It's getting ugly in the Lehigh County District 1 Comm'r race between Jeanne McNeill and Tom Creighton. McNeill has allowed the Executive to finance most of her campaign. Her husband is actually employed by the County. And now, in a flyer paid for indirectly by Executive Don Cunningham via the Pa. State Dems, she's accusing Creighton of his own conflict of interest. What's worse, her facts are skewed.
She claims Creightom, a Lynn Township Supervisor, received a $500 contribution from an engineer on the very day his firm made a pitch for business there. It turns out that the contribution came several months after this firm had already made its presentation. Moreover, according to Ken Petrini, the person who originally broke this story, "[T]hey used and abused a story I did to misrepresent facts. I looked into the Tom Creighton contribution from Roy Stewart. I talked to Tom and to Roy. I know them both personally. There was no fire. There was barely smoke. We ran the story and basically let the voters realize for themselves that two very innocent-minded people had been involved in an honest act of friendship and as many people make contributions, Roy Stewart had made one to Creighton."
13 comments:
What? Nothing about their positions on abortion?
Crazy, isn't it?
March 12, 2009 Lynn Township BOS minutes:
Keystone presents proposal for the potential appointment to the position of engineer firm to Lynn Township. Roy Stewart (that’s his real name) was in attendance.
May 14, 2009 Tom Creighton Committee:
Post-Primary Report,
$500.00 from Roy Stuart (homeless man from Coplay??)
July 16, 2009 Lynn Township BOS minutes:
Miscellaneous #3, Kermit Delong (not his real name) and Tom Creighton (not his real name) AGREE to have Keystone Engineers finish out the year with Lynn Township.
That said; don’t be alarmed by the “press” high jacking, that’s become an epidemic in the northern tier.
The Kermit Delong camp, he included, have been openly highjacking the “press”.
So we have “presentation”, “campaign donation”, “agreement”.
Absent from Tom the proving reformer, ABSTENTION!!!
Nice reporting Eckville.
The facts don't seem so skewed in the mailer at all - and Creighton seems pretty darn cozy with the money boys.
OK. So if a $500 dnation between 2 friends is pay to play, what is $35 thousand in contributions for a seat on the commissioners?
Two friends, or employer and employee.
That is for the voters to decide.
Whether be $500.00 or $35,000.00, the principle for good government shall bear no price.
Eckville,
Read Ken Petrini. Keystone was first hired in '86. Creightom became a super in '04.
Jeanne McNeil bought and paid for with $35,000.00 by machine politics. Will she be a check and balance on Cunningham as a Commissioner? Yes, He writes the CHECKS and she BALANCES the campaign receipts.
If Cunningham didn't employ McNeil, where the Hell would he go? I think it shows political savy by a smart guy Cunningham.
i'm listening to eckville on this matter. he's far more vigilant on all things Lynn Twn than we are. If Creighton had any ethics what so ever, he would have disclosed this matter before the vote and abstained when the roll call was made.
Often times it isn't that something wrong has happened, it is the appearance that something wrong has happened. in this case, a reasonable person can say there was some pay to play.
Bernie,
True, but every year during the townships reorganization meeting the decision is made if the engineers are being retained. Their official appointment runs out every year.
Ask yourselves this question:
Do you think an engineering firm's employees give donations to Township Supervisors without expecting something in return?
It is public Record that Bill Erdman of Keystone Engineers donated to former Supervisor Tom Gorr in Upper macungie every cycle. And every year his firm was reappointed Township Engineering consultant, and collected the fees for work.
You honestly believe there was no "quid pro quo?"
That is pay to play. I hate to break it to some, but what Creighton did, in accepting that money, gave an appearance of Pay to play.
It is fair game in a campaign. With all the crap he leveled at McNeill, his crying foul now is lame. Politics is not fair, and it is a dirty business.
What goes around comes around.
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