Slate Belt resident Don Alabanese, a Republican, is running for the Pennsylvania state house seat being vacated by Rich Grucela. Alabanese is a Slate belt native who actually spent some years in the New Jersey Assembly. Rich tells me Don coached his kids in Little League baseball. When Don decided to run, Rich invited him to Harrisburg and gave him a tour. Don has no web page, but his introductory video is located here. He proposes (1) a Constitutional amendment to limit state legislators to 8 years; (2) zero-based budgeting, "where each expenditure has to be justified"; and (3) an end to unfunded mandates, where the state imposes obligations on local government, but fails to provide the funding.
I will be interviewing Don in the next few days. I hope I can get you a picture Don's Republican opponent in the Primary, Joe Emrick, has unsurprisingly declined my request for an interview. Too bad. I have lots of questions for him.
Democrat Frank Scagliotta, a Bangor football coach, has also agreed to sit down with me. His Democratic opponent, Charles Dertinger, will do no such thing. He's ingored my request for an interview, but that's OK. I have lots of videos and audios.
Of course Charles declined. Like you would be fair. Christ Ohare, why did you even ask him? I am sure it was just to have him ignore your worthless butt so you could take a cheap shot.
ReplyDeleteCharles is a good guy and you have never been fair in your coverage of him, so it is hardly a shock that he would tell you to kiss off.
The first commenter pretty much said everything I want to.
ReplyDeletePut yourself in Charles' position, would you sit down with an interview with someone like after they tore you up every chance they could. Fat chance on that.
http://www.votedon2010.com/
ReplyDeleteOh boo-hoo and sour grapes you Dirtinger acolytes. After having his butt whipped last year in the council race CHARLES! is seeking other offices to muck up. He is an arrogant divisive politician who won't make it past the primaries. He might be able to win a seat on a solid waste authority after that if he's lucky.
ReplyDeleteDertinger has been a divisive and arrogant bully on county council, and I saw ample evidence of that during his time there. He is a cheerleader for government behind closed doors, and even took the outrageous position that he hasno obligation to listen to people who own no real estate. The reason I contacted him is because, regardless of what I already know, I have an obligation to make an effort to be fair. He might have changed some positions or learned some humility, especially after being defeated in 4 out of 5 elections.
ReplyDeleteGuess not.
Anon 8:10, Thanks for the link.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to imagine a worse state representative than Rich Grucela. But that's what Chucky Dirt would be.
ReplyDeleteChucky D? Are you kidding me? He didn't even know I was an R County Chair and voted against me for possibility of filling Wayne Grube vacancy because he said I was a "Bethlehem City" R Chair that he couldn't support (only politic's) Also, I served as a NorCo election Commissioner with him for a brief time and I learned he had zero clue about what he was doing there at that time. Same as Joe Long and rest of Dem nitwits pretending to serve public but only serving their own self interests. Vote someone else there is my opinion or you'll be very sorry later.
ReplyDeleteI'd prefer not to see candidates called names, even people like Dertinger, whom I dislike.
ReplyDeleteHey Bernie your 9:55 post could have been for Ron Angle as well as Charles Dertinger. Most everything you wrote about Dertinger can be applied to Angle.
ReplyDeleteBirds of a feather. No wonder they argued they are mirror images of each other.
Don has a web site http://www.votedon2010.com and is actually on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/VoteDon and Twitter http://www.twitter.com/votedon2010
ReplyDeleteDon Albanese has experience, has a history of being fiscally conservative, does not want a political career, and is for term limits. Got my vote.
ReplyDeleteThe double pension argument for Emrick and Scagliotta is weak at best. Someone's going to get the pension associated with the position, and the best candidate should get the position regardless of their current occupation.
ReplyDeleteCarrying your argument forward, anyone currently getting a state pension, though they may be the best-qualified candidate for a position, shouldn't run at all.
Like I said, weak at best.