Will Stoffa Cross the Rubicon?

Cold winter rains filled the Rubicon one January day over two thousand years ago. The usually decisive Caesar had spent most of that day dawdling, trying to decide whether to cross that river with what was left of his legions. To do so would be treason. It would plunge Rome into civil war. Finally, as night fell, Caesar guided his horse into the swift stream.

"Let the dice fly high," he declared. The rest, as you know, is history.

Caesar's enemies, the optimates, were intent on preserving a status quo in which a few powerful families made all the decisions. They had no interest in any of Caesar's popular reforms. They eventually killed him, but not his ideas.

Today, on a much smaller scale, history repeats itself. The powerful few still resent and fear any person who stands for popular reform. They detest Northampton County Council member Ron Angle. He rightly calls these patricians to task for scheduling "special meetings" just to accommodate St. Luke's, something they would not do for a plebian like you or me. They despise county exec John Stoffa, who spurns "pay to play" in favor of open and accountable government.

Some of these patricians are Republicans. Others are Democrats. But just like their fellow optimates over two thousand years ago, they fear popular reform. They laugh at a county executive who doesn't demand a special parking spot like them. They think nothing of spending $650,000 in taxpayer money for ridiculous renovations to the meeting room, but include no facilities that would permit the livestreaming of council meetings for the plebs. What they fear most is a county executive who refuses to participate in their legal bribery, where government is for sale to the highest bidder. So these patricians do their best to stop every Stoffa incentive, whether it is open space or something as simple as keeping two months of expenses in reserve. They try to smear Stoffa when he considers - gasp! - selling a piece of his own property.

The last thing they want is for Stoffa to cross the Rubicon and seek a second term. One term of honest government has been a disaster. Two terms will be the deathknell to their kind of politics.

Stoffa is still looking over the Rubicon, being no more indecisive than Caesar himself. But the county exec has already fired a shot across the bow of patricians interested in preserving the status quo - he has called on Dem Bossman Joe Long to resign.

Where, you might ask, are Stoffa's legions? That question was asked about Caesar, too. But you see, there are a lot more plebians than patricians.

I only have one piece of advice for John Stoffa. Stay home on March 15.