Most municipalities frown on political activity inside their government centers.. They refuse to allow campaign signs or banners. Employees who wear pins are asked to remove them. Northampton County does occasionally allow party meetings and debates, but that is it.
Yet AFSCME, on a bulletin board inside the courthouse, has posted its own flyers for Lamont McClure's Executive race. Does this mean that John Callahan and Glenn Reibman should be allowed to post their flyers on bulletin boards, too? Or should AFSCME be asked to remove the outdated McClure flyers?
37 comments:
It was claimed that Stoffa used county retiree lists to solicit votes. Should all county office candidates be afforded the same oppotunity?
The first three words of your comment says it all. "It was claimed." Claimed by whom? And who the hell are you? In case you haven't noticed, he's not running. This race is among Callahan, McClure and Reibman. Is it right for the union to be able to campaign for one candidate inside the courthouse walls when other are discouraged?
Good question and what about public schools ?
Verboten.
Word is the retiree list has been used and is going to be used again by someone with access.
Why aren't you looking into that one?
Because everything that follows "word on the street" is bullshit.
"Because everything that follows "word on the street" is bullshit."
You noticed that too?
raises a bigger question: in a primary race, why is afscme leadership/aka justice james, denying access to the bargaining unit to the other democratic contenders?
moreover, when McClure garners a whopping 12% of the vote, and AFSCME burned bridges with the nominee, will James have served his consttituency well?
No. Absolutely not. Taxpayers fund these buildings.
If the majority of AFSME employees support him , and not just the leadership, then it should be allowed. The county gave the union the right to use certain billboards for their personal use.
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I believe that the AFSCME contract requires the county to provide them with a bulletin board in the courthouse for their use in posting union materials. This was purely a notice of a meeting where candidate McClure was invited. It is in a somewhat obscure location and is hardly that offensive.
Isn't government retirees names and addresses public information? If not, it should be. The amount of their pension is public information and their salaries are public information. The cost of their medical benefits are also public information. Everything about a public official or a retiree is public information. A candidate should ask for the list and see if they are denied. Then lets take it to the next level. What is good for one is good for the other.
On the other side of that coin, Union membership lists are not open to all candidates.
If McClure is running to represent the unions, who represents the taxpayer?
If it's an approved union bulletin board and because the notice is only soliciting attendance for a "meet and greet" of a candidate they support, I see no foul.
If it had posted a "Vote For" message visible to the public, that might be different.
Despite his garrish billboard on 22, McClure will be a distant runnerup in the May primary. AFSCME is backing the wrong horse. Callahan will owe nothing to union malcontents which will allow him to play hardball during contract negotiations. That will be the only way he can avoid a tax hike during his first term in office.
BTW what has happened to Reibman? He seems to be vanishing into obscurity.
Word on the street is, mess with the local branch of AFSCME and you will receive some swift "Justus"
Where is te bulletin board locATED IN the Courthouse for the Unions perusual? I've never seen or heard of such a thing. When I tried to post a meet and greet on a bulletin board I was told the Home Rule Charter forbids posting of a candidates name when affiliated with Union activity. This is a violation of the Charter and the posting was removed. Why is it different now?
9:42, You are parsing. It's obvious political activity. Don't insult our intelligence trying to pretend otherwise.
"Where is te bulletin board locATED IN the Courthouse for the Unions perusual? I've never seen or heard of such a thing. "
On the lower level, on the way to the cafeteria. Right outside the offices set aside for the Morning Call and Express Times.
"If McClure is running to represent the unions, who represents the taxpayer?"
Actually, he is running only to protect union agents, not the rank-and-file.
AFSCME rank-and-file seems to support Callahan, for the most part. A few weeks ago, Callahan visited the row offices, trying to get a handle on what they do. The people who work there appreciated that. Neither McClure nor Reibman have made that kind of effort.
McClure is a poor excuse for a Councilman and will be a poorer excuse for an Executive. It's truly a shame that all we have to pick from is what is running now.
Give me Heckman or give me death.
Why would McClure or Reibman visit the row offcies, since they are very familar with county operations. You really are in the bag for Callahan. Callahan knows nothing of county government and needs to go. Until this race he didn't even know were the courthouse was. The guy is clueless and got lost gong to Gracedale.
You are really doing your toadie job of twising the story to suit your agenda.
The people in the courthouse think Callahan is a tool. They have heard about him from their Bethelehem city counterparts and want no part of him.
Last time I drove thru Easton, which was this morning, it appeared as if Callahan has taken over the town with those blue and green signs everywhere. You'll probably find one in the courthouse considering the way they have been popping up.
The people in the courthouse are worried Callahan will screw the fiscal pooch and have to borrow to met payroll. They're also afraid they'll have to participate in Callahan family cover ups involving destruction of taxpayer property.
"The people in the courthouse are worried Callahan will screw the fiscal pooch and have to borrow to met payroll. They're also afraid they'll have to participate in Callahan family cover ups involving destruction of taxpayer property."
keep trying, but this one's getting old. try inventing a new fabricated scandal.
i'll give you this-you work hard...but so do washing machines
FREEDOM!!!!!
No campaigning allowed, Unethical is unethical. To do so means if an employee that does the job is subject to anything that remotely carries some ones name or what ever ...this is unfair to the worker bee.Forget names on here ,forget union on here, try to think in terms of what is best for.....and not for any one person.The bigger person will NOT have to get their name around ,the public is not completely stupid IF ISSUES ARE PUBLISHED in the free press first.Remember what I suggested before about the hanging of the unethical from bridges in their venue with a sign that say's 'I cheated the tax payer" That's right I said it!!
Bernie, I also have a problem with appointments to public positions and not use of basic fundamental PERSONNEL selection based on the best qualified candidate, This issue really pisses me off! II believe it was so bad at one time that real people that were able to perform jobs their ----JUST DID NOT APPLY because they did not know anybody to get a job. Yes, I said that too.The tax payer loses talent . Give me a LEADER THAT KNOWS THIS ,PLEASE! Then we shale prosper. ETHICS ,PERSONAL INTEGRITY and MORAL CHARACTER-- Find this person.
Does the Morning Call & Express Times pay rent?
They should if they don't...
Borrowing to meet payroll should greatly concern all county employees. The political class who've endorsed Callahan don't have to worry about his screwy accounting jeopardizing their checks.
Should Callahan be campaigning in the courthouse?
no, and he wasn't. He was familiarizing himself with the row offices. Reibman has not visited the courthouse in 8 years. McClure has never been in a row office, to my knowledge.
"Borrowing to meet payroll should greatly concern all county employees. The political class who've endorsed Callahan don't have to worry about his screwy accounting jeopardizing their checks."
This is misleading. There have been no tax anticipation notes in bethlehem. In fact, Callahan has reduced debt in Bethlehem by $95 million. He has finished the last two years with healthy surpluses.
There was a practice of juggling money from different accounts to meet payroll at the beginning of the year. That is not borrowing, but it is not good practice, and it has been largely stopped.
"Why would McClure or Reibman visit the row offcies, since they are very familar with county operations."
Reibman is very unfamiliar with county operations, which is who voters dumped him 8 years ago. I have never seen McClure in a single row office. Never.
Nice bullshit O'Hare. Of the three candidates Callahan is the most clueless. Also he has treated Bethlehem workers like crap and the county people are well aware of that.
We'll see in May.
Yes Bernie, we'll see in May,
just like the referendum, you and your misguided minions will be disappointed. To Democratic voters, anyone who's supported by the BO/angle cabal should be a sign for them to look elsewhere!
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