LV Blogging Pioneer, Billy Givens, Passes Away

On Thursday night, following a Northampton County Council meeting, a small group of us met at Palmer Township's Tic Toc Diner. Exec John Stoffa likes their vanilla milkshake, while Ron Angle eats salad and drinks unsweetened iced tea. I love the split pea soup, with lots of hot sauce. There's always around four or five of us, with some faces changing. One of the regulars, until he became ill, was ornery Billy Givens, scourge of local governments everywhere.

While we were there, Ron and Rev. Mike Dowd began sharing "Billy stories" about this lanky, bearded Alabama transplant. One night, after Billy called Dowd a corrupt slave to big business interests, he meekly asked him for a ride home. Dowd was happy to oblige.

Billy died last night, surrounded by his lovely wife and daughters, who were always his pride and joy.

Having a mutual interest in good government, Billy and I were friends. Long before the Internet or blogs became popular, he was distributing a newsletter on the "stage of Easton." He would also give unannounced speeches, sometimes in Easton's Circle and even outside the Courthouse. He was thrilled when his daughter gave him a bullhorn for his birthday.

He started a blog before any of us, called BillyBytes. With his characteristic penchant for understatement, this is how he announced it: "With relish, Billy Bytes takes chunks out of those who hold themselves up as models of probity but are venal, be they officials such as mayors and school board members, political parties, or the mainstream media."

The Express Times was dubbed The Excess Times, and The Morning Call was The Morning Call Girl, both regularly trashed as mouthpieces and whores for the Established Order.

He'd get upset with me, too. Two years ago, after I deleted a few of his off-topic rants, he sent me an email entitled "Bernie O'Hare, Please Stay Off Your Bicycle, Even If Your Ass Is As Wide As You Are Tall." He then unloaded on me and, just for the hell of it, included Easton's college hill elite.

"I know you're running away from me, but you're not going to be able to hide forever. Up here in Easton's silk-stocking neighborhood of College Hill, where I live with my blue-blooded, Brahmin neighbors like Phil Mitman, Danny Cohen, and Sandy Woodring, they have their noses stuck so far up the ass of Lafayette College that if it made an abrupt left or right turn without signaling it would break their noses.

I'm from Alabama, the home of former heavyweight boxing champion of the world, who used to say of his opponents in the ring: "You can get on your bicycle and run, but you can't hide."

Back in August, Billy received a warm reception when he visited Northampton County Council for the first time in many months. He posed for a picture with me, and we both give the bloggers' salute.

Now he's gone.

Did he make a difference? Ask Glenn Reibman, Jim Hickey, Ron Angle, John Stoffa or Sal Panto. Ask the reporters and editors he regularly abused. He made them all just a little better.

I just hope Billy takes it easy on God.