"Get your motor running.
Head out on the highway.
Looking for adventure.
In whatever comes our way."
I don't know if he was born to be wild, but Dauphin County Comm'r Nick DiFrancesco is certainly having lots of fun toolin' through Pennsylvania's 67 counties on a Harley Davidson. He came through Northampton County yesterday. I met him on the street outside the courthouse, where I was busily hawking knock-off Rolex watches to unsuspecting lawyers and judges.
Nick's road trip started on Memorial Day, and he has just ten counties left. He's had some adventures. He talked about riding through severe thunderstorm in the coal regions. He talked about the smell of verdant pines wafting along Pennsylvania's blue mountains. But his most harrowing experience was Sunday night - camping in the slate belt. You see, he accidentally set up camp on property owned by the Northampton County Bulldog, Ron Angle.
Angle: "I'm gonna make you squeal like a pig. Weeeeeeee!"
Nick: "Hey, I'm a Dauphin County Commiss ..."
Angle: "Looks like we got us a sow here instead of a boar."
Nick threw a twenty, and when Angle dove on it, made his escape. "Man, that was like Deliverance."
Aside from Ron, what Nick likes most is talking to us. We apparently enjoy talking to dudes on Harleys.
Why the road trip? Nick, a Republican, may run in a crowded Lieutenant Governor's race next year, and he thought this would be a good way to learn what people are thinking. His campaign web page is here. His theme is pretty simple - honest government.
When he's not out riding his Harley, Nick has served as one of Dauphin County's three commissioners since 2003. He and fellow commissioners there have held the line on taxes for four years straight by shrinking the government workforce and imposing a hiring freeze. Dauphin County has also opened up, posting verbatim transcripts of official meetings online.
Before he roared off to the Allentown Fair, Nick reached into his bag and tossed me a black Harley T-shirt. That was nice. I'm pretty sure it's unethical for me, a broadcast journalist, to accept that token. But what do you expect from a disbarred lawyer? He'll discover his missing credit cards later.
23 comments:
He's even going to drive through thoses scary empty counties in the middle that no one ever goes to, like Elk County? We'll never hear from him again.
I think he's made it thru Elk, but still has a few far flung places like Juniata.
This is really funny Bernie...thanks for the giggles .
Your nice compliment made it worth the effort. I just hope Nick thinks it's funny, too. I just picked up six cartons of cigarettes with one of his credit cards.
I can't believe he wasted time talking to you. Someone must have pranked him an said you were a legitimate news outlet.
Wait till he hears he wasted time with not only a disbarred attorney but a psychotic whack job. Way to waste the poor guys time.
Don't hate me cuz' you can't be me. I know it must be tough for folks like you, who have nothing better to do than comment anonymously on a psychotic whack job's blog at 1 AM. What does that make you?
12:58 is from Elk County. See what I'm talking about?
You got a point.
You call yourself a journalist? That's funny.
Of course it is. That's why I said it.
Dude! According to Alphonso's blog, you admit that you tracked down some guy in Colorado, telephoned him at work on the phone, just to see if he was a legitimate poster at Villa's blog? Now that's investigative journalism. You are a real journalist. No joke.
Great story Bernie - Nick told me that he met you. He is a close friend of mine. I follow your page once in a while because of the business I do in the Lehigh Valley - in the public sector. Wierd how paths cross sometimes...
Anon 10:12,
Why not ask me that question on Alfonso's blog, where it relevant? But yes, I did track down Villa's friend. If this person existed, he might be sane. Considering the goofy things Villa has been doing - from recommending suicide to posting my license plate number along with telling people where I park - I thought I should reach out. Perhaps this guy could be persuaded to help Villa get help. We had a civil exchange. It was worth the try. Is there something wrong or inappropriate about what I did? Am I supposed to confine myself to cyberspace?
Anon 10:33,
Nick seems like a great guy. I love his road trip. What a nifty idea!
Oh, it was a mission of mercy for you to telephone Colorado. Which is why before you spoke to him, you posted that the Colorado commenter was another Villa impersonation. You are nuts. You say Villa is the obsessive one. And why post here? Oh I'm sorry. Only you can repeat here what others have posted on their blogs (see your survey from yesterday, hypocrite.
I felt it was probably Villa, who has acknowledged that most of his comments come from him. But if it was not Villa, I saw it as an opportunity to have a friend engage him and get him (and his wife) the help they desparately need. Additional comments about Villa here will be deleted. You can post them on yesterday's blog, but they are OT here.
Sorry Bernie, but that smacks of stalking dude. I mean it is pretty bizzare to literally track someone down in Colorado via thrir post.
Whatever your motive that activity has a chilling effect on people wanting to post anything they think you will find contraversial.
Not Cool!
I've already explained why I took the unusual step of tracking this guy down, and would do it again. This guy has masde some pretty vicious remarks about me himself, and it was time to introduce myself. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. If you think this has a cvhilling effect on your right to be a guttersnipe, then think twice before posting garbage here.
Bernie,
Some of the most normal people I know come from the Slate Belt. With a name like Bangor, it has to be good!
You know who
Is he going through Intercourse too?
How about Blue Ball?
Or Bird in Hand
"How about Blue Ball?"
After 67 counties, that should be a given.
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