Bertsch Bombs, Panto Soars, in Debate at the State

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.

Update: A raw video feed of this debate, filmed by Channel 69, is located here.