refused to cover this debate simply bc the ET sponsored it, they just made a horrible decision. This was good stuff, and much needed at election time.
Papers claim that there is a divide between news-editorial and advertising. If true, someone was there.
Channel 69 was there.
Anon 10:37, Thanks. Newspapers have to write their stories a certain way. A reporter will not, for example, use the first person singular. They can't say how they feel. And the clock is ticking . . . ticking. Sarah's story was done an online long before my story was finished. I don't know how they do it.
Try to write a report after some evening meeting that is being reporteed in the next day's paper. It will give you a lot of respect for reporters.
She just showed Panto sent a few jabs in return. He did as well when Bertsh was incorrect at the NAACP debate.(Correcting Bersch what township the meeting was in he was going to.)
Its a Mayoral election is will get slap happy in this red zone time.
TV is not threatend by Newspapers. 74 percent os Americans only get their news and "facts" on TV.
Newspapers are very insecure (like AM radio). Papers not only want to avoid rival papers names. They want to avoid admitting TV news.
When I was a young troublemaker at Pocono Mountain Senior High the students had a walk out in support of the teachers getting a new contract. (And great excuse to cut class and not get written up!)
As a photography student whom often left other subject classes to work on photos. I sprang to action as the walk out began taking photos.
I was the first to develop (no digital cams then just Black and white for me to work with that day)
and raced in my car to the Pocono Record (Wretched) and submitt my photos and be interviewed by the paper who learned of it hours later.
As it unfolded WNEP 16 (ABC Scranton) and Blue Ridge Cable TV13 arrived with cameras rolling. They were tiped off that AM on the walk out.
My best shots I submitted were tot he photo editor at the paper I met two weeks before.
He sent the negs back (not a paper policy) telling me how sorry he was both he and the reporter I was interviewed by went to bat vs the ediots to use my shots. Of the scab Principal telling the TV crews they had to leave.
and the large crowd protesting behind him.
The papers editors said no because you could see TV's logos on the mics and cameramens jackets.
And no one tiped the paper off early.
The record for the way took the PR man Joe Lyons story its was a 5 minute thing betweeen clasess. But the pics myself and a few other students took showed it went around campus for TWO hours.
If the wrectched used my pics folks would have seen a cover up in the works kicking media coverage off property to keep the public from hearing how the union wanted to renew the same contract they had. And the district (with a all GOP board for YEARS!) wanted to make cuts. Just months after they gave themselves raises.
And they went as far as to force the Principal who was in charge at the start of my Senior year into retirement a year and a half before he planed to. this after he went to a board meeting and took the teachers side.
Dr Chapman was propped up after they made the coup.
All this went past the papers watchfull eye. They just ran District PR realeses as the whole true story to avoid any admission that TV showed otyher things.
The anti admison of other media distorted coverage and hurt the readers.
Long but had a connecting point.
I commented that I endorse El Warner for Easton City Council on yesterday's post re Tuesday's Easton City Council debate.
Today, I withdraw that endorsement, not for any reason related to El, but because of today's post re last night's Easton Mayoral debate.
Today's post has changed my mind, and I have decided to endorse the Republican slate across the board in Northampton County in the upcoming November 6, 2007, general election.
Developer Gary Strasser developed the Binney & Smith-owned "Black Mill" apartment complex on Bushkill Drive in the flood plain - gaining the approval of the city of Easton, Wilson Borough, and the townships of Forks and Palmer, since the complex straddles all four municipalities.
On March 2, 2006, the Democratic majority of Northampton County Council under president Wayne Grube voted in favor of the Sands BethWorks slot-machine gambling casino.
Republican members Mike Dowd and Ron Angle voted against the resolution, with only Republican member John Cusack, a new comer to council, voting with the Democratic majority.
The March 2, 2007, resolution reversed the resolution of July 21, 2005, when Northampton County Council's Republican majority under the presidency of Mike Dowd adopted a resolution opposing the casino.
On the "Lehigh Valley Rambling's" blog preceding Tuesday's Bethlehem planning commission meeting, I condemned the Sands BethWorks project as a "train wreck" and urged as many as possible to attend the meeting.
And they did, packing the city hall chamber, even though the meeting over my objections was held during the middle of the afternoon of a work day.
