Local Government TV

Thursday, December 12, 2013

How J.B. Reilly and Joe Topper Bought the NorCo Exec Seat


Allentown's controversial Neighborhood Improvement Zone is Senator Pat Browne's gift to his childhood chum, J.B. Reilly. Thanks to that state law, millionaire Reilly and his millionaire partner, Joe Topper, have a good shot at becoming billionaires. In Allentown, they are using state tax revenues to fund improvements within a 130-acre special tax zone created just for them. They will benefit immensely. The rest of us? Not so much. You'll be happy to know that Reilly has expanded his claws beyond Allentown to the center of Northampton County government. He just bought the Executive seat. Let me tell you the story.

The original draft of the NIZ law, which really was overlooked by most state legislators, was so broad that Reilly could even use the tax revenues owed to other municipalities to erect his pyramids. He already has lured other Lehigh Valley businesses with subsidized rents subsidized with revenues that should be spent on Allentown's failing schools.

Some townships sued. Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan did not, but did complain about its size and its adverse impact on his own City. Callahan's empty Martin Tower is just a stone's throw away. Who the Hell would go there when Reilly is robbing education funds for subsidized tenants in his buildings?

Callahan's criticism, mild as it was, angered Allentown Mayor Edwin "call me Guv'" Pawlowski. More importantly, it angered Reilly's urban growth regime and the unelected aristocrats in the Lehigh Valley who rule through tools like Pawlowski.

Reilly and Topper needed to take Callahan out. They used the one weapon they have - money. In the closing days of the NorCo Exec race between Callahan and John Brown, they funneled $50,000 into Brown's coffers. They made sure to wait until the final reporting period so that the rest of us would have no clue that the Executive seat was being bought. But now that the reports are out, I have finally connected the dots.

In the closing days of the Executive race, while most of us were paying attention to the Scott Ott v. Tom Muller campaign, mischief was afoot in Northampton County. Suddenly, Callahan was ambushed out of the blue with TV ads and mailers featuring John Brown. Where did this money come from? Brown's pre-election report made him appear like a David facing Goliath. The money was already there and being spent. It just wasn't in Brown's coffers.

According to campaign finance reports filed by the Republican State Committee of Pa., Reilly donated $25,000 to the Republican party on October 14. That same day, Reilly partner Joe Topper kicked in another $25,000. Interestingly, on a report for the entire state party, Reilly and Topper are the only individuals listed in this reporting period. Obviously, they weren't supporting Philadelphia candidates. Their money was intended for Brown. The rest of the state party's money comes from PACs and candidate campaigns.

And guess what? John Brown's post-election report, filed last week, discloses $41,217.12 in last-minute, in-kind contributions from the Republican Party of Pa.

Reilly and Topper could not risk giving it to Brown directly. That would be too obvious and Northampton County residents would resent Lehigh  County developers coming in and taking over. So they laundered the money via the state party. This is perfectly legal. Both parties do it. But it's no way to claim transparency.

Brown has been reluctant to identify his transition team or name his new cabinet. Now you know why. Reilly is obviously involved. He's in the shadows, but he's there.

The state party also gave Council candidate Peg Ferraro $1,000.

So there you have it. The Northampton County Executive seat is firmly in the grasp of Lehigh County developers who are already sucking state tax dollars out of Allentown. I'm sure we have no reason to worry.

51 comments:

  1. Bernie"Bottom" and Joe "Topper" would make an excellent title for my next mildly erotic RCN 4 production Co-Produced by Jolly Joe, Chris Michaels and Gary Laubach. It will air late, but not so late that Jolly Joe can have a nice vidi.

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  2. Bernie Bernie Bernie....Callahan didn't lose because of Reilly's money-even with those donations,Callahan had over 500k-and he still lost. Callahan lost because he sat on his royal behind,like the little prince he believes himself to be,and didn't campaign. While John Brown was knocking on doors throughout Bethlehem,and kissing babies in Easton-Callahan was having drinks at the Edge with Hoffmeir,Willie and Billy K. Callahan didn't even poll until the last minute,believing that John Brown would only capture 30% of the vote. Maybe if he spent less time telling his donors about his race for Gov in the next election or measuring curtains up at the county and spent a little more time in his own city campaigning - MAYBE,then he would have had a chance.,but I doubt it. The better man won.

