Last week, I told you about three applicants for Diane Neiper's now vacant seat on Northampton County Council. One of them, Jerry Seyfried, is a twelve-year former County Council member who served as both President and VP. He also was elected County Executive between 1990 and 1993. Of the three candidates, Jerry is certainly the most qualified. Unwilling to ally himself with Stoffa, LongDems or Republicans, Jerry is also the most independent.So it's no surprise to see him victimized today by anonymous smears. A person with no designs on elected office is called "very ambitious." His encyclopedic knowledge of Northampton County - far greater than any person I know - is ridiculed. His Pennsylvania Dutch roots are derided. Angle and I are accused of making heavy handed threats to council members.
First Comment (6:02 PM):
"Jerry Seyfried is not the most learned person in Northampton County government. Very ambitious, cut-throat but not that bright. Come on O'Hare. This guy barely got out of High School. He is like Angle, a mean-spirited hothead who along with Angle will provide countless hours of entertainment on Council.
"I hope he gets it, it will be a hoot. He and angle will fight for the last word on everything. If the County wants another dumb dutch, Jerry is your man."
Second Comment (5:24 PM):
"O'Hare and Dimlight must be proud of the threats and heavy handed ways some Council members are being coereced to vote for Seyfried.
"That should tell all just how O'Hater/Angle and company play. If Cusick doesn't play ball Angle will run an ad on him like he threatened too.
"This is just plain wrong, don't be bullied vote Birk."
If you wonder why good people stay miles away from Northampton County government, this is why. Obviously, the very people who have made Northampton County Council dysfunctional are scared to death of Seyfried, who will call things as he sees them. So a good man is being muddied up, a typical LongDem tactic. Trying to imply that Bob Birk is behind the dirty politics is a nice touch.
In addition to slamming Jerry here, LongDems have also enlisted Patti Grube to call council members on Heckman's behalf.
Ironically, the Pennsylvania Dutch candidate they espouse really is ambitious, as evidenced by Ron Heckman's previous runs for Bethlehem Mayor and City Council and near runs for Northampton County Council and Northampton County Executive. In fact, in the most recent election cycle, Heckman gave Glenn Reibman a $5,000 check, and Reibman wrote out $500 checks to each of the five anointed Democratic council candidates as well as County Executive candidate Ann McHale.
So I guess McHale and Dertinger owe Heckman. But Cusick and Ferraro would be nutz to support someone trying to engineer their ouster.
I called Seyfried, who has no comment about the anonymous smears. "We should try to take the high road," he said.
That's why Northampton County Council needs him.
18 comments:
I want Heckman to be chosen because I can't wait to see him, McHale, Dirtinger and McClure come in to Council Chambers with handmade matching friendship bracelets
Making fun of Dutchies is a great strategy in the "Lehigh Walley," especially when your guy's name is Heckman. (Dumb bunnies!) If Seyfried's last name is such an issue, he should pretend he's Irish like Anna McHale does.
To the author of: "O'Hare and Dimlight must be proud of the threats and heavy handed ways some Council members are being coereced to vote for Seyfried."
Why is it that there was never a reply to the following questions I posed on earlier posts?
1.) Why does Peter Angelos a.) attend NorCo Dem function to be introduced to prospective candidates, and b.) give money for LOCAL politics in PA??
2.) The "stated purpose" of """LOCAL""" 102 PAC is "To advance the economic interests of IBEW electrical workers and their families." What is so "local" in the "economic interests" of a Parsippany, NJ union in Northampton County PA?
It would seem that attacking Bernie or Seyfried would be a nice redirection away from my final observation back then:
Dertinger, Wallace, Wally G. Getting money from NJ (union) and MD (Angelos) for a PA county race?!? Gee, if you have to go that far for support, makes me wonder if you really are in it for Northampton County's best interests.
