In Northampton County, the five Council seats up for grabs this year are "at-large", meaning that candidates are not confined to one specific geographic location. But in Lehigh County, the Commissioner races (they say commissioner, we say council member) are in five specific districts. District Two, which includes the Macungies, is represented by incumbent Percy Doughetrty. He's being challenged by Scott Aquila, a Dean at LCCC. If he survives the Republican primary, he'll face blogger Chris Casey, who's running as a Democrat. Chris believes that Dougherty, a Republican who supported public health, will lose to a man who's "in league with a "reform" group that believes we should not accept Federal and State funds to prove a point."
I'm not sure Aquila is in league with anyone. I spoke with Vic Mazziotti last week. He may be a card-carrying member of the conservative cabal on Lehigh County's Board, but he's also honest to a fault. St. Thomas More is his idol, while mine is Frank Zappa. Vic told me that he has not been asked to support anyone. He has offered his support to incumbent Tom Creighton, who has not been a member of the so-called reform team but is pretty damn conservative.
Here's Casey's pitch: "Unlike the members of the REpublican reform team, I am not a millionaire managing a plastics company, nor am I a retired County employee drawing a pension from one County while working for another. I am a blue collar guy working in a warehouse while my wife works for a hospital. We work for a living. Last year we paid over $15,000 in income taxes and after deductions, we received a refund of just over $3K. Of that $12k the Federal and state government kept, our so called reform team doesn't want to accept any of it back into the community. That is not just insanity, that is STUPIDITY."
It's a pretty good argument, but what if Dougherty wins the Republican primary?
18 comments:
Hoe Casey does well. lehigh needs fresh meat
hope
Sounds like a rational platform to me. How refreshing.
Bernie
According to Casey he barely makes ends meet but pays 12000 in Fed income tax. Based on 2012 brackets that seems impossible. Maybe he's counting social security an Medicare but if so is he advocating that money to fund the elderly is supposed to be repatriated to counties? Maybe he should publish his 1040 so we can see if the first statements of his campaign is a false one.
Even more oronic is his diatribe about mutual respect. This guy has written so many disrespectful things about those who ideolpgically disagree with him I have lost count. Some of it is just pure fiction and most is a stretch that makes the writer lose credibility. What say you about this?
I wish Casey luck. When he has written in the past, he has signed his name, which is more than you can say. His opponents can make an issue of anything they want.
Use as Evidence. No administrative regulation or change therein is valid for any purpose until filed by the Legislative Reference Bureau as required by sections 207 and 208 of the act of July 31, 1968 (P. L. 769, No. 240) (45 P. S. §§ 1207 and 1208) and 45 Pa.C.S. § 722 (relating to deposit of documents required). No filed document required to be published in the Code (except a rule of court) is valid against any person who has not had actual knowledge thereof until the supplement to the Code containing such a document has been deposited in the United States mail for distribution, 45 Pa.C.S. § 903 (relating to effective date of documents).
Certain rebuttable presumptions are raised by the publication of a document in the Code, 45 Pa.C.S. § 905 (relating to presumptions created). The text of regulations and certain other documents published in the Code is declared to be the only valid and enforceable text of such documents, 45 Pa.C.S. § 901 (relating to official text of published documents). The text of home rule charter documents published in the Code is prima facie evidence of the text approved by the electors, 45 Pa.C.S. §§ 722 and 901 (relating to deposit of documents required; and official text of published documents). Courts are required to take judicial notice of the contents of the Code, 45 Pa.C.S. §§ 506 and 507 (relating to judicial notice; and form of citation).
Bernie, My wife and I file jointly. Together, we had $12,616 taken for Fed payroll taxes. That doesn't include all the other boxes, nor the 1% PIT we pay Parkland School district.
Yes, my wife makes far more than me, as she does have an MBA. And it is no secret that I never finished my degree at Ohio State. I joined the army after three years of college and never finished.
The last three years have been tough due to my taking a 40% pay cut when my job was eliminated. I was on unemployment for almost six months before getting hired at Amazon in 2010.
I guess that makes me unfit for office too.
I still mow lawns, shovel snow and every summer for about six weeks I deliver Phone books for a few extra bucks.
And Yes, I do opposition research for candidates. Thank God Turbo Tax helps you properly enter all those forms on your return.
If being a hard worker is seen as a detriment by those who disagree with me politically, I think it says more about their attitude than anything they can say about mine.
I believe that Scott Aquila and Percy Dougherty are both men of good character. I will not speak or write anything detrimental about them personally. But I disagree with the political position that R County Chair Wayne Woodman is trying to pursue for our County Government. I don't believe that Mr. Woodman would recruit someone to run against Mr Dougherty who did not agree with Mr. Woodman's philosophy.
This is a disagreement about philosophies of how County government should function.
Certain locals have wanted me politically dead for years because I exposed bad behaviour at the local level back in 2005/2006.
That which doesn't kill me makes me stronger. I can't sit back and do nothing. while this power grab goes unchecked.
"The last three years have been tough due to my taking a 40% pay cut when my job was eliminated" & kept 60% of your pay ???? Did you file a 1099 with the P.A. Department-of-Revenue for unreported income? Delivering phonebooks is too Aqualung-ish. Information is 1-555 or 411. Call 911.....Mr. Pinp-in-Distress
Scott Aquilla is the Sec of the Lehigh county Gop
you also forgot to mention that district 2 includes South Whitehall which makes up 1/3 of the district
I do not think "reform" is the right term. It pitches their brand which in some cases is destructive to County Government and the services it provide.
I would like to hear more about how this gang rejected a highway safety grant.
(Saint)Sir Thomas More, known to Roman Catholics as Lord Chancellor from October 1529 to 16 May 1532. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1935 as one of the early martyrs of schism & patron of Catholic statesmen and politicians
More coined the word "utopia" – a name he gave to the ideal and imaginary island nation, the political system of which he described in Utopia,...May I live in "Rainbow Land" too Senatori ?
Great food at Geakers on Freemansburg ave
Chris either doesn't know what he is talking about, or he is a liar. During the last year, Lehigh County, has received hundreds of millions of dollars of Federal/state money. His statement is ridiculous.
Maybe somebody should mention to Mr. Casey that he could simply adjust his withholding and stop overpaying his taxes by $3000 each year....or perhaps he prefers the government earn all the interest on his money rather than him
Ohio State and Penn State playing hockey in the Big Ten next year should be fun.
Penn State has already played at the AHL arena of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Penguins and the Hershey Bears this season.
Perhaps someday, Penn State can play Ohio State at the transformative Allentown Arena.
I'm voting for Chris Casey in the hopes he lobbies for that because the NIZ is too big to fail.
The criminal trial of former Republican Party of Florida chair Jim Greer had promised to be embarrassing for party leaders, rising Republican star Marco Rubio and former Gov. Charlie Crist, who is contemplating a new political future as a Democrat.
But Greer's guilty pleas on Monday to four counts of theft and a single count of money laundering ended the trial before it even started and ensured that some state GOP secrets will remain confidential, at least for the time-being.
"There were a number of people who did not want this trial to go forward and the trial isn't going forward,"
Perhaps the Executive understands PTSD Post-Traumatic-Stress-SYNDROME. Think Trish Mezzacappa turned loose on L.A.N.T.A. The Leigh-High and Northampton Transportation Admin. Union doesn't authorize Hazzard-Pay by Contract-of-Business Agent.
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