Easton pol Mike Fleck, no relation to Bela, is one pissed off dude. Last week, Easton's city council refused to appoint him as one of their own, overlooking his obviously superior qualifications. After all, he's nearly a college graduate! He had previously assured Easton blogger and news maven Jim Deegan, "I really, honestly think it should almost be a no-brainer."Oopsie!
The final straw for poor Mike came this weekend. I suggested that while he was a member of city council, he attended the Super Bowl, courtesy of Easton's financial advisor, Concord Public Finance.
This morning, Fleck became the gazillionth person to threaten me with libel since I've been blogging. "If you do not correct the remarks you made in the Express blog, which I can prove are blatantly false and a complete lie, I will sue you." Turns out Concord Public Finance had nothing to do with his trip to the Super Bowl.
It was a baseball game, damn it!
And according to Fleck, he's not the only one. Most of Easton's city council members and their families have gone to baseball games "at one time or another," thanks to Concord Public Finance. I'm giving Fleck a lot of flak for the details. How many games? How many little favors like this? Who are the other city council members? Their families, too?
According to Deegan, this is only a "venial sin," hardly measuring up to Fleck's decision to toss old campaign signs, bundled copies Easton irregular and old gym trunks in an Auto Zone trash dumpster. That may be, but this venial sin is also a violation of the state ethics act. Way back in '87, a Dublin Township Supervisor was tagged for accepting Phillies tickets from a township contractor. He was flatly told "you should not have accepted these tickets given your position ... ." He avoided the firing squad only because he gave them away.
Incidentally, Michael Setley at Concord Public Finance kicked in $1,500 for Fleck's failed mayoral campaign. Concord's local municipal clients include Bethlehem, Bethlehem Township, Bethlehem Parking Authority, Bethlehem Township Municipal Authority, Lehigh County Authority, Walnutport Authority, South Whitehall Township, Whitehall Township and Easton.
Play ball!
33 comments:
Mike Fleck is a No-Brainer.
And i thought you had a Mike Fleck bobble head doll on your dashboard Bernie. What do you have standards now that you are working on SCJ's campaign? Is the fame getting to you?
OH and they also sent him to the final four.
If you check the files you will find that Mike Fleck testified in Joe Welsh's favor when Joe was suing the city. Mike was a council member and his testimony cost the city thousands of tax dollars. I would guess that to be the reason he did not have the support. Plus, at the time Joe was working for John Karoly. This was back when Karoly had a gazzillion lawsuites against Easton. Also the time when he had the hirko case in Bethlehem. Joe was the city's business admin until Goldsmith fired him and he then went to work for John Karoley.
What do you have standards now that you are working on SCJ's campaign?
Perish the thought! That's precisely why I was chosen.
Fleck is a retard.
Anon 11:35, That's not necessary. I'm no Fleck fan, but let's not speak of other people like that.
The problem here is that Bernie O'Hare lied again as a blogger and I'm sure he did the same thing as an attorney, which is why he is now disbarred. When are people going to realize this guy is a disaster looking for a place to hit. When is BOH going to start telling the truth? Oh, that's right, you don't have to on a blog, but you do in court and that is why BOH is unreliable with his information, just as he was as an attorney. Liar, liar pants on fire!
Actually,
I'm not wearing pants right now.
If you believe the info posted here is inaccurate, please sue me. I got most of my info from Fleck himself. And I can't wait to take discovery and get answers to my other questions.
anon 5:59
You are spewing some pretty twisted lines yourself. Bernie isn't a liar. cranky old bastard? absolutely, but not a liar.
Lets discuss Mr. Fleece's time as a campaign consultant in a statehouse race in 2006. I Bet he us proud of that!
Chris, Thanks. Your check is in the mail. I'm not lying this time. Honest! I even included a few tickets.
did you ask Fleck about the Final Four? Everyone in the city knows he is for sale. This guy has way too many negatives for one blog entry. Lies about college, financial problems up the kazoo but I don't care, it's his ethics I am concerned about. Keep him in Easton, we don't want him in the burbs. As for the Welch case I kow someone in city hall that verified that as well. I heard it cost the city plenty!!!! good job Mike.
