With Tuesday's defeat of incumbent Council member Charles Dertinger, is it safe to conclude his political career is over? He has now lost four races in ten years. He's also part of a cabal making regular appearances before a grand jury investigating deceptive campaign practices. Maybe he should consider law school. Here's his political history. In 1999
Charles Dertinger runs against Ron Angle for the District 4 County Council seat. Dertinger, a union operative, tries to portray himself as a pig farmer. It turns out that Dertinger has slaughtered and eaten the sole pig at his family compound. During this campaign, Angle is savaged by attack ads emblazoned with swastikas. Dertinger denies any involvement. Angle wins.
In 2003
Ron Angle again beats Charles Dertinger for the District 4 County Seat. (6,637 to 5,301). No swastikas or pigs this time.
In 2005
Dertinger runs for a county-wide Council seat, garnering the second highest vote count behind the infamous Wayne Grube. It's a good year to be a Democrat. John Stoffa beats incumbent Glenn Reibman. Change is in the air and it is thick in Northampton County. Charles says "Good Day!" a lot.
Wayne Grube gets 22,988 Votes
Dertinger gets 17,829 Votes
In 2006
Recruited by Dem Party Boss Joe Long, Dertinger wages a congressional campaign against LV Congressman Charlie Dent. He complains during a debate that he was "more or less dragged" into the race. That comment is recorded and becomes the basis of a radio campaign against him. Although Democrats seize control of Congress with a net gain of at least twenty-nine seats, Dertinger loses his home township and even his own precinct. Dent achieves a nearly 20,000 vote margin of victory.
In 2007
Dertinger, exhausted after a failed Congressional campaign, still has two years left to serve on Council. He decides to meddle in the campaigns of other council candidates. He becomes part of an unholy alliance headed by Joe "Bossman" Long and Tom “Scissorhands” Severson. The result is some of the slimiest tactics ever seen in a county where the mud regularly flows thick and deep. This evil consortium also results in a grand jury, and a bunch of misdemeanor and felony charges.
In this climate, Peg Ferraro runs for a two-year County Council at Large seat.
Peg gets 18,354 to Tony Branco's 15,113
In 2009
Taking his next Council victory for granted, Dertinger instead focuses his campaign on State Rep. Rich Grucela's District, laying the groundwork for an eventual run there.
Peg Ferraro gets (unofficially) 19,004 votes to Dertinger's 13,046.
During a debate in October, Peg Ferraro compliments the very Slate Belt residents who worked actively against her in 1997, telling them that is democracy in action. Dertinger has to explain why he broke a pledge made to Wind Gap voters and refuses to explain his grand jury appearances.
Peg has TWICE received MORE votes than Charlie Dertinger's highest vote count.
34 comments:
On a serious note. Someone overheard Charles to say he will run against Ron Angle in 2011 for the District 4 seat.
Is it cockroaches that are believed to be able to survive even a nuclear war? If so, he'll be back.
Enough already with Dertinger, spend some time reviewing the history of Angle antics re: renters and on and on.
Dertinger is a horrible Council member who somehow became a leader in the local Democratic party, deciding in advance who should and should not run for office. But clearly, his own political record demonstrates that, with one exception, he's always been a poor candidate himself. This man, more than anyone else, spent four years taunting the one person whose guiding star to government is trying to do what is right, ot what is popular. This man personifies what is wrong w/ te local Dems.
People like him have been exalted while people like Jerry Seyfried, who personify everything that is right, have been ignored.
As far as Dertinger going after Angle again in 2011 is concerned, I hope and pray that is true.
Hopefully with people like Long and Dertinger out of the picture, some of the talented Democratic individuals out there, turned off by running because of them, will come back. That's the golden lining to the Fall of the Longdems.
This just helps the local Democratic Party revolution which is being planned for next year. Bernie knows what I am talking about.
Just heard Garvin ask about demanding a recount on the radio. Could be an upset!!!!
I don't know why everyone is worried about some spot as an elected official. Greater things can come with very little headaches. Did you ever think about the guys who run Jimmy's? They got it right. Plain and simple. No fries and no chili. Just dogs, ketchup, mustard, onions, pickles, chips, soda, and chocolate milk. What is better than that?
You never hear them complain. And they make enough $$$ to have employees and afford the lease at a shopping mall. They put kids through college and probably paid cash. All of that for $0.72 a dog.
C-mon, keep it simple. Sometimes I wish I had open up a hot dog stand. Ben's Chilli Bowl move over!
