I'm told Ron Angle's election to Bangor School Board is very controversial. But you wouldn't think that had you attended last night's swearing-in ceremony, which occurred during an unusually lengthy reorganization meeting.Sure, Angle's political enemies have wasted no time in condemning him for daring to think he could simultaneously serve on a school board and county council. According to The Express Times, DA John Morganelli may sue to remove Angle as early as today. He's got no money for extraditions, but can waste prosecutorial resources to reverse the peole's will on the basis of unsettled law. Ironically, there were no protesters as Ron took the oath. The school board's solicitor had no objection, and just sat there chewing gum and looking at her nails.
They're very nice.
Yes, the meeting room was packed. There were reporters and photographers. Channel 69 (WFMZ-69) had the cameras rolling as Magistrate Todd Strohe administered the oath. But the reporters had trouble finding anyone willing to do a "man on the street" interview. The only members of the public who came were me, Ron's barber and Bangor Mayor Joe Capozzolo, who also sits on Northampton County Council.
"Where are all the protesters?" Joe kept asking me. He sat in the peanut gallery with me, wearing a loud orange hunter's cap. The women wouldn't take their eyes off him.
Of course, Ron being Ron, he bluntly told the board that their priorities are all wrong; that they obsess on minutiae like field trips while ignoring the biggies - "finances and the quality of eduction." He bristled when school board Prez Joe Boyle, himself a Jersey teacher, asked Ron whether he understood a technical educational term. Ironically, most school board members agree that the board needs to refocus on how they conduct meetings. Only one of them, Pam Colton, rolled her eyes.
She has nice nails, too. Cherry red.
Now this was just a reorganization meeting, but it had been raging for two hours when I got up and decided to leave. There were extensive discussions about SAT classes and the relative merits of everyday math, which board member Bruce Cameron, yet another teacher, claims is inadequate. Somebody started talking about ADD, but I wasn't paying attention. I left wondering why anyone, especially a nonteacher like Angle, would want to sit on a school board. These are special people. I'd rather go through root canal.
Angle is getting sued for his interest.
Your disdain for women comes through with your "nails" jabs. What, no designer glasses to mock?
ReplyDeleteNo.
ReplyDeleteBernie, I know you do your homework, how many meetings during his term has Joe Cap attended or missed, just the facts sir, no sarcasm, but now the Bangor School Board will be back to mayhem, I try to be fair but you only see one side of the Angle.
ReplyDeleteI'll be doing my "workers and slackers" post towards the end of the year, and we'll have an answer then. The hard work is done in committees and every council member isinvited to attend every committee meeting. My impression is that Cap has missed no more meetings than other Council members.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Angle goes, I suspect your sentiment against him, shared by many, has much more to do with that Morganelli lawsuit than the law. Yes, Ron can be divisive and sometimes lobs grenades. He is also the brightest peson I've ever seen in local government and is often proved right.
A lot of local government could use a little more mayhem and a little less rubber-stamping.
Regardless of his motives moving forward, the public school code says exactly what the D.A. says it does and the trying to make a distinction based on the fact that Angle's title under the home rule charter is different will be dificult given what Section 1.12-1204 of the Home Rule Charter says. I don't tknow this law very well and I hope there is another section I am missing, but I hope the Bulldog has some legal heavy weights backing him up on this.
ReplyDeleteDantheMann says,
ReplyDeleteIf Morganeeli really goes thru with this inane politcal stunt, he will piss off over ten thousand voters woh made their choice. I predict JM will never win another election. The voters in Wilson and Bangor will make him regret this horrible waste of tax dollars.
Ron Angle For DA, go for three seats Ron!
He does have some legal heavyweights backing him. If the law were as clear as you seem to think, why would four people in two different counties run for school board and other elected office? That's just the LV, and I suspect we have the same thing on other counties throughout the state.
ReplyDeleteThe law is by no means clear. For one thing, the HRC provision you cite is unconstitutional, as per the Pa. Supreme Court, which ruled that only the legislature can determine the circumstances under which an elected official may be removed. The School Code is even more unclear, having been adopted before the HR form of government even existed and at a time when there was a county school superintendendent, which no longer exists.