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  3. I give Brown all the credit in the world for running an excellent campaign. But if you think that $50k from the NIZ twins made no difference, you're wrong. Also, the lack of transparency and attempt to disguise it is troubling. Government is not business. It needs to be open and accountable. I question Brown's commitment to open and transparent government. He might prove to be very transparent, but the signs are bad.

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  4. Callahan has had a "for sale" sign up in Bethlehem for ten years. He had already sold the county to his numerous developer donors. You are really stretching to try and make this case.

    Callahan was a victim of his own political success. The only challenging race he ever ran in was against Jim Delgrosso ten years ago. Even then Delgrosso relied on his own name and didn't even campaign. Callahan with the Cunningham treasury and supporters at his disposal won a close race. After that he had no Dem opponents which means no opponents in Bethlehem.

    So basically the guy was never really tested in ten years. The only time he was in the Congressional race he was beat worse than 'Call me Charles' Dertinger.

    John Callahan became a legend in his own mind and in the minds of his handlers. He and his handlers forgot to tell the voters he was a legend. The guy even jumped in the middle of a messy mayoral primary to endorse a candidate. That really sat well with the Democrats that had to run with him on the county ticket. That move alone can help account for his drubbing in Bethlehem.

    The guy was toast before he was declared toast. The Callahan Clan were all sizzle and no steak matey!

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  5. I would rather see an incoming candidate take his time and get a real feel for the employees in place/interview and research all the incoming prospective employees before jumping the gun and throwing press conferences with shabby replacements/political appointments. Maybe not as "transparent" as you would like,but I'll bet we'll see some great people coming in at a county level.

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  6. No. It is not transparent at all. And I question whether Brown or the Lehigh Valley Partnership is calling the shots. I also doubt very much that there will be any effort to get a feel for the employees in place.

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  7. I love it... Callahan raises 500K plus... but it is the the final 50K that Brown receives that makes the whole election. Bernie, cry a little more in your beer. Oh never mind you are a recovering disbarred drunk.

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  8. Lets be honest, John Brown like John Stoffa, is picking the top cabinet picks based on what his top Republican money men tell him.

    I have some real concerns, particularly in Human Resources and Human Services.

    That Bradt guy was a flaming disaster and he is advising. This could be the one place were Brown could really screw up.

    I hope he gives this position a great deal of thought. He will discover an undisciplined spending black hole over there as the result of eight years of little oversight of the Divisions. These guys have been doing what they want.

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  9. Same thing happened in Bethlehem Township. Go figure. Shape of things to come I guess.

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  10. Callahan lost because he was an ethically challenged mess with a disastrous record of fiscal mismanagement and corruption in Bethlehem. Stop making excuses for a terrible candidate. You tried to make him look like a saint after you tore him to shreds on Dent's behalf just two years earlier. Voters aren't as desperate for attention as you and didn't buy the conversion of John from a typical political dirtbag to Mr. Smith Goes To Walnut Street.

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  11. Yo Idiots......this article is about questionable donations to a candidate who told all of us he was pearly white. This article isn't about Callahan. Brown recieved some back door donations that really overshadow the pearly white campaign he was displaying to us the voters. Only time will tell if what Bernie reported is factual. Laundering money the way Brown did it is perfectly legal and is done all the time. Who is giving those donations is where we should have our guards up.
    STICK TO THE STORY MAINFRAME PLEASE. THE STORY IS ABOUT QUESTIONABLE DONATIONS THROUGH THE BACKDOOR TO A COUNTY EXECUTIVE CANDIDATE AND WHAT REPERCUSSIONS WILL WE THE TAXPAYER HAVE. GOOD REPORTING BERNIE.