Though the commission granted "final approval" of the Sands BethWorks train wreck, that "approval" is so weighted down with conditions - e.g., the absence of a PennDOT highway occupancy Permit (HOP) and a permit from the Federal Emergency Agency (FEMA)to build in the 100-year flood plain, that the Sands sin palace of the east will never break ground beyond Governor Ed "Fast Eddie" Rendell's and Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan's "ceremonial ground breaking" farce.
I have saved this comment and made a copy of it.
I think it's safe to say Bertsch lost votes last night. I just hope his candidacy does not hurt two other Rs seeking office - Bassil and Ruggles.
Also on March 2, 2006, the Democrat-controlled Northampton County Council voted to support remediation of the Bethlehem Steel "brownfield."
The "brownfield" is, in fact, was one of the largest polluted Superfund sites in the country under EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act) requirements.
Pennsylvania has watered down the CERCLA requirements with the legislative adoption BAT (Brownfield Action Team), whose members environmental consultants like Donna Taggart Associates, the consulting agency for Easton's Bushkill Creek Corridor project.
I think Bertsch gained votes and gathers momentum everyday.
I endorse bertsch, among other reasons, for the same reason I earlier endorsed El Warner: Bertsch opposes Riverwalk.
Riverwalk! God save us! After the millions of dollars thrown at the developments in downtown Easton - e.g., the Eastonian (former Hotel Easton), located like Riverwalk in the 100-year flood plain of the Delaware River; Louis "Hannibal Pektor's) Pomeroy and the Majestic evelopments, the latter located in the 100-year flood plain; Schy-Rhys' development of the old Moose Lodge, with its KOZ exempton; the KOZ-exempted Governor George Wolf building, an exemption that first benefited owner Fred Williams, a former Easton City Council member and currently Northampton County's representative on LANTA, and all the other owners of properties in downtown Easton who have benefited from LERTA, KOZ, and facade grants.
Are Bertsch and the West Ward to be begrudged a pittance of the millions of dollars that flow into Easton while millions from Northampton County's fraudulent $111 million bond and GPA floating it have virtually destroyed what remains of Dutchtown-Gallows Hill - a neighborhood that Bertsch is trying to salvage?
Wow! Has Bill E. Givens finally lost it completely. What the heck is wrong with the mill project. I have a friend who lives there, pays EIT taxes to Easton and the place is great. It is flood-proofed to the point that when the last two floods occurred there was not a drop of water in the building. Strausser Enterprises, Inc. should be commended for this project not ridiculed. I don't know much about Riverwalk but if the developers there do what was done here it will be fine in the floodplain.
Billy hasn't been the same since those aliens did that probe.
Bassil and Ruggles have been on the ballots many times before. We only vote for famiulure names in Easton. Former office holders, spouses of former office holders and kids of current former office holders and judges.
Sal will be mayor for the next 8 years followed by Goldsmith then Mittman willl do another one term than 8 more years of Sal.
I make no endorsements for Mayor as I will not be voting for mayor this election. Just Council and controller.
I suspect the closer race for Panto was Fleck.
No one knows Bersch.
Bassil may be in more trouble getting a endorsement on his site from Carole Heffley. Ask Fleck how that worked out. lol
And Ruggles is the ONLY Repub qualified for office.
The ONLY two I am voting for at this time on Council is El and Ruggles.
Ken is a nice guy. But he needs to win me over these next two weeks.
Ohare, you're completely insane, but I was rolling on the floor.
My friend of 20 years Sal Panto cannot be blamed solely for the Easton sewer treatment plant's pollution of the Delaware River, not the plant itself since the Pfizer plant on N. 13th Street was a major contributor as well.
Much of that had to do with John Cappolano, Sal's director of public works. The two blamed each other for the pollution that not only fouled the river that that also destroyed the plant - whose return to full acceptable service cost millions.
The rift split the Democratic Party, creating a canyon wide enough for Tom Goldsmith to pass comfortably through to Sal's seat in the next election.
Ken Brown was extremely rude to the Easton residents who appeared before city council to voice opposition to developer Abraham Atiyeh's U.S. General Service Administration (GSA) building for lease to the Social Security Administration.
The only council member ruder to the public than Brown was Sandy Vulcano, but unfortunately she's not up for re-election this time in the barrel.
Her spouse, Pat Vulcano, himself a former Easton councilman who traded positions with Sandy on the Easton Area School District board of director, carried the water for Atiyeh as the developer's paid political guru.