On top of these legal uncertainties, the DA is biased. He made no move when council appointed the Hellertown borough council president, and in fact made robo calls for him. He made no move when Council appointed Bangor's mayor. Now he has suddenly become interested.
Angle was the victim in two criminal matters that the DA coud not handle because of his close association with Severson. Now he is trying to exact some payback against Ron with this nuisance action.
I'm not even sure he can proceed. He probably should have made his objections known when Angle filed his nomination petitions, instead of waiting until Angle has been elected.
Under these circumstances, it is highly doubtful that a court will upset the will of the people.
Bernie, I am talking Bangor Boro Council meetings, etc. not the county meetings re: Capozzola
ReplyDeleteThat I cannot answer. You could contact te borough and review the minutes. They are not available online.
ReplyDeleteThere were no protesters there last night because they can't sue to get him off council if he is not on the school board. Great move in letting him get on the school board. Now we can get him off council and save the county and the people!!!!
ReplyDeleteThere were no protests last night for the same reason that the people elected him - they want him there.
ReplyDeleteTo the anonymous Capozzolo critic, The Mayor Has attended 91 of the 95 monthly boro council meetings. Thats 96%, you probably dont go to work that often. Get your head out of your asss.
ReplyDeleteA Real Slater (thers nothing greater than a Slater)
Morganelli is such a bitter loser. It'll be sweet when he goes to prison with Severson. It's hard to believe he's the county's top law enforcement official. It's like Dillinger in charge of bank security or Geithner in charge of Treasury. He's incapable of shame.
ReplyDeleteMr. Morganelli is a very skilled attorney which is more than Angle or Ohare. Soon he will show Angle that just because you have a big mouth and deep pockets it does not mean you get to flaunt the law.
ReplyDeleteThis is a nation of laws not men and Angle/Ohater don't get that. Angle believes in the law of the mob. If he gets the most pitfork and torches crowd on his side he thinks he should be allowed to do anything.
I, and many, many others are glad the District Attorney is making Mr. Angle accountable to the law like everyone else. I guess Angles blowhard threats don't work with the DA. The same way they didn't work with Elmer Gates.
The above comment was posted by Bob Daday, an ex-county worker under Reibman who tried to soak the county for unemployment until Stoffa eneded it.
ReplyDeleteRiddle of the Dayday:
ReplyDeleteHow do you keep Bob Daday frustrated?
Hide his unemployment check under his work shoes.
You know you laughed.
ReplyDeleteWhy won't Ron obey the law ?
ReplyDeleteThe game is on.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/all-news-angle-120809-cn,0,3338968.story?track=rss
Angle will end up ditching the school board post again. He will never give up the county spot.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis is fascinating. Bangor has schools?
ReplyDeleteMr. Dady did get his unemployment checks after Stoffa tried to illegally stop them but was forced to release them.
ReplyDeleteAmazing how you attack this man rather than deal with the substance of his post.
But I guess you are in line with the Republicans like Ensilin, Ferraro and Marcus who are singing the Lehigh Valley Partnership song of the Lehigh Valley Allentown free Health Bureau. I hope you showered before you sat between Ferarro and Ensillin.
The above comment was posted by Bob Daday, an ex-county worker under Reibman who tried to soak the county for unemployment until Stoffa ended it.
ReplyDeleteSection 322 of the School Code prohibits holding both a county office, or a borough council member and serving as a school director. Likewise, for the borough council member, the Borough Code, Section 801 prohibits any elected borough officer from serving as a school director. The Pennsylvania Constitution (Article VI, Section 2)permits the General Assembly to make these laws determining what offices are incompatible.
ReplyDeleteI think Mr. Morganelli is correct as a matter of law.
The two dual office holders should resign from one office.
The statute is very clear and I would would expect the suit to be successful.
Bruce Cameron is not a teacher.
ReplyDeleteHello all of you!
ReplyDeleteI felt that I should to say hello to you all. I hope that that we all will have great conversations together!
So Hello!
-Jon