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  12. OH AND BY THE WAY, i AGREE, CALLAHANS CAMPAIGN WAS A DISASTER.

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  13. This report is terribly troubling but first of all, why don't taxpayers insist the state legislature change campaign laws to forbid this type of dishonesty.

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  14. STICK TO THE STORY MAINFRAME PLEASE. THE STORY IS ABOUT QUESTIONABLE DONATIONS THROUGH THE BACKDOOR TO A COUNTY EXECUTIVE CANDIDATE AND WHAT REPERCUSSIONS WILL WE THE TAXPAYER HAVE. GOOD REPORTING BERNIE.


    ditto

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  15. All donations for both candidates were perfectly legal. Don't hate the players. Hate the game and ask the state rule makers to change it. Brown's legal contributions were dwarfed by Callahan's legal contributions. Period. No need to scream with all caps to compensate for a small penis.

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  16. This will really endear you to the incoming administration Bernie. You backed a loser this time. You knew better and still picked the wrong horse. Fair and balanced? I think not but keep burning your bridges anyway. He hasn't even taken office yet for cripes sake.

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  17. Choices have consequences..you chose poorly.

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  18. Don't worry..be happy!

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  19. This money dump from Topper and Reilly played only small part in Callahan's loss. John's campaign made mistakes because they did not know how to run against a guy with little or no name recognition. Combine that with the fact that Democrats nation wide were getting hammered in these elections due to the national issues, particularly the Obamacare rollout failure.
    It was in essence a perfect storm that led to Callahan losing-campaign mistakes, late money for negative ads against Callahan, and a national trend against Democrats dues to Obamacare. Callahan could have overcome 1 or 2 of these, but all three led to his demise.

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  20. I agree with many above. Brown was on his way to winning if not already there by the time he got this money. No real story here. Just sour grapes form BO whose judgement is and has been questionable. Not sure what that says but I think maybe while Bernie writes a good blog I don't think I'd look to him for life's guidance or his picks on winners and losers. I do wish our tax money wasn't handed out so easily also.

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  21. Norco more corruption what a joke of politics.

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  22. "This will really endear you to the incoming administration Bernie."

    Do you think I give a shit about "endearing" myself to an administration? I happen to be more interested in the truth that in being someone's pal.

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  23. Good reporting on this one Bernie, I told you so!

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  24. "This money dump from Topper and Reilly played only small part in Callahan's loss."

    Oh I agree and have expounded on that in detail in several articles. This article is about the money dump. You can stick your head in the sand and pretend that it had nothing to d with brown's victory, or you could start asking why he would allow two people from out of town come in and give him $50k.

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  25. "Good reporting on this one Bernie, I told you so!"

    Several of my friends were suspicious that this might have happened. Turns out they were right.

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  26. John would have been a good executive. Oh well, that's life in the big city.

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  27. I am waiting for the world record - mother of all - horizontal wells to be installed from center city Allentown all the way to Marcellus shale country so the NIZ can tap into the Marcellus Impact fee. Who knows, maybe they could call an underground pipeline a horizontal well and plop a meter on 7th and Hamilton and call that the point of extract.

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  28. Brown was renewLV's fab photo contest winner the Monday before the election. Was that a signal of support to their members. Prior to that, the winners were announced on Thursday.

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  29. Anon 8:45 wasn't that the same excuse you guys used when Callahan had his clock cleaned against Dent. Keep following your messiah. No one else is anymore.

    The guy is toast and was before the election. No one or nothing to blame but himself. Flawed to the core.

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  30. I have met John Brown and I don't think that pandering to developers is on his agenda.

    He has his work cut out for him in bringing efficiencies and cost savings to NorCo.

    I like you, Bernie, but you never met a conspiracy you didn't like.

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  31. Dude, the 2 NIZ developers gave $25k apiece. They did not do this bc they care about good government in NC. I'll be watching.

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  32. For Jesus sake , lets not already condemn a new leadership council.Wait and see . observe and watch. Learn from history what does not work . Condemnation of Mrs F. on COLA ,well she is right . If Ronald H.Scmuckatella ,county employee wanted to help his cost of living he should have put it away in some some other vehicle,and not a Lexis! County should have a have plan.

