Gracedale Goons Continue Ignoring Election Code

Spring, 2007. Attorney Brian Monahan, running for District Judge in Easton and Williams Township, is savaged by three anonymous mailers viciously distorting his career as a defense attorney. DA John Morganelli refuses to lift a finger, and Monahan's candidacy eventually goes down in flames.

We would later learn that the person behind these anonymous smears is Tom Severson, a political consultant and long-time pal to Morganelli. He would eventually plead guilty, in June 2010, to deceptive campaign practices. Those charges were brought by the state Attorney General, not Morganelli.

History is repeating itself, except this time it's with the Gracedale Goons. When they submitted their initiative petitions, Voting Registrar Dee Rumsey, determined that 1,166 signatories persons were not even registered to vote. Another 1,173 people signed the Petition more than once, including several circulators. Gracedale Union Prez Ellen Weiss and one of her AFSCME pals filed a total of 38 false affidavits, taking credit for petitions they never circulated. Judge Baratta stuck 2,700 signatures, but ignored the Registrar's testimony because I failed to disprove duplication. I lost, but there still was pervasive election fraud.

Call me a lousy lawyer.

In the false belief that the Courts have given them a green light to run roughshod over our election laws, this election fraud is continuing, unchecked, in the runup to the May 17 election. On Saturday, May 1, Ellen Weiss opened up a "Save Gracedale" HQs office in Nazareth. Nothing wrong with that, but it's at Rich Grucela's old state rep office. His official logo from the Commonwealth, is still right there on the office windows, creating a misleading impression that the Pennsylvania state legislature supports the Gracedale initiative. I also saw Ms. Weiss planting about 8 signs on the grass outside the office.

This property, 239 S. Broad Street, has a monthly rental value of $1,200. In addition to that, there's also the cost of a toll-free land line, 1-800-478-4944, which has been in operation since the initiative drive began last October. It takes you right to AFSCME District 88, located in Plymouth Meeting.

I called there yesterday and asked a nice lady at the other end if her refrigerator was running.

In addition to the office and union-funded toll-free line, double-sided "Save Gracedale" yard signs are now littering the County. Those cost about $2 per sign. That's at least another $1,000. All told, at least $2,800 has already been spent on this initiative.

Where's the Committee? Where's the reports?

Under our election laws, a political committee is any group formed to take in or spend money to influence the outcome of an election. Even initiative elections. Once it receives $250 or more, whether in cash or in-kind contributions, it must register within twenty days. Yet as of the close of business yesterday, no political committee had filed any paperwork in the elections office.

The use of AFSCME's toll-free phone since mid-October, along with the money paid to the person answering on the other end, is by itself enough reason to wonder why no registration statement has been filed. That $250 threshold was passed long ago. Now we have office rent and signs as well.

And how about those signs? As you can plainly see, there's no disclosure of the person or political committee paying for them. There's a prominent union printer label, but no identification fo the funding party. This is a direct violation of the Election Code, which requires that the signs must "clearly and conspicuously" identify the paying party. Severson's failure to do this with his Monahan mailers is what got him in hot water. Refusal to include this disclaimer is a misdemeanor, punishable by a $1,000 fine and could even include imprisonment.

You can ask Tom Severson.

Gracedale AFSCME President Ellen Weiss, the circulator who was involved in filing those 38 false affidavits, just happens to be the person I see paradng around with Gracedale signs. And at their Broad Street office, which I visited late yesterday afternoon, her name and phone number is attached to the door. Every election cycle, her yard is a cornucopia of Democratic yard signs. At the Gracedale rally last October, she and her husband used it as an opportunity to hand out flyers for John Callahan and Charles Dertinger. She's no novice, and clearly is thumbing her nose at the law.

Again.