I hear SCJ just hired Fleck consulting to run his campaign. But beware, Fleck helped Hickey get the courthouse built so I'm sure he will run the campaign into the ground. Or maybe not. Maybe he will just take the money and run.
The SCJ campaign is having a hard time raising money and they can no longer afford to advertise in the express so they called on Fleck to place a advertisment in the Fleck owned Irregular. Maybe he will get another copy out by the general election. Maybe.
I saw an ad for SCJ in the Irregular's latest edition. I pick up my copy at the Auto Zone dumpster. I understand that's one of their distribution points.
What's with everyone being so sue happy. Hey did he settle that lawsuit with that poor lady that said he took her money and ran? It was in the paper while he was campaigning. It was his ex-girlfriend who had breast cancer and went thru Chemo for many months. There is lots to talk about when it comes to him.
Lawyers need to work, too. I did check out that lawsuit. I posted a blog about that incident. The matter was settled after three continuances. Why did Fleck settle a $5,389 claim that had no merit? I tried calling the plaintiff. No return call. I spoke to her lawyer. No comment.
Concord Financial was definetly the Final Four. I think the phillies tickets were from Abe because he helped him with the SS building.
Fleck sounds like Easton's version of Stoffa.
You've got to be out of your mind. I can understand your disdain for Stoffa, but would never compare the two. Fleck is "pay to play" big time; Stoffa won't take a bag of pretzels. Fleck operates as a political consultant; Stoffa stays away from that. Fleck has a reputation for taking the money and running; Stoffa has a reputation for integrity. Fleck is young; Stoffa's an old fart.
You've obviously lost the ability to think objectively if you're making that kind of comparison.
I have taken no personal favors from anyone. I have received campaign contributions from time to time but that is it. If you disagree with that reform the system because 90% of the pols. in the Valley do that. I paid for my own trip to the Super Bowl and I also paid for my wife and I to go to the NCAA Regionals in Dayton, it was not the final four. No Pay to Play Here. Mike Fleck
Concerning Joe Welsh, I gave a deposition as I was required to do and told the truth. Whether it helped Mr. Welsh or not I do not know. Mike Fleck
Last but not least, It was not a professional game that Concord took us to but rather a Reading Phillies game. If you want to know who was there ask around and find out for yourself. I am not going to expose people to your anal probe for a family friendly Father's Day outing that they threw for most of their clients. I can prove all of this. Mike Fleck
It is also very amusing that on most days you say I don't have the political ability of a flea but today all of the sudden , I can command vacations at will for low cost City contracts. I can't and you are crazy. By the way, It wasn't me but Panto's brother who was bragging about the Eagles tickets they would get from people when Sal became Mayor. He bragged this to a voter in the 3-2 on College Hill. Mike Fleck
Anonymous 12:02 & 9:02
Why don't you say who you are and what your agenda is? I know but why don't you let others know. Why you are at it let them know the truth about the Welsh suit.
Mike Fleck
If it is just one Readings Phillies game with a city contractor, it is still wrong. It is still pay to play. But I don't believe that for a second. And if you look at your own email to me, you make it clear that Conocrd took other members of Easton city council and their familities "at one time or another." In other words, this was an ongoing thing.
In your very brief political careeer, you've established a reputation as someone who can't be trusted. You couldn't even tell the truth about whether you graduated from college. Lehigh County Dems have pretty much written you off as a political consultant bc you take people's money and run.
You do have one gift, and that is the ability to soak people for money. You even did that to your ex-girlfriend. She had to sue you. I may not know the story from her, but I know it from others, so be careful.
I should tell you that I just had a very enlightening conversation with one of your stiffed former campaign workers.
So once again, I ask you to list the little favors done for you by city contractors. I ask you to list the other city council members who participated.
Bernie, did you ever confirm, as you published, that Severson "pulled a knife" on someone in the church ? It looks like you printed something that was untrue about Severson and now Fleck ? Is this a gossip column ?
