Local Government TV

Thursday, October 03, 2013

Are Norco Council Dems Really Running as a Team?

Christen Borso
On Tuesday night, Northampton County Council candidates appeared before a few voters at Easton's South Side Civic Association. I only learned about the event the day after it happened. From speaking to a few people who were there, I learned the following:

1. Democrats Jerry Seyfried, Ron Heckman, Christen Borso and Tom O'Donnell were there, along with Republicans Peg Ferraro and Glenn Geissinger.

2. Democrats who spoke made clear that they are running as a team. They blamed Republicans for the attempted sale of Gracedale, the $25 million swaption, and building a centralized human services center instead of rehabbing older buildings. Their feeling is that John Callahan is going to have long coattails, so that if they stick together, they can win.

There has been some speculation that Christen Borso had splintered off with Tom O'Donnell. He is supposedly polling well despite barely winning the primary and being something of a nut in all public appearances. You see their signs together, and Borso's Facebook page makes clear they have been working together.

Borso backed McClure in the primary, even to the point of complimenting him after he took some nasty shots at eventual victor John Callahan, during a debate. That by itself makes me question her judgment, a point I have raised with her. Now she aligns with a borderline lunatic.

Why?

The thinking is that Council members like Ken Kraft and Lamont McClure want people they can control, and Borso and O'Donnell fit that mold. Union Agent Kraft denies this, insisting he has no ambition. But Borso's Facebook page is littered with all kinds of union mantras. And she got the LV Labor Council endorsement, though she never belonged to a union. . 

"Lighthouse," one of my readers, has an interesting football analogy:

"The team is about to get a new Quarterback [Callahan]. But the tailback [Ken Kraft] thinks he should be the Captain of the team, and starts maneuvering and angling before the QB is even on the field yet. He gets a frumpy rednosed lineman [Lamont McClure], and a former player who still likes to roam the sidelines thinking he still matters [Charles Dertinger], to help put pressure on the other players. Now the team, that looks like it had such potential is getting poisoned by the egos of a few players who want the power--not to help the team, but for pure sake of having the power. Now the new QB coming in has to watch his own back. Will he be tackled from behind? Will his lineman be a "look out" blocker?

Borso has responded to this suggestion on her Facebook page. Like Richard Nixon, she wants to be "crystal clear."

"I feel that it is necessary to make something crystal clear about my campaign. The Democrats running for Northampton County Council are running as a slate. However, we are all individuals. Not all of our ideas may be the same but that does not mean we are not qualified to continue to take the county in the right direction. The direction we are headed already.

"If you know anything about me you will know that first and for most I am a helpful and friendly individual. I will help anyone in my party with what ever they may need during this race. Candidate O'Donnell and I decided to help each other place signs etc. something I would help others if they asked. Remember we are part of a team and we will all win as a team this county cannot afford to have ANYONE from the tea party win!

"I feel it is important that people know that I am in this race to help all the residents in this county have their voice heard. I will be working for you. I thank you for your continued support -VOTE PURPLE!"

Lamont McClure hit "like" to that comment.

13 comments:

  1. Did your source tell you that this O'Donnell guy couldn't keep his mouth shut and continually answered questions not directed to him. He went on and on about being the most experienced person on nursing home operations, government fraud investigation and bridge and road construction. Something about helping run a Penndot type thing.

    He sounded a bit off the wall.

    The others both D's and R's sounded about the same on the whole. You could tell that Seyfried, Heckman and even Ferraro had been around and had a good understanding of county government.

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  2. Thank you for your first hand account. Which is better than my second hand account.

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  3. YO BO! I know Seyfried and Heckmans background and their experience, it is pretty straight forward. What is the deal with this O'Donnell guy? I read the post and have heard others say he has all these certifications and licenses and experience.

    Is this guy more smoke than fire? I don't even know what some of the things he mentions are.

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  4. the only thing worse than a political whore is a union connected political whore.

    A. J. Urbano

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  5. One thing is clear. Peg Ferraro has distanced herself from the other candidates on the Republican "team". They don't appear together and they don't try to compliment each other. The Democrats on the other hand have put together a strategy and from what you reported, a damn good one. Blaming the "R's" for selling Gracedale is telling it like it is Bernie. The R's with Ron Angle leading the charge, attempted to sell The County Nursing Home". They got burnt in the end. These same R's wouldn't listen when the financial system started going amok (now known as the swaption) and sat on their hands. That cost the county almost 25 million. AND, now that you bring it to our attention, these are the same R's that cut the capital budgets and let our County Buildings deteriorate. Good reporting Bernie. Now you're telling it like it is. Let's take this a step further, John Stoffa went along with all of this and his teabagger friend Mazziotti was running the financial show. Keep telling it like it is.

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  6. Actually, the only thing worse than a political whore is a corporate-connected political whore.

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  7. 7:13, The Dems were playing games, though they are effective ones.

    1. Gracedale's sale was backed by Rs, but also backed by Stoffa, a Democrat. I happen to be a Democrat, too, and actively supported the sale and sued over it. Gracedale's sale was opposed by peg ferraro, a republican.

    2. The swaption, a gimmick, was passed 5-4 in a bipartisan failure. It was proposed by Glenn Reibman, a Democrat. Republican Ron Angle repeatedly urged Council to pull the trigger, but they had no way of knowing whether it would go up or down. They were put in a bad position. If you had to blame anyone for that, it would be both parties and Reibman. I am told that O'Donnell tried to defend swaptions.

    3. Our County buildings deteriorate bc, whether it is a Democratic or Republican administration, that is what happens. We always have other fires to put out. This is also why county government should not be involved in a nursing home. It will only screw it up.

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  8. "What is the deal with this O'Donnell guy? I read the post and have heard others say he has all these certifications and licenses and experience."

    O'Donnell is a "certified fraud examiner." That's a fancy way of saying he isn't even an accountant. He lost in 2001, walks about 1/2 mile per hour, calls out questions that should be asked by people in the audience, used County Council to make a campaign pitch and was fired from his state job. I don't know if he ever got it back, but did file a grievance thru his union.

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  9. Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.

    Al Huxley

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  10. I think this Borzo woman is on the ticket because of McClure and Kraft. If she wins they hope to have an effective "voting block" on council. Even Barron is pushing this move.

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  11. Sorry, but that picture makes her look like a "garden gnome".

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