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| Jerry with his bride of 48 years, Julie |
This post is about Jerry's candidacy. Although both he and Ron Heckman spoke with Easton Democrats, only Jerry's video is available. (VIDEO HERE). I promise to bring you a separate post about Ron Heckman as soon as I can corner him.
Jerry spent 12 years as a Council member, four of them as its President. He is a former County Executive, leaving the County with a healthy surplus. He dedicated huge sums of money to develop county parks before open space was popular, and started the first farmland preservation program. He also spent eight years as Director of Court Services
Despite these achievements, Jerry is actually a blue collar guy. He was a machinist at Bethlehem Steel, as well as a union steward. He managed to juggle swing shifts with county service.
He also knows what it's like to come from nothing.
"We grew up in public housing," he explained about his own family. "We hardly had anything." So later in his life, Jerry served on the Boys and Girl Club. He also started the "youth field day program" to teach our kids about the outdoors, environment, hiking, boating and fishing. He started an annual banquet to raise money for these kids ten years ago, and just passed the million dollar mark last year.
He has no intention of sending our glossy mailers or running an expensive campaign. If he wins, he wins, If he doesn't, he's perfectly happy. He won't owe anyone a damn thing.
So what will he do if elected?
He believes the County must keep its commitment to Gracedale, its nursing home. Seyfried, along with former Council members Ron Heckman and Rich Grucela, lobbied against its privatization, both with Council and with Executive John Stoffa.
He wants to turn the criminal division over to the courts instead of keeping it under the wings of the County Administration. The County is owed $60 million in fines and costs, and that will be a lot easier to collect of a judge can issue a bench warrant as opposed to a criminal clerk using a collections agency.
Jerry also believes it's time for the County to return to long-range planning, something that has been neglected.
12 comments:
You do realize that some of these old people you are hyping supported keeping Gracedale and are endorsed by the COAF? How the Hell can you say they are any good?
You have many other candidates to pick from that bring fresh ideas and new perspectives.
jerry is a class act , his knowledge and years of experence are exactly what this county needs ... it's a mess , jerry is the perfect candiate and person to help straighten the mess out . we should all be grateful he cares enough to run. he can teach the young ones a thing or two if they are willing to listen~
Jerry is a great fund raiser and I know this first hand. I worked with him on the County's two hundred fiftieth Birthday Party. He was a one man fund raising committee. He cares about the County and cares about people. He and Ron Heckman get my vote.
All of court services, but for Archives, should be turned over to the Courts, much akin to the structure of the appellate courts. I agree with Jerry on this one.
The Judges abrogated their responsibility to collect fines and costs by the stroke of a pen in a court order, when all collection was sent from the Probation Department to the Criminal Division. However, the Criminal Division, by law, is not an enforcement agency, like the Probation Department. The Judges didn't want to look bad with a low collection rate, because they didn't think it was a priority.
It is time that the Judges take responsibility back. Also, the quasi-judicial position of the Register of Wills needs guidance from the Courts in rulings within that department. 99.9% of the work within Court Services is for the Courts. The Courts need supervision over the clerks that are assigned to them, much like the other staff (tipstaffs, stenos, law clerks...).
Finally we have someone who is not afraid to tell it like it is. Jerry is 100 percent right on this issue. Almost 70% of the County's budget is Courts and Court related. They should be responsible for collecting the monies owed the county for their costs etc, etc, not the Administration. The costs owed the County is more in the neighborhood of 70 million to 80 nillion by these criminals, not the sixty million Jerry quotes. You're a voice in the wilderness Jerry and I congratulate you for speaking out. Now, how about those other wimps on Council.
"You do realize that some of these old people you are hyping supported keeping Gracedale and are endorsed by the COAF? How the Hell can you say they are any good?"
I am well aware of the positions of each candidate. I supported Jerry long before the Fake Rev and his flock of three. In fact, he should be running for Exec, but i will take what I can get.
You can't go backwards to move forward. Time for some young blood.
Yeah, we saw that with the "new and young blood" from the election of 2009 in the county. They almost destroyed what had been accomplished over decades. A dose of real knowledge and experience would be noice to go with all the bluster.
Just yesterday, Jerry called me for the name of a fellow Council candidate he wants to help by introducing him to his supporters in the sportsmen clubs. Very classy.
So Seyfried is helping soemone his sponser Johnny Callahan asked him to help. What else is knew? The worst kept secret of the campaign so far.
Who is Jerry helping for Callahan?
Whoever Callahan tells him to help!
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