Peace, ~~Alex
oh he will probably get a job in Washington as like sam bennett did
The Long-acrats sealed their fate when they ran Anne McHale against Stoffa in the Democratic Primary. The Dem voters soundly rejected them but they were stuck with the image of being political hacks. Its unfortunate that a few of the Dem County Council candidates who had good ideas got caught on this sinking Long/Titanic Ship. The Republican sweep is the only way the real Dems can take back our Party.
Anon 9:21
Why a recount?
Caffeinegal,
Very good points. You must be drinking Starbucks. It'd time for "New Dems" like Stoffa or Karen Dolan any of a host of good people to reinvigorate the party so that it stands for something again.
Your pretty low Bernard to have a grave site.
You think? I can get much lower than that.
This was a beautiful recount of a Reign of Terror. When do we get the video montage with the background music a combination of nails on blackboard and screaming children?
People need to get over themselves.
What does this really matter? It's all more of the same crap same power trippers. They are all mice confined to a maze.
Philosophies mean more than party affiliation in local offices. The new council members will have to contend with the likes of Ferraro, Angle, and Stoffa who have don't seem to have any guiding political philosophy, but have demonstrated little leadership to this point. In fairness, this may have been due to numbers, but they still represent part of the old guard that has either brought, or failed to address so many problems. Congratulations to Bruce Gilbert. What a refreshing change and source of inspiration for any chance of a true philosophical rebirth among NorCo Rs vs. the malaise of the past several years.
I'm a Dem but I can at least recognize that the new Council will be more and mature and business-like even if I don't agree with them. Nursery school is over....well, Angle...we'll see if he calms down now too.
As long a s Angle is on County Council it will never be mature or grown-up. You can get 8 Saints but that egomaniac criminal Angle will still turn it into a Circus.
The seriousness of the new team will show Ron's buffoonery in stark relief. It would be nice to see a sensible Republican primary challenger to Ron. Rs are much better than Ds at taking out their own garbage.
Dertinger was put in the rear view mirror. McHale and Angle should be next.
I agree with Caffeinegal....especially with Deb Hunter. She was good, and when Long is in jail and Dertinger moves back to NY I hope people don't associate her with the Long era.
Hey anon 8:45 or Deb, the race is over and you lost. You can run again just like anyone else.
A loss is a loss. You are in no better position than anyone else who lost.
Charles will be fondly remembered by all the folks he helped throughout the County.
Thank you for yor service Charles. I am sure he will spend his remaining time on Council holding all accountable to the people.
Using a tombstone to make your point just shows what a low life piece of trash you are.
Bernie, How could you? You need an exclamation point after his name on that tombstone!!
"Using a tombstone to make your point just shows what a low life piece of trash you are"
Gee, thanks, but as I've already explained, I can get a lot lower. Perhaps not so low as Dertinger or McClure or Long, but low enough to deal with them.
The Mother of All Battles will take place when Charles ! runs against Angle in two years ! What fun it will be !
Now we only need to unelect McClure and Barron and the Corroupt Long kiddie Corps will finally be gone.
I know some Republicans that have already commented on runs against both McClure and Barron.
Agreed, we don't need Long puppets in office.
The R's will have little chance of beating Barron and almost no chance of beating McClure. But it could be fun trying !
Anon 9:33, are you serious?
Barron barely beat Schimmel and that was only because of a crook in the Courts division they hung on him. A strong Republican candidate and Barron is out.
McClure was almost toast last time and the R's would be crazy to stop this momentum.
Both Barron and McClure are part of the Long Regime and it is time to clean house on that group. Many Dem's would probably thank the R's.
McClure is toast and even Steve, who is no Long Dem, is vulnerable. He will win if he continues to concentrate on doing a good job, and stays out of politics. He comes from Bethlehem and the Dems there will vote for him.
Barron won largely bc a group of Rs dicovered, at the last minute, that Schimmel was using Severson.
You live in a bubble. Morganneli and many others use and used Severson, that only pisses off you and a few of your camp followers. Schimmel was done in by doing silly political performance audits for a Republican Council against Reobman while the Clerk of courts Office ended up in a deep mess.
Barron wisely hung it on the neck of Schimmel and it stuck.
Not a Long Dem? Are you serious? The County Democratic Treasurer who wrote the checks to scissorhands was, three guresses? Ah, Barron, Righto.
He has made a show of pulling away from team Long, now that he is safely in Office but he was and still is cut form the same cloth as McClure and Dertinger.
Ohare you are certainly not known for your objectivity and you do have a tendancy to cherry pick facts but mancrush or not, the facts are the facts.
Republicans still have two more Long Dem's to throw out and they will.
Amen 12:42, Amen!
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