Let me supplement those reports by telling you that she is also a member of Bangor Borough Council. She was appointed to fill the vacancy created when Marino Saveri resigned on September 9.
She filed her Council application just one day after she registered to vote. She was selected over the fire chief, the chair of the Zoning Hearing Board and a civil service board member.
Obviously, the fix was in.
The vote was 2-2-1, with Merlo and the fire chief each getting two votes.
Mayor John Brown, our soon-to-be County Executive, broke the tie in what certainly appears to be a vote for the least qualified person.
My guess is they'll be filling another vacancy soon.
Her Facebook page indicates she is employed at the Sands Casino.
The question in my mind is whether other apples will soon fall from that tree. Based on what I've seen, she may have been at that school for several years.
58 comments:
I never would have thought she would be interested in a female student.
Why the accompanying boy's photo? How about a photo of the accused?
Why did Bangor borough council president Cathy Allen and school teacher Ken Brewer Jr. vote for the least qualified applicant over three other people with current community service resume's to fill the council vacancy for the departed Saveri who is Mrs. Allen's employer?
Bernie, I hate to correct you, but the Fire Chief did not run for any Council seat. Several members of the FD did, just not the Chief. Keep up the good work. Thank You.
Wrong and obviously you were not there. Read the approved minutes before you try to correct the truth.
2 BFD people ran for public offices. 1 for mayor and 2 for council during the general election. Willard lost and Rhodes won a council seat in 1st ward. Rhodes lost to Joe Cap in the mayoral contest.
Looks like the strapadicktome operation was a success and brings on male testosterone quite naturally
Pius doesn't need this negative publicity. It's too bad. Gotta feel bad for the kids.
If it isn't priests and choir boys..it's coaches and players. Go figure?
What I posted is accurate. Also, instead of obsessing over whether a candidate is the chief, you need to be asking why two Council members and the Mayor voted for the least qualified operson.
Background checks and PFA's are of no use..really.
It would appear that the Mayor has poor decision making capabilities. Will he make the same mistakes in appointing Cabinet members to important positions as the County Executive?
You will have to ask him and those council members why they voted the way they did.
Well, the Facebook page is down, indicating that Ms. Merlo does have a little common sense. (Or maybe a good lawyer?) But then again, going for a 17 year old on the team shows common sense isn't her strong suit.
I do not understand why the Call and ET left out the Bangor Borough Council tidbit. Was it an oversight??
My thoughts are with the victim and her family. Given the timing and details, it seems likely to me that this relationship was still active when the police got involved. If a 17 year old has a cell phone and a car, it's unlikely that the parents had any clue that this was happening. I also wonder if this is how the girl was "outed" to her family. That is tough. Parents are not psychic and teens will do the damnedest things. I just hope the teen and her parents are able to move past this quickly.
Regardless of the outcome of the case against Merlo, she will never be able to run away from google. Her indiscretions will be preserved forever. And I do hope that there was only one kid who received this special attention.
Any relation to "banned from the bench" District Justice Maryester Merlo from Allentown? Both look like pretty tough lesbians.
That there "Duck Dynasty" dude pretty much summed up what the gay & lesbian community is doing to our society as a whole (not the hole where these sinners insert foreign devices either).
She looks a lot like the waitress that falsely claimed that a couple wrote an anti-gay message on their receipt.
12:10 - that couldn't have been a false claim. we'd have read about it everywhere, just like the original highly charged accusation, right?
I called a duck once. He showed up and said, "you're not really a duck are you?" I was very embarrassed and he felt like I wasted his time.
I do not have any relation to either the victim or the accused, but just have some food for thought to those that are quick to judge.....Do any of you realize that the "anonymous" people were the girls parents? Do any of you know that the father sexually abused the daughter when she was 9 years old? Who's the real pedifile? What does having a seat on the borough council have anything to do with the other? Are those of you that want to comment on looks or appearances want to post pictures of yourselves so that we can comment and pass judgement? And do any of you know that she wasn't an official coach? Just helped out at practices once in a while? Funny how less than 30 days can make or break you....seems that maybe the parents are just pissed off to find out that their daughter likes to munch a little carpet. Or maybe they are trying to get money out of this like the rest of sue happy America. How does that saying go? Let he, who is without sin, cast the first stone.