R Heckman did squat when he was in charge of Gracedale. Probably helped drive it backwards. Is a yes man all the way
Anonymous 7:46, instead of a broad based verbal attack on Ron re: Gracedale, give specifics, for those of the naysayers and Monday Morning quarterbacks, run for office, serve in office to the best of your ability for your constituents, do your homework, then start calling names - Carol
I neglected to mention that the Dumb Bunnies are not Pennsylvania Dutch, but Pennsylvania Deutsch, coming originally from the Palatinate area of Germany, good people, wonderful cooks, Carol
Is Heckman Jewish? If he's not German Jewish, then he's German too. Is he of the smart branch of the Pennsylvania Dutch then and Seyfried of the dumb branch? And am I correct in assuming that the LongDems are attacking Seyfried for being undereducated? McHale and Dertinger have no degrees and are as eloquent as Sarah Palin. Talk about pots calling the kettles black.
why is it when people with only good intentions get slammed and shot down like thier criminals? what exactly is it everyone's afraid of? siegfried is a good man, he has no hidden agenda,my gosh he has the intellgence,and experence to fill this vacancy i personally hope he is seated,he's a class act all the way.
Heckman's going to do overtime on his cell phone in the cafeteria today while collecting that juicy salary.
Ron is Penn Deutsch and proud of it. He has not attacked Jerry or anyone else. The only attacking seems to be from you and your crew. This is a sad excuse to once again trash a decent man.
You and your little band post some crap so you can turn it on Ron is exactly what people have told me about you.
Ron respects Jerry and told me Jerry was the first person he spoke with when he thought of running for Executive. Ron has not asked nor would he approve of anyone using your tactics to attack Jerry or anyone else.
You guys can use whatever nom de plume you wish the point is County Council will make the decision they think is best. You even insult Mrs. Grube by claiming she can be manipulated, you are really a pathetic group.
The other crap you wrote about Ron are lies but that hasn't stopped you in the past.
I asked him to write but he said let it go, thats just politics. Actually, I think his exact words were, "don't get into a pissing contest with a garden hose" He may be right hoser.
Cousin John
Hey Regina, you an an angry girlfriend that got left behind?
You should get in the picture O'Hater posted of his party where the people he loves bribed him with a new laptop.
That is the actual picture.
To Cousin John, please don't read this. It is like the Morning Call topix pages a lot of hate. I alwasy advise family members to not read that stuff.
O'Hater is known for this and most sane folks know he is setting up a straw dog claiming heckman had anything to do with this.
He trashed him during his Executive poll as well.
Over on Morning Call he is even trashing the late Al Diomedo the Sheriff Seyfried fired but who Brackbill brought back. Thats Bill for that it was after the voters threw out Jerry. Al was a gret guy and the Slate Belt never forgets.
O'hatand crew even attack Mrs. Grube, no class, none at all.
The LongDems are furious with me ... again. They started slamming Jerry Seyfried and I posted their comments, which even appear on Topix, so everyone can see the LongDem slime in action. This is the main reason I oppose Heckman.
Heckman reminds me of the Sound of Music's song "How do you solve a problem like Maria?" Ever since Ron arrived in Lehigh County, we have been trying to find a place to put him where he can't do too much damage and he will actually do some work that is a value for the $ he is paid. He has been moved from position to position and has not been of value in anything. Now it's question of where can he do the least damage, when he shows up for work.
Leave it to Cunningham to bring Norco's political patronage practices to Lehigh.
Will the taxpaying public ever get to know why a Baltimore Attorney is brought in for PA County-level candidates to solicit money from?
Will the taxpaying public ever get to know why a "local" Parsippany, NJ union feels it is in their interests to use their PAC money to influence a PA County-level race? (let alone, do the dues-paying "local" members know where their money is going??)
The old cliche is "follow the money". So why do Dertinger, Wallace, Garvin, and previously McClure, seek and accept these monies? And, what are these sources of money looking for out of PA COUNTY level office holders? Does NorCo politics affect life in Baltimore, MD? Does NorCo politics affect life for union workers in Parsippany, NJ?
The big question is if Jerry is so decent why does he not disavow the lies and personal attacks you are inviting on this blog.
This is probably one of the meanest and vile you have done and for you that is pretty bad.
Just look at the comments. If Ron is chosen, it will cause a lot of controversy and discord, even more than we have now, for various reasons, including that he's a Longdem. There is a saying in Spanish that says "Dime con quien andas y te dire quien eres" which translates as "tell me with whom you walk (hang out with) and I'll tell you who you are." Just another Longdem.
I heard Stephanie Kovacs through her hat in too. Bernie is this true/
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