I sure didn't see this coming. More importantly, neither did the Northampton County Bulldog. By a 5-4 vote, he was deposed as Council Prez during a brief reorganization meeting this afternoon. John Cusick, who had stated he was too busy teaching to continue as VP, is now Council President. His new VP is Peg Ferraro. Dressed in an LBJ hat, with numerous campaign buttons adorning his suit, Angle was sure his re-election was a mere formality. But behind the scenes, a coup was in the works. At the center was Tom Dietrich, a new Council member who likes to hear himself talk. Dietrich was miffed at being taken to task for his incessant chatter and an idiotic attempt at a 0.0000000001% tax reduction. He ran away right after the meeting.
Joining Dietrich was Peg Ferraro, who thinks she should have been named president last year. This time around, she was willing to settle for VP, but Angle preferred giving the office to someone who actually attends committee hearings. Unhappy that her ego was not being sufficiently stroked, she engineered a deal.
Lamont McClure and Ann McHale, Council's only Democrats, were only to happy to play along. Anything to reduce the effectiveness of County government. After all, this is an election year and they win if they can make Stoffa and Angle look bad.
John Cusick, a dedicated Council member who has endured an unfair amount of Angle abuse, finally agreed to accept the presidency himself. Basically, he agreed to replace a Council President who actually got things done and was able to work with Stoffa. He has deprived Mike Dowd of a well-deserved Vice-Presidency in an election year. He has hurt Angle in an election year. And he has strengthened Lamont McClure and Ann McHale, two so-called Democrats who throw roadblocks at just about every initiated attempted by the one real Democrat in Northampton County government - John Stoffa.
It's going to be a bad year for Northampton County.
There are kinder, gentler reports in The Express Times, Morning Call and Easton Patch.
51 comments:
me thinks bernie needs to find a new horse to ride. give the new pres a chance. maybe, just maybe they are a little smarter after a year of angle.
Or maybe they just got played.
Bernie, Bernie, Bernie.....you sound like a sore little loser kid!
Oh this vote is very telling. I believe this is only the beginning of the end for the "bulldog" He is up for election this year, and the people will speak with their votes, much like council has!! It is a glorious day for NorCo.
Speaking of Council Presidents who actually need to be given the heave ho:
http://www.bobdonchez.com/
HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHA. SOUR GRAPES HOMIE.
Angle got played. I'm sure his bad behavior will resume. Cusick will be good for Norco.
Bernie - you are so right. Despite Ron's reputation, he was accessible, easy to work with, and you always knew where he stood on issues. He demanded good, honest work from the people in county government and I think that showed. Anyone who doesn't really like him doesn't really want to work.
It will be interesting to see who will run against Ron. Let's hope it is Charles! so he can add another loss to his record.
And let's hope he runs for county exec in two years!
What I don't understand is, if Angle was willing to step down, a few weeks ago; why didn't anyone take him up on the offer, then?
Good luck and Godspeed to the new board.
Peace, ~~~alex+
"He demanded good, honest work from the people in county government and I think that showed."
Maybe he should have demanded that of himself, afterall there is nothing good or honest about a forged will.
Wow. Dietrich must have been hissed off. A farly momentous turn of events at the office. Blind sided..
I still don't understand Ron Angle's behavior. He's acting like a sore loser. Would it have been hard to take the high road and congratulate John Cusick and Peg Ferraro like Mike Dowd did? Can't people change their minds and vote for someone they feel more deserving to lead Council and not be called "liars"? Ron Angle's statements are a true testement to his fellow Council members. I wonder if he'll apologize the following meeting, like he did to Stoffa after berating him publicly. His ascerbic personality was his downfall. If you don't see that BO, you are lost my friend.
A GLORIOUS DAY FOR NORCO POLITICS!
Funny, B.O. and Wrong Angle had it all figured out. And, then an ambulance driver from Hellertown out foxed them. That really must sting. Especially since B.O. and Wrong Angle spent the better part of a year ridiculing the Councilman. Tom Dietrich showed Wrong Angle and B.O. and thing or two today, and he didn't have to resort to forgery.
darn...wish I would have been there with my little "flip cam"
Maybe they realized that RA's next stop is jail!
This is awesome. This frees Angle up to really press ahead and push for the sale of Gracedale. Now he can really fight on two fronts: Gracedale and the illegal immigrant prison in the Slate Belt. You just did Angle a favor!
The strongest point here is about the Stoffa/Council dynamic, but the rest sounds like sour grapes to me. Don't get me wrong, all the personal motivations sound plausible enough, but I don't think there's any evidence that Cusick won't do as good or better than Angle as far as getting stuff done. I just reread your Workhorses/Showhorses post and it looks like Cusick's work ethic is pretty solid.