The GSA RFQ was for a building in the Easton area, including Phillipsburg. Pat, not wanting P'burg to get the contract, went to bat for Atiyeh in one of the nastiest political battles in the area's history.
Atiyeh's site lacked the number of parking spaces that GSA regulations require, but the Easton Zoning fixed that problem with a variance in a dirty deal involving Phil Mitman and Northampton County Court of Common Pleas Judge Emil Giordano.
Billy Givens, we know he's not the sharpest tool in the shed. If he thinks Bertsch gained votes from last nights attacks he is more insane than i thought!!! J Spike, still havn't gotten over the Fleck loss? It would have been a great job for you!!! Bertsch is a SCUMBAG! He danced around every question last night telling us things we already know. He was far outmached last night by a far better man for the job. He had no other choice but to make up lies and bullshit. Then when he was caught giving out money to the not so poor, I swear i saw steam come out of his ears. There is only one spot i want to plant a tree and that is in Gary Bertsch's ASS!!!
And further more, if i had a dollar for everytime i heard "west ward" i could afford one of his $3,000.00 trees LOL
I can tell you at this point that Three candidates who were not good for the cities needs ran for Mayor this year.
Only one was eliminated.
The other two are still in it.
I don't count Judd paying minors to gather signatures for you is not according to the law.
But had he done it right two would have been eliminated with two still running.
In light of Mittman I think going back to the past is not progress but regress.
But I'm not the kind of person to run for Mayor after only living here four years.
OK. Billy Givens has issues. We all have known that for years. Just leave him alone and ignore his comments. He is supporting Bertsch because of the Riverwalk project he opposes. Riverwalk, although i don't agree with the public funding, will be the best damn thing to ever happen to Easton since Panto was first elected in 1983.
Billy must have been yelling into his microphone to much just prior to the debate. He obviously had a hard time hearing Gary Bertsch making himself look like an ASS.
Furthermore I did think that Billy had enough inteligence left to support Panto. But he is a one issue guy. You have to agree with everything he says before he will support you. We are talking about a guy who has flipped flopped between D and R a million times.
J. Spike, i would love to hear your reasons why Panto is not the person to run the city. HMMM let me guess......Because he was Mayor before and Phil Mitman was Mayor before. You don't like his wife who sits on council and he eliminated Fleck from the race.
Anon 10:17,
I'm not so crazy about Riverwalk, either. But I don't decide who I support based on one issue. And Billy could not have been at the debate last night. No one who was at that debate could support Bertsch, especially Billy. This guy beoieves in meeting behind closed doors to decide how to dole out public money. That's not my kind of guy. And, as he demonstrated rather clearly, he's very thin-skinned.
If I were Gary Bertsch I would probably drop out of the race.
anon 10:19 you obviously are blind as a bat. You must read this with a bandana over your eyes or something.
It wasn't a bad thing Fleck was knocked out. It was bad that no new ideas will come from Panto. He will just keep rubber stamping the same lame ideas Mitman did.
This city actually got better under Goldsmith. History shows this.
J. Spike, were you living in Easton when Goldsmith was Mayor? Was he at any council meetings to hear the public? Did he ever venture outside the city hall to seek public input? And did he leave the city financially secure? I was in City Hall when Mitman, Panto and GOldsmith were MAyor. I observed all three of them as an employee of the City. New ideas, only the Panto team produced them. Public input, only Panto attended almost every city council meeting and placed himself and his record before the public. He didn't hide. He also left the city with a surplus. That is fact.
Easton was a better place then and I am so glad that Sal decided to run. Why he is running is beyond me. He is obviously taking a cut in pay and benefits and will gain even more headaches that where is currently works. (By the way, I know people he works with and they don't want him to leave.)
Spike,
You think that has anything to do with the fact that during Panto's 2nd term, we were in a national recession, and during Goldsmith's tenure (and the Clinton Administration), we had uninterrupted prosperity and peace?
The meeting in Easton Mayor Phil Mitman's office with developer Abe Atiyeh and Judge Emil Giordano, the Easton Heritage Alliance, and downtown Easton businessmen and brokered by Atiyeh's paid political guru, Pat Vulcano Jr. - former Easton treasurer and controller and current Easton Area School District director - was pure Star Chamber.
After reading today's newspaper's on-line, I agree with Columnis John Baer of the Philadelphia News that it may be time to call in the Feds.
