Popular State Rep. Rich Grucela has decided, after ten years, that he's had enough of the land of midnight payraises. He'll be stepping down at the end of the year. His 137th legislative district includes Forks, Lower Mount Bethel, Palmer, Upper Mount Bethel, Upper Nazareth, Washington, Bangor, East Bangor, Nazareth, Portland, Roseto, Stockertown and Tatamy. Unlike most seats, this one could go either Republican or Democrat.Of the four candidates I know about, Democrat Frank Scagliotta and Republican Donald Albanese seem to be the class acts. Democrat Charles (Don't call me Charlie!) Dertinger and Republican Joe (I hate Peg Ferraro) Emrick? Not so much.
I learned Friday night that Albanese, a former Jersey assemblyman, has enough signatures to get on the Republican ballot. He's originally a slater who defected to the garden state, only later to return to his roots. Emrick, who recently stormed out of a local Republican committee meeting for refusing to go along with his hand-picked nominee for another state house seat, made sure to insult Peg Ferraro a few times on his way out. He thinks his own nomination is in the bag, but I'm told committee members are turned off by his arrogance and pushy style.
Scagliotta, a Bangor High School football coach and NCAA basketball referee, has been teaching for 34 years, and was finally persuaded to get involved, some say by Rich Grucela himself. Of course, Charles Dertinger is already smearing Scags in a whisper campaign for recently switching parties. Just as arrogant and pushy as Emrick, Dertinger recently suffered a humiliating loss in his bid for re-election to Northampton County Council.
This is my district. People here prefer the nonpartisan approach. That's why hardliners like Dertinger and Emrick will have a short shelf life.
Right Ohare. Just a couple years ago Grucela was telling Dertinger her would support him when he retired. So much for ones word.
ReplyDeleteI guess you guys have something in common!
Scank and Emrick are both teachers, and will be getting two taxpayer funded pensions. More double-dippers. I will vote Albanese. And what happened to Joe Cap?
ReplyDeleteDanthMann
Dan, I have no idea whether Joe Cap is joining the fun, but doubt it.
ReplyDeleteHow would you know that, 3 AM troll? I have no idea what Rich is doing, but am glad someone is running against Dertinger. He represents everything wrong with politics and politicians. The worst possible scenario is Emrick v. Dertinger. I will be delighted if it can be Scags v. Albanese.
ReplyDeleteCharles has thought he was the heir apparent since 1998 and hasn't bothered to listen to what anyone else thinks since. I doubt Rich could get a word in edgewise in the last 12 years to talk some sense into him. Charles is not electable in that district. He's an outsider, which is a problem in the Slate Belt, and he's a political hack, which is a problem everywhere.
ReplyDeleteThis is the problem with the Northampton County Democratic Party - instead of supporting who can win, they support their friends. Not a smart move in a swing district.
and it will swing republican
ReplyDeleteAnon 7:32, You said it better than I, and with fewer words.
ReplyDeleteFact: Joe said he was upset with the vote, and that nothing good was about to happen, then walked out. Clean and simple, no insults made.
ReplyDeletePeople were already yelling at each other before the vote, so it was smart to leave right at the end of the meeting(which was the vote).
Emrick was upset that his fellow traveler, who goes to the same church as him, did not get the nod. He left in a huff and insulted Peg Ferraro on his way out. He lost support that night.
ReplyDeleteI was there, I heard no such 'insult' from Joe. Peg was overt in her attacks on the candidates she didn't support. No one needed to say anything, and Joe left before he got pulled into the flying insults.
ReplyDeleteThere was only one person accused of verbally attacking Peg, and it wasn't Joe.
I think we should hire another teacher and pay another double-dip pension. Yeah. That's it.
ReplyDeleteThe Party insiders bred by Joe Long may have some issues. We saw Dertinger go down. Next McClure will go and then Barron will go down to a Republican challenger.
ReplyDeleteThe reign of the Long apostles is coming to an end.
Amen and a man!
And how is a bought and paid for, republican converted to democrat by party big-shots, going to help us? Scank will be a Grucela puppet to the extreme. He will be told what to do, and listen. Sit Frank, Jump Frank, good boy
ReplyDeleteThe Dertinger slime machine is alreasdy hardf at work, making Dertinger look bad in the process.
ReplyDeleteBarron a Long Dem? Didn't he testify against the slimeball tactics of Severson geting the Long Dems in a ton of trouble?
ReplyDeleteBarron was the handpicked treasurer of the Long Dem's. He is trying to distance himself from that train wreck by saving his own arse while throwing his old buddies under the bus.
ReplyDeleteProblem with facts are they are, well..facts!!
Frankly, Im not happy with any of these guys. Bernie, you decry the Long Dems as corrupt and bad for the party. They are minor leaguers compared to the sleaze in Harrisburg. This Scagliotta to Demo was hatched there between Grucela and the party heads.
ReplyDeleteGrucela knows about the pension crisis, but he is a big part of it. Scag will get his teacher pension plus state house pension paidf for by us, the poor slobs. The democratic party will spend half a million dollars to keep this seat. Rich Gruclea will still have a job. Frank Scag will be a do nothing nice guy. Rich and the party leaders will tell him how to vote.
In other words, nothing will change. Corruption will go on, business as usual. I think I will write in John Stoofa.
sick and tired in Tatamy
Both Scag and Emrick will be double dippers. This district and state are going down hill quick. I dont even have one pension.
ReplyDeletewhat about that karner women?
ReplyDelete