Anon 7:37, In both of my stories about Scissorhands Severson and his surreal slide during a funeral mass, I verified what could be verified and made clear what could not be confirmed. The claim that Severson pulled a knife, something he has done before, could not be substantiated, and I made that clear in both accounts. No reader was misled or misinformed.
In this post, my chief source is Mike Fleck himself. He's the one who claims that other members of city council, and their families, were the guest of Concord Public Finance at one time or another. Who are the council members? What are the handouts? Enquiring minds would like to know!
One thing is clear. Fleck is an athletic supporter. And if he has another athletic supporter, Scissorhands Severson, on his side, I must be doing something right.
The funniest thing i heard all day was that Sal Panto's brother mentioned the word Eagles. Pauly is a die hard Giants fan. He won't even watch the Giants play the Eagles. I actually saw the man gag when he found out that the Eagles were going to the Super Bowl. You're funny Mike.
On another note you should start to show people some respect. You know everything that Paul has gone thru with his wife and her stroke over the past 6 months. Why would you go there even if it were true. The man has two young daughters and he almost lost his wife and you even had the respect to call him to say you were sorry. Why disrespect him now. Mike, you and i will talk face to face.
"Last but not least, It was not a professional game that Concord took us to but rather a Reading Phillies game."
... an appropriate response from a real minor league playa.
For a guy who made dumpster diving political theater, and his newspaper route sound like an esteemed marketing career on Madison Avenue, I expected a better (or at least more riotously funny) defense.
Your not even trying anymore, Mike.
Anybody read Paul Carpentar yesterday in the Morning Call. Looks like Panto is pay to play and supports hiring all his relatives. Looks like the leopard hasn't changed much.
I don't care for Carpenter's humorless and nasty writing style. What bothers me most is that it's dishonest. I looked at his column, and notice he hasn't changed.
Pam Panto had won a seat on council, but did not want to run for re-election in November because it would be unseemly for a husband and wife to seek city offices at the same time.
You'll notice no quotation marks to any statement from Pam Panto to that effect. That's because she never said that. If she had, I would have skewered her in November, when she first announced her intentions. I opposed her appointment, and was looking for statements from her like that. But I'm not going to make up things she never said. Carpenter is dishonest.
His other point, concerning Easton's HRC, is just as dishonest. Carpenter fails to report Scheer's reasoning about when that provision of the charter becomes applicable. Scheer, whom I know quite well, is a careful and nonpolitcal lawyer who has served administrations in Easton from both politcal parties. If Carpenter wanted to be honest, he'd include Scheer's reasoning.
Incidentally, do you think Carpenter was at the meeting where Panto was appointed or interviewed? Do you think he attended the meeting in which the HRC was interpreted by Joel Scheer? I doubt that seriously.
Bernie. Thank you for your support and honesty. I did respond to Paul Carpenter about te article because it was not factual. there were many mistakes and innuendo. I will gladly stand by all of the appointments made then and now. All were and are capable, qaulified people and guess what, not hired by me. I hire the Directors and my personal staff. Ask even the new Directors whom I don't evenknow well and they will tell you my policy on hiring. Or better yet I will email you the letter I sent to the columnist after his article appeared. I have yet to get a response either email or verbal.
As for you Mike Fleck -- you come after me and leave my family alone. My brother Paul hates the Eagles. He is a die hard Giants fan and is watching the playoff game as I type this. And ask Josie at the deli, I won't even take a sandwich. Leave the family alone -- very soon you will be a father. Enough said on this blog, you know where I am. I have nothing to hide, my life is a public record.
Sal Panto
Mayor Panto,
I appreciate your interaction here. I'd love to publish the email you sent to Carpenter. You can email it to me at BOHare5948@aol.com . So this news columnist lacks the basic courtesy to respond to a mayor's email? I guess he doesn't want to let the facts get in the way. Don't feel alone. He's never responded to a single email I've ever sent, and I've heard similar complaints about Carpenter from other elected officials.
Bill White might slam you, but at least he answers emails.
I'll be happy to post your response to his cheap shot.
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