NorCo Council Candidates Like Dandelions

Kelly Gross and her pink gavel

I was a little disturbed to hear, Friday night, that a member of Northampton County Council took it upon himself to tell a potential candidate not to bother running for one of the five at-large Council seats up for grabs this year. I guess he has his own slate of preferred candidates and is trying to clear the field for them. I think he should let the voters sort it out.

Personally, I hope 100 people run. At the rate things are going, that just might happen. Below are some of the people I've heard about. Some have already announced, while others are keeping their powder dry.

Unlike Lehigh County, these are at-large seats, meaning that they are selected among voters throughout the entire County instead of in districts. The national mood tends to have an impact on these races. Just as 2009 was a bad year for Democrats, this appears to be a bad one to be a member of the GOP.

Democrats:

Yeah Jerry does look exactly like Amanda Seyfried

Ismael Arcelay - The only real question about this guy is whether he's in Pawlowski's pocket or Reibman's. My guess is both. His political consultant is Mike Fleck, who just happens to work for Pawlowski and Reibman, too. When a candidate starts talking about a "five point plan," Fleck is involved.

In addition to being a puppet, Arcelay seems to have problems being truthful about his political past. He was recently forced out at the Human Relations Comm'n when it was discovered he was using his position to get a job with the Reading School District.

Christen Borso - I went to grade school with her husband and sister-in-law, so I have to be nice to her or they'll beat me up. She recently graduated from the inaugural Citizens Academy, and has become a fixture at Northampton County Council meetings.

Deb Hunter - Deb ran in 2009, when the political winds were blowing the other way, and narrowly missed out. She's a schoolteacher in Northampton and was on the Nazareth School Board for ten years, so she must be into pain. She is another graduate of the Citizens Academy and periodically attends Council meetings.

Jerry Seyfried - People have been begging this former Executive and Council member to come back, and I'm one of them. No one knows as much about the Home Rule Charter as he. But the real reason I support him is because his second cousin is movie star Amanda Seyfried. Jerry claims she got her good looks from him.

Ron Heckman

Ron Heckman - Like Jerry, Ron is extremely knowledgeable about County government. He tried to tell me he's Gene Hackman's second cousin, but I think he was playin' with me.

Chris Amato - Chris is a chiropractor, former Lehigh Township Supervisor and ardent environmentalist. (Updated: Chris is not running, I'm sorry to say.)

Geoffrey M. Roche - Geoff is a government relations professional at Pocono Medical Center.

Bill Wallace - A soldier for the local Democratic party, Wallace has been defeated in bids for the state senate and in two County Council races.

Kelly Gross - Currently West Easton Borough Council President, Gross played a major role in negotiations that led to a modern work release and treatment center for drunk drivers. Gross has acted as an unpaid borough manager for the past several years. She's been involved in local government since she was seven. Her trademark? A pink gavel.

John Stoffa - A man of integrity and honor, Stoffa might feel compelled to run for Council, if only to counteract the character assassination being mounted by Lamont McClure and his henchmen.

Jeff Warren - A member of Easton City Council and legislative aide to State Senator Lisa Boscola, was accused of "political grandstanding" when he opposed Sal Panto's proposed commuter.

Randy Galiotto - Randy is an architect, something Northampton County Council could probably use. He also ran Easton Mayor Sal Panto's re-election campaign. He is, like Panto, a big believer in open and accountable government.

Jason Toedter - Remember Jason? He applied for appointment as Bethlehem's Controller, a job the Courts ultimately gave to Bob Pfenning. Jason did work for Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan when he ran for Congress.

Republicans:

Tom Dietrich looks confused

Incumbents John Cusick, Tom Dietrich and Peg Ferraro are three incumbents seeking re-election. Two years ago, they formed a cabal to oust Ron Angle as Council President, after promising him their support. So, regardless what you might think of Ron, not one of these incumbents can be trusted to keep his or her word.

This year, they did it again. Cusick and Ferraro were both illegally elected President and VP with just three votes. This occurred at a meeting in which Republican Ferraro was permitted to participate by phone, but Democrat Ken Kraft was excluded.

They have avoided two opportunities to correct this blunder by conducting their vote again. The right way.

Maybe they think we forgot. I'm sure Democrats will remind everyone.

Ferraro will likely survive the onslought, but Cusick and Dietrich are in big trouble.

Seth Vaughn. - Seth came very close in his race against Ken Kraft last year. He's a great guy. Good ideas. Iraq War vet. Goes to meetings. But the mood of the country is against him right now. And if that were not bad enough, there's this candidate.

Tricia Mezzacappa - As if things were not already in the shitter for NorCo Republicans, the Wicked Witch of West Easton comes along and declares her candidacy. She's been convicted of disorderly conduct for threatening to drag Kelly Gross to the Delaware River and drown her. She claims she's incompetent to stand trial in my defamation action against her as a result of some "drug cocktail" she consumes.

Ron Angle. - Hey, you never know. He wants a pink gavel, too.

Updated 1:30 PM to include reference to Jason Toedter and note that Chris Amato has decided against running.