I go further than Baer and say that the Feds' involvement is long overdue.
I'm not one-issue. My Billybytes Website and Blog have addressed every issue besetting the so-called "Lehigh Valley," and illegal political jurisdiction.
I'm tired of the juggline of these confouding issues designed to confuse the electorate.
It's time to stop the juggling of these isses and to cut the Gordian Knot.
Sal and I his family and I have been friends for 20 years.
But I always tried to warn him about taking the advice of Easton solicitor, Bill Murphy.
I'll say this much for Bill, however: Once in a debate between Bill and me standing at the meatcase of Sal's Market on Cattell St., he conceded that the governing body of Easton is city council, not the mayor, under the Third-Class City with Option, which is crap.
Yet the venal, overpaid members of council have surrendered their authority and their responsibility to the electorate and allowed the mayors to reduce them to the role of "liaisons to the mayor."
Bull!
Easton's last four mayors since I've lived here (Don't forget Mike McFadden) have brought this city to the brink of bankruptcy.
The first savior of Easton since I've been here, whom Sal as mayor imported from New Jersey, was George Switlik.
We all know what happened to Switlik: the same fate that befell Northampton County Executive Glenn Reibman political guru and author of the Garbage Pizza Authority (GPA)and its frauluent bonds - not just the 2000 and 2001 megabonds ($111 million and $113 million, respectively) but also the 1998 $30 million bond for the juvenile prison.
The 2000 bond excluded the State Theatre and parking garage for the former Hotel Easton.
But Sal and Mayor Tom Goldsmith appeared before Northampton Coumty Council - unexpectedly since they were not on the agenda - to lobby for the inclusion of these two projects in the $113 million rehash.
Since millions of dollars had already beem the State Theatre and the parking deck, the county officials in a conspiracy starting with Senior Judge Isaac Garb and managed by county solicitor Brian Monahan -felt they had to cover the $113 million megabond that I discovered to be illegal.
In one of the two issues that Tom Goldsmith probably ever agreed on was that Sal and city council should not buy the YMCA building at the corner of N. 3rd and Spring Garden in order to bail it out of its financial difficulty.
Government should not be in the business of buying real estate except for public use.
The city bought the building anyway and it quickly proved to be an unwise acquisition.
When Goldsmith became mayor, the city sold the building back to private ownership.
Ditto the Huntingdon Hotel in Centre Square's northeast quadrant. The city forgave the building's $1 million-dollar debt, again for the purpose of bailing it out.
The second issue on which Goldsmith and I were in accord was that an ever-expanding Lafayette College and Northampton County Government Center with their tax-exempt status were destroying Easton's tax base.
Yet in the 20 years that I've been in Easton no mayor, including Goldsmiith and Panto, ever asked either of these large institutions to pay a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes).
Witness how hard it was for council member to impose a recreation fee on the college - and the State Theatre.
You know Givens, if you are going to attack Panto you should at least have the facts. You have distorted so many I won't mention them. But you know, Sal has always spoken well of you no matter what nasty things you say about him. I was at the meeting at the State Theatre ealier this year and he kept you from getting arrested because you were acting like a lunatic and fighting th eofficer that was trying to restrain you. Ifd it wasn't for him you would have been in the pokey. Shame on you.
And by the way, Sal sis not bring Switlyck yo town, that is just one of the many mistruths you stated.
Billy Givens is a crazy man. Bernie should probably delete all of his post. The man is crazy.
Anon,
I completely disagree with every one of Billy's many comments to this post. I agree that many of them are factually challenged. But for Sal Panto, Billy would have been arrested earlier this year. Sal would rather have us hear from Billy than silence him. That's the cacophony of democracy you hear. Sure, it's a mess, but I'd rather have that than a controlled message.
It is not my intent to say "nasty" things about Sal. (And before I continue with this comment, let me say that it was Mike Fleck who succeeded in imposing a recreation tax on the State Theatre and Lafayette College, though he had to accept a much watered-down to get it past a majority of council.)
As for the State Theatre incident of April 16, 2007, that was either a public or private meeting. Certainly it was held in a private building, and my ejection would have to have been made based on a complaint from the owner(s).
Even if the building were public, my ejection would have to have been based on a complaint.
Mayor Phil Mitman or J. Michael Dowd or whoever was running the meeting sicced Easton Police Captain Michael Vangello to stop me from speaking and/or to eject me.