Monkey Momma, My guess is that this was not reported by the print media bc they were unaware. This blog supplements what they reported.
10:09, So far as I know, there is no relation.
2;11..there are always extenuating circumstances to any story. This is a political blog..not a news paper outlet. The crime is only part of the story as there is also political intrigue afoot. The crime is tragic on many different levels and justice will take it's course. The political fall out is yet to be determined.
2:11, It is important to disclose her position on borough council bc she needs to resign. Immediately. Having sex with a 17 yo girl demonstrates z complete absence of judgment. So does supplying that minor with marijuana. People like that should not be making decisions for the rest of us.
As for your anonymous attack against this child's parents, I guess you think they haven't suffered enough.
I see no way for her to continue to serve the public welfare as a member of Bangor borough council. She needs to resign right now and concentrate on her personal life. That is not a judgement call as she has admitted to the crime already if the reports are accurate. Tragic all the way around.
A 17 year old knows what she wants and is not a child. The girl is a mat muncher, so what? Maybe she is experimenting. she mat be bi.
She is only a few months from college. All the girls today experiment with lesbianism before they commit to penis. It is the way of the world today.
A lot of angst over no big deal. Get on with life.
Word on the street is that Brown is keeping Stoffa's cabinet. That is disgusting. People voted just the opposite. What the Hell is Brown thinking. These are the people that have run the county into the ground.
If he wants experience their are plenty of people out there that have real experience and were successful.
Alibi's and excuses and shifting blame are of no use when you violate another person and break the law. Pa. law will be enforced whether you like it or not. Without the law..there is chaos and anarchy so don't do the crime if you can't do the time. Actions have consequences. She will have her day in court and then she can plead her circumstances.
3:59 is obviously nutz.
There are many of theses incidences with lesbian adults working in schools and going after young girls. This is a real problem and why tolerance for gay lifestyle is fragile. This is another layer of worry for parents . It is so much about sex and nothing else.
Thank you Bernie for making it easier to prove I'm not a robot.
Far too many of these people have few if any boundaries. This is a problem for many of us who strive to live with and to teach our children what dignity is. It seems to be a missing element with this lifestyle. Perverbial horny teenagers.
Gay "relationships" are all about sex. It is multiple partners at all times. There is nothing normal about it.
(CNN) -- California has become the first state in the nation to allow transgendered students to choose which school bathrooms and locker rooms to use and which sport teams to join based on their gender identity.
Gov. Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill No. 1266 into law Monday. The law will go in to effect January 1.
The law is the nation's first that specifically requires equal access to public school facilities and activities based on gender identity, though some states have general policies to the same effect, said Shannon Price Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights -- one of several groups backing the legislation.
Devon Marchant, a transgender nursing student at Folsom Lake Community College, applauded the new law.
"I mentor families across the nation, and I believe this will give them the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities or sports without fear of discrimination or prejudice against transgender people," Marchant told CNN affiliate KCRA.
Some parents opposed it.
"Just because they're confused doesn't mean they have to confuse everybody else," Maria Garcia told CNN affiliate KXTV.
"Times are changing, and it's not going to get any different," parent Pam Judson told KXTV. "Other things are going to come up in the future that people aren't going to be happy with. But, you know, life is changing."
Old values are no longer the societal norm. Whose fault is that?
Question, why was it unfair previously on your blog that Julian Stolz an elected official in a position of power who was 20 at the time an dating a 15 year old was being forced to resigned. But this woman was having sex with a fellow female who was 17 year (which i do believe is actually the age of consent here no?) needs to be fired immediately? ..."Having sex with a 17 yo girl demonstrates a complete absence of judgment" as you said. So surely a 20 year old "Dating" a 15 year old is wrong too. And don't use Julian's excuse being that it was "never sexual in nature" because well we're all smart people here. And a 20 year old doesnt have to have actual sex with a 15 year old for it to be illegal sexual contact.
A 19 yo who goes on a few innocent dates with a 15 yo, and who does so under parental supervision, is one thing. A 29 yo who preys on a 17 yo, who has sex with her and uses toys, and who supplies her with marihuana, is a criminal. Had Julian done anything like what is alleged of Merlo, you'd have him swinging from the nearest tree.
Your analogy is hate-driven bullshit, the kind of thing I get at 2 am.