On the politics, it would be a real shame if McHale and McClure ran in opposition to Stoffa/Angle rather than just running against the Angle-run Council. The correct political line from the Democratic side is as follows:
The 2009 elections shifted Council much too far to the right, and it is now dominated by people who are narrow-minded and taking the County in a bad direction. People thought they were electing better leaders in '09, but Republicans irresponsibly selected a total nut as Council President. [insert Angle's racist radio comments, various other antics here] John Stoffa is doing a good job holding it down and protecting vital services that help working people in the tough economy, but he can only do so much. He needs more Democrats on Council to restore balance and moderation.
Wow my wish list is complete! Can't wait to see how Ron behaves without the gavel in his hand. Poor guy----is he going to call the voters liars in spring too? Me thinks he embarassed the council one time too many. Wish the council well.
Well said Jon Geeting!!
Bernie, how come you don't have video of this meeting! Now that would be something we all would have loved to see. The look on Angle's face must have been priceless!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA
Cusick is a weasel, and you should not be surprised. He needs to get hammered the next chance he is up for election. The guy's brother in law is a top ranking state democrat for crying out loud.
"Funny, B.O. and Wrong Angle had it all figured out. And, then an ambulance driver from Hellertown out foxed them
This is bullshit. Dietrich could not find his way out of a rest room. What happened, as I've already stated, is that Peg Ferraro wanted to be VP, but Angle refused to support her bc he had already told Mike Dowd that he'd support him. So Peg Ferraro, without informing Ron and with a little help from McClure & McHale, went back on her word to Ron and decided to support Cusick so long as they'd make her VP. She ran out of the meeting, too.
The mistake that Ron made was in assuming that Peg Ferraro would keep her word to him.
Just a few weeks ago, John Cusick said this about Ron to MC reporter Jenna Portnoy, "He's been a leader in moving the whole thing forward. ... If [Councilwoman] Peg Ferraro was there I don't think we'd be where we are right now with Gracedale."
But amazingly, Cusick voted for Peg.
" Can't people change their minds and vote for someone they feel more deserving to lead Council and not be called 'liars'?"
Sure, I don't see why not. But when you give your word to someone and then change your mind, you should really contact that person and tell him you changed your mind. Especially when that person is counting on what you told him. Peg failed to do that with Ron. It was deceitful behavior.
"afterall there is nothing good or honest about a forged will."
There is nothing good or honest about cowardly anonymous attacks like these, which have no basis in fact.
"I don't think there's any evidence that Cusick won't do as good or better than Angle as far as getting stuff done. I just reread your Workhorses/Showhorses post and it looks like Cusick's work ethic is pretty solid."
John Cusick is a good Council member who works very hard, but is also a full-time teacher who was complaining he could no longer serve as VP bc of the time commitment. He is a dedicated member of Council, but simply lacks the time needed for all the functions required of a Council President. It's at least 30 hours per week.
"On the politics, it would be a real shame if McHale and McClure ran in opposition to Stoffa/Angle rather than just running against the Angle-run Council. The correct political line from the Democratic side is as follows: "
It's not something that would be a shame. It's something that is a shame. McClure & McHale have consistently worked against John Stoffa since his election as Exec. Whether it is a treatment center or just a bid, they have imposed roadblock after roadblock.
The sad truth is that Angle, who thinks he's a conservative but really is a flamboyant centrist, has been Stoffa's greatest ally. They both support good government, accountability, transparency.
What you are proposing as a political line would be just that, a line. It bears no semblance to the truth.
John Stoffa, a good man who is now 71 years old, does not need the throns and roadblocks that will be thrown up by these Longoons, and they'll be acting for purely political reasons. They want a return to "pay to play" and patronage, the world eschewed by Stoffa.
"darn...wish I would have been there with my little 'flip cam."
You could have been there. It was an open meeting.
"Bernie, how come you don't have video of this meeting! Now that would be something we all would have loved to see."
You can see it. The video will be posted online on the county web page.
"But when you give your word to someone and then change your mind, you should really contact that person and tell him you changed your mind. Especially when that person is counting on what you told him."
Good conversation here BO. I grant you, you should stick by your word. However, I don't think RA should have been asking people for their votes on this. That's breaking the Sunshine Act. And RA nearly admits it. He said he went around making sure people were lined up on his side. Isn't that breaking the Sunshine Act? How would he know that he had enough votes to become President again? This has to be debated in open forum. It appears that RA got caught and it backfired on him.
It is no violation of the SA for Ron to individually approach members of Council and ask them for their votes. If he engaged in a conference call, back room meeting or round robin, it would be a violation. It is clear that the attempt to oust him involved several members acting in concert, and there may have been a SA violation on their part. But even that is just a technical violation bc they ratified what they did in private in a later public meeting. So I see no SA violation on either side. I do see one member of Council, Peg Ferraro, who may have acted deceitfully. I like Peg very much and it is possible that Ron misunderstood her when she told him she'd vote for him. I'd like to think the best of her.