After my ejection, I filed a complaint with the Easton Police Department, where a photograph was made of the injuries to my left hand and arm inflicted by Captain Vangelo, as witnessed by Easton resident William "Little Bear" Brennan.
After I filed the complaint, Little Bear accompanied me to Easton Hospital Emercency where I receive treatment for my injuries.
The Easton police still refuse to release the report of my complaint, not only to the witnesses of the incident including Little Bear and my friend Sal Panto, but the police also refuse to release the report even to me.
Besides the anonymous complaint that I am "crazy," former Easton Council President Tim Pickel publicly labeled me a "terrorist."
This rediculous accusation was based on charges of harassment brought against me by Easton City Clerk Tom Hess, himself a retired Easton police captain, and Chief of Police Stephen Mazzeo, and prosecuted by Easton's assistant solicitor, Joel Scheer.
The complaint was subsequently dismissed by Nazareth District Majestrate Elmo Frey.
Previous to this complaint, the City of Easton had brought two others, the first in 1994 or 1995 for speaking before city council against Two Rivers Landing and the second in 2002, or so, for cutting the locks from the chain-link gates blocking public access to S. Green St. and the 100 block of Pine St., adjacent to the former Hotel Easton.
Because so many people in Easton are friends or acquaintants, they are understandably relunctant to say anything negative about each other.
I appreciate Sal Panto coming to assist me in the Acopian Room of the State Theatre, but he would have helped me more had he told J. Michael Dowd, who was "chairing" the meeting at the time of the incident, to let me continue my comments about the Bushkill Creek corridor and the new urban village planned for construction within the creek's flood plain and on its adjacent steep slopes.
The following evening, April 17, 2007, at the mayoral candidates' debate at the Pentacostal chuch on College Hill's March St., Sal said he supported the Riverwalk project and his opponent, Gary Bertsch, said he did not.
Because I have been such a vocal opponent of Riverwalk, how could I in could conscience support any candidate for Easton's next mayor than Gary Bertsch.
Besides, I have also been an outspoken opponent of the destruction of Dutchtown-Gallows, aided and abetted by the City of Easton.
Though Dutchtown-Gallows Hill is an integral part of downtown Easton and lies within the downtown historic district, both Northampton County and its seat Easton officials have deceived the public that this neighborhood is a part of the West Ward, which it is not.
To my knowledge, no one has explained the current status of the vacant land that lies between the two apartment buildings at the intersection of Washington, 5th, and Lehigh streets that belong - or did belong - to the Easton Boys Club and the parking lot between 5th and Union streets for the Northampton County Government Center.
The Boys Club bought the land in this vicinity for a soccer field.
As for the two buildings at the corner of Washington and 5th streets, and housing 11 condominiums, the owners of these condos offered to sell them to the county for parking.
Instead, the county opted for the Gus Militus estate's building on Wolf Street, on the steep slopes above the Lehigh River, for the county's court-related business.
I would like for Sal, as a member of the Easton Boys Club board of directors, to explain the status of the soccer field.
I would also like to know why the executive director of the St. Anthony's Youth Center, Sandra Riley, was replaced by Anita DiPasquali, a former member of the Easton Parking Authority, amidst unfounded rumors of misconduct and investigations by United Way.
Riley's dismissal prompted a protest demonstration held at the intersection of Washington and 9th streets, location of the Youth Center.
Now, once again, we are seeing lawsuits filed by a former Easton police captain claiming that his firing from the force was based on racial discrimination.
These are serious concerns, regardless of who is "friends" with whom.
In other words, Easton (and Northampton County, of which Easton is the seat, and the so-called "Lehigh Valley") are just one big happy, Good Ol' Boys (and Girls) Club.
In fact, when Sal Panto came onto the scene where Captain Vangelo was attempting physically to eject me from the Acopian Room of the State Theatre, he said to me, "Come on Billy, you've done a good job," and with that - and only then - did I agree to leave peaceably.
I understood then, too, that I had made my points and that I had, indeed, "done a good job," despite the injuries to my hand and arm inflicted by Captain Michael Vangelo.
The Easton Police Department is still wracked to this day by scandal and disarray, and police brutality - just as it was during Sal's administration when Alvin "Skip" Fairchild, and maybe his predecessor, was Easton's chief of police.