Anonymously.
Court papers say the girl was stoned and the adult was not. A non-stoned adult is expected not to take sexual advantage of a stoned teen.
I have deleted a comment from John Morgan, who runs Pa Progressive and is trying to liken Stolz to Merlo, Pontificate your nonsense elsewhere, Morgan. I find nothing progressive in your view.
I deleted a few more comments having nothing to do with this story. Post your hate on Morgan's blog. It is not welcome here, nor is that phony "progressive".
Didn't know pointing out your hypocrisy had anything to do with progressive ideology, but hey good to know thanks Bern!
And Julian Stolz's case has plenty to do with this story because you attack this girl but yet claim it was ok for Julian. Get the facts straight besides the marijuana (which we all know should be legalized any how) this girl was 17 and could consent. Julian (which again you said was NO big issue) 20 dating a girl fresh out of 9th grade, but that was ok? Righttttttt (also i love your little "Julians dates with his 15 year old girl friend were supervised by adults" comment 1 because it never came up in any story or from Julian himself and 2 what would a 20 year old (adult) dating a 15 year old need another adult there to supervise it for? Hahaha. Hmm So the people Bernie likes can do whatever they please? Or do you just not like her because she's a lesbian? What is it bucko? & I'm sure this comment won't last too long on here either. Censorship (especially when it's proving someone wrong or are disagree with them) is totally awesome!
@7:37 aka Kevin Chang/Anna Karina, this article is about a person who like Stolz was caught in a compromising position with a student while serving the school district. I think Bernie's main point is that like Stolz Merlo should resign from her position.
Stolz will be back soon enough he is merely on a hiatus from politics as the result of your shameful pestering. Merlo unlike Stolz has been accused of supplying this girl with cannabis something that has proven to make girls horny.
Don't try to beat the Stolz drum he is above your petulant snipes.
Both situations were wrong......our schools though use to be a safe place for kids. Enter drugs and then all of this acceptance of gays and now we have predators both male and female using students for sex. It use to be an occasional young male teacher with high school girl but now it seems its gay men and lesbians who have taken center stage. Find them on the internet. There are many. Too many. Many gay people don't want children nor do they find a way to have them. They are advocates for abortion and we wonder why they don't value kids and their innocence. It's just more bad news for parents and their children. Not to mention a functioning society.
All additional comments trying to draw an analogy between something that is not criminal and something that is, will be deleted.
Let me add that any person who thinks what an adult having sex with a 17 yo is not committing a crime, is just dead wrong. It is still sexual assualt. It is still corruption of minors.
"Obviously, the fix was in."
Agreed. That is also the case in Bethlehem. It is really a shame but the fix is in Bernie. I feel bad for all those folks putting in applications. The ne wage egos have already decided on one of their own.
FYI. Age of concent in PA is 16..... It's a misdemeanor charge. If she have the student money and the student in turn bought the pot, how did Merlo buy the pot? If the money never went directly from her to the drug dealer?
Gave*
From the Pa. Crimes Code:
"a person who is a volunteer or an employee of a school or any other person who has direct contact with a student at a school commits a felony of the third degree when he engages in sexual intercourse, deviate sexual intercourse or indecent contact with a student of the school."
***
" 1(ii) Whoever, being of the age of 18 years and upwards, by any course of conduct in violation of Chapter 31 (relating to sexual offenses) corrupts or tends to corrupt the morals of any minor less than 18 years of age, or who aids, abets, entices or encourages any such minor in the commission of an offense under Chapter 31 commits a felony of the third degree."
The law is quite clear in this matter. Your personal feelings are of no consequence as to the degree of right or wrong. It is a crime in Pa. to do what is alleged here. Admitting to it probably won't lessen the impact of the sentence. It is a violation of the public's trust when you engage in sex with another person under these circumstances. Jail time coming for Ms.Merlo.
Then again we have a gay teacher in a nearby. state who had sexual encounters with a boy student. The union is supporting the teacher in this case. I may be wrong but it seems that 8 or 9 out of 10 cases are gays preying on students. You didn't hear about this so much before. Now they are totally open and they don't worry so much about the consequences. I believe I heard the gay organization doesn't believe the law should apply to them the way it does to straight men and woman. We ask for this by not expecting any boundaries from people. No values and no morals means no rules.