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  33. I use a IRS 457 currently, it reduces my taxable income during employment ,I put about 1/3 of my base salary in my 457 presently ,for my widow. I say widow as she may kill me off from stress at Christmas time spending habits. Never the less I do this for her so she is not a INDIGENT old lady -someday- I want a Mustang 5.0 but will not get one for another year or so . Issue is ,county should offer a 457 plan for employees.

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  34. Peter I agree to wait, but think it is important to follow the money. These guys did not give Brown$50k to combat recidivism.

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  35. Ah Peter you know nothing about the county pension plan. Peg supported this in the past but political winds are blowing the other way and people are watching her. you are not the know all and end all of pension systems and county government. Mr. O'Hare has right to have concern. This has happened before.

    Also there is no such thing as a defined contribution pension. there are legal devices created in the 70,s to help the very wealthy and CEO's hide their today money to keep their taxes down then use it when they are older. Tat5s is a savings account that is totality dependent on the stock market. The only thing that is really a pension is a defined benefit that one can rely on for the rest of their life. It pisses you Reaganits off but that is what it is. You teabaggers are hilarious.

    You should stick to watching old ladies walking with their umbrellas and old men hunched over

    Mr. Scmuckatella

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  36. Yo Idiots....you still don't get it.
    The state law mandates and dictates that county employees had to put 10% of thier gross earnings into the county pension plan. On top of that., to add insult to injury, during those crazy inflation years i.e. Jimmy carter, when inflation was paying 22% County emplyees were only allowed (by law) to collect 5 1/2% on their pensions/investments. The County reaped the whilwind on the backs of the employees and retirees.

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  37. " Anonymous said...
    Brown was renewLV's fab photo contest winner the Monday before the election. Was that a signal of support to their members. Prior to that, the winners were announced on Thursday.
    12:44 PM"

    Wow, Anonymous, I didn't think anyone noticed that one, but you sure did, and remembered!!

    Well, for the record, you may be interested in the following humorous background, which seems particularly appropriate since we're all residents of the Keystone [Cops] State:

    I, not County Exec Brown, sent in that photo. Even though I had identified myself as "John M Brown" and a "resident of Palmer Twsp" in the submission, and even though I had already, within the prior 2 weeks, notified the folks at RenewLV by email that I (who was on the RenewLV mailing list) was NOT the Cty Exec candidate (to their disappointment), they nonetheless jumped to the conclusion that the photo had been submitted by candidate John (A) Brown. Without even bothering to contact me in advance to give me the good news that my photo had been selected as the week's "winner", they sent it out to their membership with caption "Congratulations to Mayor John Brown for winning this week's FabFoto Contest! ... Mayor Brown explains that he was able to capture this beautiful scene during an autumn bike ride on Hope Road in Bethlehem Township near the Lehigh River, and only using his phone!"

    When, by chance, I happened to open the email from them and discovered that my mis-attributed photo was the winner, I promptly notified them of their error. I sort of thought maybe they'd send out a mea culpa, but instead I received the following response -

    "Well, we totally confused ourselves and the public with that one! We actually thought you were Mayor John Brown. Thank you for the submission. Send us another picture and we’ll try to do better at giving you proper credit."

    A few days later I was out again on my bike, on the same circuit. At Hope Rd I considered for a moment stopping to take another photo of the same scene, in dramatically different lighting ... but decided not to bother.

    ... And Bernie: Now you know the true story of how John Brown won the election ;-)

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  38. This is hilarious. It was a good picture.

    How the hell can you ride a bike when it is this cold??

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  39. 1208. Thank you John M, Brown, resident of Palmer Twps. If I recall correctly, The photo was an "S" curve on along a woodline hill. It was a FAB photo, however, I thought the timing was unique considering prior winners were published on Thursdays. The should rebublish your photo with the correct reference they were provided.

    RenewLV probably has every right to endorse one of their members. I was making an observation.


