Mr. Baseball: Morganelli's $280,000 Donor

He's running unopposed, but his campaign coffers are bulging with $178,317.54, according to the campaign finance report he filed last week. In the first few months of this year, he's already raised $57,420, more than most of us earn in a year.

I'm speaking, of course, about Northampton County DA John Morganelli. Defense lawyers throughout the Lehigh Valley have dutifully lined up to pay fealty with contributions ranging somewhere between $250 and $500. The more prominent the defense lawyer, the more money.

In addition to accepting contributions from defense lawyers, Morganelli has taken $26,000 from an alphabet soup of unions in the first few months of this year. It is these very unions who usually tip him off about those dreaded illegal aliens working at pallet companies and construction sites.

But Morganelli's biggest contributor, by far, is a person who has likely never visited Northampton County. He's Baltimore lawyer Peter G. Angelos, whom you can see with Fidel when the O's played Cuban All-Stars ten years ago. Known as Mr. Baseball, Angelos has pretty much destroyed the Orioles. But his control over Maryland's legislature is so legendary that his measures are simply called "Angelos bills." He's a heavy campaign contributor in Maryland, but is spreading his tentacles into Pennsylvania, too.

In the first few months of this year, he's already given Morganelli $10,000. Last year, Morganelli was able to dine out quite a bit and buy DA suits because Angelos gave him $20,000.

But that's peanuts.

According to state campaign finance records, Angelos has given Morganelli a whopping $250,200 since 2004. All told, we're talking about $280,200.

That's a lot of baseballs.

So what's in it for him? Obviously, Angelos wanted a friendly Attorney General. But what is the faucet still open and pouring money, to the tune of $30,000 into Morganelli coffers?

It might be a clearing house. Angelos might be pouring money into Morganelli, which will then be given to Democratic County Council candidates in this year's election.

Angelos employee Lamont McClure happens to be one of those Northampton County Council candidates. And as it happens, Morganelli has already poured $1,000 into his coffers. McClure's wife, incidentally, happens to work for Morganelli as an Assistant DA.

This money might also be a "thank you" gift. In past years, Morganelli was never troubled by the dual office question, even when it involved Angle. But that suddenly changed last year, and right after McClure told Angle, "You're going down."

Morganelli, aided by Judge Franciosa, forced Angle to resign his school board seat and persuaded the Supreme Court that Angle's appeal was moot.

So that $30,000 might be Angelos' way of saying thanks.

I doubt Angelos knows or cares about any of the issues facing Northampton County. But these guys recognize power, and has likely identified Morganelli as one person who can help him wield it.