The man boy organization which may or may not still be in existence was allowed to go on for years. What do we expect????
Children are trying to figure out this world of sex and where they fit in. That does not mean they should be used by adults. Even if the adult is emotional 12.....
Agree with the above. Any school official who has inappropriate contact with a student is wrong. they are pedophiles and should be prosecuted.
All true, all true!
There are those among us who forget that our Greek forefathers engaged in and promoted a culture of man boy love, this phenomenon of outlawing such practices is the result of a radically prudish sexually repressed society. Yet we let Miley twerk in a leotard for all the youngsters to see and emulate at the Christmas dances nationwide.
Well this was not true for the Romans so I am not so sure the Greeks were okay with homosexuality. We all know what is natural and it is not natural for 2people of the same sex to do this. Would any of us or any animal be here if not for the male female connection? If all of the men die tomorrow as many of the lesbians pray for there would be no more of anyone...now we are seeing men married to many wives and we are legalizing it, look at Utah this is what gay marriage is bringing us. I am sure we will venture into multiple People marrying also I don't share well so for me this is more about sex and not love devotion or children. . There are those who want communal living but most of us prefer monogony . Pandora's box has been opened by the militant activist and again the rest of us choose to be okay with it. Just as men, what ,men we have left are different then woman so too are we different then gay people. We start out different, love and live different and when we bring our own children In The world we quickly learn that they are first and foremost and with both parents. Not everyone will do this but that's because they do not want to. Then we have the lesbians who marry for children, like that works out for the father and the kids....almost never.
By the way the Greeks were not my forefathers.
Although this volunteer coach is obviously a lesbian, her infraction is the result of pedophilia. Numerous studies report that the incidence of pedophilia among homosexuals is about the same or just slightly higher for homosexuals.
It's not my lifestyle, but I don't knock it.
I'd also agree that many 17 yo children look older than they are and are physically more than capable. But they are immature, and that is why the law exists.
Who lets Miley do anything??? All you can do is never buy her music or watch her on any show or at a concert. She is vile. She is vile and is another activist for gays. See a connection? Now some live their life and don't bother with the activism but I the end they all stick together and get behind their issues. They are very militant and therefor we need to be firmer ourselves. Tolerance and political correctness is going to be our demise.
We worry more about the few sexually confused kids and send them in bathrooms with the opposite sex and who cares about the majority having their privacy rights infringes upon. So let's mess up the rest of the kids while we are at it. And why is it that you never hear a lesbian say they want to use the boys room???? Right. Don't need to be a brain to figure that one out.
I presume you're referring to Miley Cyrus, the Disney star who embarrassed the world by twerking on an MTV awards show. That show is known for pushing the envelope, and has done so in the past. i do not watch TV, but caught her act on youtube. I thought it was vile, but certainly no more vile than many other productions that don't seem to raise an eyebrow. I believe she was trying to be an artist and also was trying to break out from the Disney mold.
I know nothing about her personal life or her stands on social issues bc I don't really care. She is an entertainer.
As for the intolerance from the LGBT movement,I pretty much agree. Instead of seeking tolerance or equality, too many of them demand what one author calls "celebratory approval."
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/366896/age-intolerance-mark-steyn
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-quoted directly from their web site....
"There is no legitimate scientific research connecting homosexuality and pedophilia. Sexual orientation (homosexual or heterosexual) is defined as an adult attraction to other adults. Pedophilia is defined as an adult sexual attraction or perversion to children. In a study of 269 cases of child sex abuse, only two offenders where found to be gay or lesbian. More relevant was the finding that of the cases involving molestation of a boy by a man, seventy-four percent of the men were or had been in a heterosexual relationship with the boys mother or another female relative. The conclusion was found that "a child's risk of being molested by his or her relative's heterosexual partner is over one hundred times greater than by someone who might be identifiable as being homosexual." "....for all the homophobes out there.
The incidence of pedophilia among homosexuals is roughly the same or slightly higher than among heterosexuals. Part of the problem in studies of this kind is that it is hard to peg people who might be confused themselves. But I did research this. I do not have links at the moment, but it is roughly the same.
Another point. Children of gay couples are just as likely to be gay or hetero as children of male/female relationships.
My only concern is that they may feel pressure to be gay in the same way that gay kids feel pressured to be straight.
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