Feel free to post your own endorsements today. I'm going to be a little busy. I plan on voting in every precinct, I'm even pulling the lever a few times for Browning in Lehigh County. Hey, that's what we Dems do. But not to worry! Buddy Christ is in the house! He's promised a few of his infallible election picks.Hey, mammas and pappas! Got Christ? Who's your Buddy? That's right, bippy, it's Me. I've got your back! I just transported O'Hare into Joe Long's living room. That should be a hoot! And since everyone is calling Angle a bulldog, he's going to find himself on all fours in the Bethlehem dog park around noon. An English mastiff named Lamont will be giving him bedroom eyes.
Now let's get to down to business.
Easton's mayor: Bertsch goes bust! Seriously, does that dude even know he's in Easton? He sounds more like he's running for King of West Side. Vote Panto. He can't convert seven loaves of bread into enough dough to solve Easton's financial problems, but not everyone can be Buddy Christ!
Easton's city council: Jeff Warren? Two words. Special interests. A bottle of my finest Holy Water goes to Roger Ruggles, Elinor Warner & Ken Brown.
Easton's mini-judge: I'm letting my main man, Peter, decide that one. He's on the throne right now and will get back to us.
Nazareth's mini-judge: Falcone must think she's running for student of the year, not judge. Vote for Cap before she gives us all a pop quiz!
Northampton County Controller: John Schimmel is a nice guy using the wrong consultant. Barron is a nicer guy using the right consultant. Vote Steve!
Northampton County Council, at large: Let's see. Tony Branco is part of the Axis of Weasel behind the smear campaign against Peg Ferraro, who reminds me a lot of my own mother. We all know how that will work out. Bye, Bye, Tony. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
Northampton County Council, Nazareth District: Lamont, Lamont! Dude! Sunshine Act violations, lousy attendance record, special interest dough, mudslinging in the primary about your opponent's paraplegic brother. And now you send campaign mailers of all these dudes in uniform saluting each other when you haven't spent a second in military service? You're a pharisee, dude, and you know what happens to them. Vote Mark Schwartz.
Northampton County Council, Slate Belt District: John Maher, you sold your soul to Bossman Long in return for a lousy party endorsement. Now you've pissed off half the planet with nasty robo calls and slimy mailers. Not only will you lose, but when you go to purgatory, you're going to be forced to listen to 1,000 robo calls from Ron Angle every day. Now go. The Evil One, Ron Angle, awaits you.
Northampton County Council, Easton District: Sorry folks, but Dowd is an automatic in. He's a frickin' minister and We take care of our own. Don't worry, I'll send Bill Wallace a train set.
Northampton County Council, Bethlehem District: So Ann McHale thinks "nice guys finish last?" Not in my world, sister. Vote for Tom Dietrich. In purgatory, Ann is going to be dating a lot of nerds.
Bethlehem Controller: Does anyone understand either of these people? Since Meg Holland has the most initials behind her name, she gets my Holy Wink.
Lehigh County Judge (retention): Bob Steinberg got almost as many votes as Saddam Hussein. Need I say more?
Northampton County Judge: O'Hare has been complaining all year about Baratta. But Bernie's also been stealing my altar wine. Even without the booze, you all know he's nutz. Retain Baratta. Who knows? In another ten years, he may get it right!
Lehigh County Commissioner: Browning has the brains. Easterling has the heart. Now all I need is someone with courage.
Allentown City Council: Pete Schweyer, with his la de da pals, has ignored minority merchants on Hamilton Street. That's a No No. Remember that "least of my brethren" stuff I laid on you a few thousand years ago. I wasn't kidding. Anybody but Schweyer!
Supreme Court: Who doesn't like Seamus McCaffrey? I like Todd, too!
Appellate Court Retentions: Two of these bastards think they're Me - Saylor and Melvin. Toss them.
That's it, folks! Now if you don't go out and vote, you may find yourself in that dog park, too!
I'm disappointed that local democrats have failed, for the second time, to present a candidate to run against Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin.
ReplyDeleteAs a result, Mr. Martin is being handed another, that is, a second, unopposed, 4-year term as DA on November 6.
The office of district attorney everywhere is a powerful one.
As Mr. Martin has boasted in a local newspaper article, he "trumps the Mayor" and he "trumps the Police Chief."
As we've seen with disgraced and disbarred DA Mike Nifong of the Duke/Lacrosse/Rape debacle in North Carolina, the position of district attorney can lend itself to gross abuses of power that can take much too long to expose.
Mr. Nifong's crime was purposefully over-reaching his authority.
I believe DA Jim Martin is guilty of purposefully under-reaching his authority when it benefits him and his cronies. This is a more subtle and nuanced abuse of power that will take more time and determination to expose and prosecute.
* Martin's handling (and handing over is a more apt description) of the St. Luke's Hospital nurse Charles Cullen serial murder case is one example of his under-reaching ...
* Martin's history of reluctant and lackluster prosecutions of select/connected drunk drivers (Fulmer, Brenner) and homicidal drunk drivers (Squires, LaBarre, Kraus, Albright, Bankos) is another example ...
* and Martin's prolific campaign contributions to Lehigh County judges and Superior Court judges statewide, while not yet illegal in Pennsylvania, raises eyebrows and questions countywide.
But DA Jim Martin answers only to the voters.
And with the voters having no choice regarding the office of Lehigh County District Attorney again, Jim Martin is not required to answer to anyone.
They say power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
I'm asking Lehigh County voters of both parties to keep a close watch on DA Jim Martin during these, his final, 4 years in office.
Bill, great post about Jim Martin. It is frustrating to see the D.A., in a county the size of Lehigh, running unopposed. Lest we mention the many inconsistencies of his prosecutorial record… I would vote for a D.A. from any party, even possibly a Green!, over Jim Martin. But at least someone is running for D.A. In Lowhill Township we don’t even have a candidate on the ballot for Auditor.
ReplyDeleteI’m certainly endorsing Dean Browning. I’m excited to have an assertive fiscal conservative with a seat as Lehigh County Commissioner. Seamus McCaffery, despite his support for organized labor, has my vote. I had the chance to see him interviewed on PCN last night. He was very engaging and energetic. I appreciate his history of service in the armed forces and as a policeman.
I am also endorsing Election Day. I find the level of apathy towards these elections as appalling. What an awesome right we have to vote for every position from township auditor to the judicial retention of state Supreme Court Justices. It is unconscionable to not express that right. So please head to the polls and pull that lever or touch that slightly confusing screen.
We share a similar problem in Northampton County.
ReplyDeleteOur guy runs unopposed to a position he's trying furiously to get out of. He's blatantly partisan and associates with one of the dirtiest political operators in PA.
He's been twice rejected by his own party while seeking statewide office and he's making yet another try while on Northampton County taxpayers' time.
He's looked the other way at his own party members' campaign finance reporting irregularities while bringing the full wrath of his position against the undocumented who likely garden and clean pools for his campaign financiers.
We in Northampton County feel your frustration.
Anon 5:00 is obviously referring to DA John Morganelli, who has been a big disappointment in recent months. I think the criticism is valid.
ReplyDeleteYou know what disgusts me? Yesterday, in that robocall on behalf of Branco, he actually stated that Branco was helping him fight crime, and that's complete bullshit.
John likes to talk about his high positive ratings in the polls. But I think he's lost some of his luster.