A more detailed description of the April 16 incident involving Easton Police Captain Michael and me - and witnesses besides Sal Panto - is available in the Billybytes.com/blog/ post of June 29, 2007.
Those witnesses included Gary Evams. the executive assistant to Lafayette College President Daniel Weiss and Greater Easton Development Partnership President J. Michael Dowd, Northampton County Council's District representative, in addition to other witnesses like "Little Bear" Brennan and the mayor of Easton himself, Phil Mitman.
All of these named witnesses named here, including Sal Panto and Gary Evans, were intervieed except Dowd and Mitman.
Everyone in the audience of at least 50 people were witnesses to the incident that evening in the Acopian Room of the State Theatre, in what Mayor Mitman had billed as "A State of the City" presentation, followed by an invitation to the audience to comment.
Billy, your only supporting Bertsch because of Riverwalk? That makes you a one issue person! I think the city will be better off with Riverwalk and Panto instead of No Riverwalk and Bertsch. I think Bernie would agree with that.
How about Panto getting endorsed today by the Express-Times. I'm sure Bernie is cooking up a post.
Anon 10:09 PM
The over-arching reason for my support of Gary Bertsch and not my long-time friend Sal Panto is the environment.
If I may segue into the comment immediately following yours re The Express-Times, nearly 20 years ago Anthony Salamone, a staff writer for that publication (back then it was called The Easton Express), wrote an article about me and the address I made to the Warren County Historical and Genealogical Societ.
Its "members," salamone wrote, "heard from two men who have been pushing hard for two projects"
"Givens of Easton," Salamone continued, "a member of the Paulinskill Valley Trail Committee, got the group's support to help convince government official that an old railbed in northern Warren County should be made into a recreational trail"
"Jay Miers, Warren County director of economic development and tourism, spoke about the process by which Phillipsburg hs become one of four sites that might become the home of a state railroad museum."
"Givens also told the commission he has written to state Sen. S. Thomas Gagliano, R-Monmouth, who heads the railroad museum commission, to support Phillipsburg.
The Paulinskill Valley Trail Committee got its trail, in the form of what still today is a 26-mile long linear state of New Jersey park.
Unfortunately, Phillipsburg, though it won the prize of being the site for the railroad museum, it never ever wore the laurel crown.
Through dirty-dealing politics and influence-peddling, the site on the Delaware River chosen for the museum fell into the hands of a Sands BethWorks principal, the law firm of Florio, Perrucci, Steinhardt, and Fader.
Perrucci is a former chair of the Warren County Democratic Party Committee and Fader was chief of staff to New Jersey Governor James McGreevey.
Fader, also a mayor of edgewood, New Jersey, was an associate of Beth Goren, until recently the executive director of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) succeeding Ray Sukosky as the organization's execcutive director, an over-paid position from which Goren was fired.
I recently received an email from Salamone, asking for my thoughts on lame-duck Phil Mitman's competition for Goren's position, now vacant.
In conclusion, I support Bertsch not only because he opposes Riverwalk, which Sal supports, but also because he is generally more environment-friendly, I believe, than is Sal.
P.S. I am not a one-issue blogger because I also oppose the Sands Bethworks LLC slot machine gambling casino.
The proposed casino's site is in the 100-year flood plain, dating from 1955, when Hurricane Diana inundated the entire Bethlehem Steel plant from the Lehigh River all the way south to 3rd St.
Billy,
Enough already! This blong is about the mayoral race, not you. Stop spamming this blog. 18 comments, just from you, is totally nutz. You're even commenting on your own comments.
thank you Bernie. First for th eglowing remarks, secondly for your support and third for taking charge with Mr. Givens.
Billy, Easton Area Community Center once held title to a "small" portion of the land you speak of, not the Boys and Girls Club. I am a member of that Board, not Boys and Girls Club. We were originally promised an additional half acre of land from the county and then they told us they would have to sell it to us. Finally after several years of trying to purchase the additional half acre they told us they were going to condemn it for public use. The county now owns the land.
As for Ms. Reilly that was a personnel issue, several serious issues that are not meant for public comment. It is a confidential matter.
Sal, aka MAYOR Panto, Thanks very much for your comments. I certainly appreciate them, and wish you continues success in your mayoral campaign.
Bernie,
Please be fair. Sal Panto and his boss Gary Strausser are big contributors to the destruction of the Easton area's environment.
You and I both supported Green Party candidate for Northampton County Council in the 2001 election, so I know that you support the environment.