    Congrats to John M. Brown of Palmer Twp. You can collect your first paycheck at Northampton County in January. Happy biking.

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  40. Anon;7;54 Once again if you knew me you would not be so callus of my comments . Being one of the 'little people"I don't have to know anything about your county pension. Unlike you, I don't have your deal. Also unlike you, I do care about my friends I value that are employed there.My neighbors mother for example ,has great ethics and a wonderful lady.You all accepted at employment, the terms of pension condition. What I suggested was; that additional personal vehicals should be in place as a way to SAVE retirement funds. Maybe Mr.Brown will make that happen. I even had a relative that were once on that pension when still living .

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  41. Did you, (hipocrite) bother to look at who paid for Muller's ads in Lehigh county? Probably not, but my box was stuffed with mailers paid for by the Pa Democratic committee.

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  42. Muller paid for his ads. He took advantage of the cheaper postal permit used by state Dems. That is common among candidates from both parties. No deep pocket laundered $ to Muller via the state party.

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  43. RenewLV can't and won't endorse anyone.

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  44. Brown's Transition Team: Andy Daub, Charlie Dent, JB Reilly, and one former state rep from the slate belt.

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  45. Callahan raised $500000 over the course of the entire year. While certainly a substantial amount of money much of that was spent in a bruising primary so it was not available for the general. That fact alone makes the money balance much closer because you also have to count the other money brown raised in the more conventional "honest way" which was in the tens of thousands.This election was not won going door to door. Callahan actually did a fair amount of that as well as other direct voter contact. The guy was every where. But you have to give credit to brown who worked hard as well. At the end of the day it came down to turnout and the Rep came out and the Dems stayed home. That is reflected in both the Superior Court Judge race results in Norco and the County Council results. No race in Easton or bethlehem made it worse and after 10 years of though decisions from Callahan in bethlehem despite the results you are going to alignate some voters including some of the other Dem factions in the city. it is pretty simple stuff at the end of the day. Life goes on it is up to brown to now fulfill his campaign promise to cut taxes. good luck with that one John. And as for Callahan I am quit sure he will land on his feet. he has certainly handle himself in defeat with dignity and class and that bods well for his future. I suggest the rest of you move on as well.

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  46. 3:03, I hope that's untrue. Andy Daub does follow county government, but not Dent and certainly not Reilly. While I am sure Dent did he he could to get Brown elected, I am sure he limited it to the election. He stays out of local government. As for Reilly, I worry that he has an agenda, and it certainly is not good government. He's privatuzed Allentown and i worry that NC is next. S;ll he has to do is rename his company Omni Consumer Products and name RoboCop as the next Sheriff.

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  47. "handle himself in defeat with dignity and class"

    No he hasn't. He has blamed everyone and everything but himself. The guy lots the 14's in Bethlehem. That is primarily Dem voters. He lost it!!

    It would not have mattered if 30% more Dem's voted he would have still lost it. He was a flawed candidate in Bethlehem, that was the recipe for disaster.

    The County Council candidates unfortunately got caught in his unpopular wake and were seen as part of "his" team. You had clunkers like Borzo and O'Donnell and that was also not a good thing.

    At the end of the day I agree with you that this "work harder" nonsense gets overplayed. Most of the candidates of both parties were out and about working very hard. So that wasn't it.

    Voters, Democratic voters, had enough of John Callahan and that was that. We should have learned that when he took the worse drubbing of any Democrat when he ran against Dent two years ago.

    He must now just go away and make an honest living.

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  48. anon 3:45.

    You got that right!

    Unfortunately for Bethlehem and Donchez, the Callahan Clan dark hand is still reaching, Apparently their handpicked boys Reynolds and Richtuii have been given their marching orders on picking the Donchez replacement.

    They have another young acolyte in mind. Also a Callahan man.

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  49. Reynolds and Risshity have zero integrity. Their allegiance is to their own egoes. These two guys will destroy Bethlehem politics for one purpose: political gain for themselves at any cost.

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