Well, whatever happened, there definitely is a split now. Whether it was from RA ascerbic behavior or other Council members retribution, I still wish John Cusick, well. He'll need it.
Agreed. Cusick is a class act.
HA-HA, this is great. The Republican hierarchy realized after a year of being represented by Angle, it was time to dump him as the "face" of the Party in Northampton County. As I heard said by one Party kingpin, he is such an embarrassment.
Cusick has political ambitions and I am sure he was given the "talk", about sticking it to Angle to get him out of the spotlight.
It will be interesting to see if the bulldog becomes a pussy-cat under Cusick. No Council President other than Wayne Grube stood up to him. Even Dowd, who is a wuss was a wuss when he was President.
Stoffa won't have Angle carrying water for him as President. The only reason you need a County Council President to spend thirty hours a week at the courthouse is if you have a meaningless Administration. So I can see why Angle was there, since this Administration has been missing in action since 2006.
Mrs. Lipton
A portion of my prayers have been answered, I am volunteering at a Leprosarium in hopes the rest will come to pass.
So he is not president
he is still there
I guess its' a start
I can't wait until the voters
pick the scab off
until then it just keeps itching
Hey, May is just 5 months away
You know Bernie without Angle this place would be civil. Maybe a little spirited at times, however civil. People act out because they see him act out, he brings out the worst in people.
Killing Gracedale will be the end of all these pols careers . Angle led them down the highway of political suicide and they gleefully followed.
They think they got away but as always they will end up getting burned. The one guy who never gets burned by his own actions is Angle. Five years from now Angle will be there and most of these folks won't. It is history in action.
Ha Ha!!
"You know Bernie without Angle this place would be civil."
I disagree. I have seen too many mean-spirited people on Council, from Dertinger to McClure to McHale. It's a vicious bunch, and what's really bad is that I can only trust four of them.
It is amazing how many people in NORCO have their head up their ass. In one year as council president, Ron Angle accomplished more than his five predecessors. People don’t like his bark, but he saved a tax hike, with the sale of Gracedale will again save a tax increase and is not afraid to speak up. People will be surprised as the next few years unfold. Prediction, the LVP will support Mr. Angle for County Executive and the political has benz like Peg Ferraro will be long gone. I learned a long time ago, you can’t trust her and her band of thieves.
Bernie sez:
"Peg failed to do that with Ron. It was deceitful behavior."
A little like Mickey Mouse accusing Minnie Mouse of being a mouse, no?
Ron is a master of deceit, at least it appears that way.
VOR
Humpty dumpty got dethroned by the County bluebloods and nobles...Ought to be a fun year..
VOR, So deceitful behavior is justified against him? If something is wrong, it is wrong.
OUch. Talk about sore loser...eeks...and unbiased reporting at its best!
I never make any claim to be objective, but what I have reported here is accurate.
Kill off a home for the impoverished elderly to save a few dollars per capita. Brilliant and empathic!
These tea partiers are stooges. Just wait until the Repubs shut down government over the debt ceiling. It's all about the rich who are obviously pulling the strings even down to local government.
Per Bernie:
"I never make any claim to be objective, but what I have reported here is accurate"
Opinions are like belly buttons.
Although deception is wrong, deception has been, is now and probably will continue to be part of politics. If only 1/3 of what I read about Ron Angle is correct, I find it amusing that he would be even the slightest bit put off by something deceiptful happening to him within the rough and tumble world he is so much a part of.
His supporters may be taking harder than he is.
VOR
You claim you are not objective but what you post is factual. Do you not see the lack of logic in that post? Of course your alcohol riddled brain will defend the indefensible but you have come a long way from the law school brain.
O'Hare every thing you post is twisted, bent and predicated on your opinions about people, politics and life.
Just like your idol Angle you really don't see the contradictions in your own behavior and brain function.
You will factually report three ships sunk and have readers infer there is an inherent problem with the ships. What you fail to print is they were torpedoed. You really are dense or you think everyone else is stupid. You really aren't fooling anyone.
I guess everyone is wrong about Mr. Angle.
No one is "all right", or "all wrong", but judging by the feedback, most line up in the "against" column.
Bernie sez:
"How can someone who calls himself "VOR" be so illogical. If lying is wrong, you don't justify by saying that the person being lied to is an asshole. If it is wrong, it is wrong."
I'm not condoning the behavior, just pointing out the irony. He (and you) recognize bad behaviuor only when it happens to him, not by him.
(At least it looks that way.)
VOR
I am pro-Angle, but do condemn him when he gets idiotic, like when he criticized Stoffa.
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