Strausser and Sal are responsible for what I call the Old black Mill development on Bushkill Drive in the Bushkill Creek flood plain, a major tributary of the Delaware River.
I've read that Strausser and Sal also cut down about a dozen mature maple trees on Forks Township without permission, an act for which the township is suing Strausser.
Strausser and Sal are the developers of the Forks Township Riverview Development.
This development inspired a township resident to run for supervisor because of the environmental problems this development has inflicted.
Erosion and runoff eroded the creek along Frost Hollow Road, also at the estuary of the Delaware River
For me, this upcoming election is about issues - serious issues - not a popularity or beauty contest.
Gary Bertsch is the underdog in this election, and in what used to be one of the most proud traditions of the Democratic Party, I am supporting the underdog.
B O'Hare is the lowest of the low. He thinks he is important t but he is just one of us, the slobs stuck in the Lehigh Valley. Just because he creates a blog that crazy Bill Givens responds to is an indication of the type of people who sometimes look at this site for laughs. It is something that in your twilight of your life the only thing Bernie can point to is this blog. Bernie get a life, you are the bottom of the bottom, the lowest of the low. Everyone laughs at you and your blog. It makes you feel important and that you are on the cutting edge. The only cutting edge you are on is the edge of your pillow at night when it gives you bed sores.
Allentown1,
I didn't know my blog was that popular. Do me a favor and spread the word to a few of your friends.
Thanks for stopping by. I'll be continuing my election coverage.
Billy....one day you are going to get the shit slapped out of you for being so stupid. And Sal Panto isn't going to be there to save you. I like how you slap a friend in the face by not supporting his candidancy over one issue.....Riverwalk. What kind of man are you.
You don't even know what your talking about.
You oppose every damn thing the city does. You always claim to run for Mayor. I wish you would so maybe then when you loose you will get the point.
The Easton enviroment has been enhanced by Gary Strausser. That mill project is exactly what the US Green building council endorses. Adaptive reuse to an old brown field site. You should check it out. www.usgbc.org
It's a private project so you have no reason to comment on the flood plain. Quite frankly i don't see what that has to do with anything. It was blight. Now it is a great piece of architecture. Billy, didn't you oppose the Crayola Factory. Actually i think you opposed every project in Easton at one point.
Gary Bertsch is more than an underdog he has absolutely no chance and with you supporting him he is even further in the hole.
Bill E. Bill E. you are really losing it. First of all Sal is not the developer, Strausser Enterprises, Inc. is the developer. He works for the company and I know first hand the quality projects they have built. As a resident of Forks I am appalled at the way they have treated the Riverview project. Name another developer that has invested millions and millions of dollars of off-site improvements. Name another developer who had the zoning for over 3,000 homes but only built 600 and an 18-hole golf course that is the envy of every other Township. By the way, I play that course often. As for the environment think of the following: 1. they recapture most of the stormwater for irrigation. The lake for storage is huge. 2. the land was farm land with NO TREES and they have planted hundreds and the last time I checked trees were good for the environment. 3. bluebird boxes were placed on the trees and we now have hundreds of them. 4. They encourage wildlife and the deer population. One resident actually purchased 3 dozen pheasants and released them in Riverview. The list goes on. Did they cut down a few trees (4) reason -- Strausser is forced to pay for widening the intersection and bridge at a tremendous cost while the Township is having them cut down hundreds of trees to upgrade a swale. Ironic huh? How do I know all of this -- I live in Riverview and its a great neighborhood with archtectural street lights, signs and Belgian Block curbing and many things no other development has in Forks. So Bill E. how many times have you been there to have formed such an opinion. You don't have to answer that I know its zero. By the way, one of my neighbors told me you should mind your own house first. Apparently its a wreck.
Has anyone told Gary Bertsch that the name of the swimming facility on Rt. 611 in Easton is called Eddyside, NOT SUNNYSIDE. Oh my, I can't believe the guy knows nothing about Easton except his own little world and wants to be the Mayor. Fist he gets the neighboring Townships mixed up and at the debate at the State he says Sunnyside, not once but twice. Sal you corrected him on the Township -- you were too cordial to him at the debate, I wasn't there but I watched it on the web site. By the way, your web site is great. And so are you signs, very professional, nice style AND red white and black. I wonder if Bertsch knows why you picked those colors.
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