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| Credit: Leslie Altieri Facebook page. Marcia is on the left and Leslie is on the right |
I can tell you she spent a lot of money for her Bethlehem Township Toll Brothers McMansion. She paid $552,758 for this home in 2004, just two years after graduating from college. Why a bank lent that kind of money to someone who works as a juvenile officer and a home jewelry salesperson is beyond me.
In 2011, she took out a $300,000 mortgage, but fell behind almost immediately. She and her husband, who is blind, did send three hardship letters to the bank. Last year, Judge Leonard Zito ruled that the bank has an equitable lien against both her and her husband, who did not sign the mortgage.
"Our family is going through a difficult personal financial situation," explains Altieri in a statement she emailed to me last night. "This is an issue that far too many in Pennsylvania face everyday because of the downturn in the economy and the inability of our leaders in Harrisburg to lead us out of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. This is one of the reasons I am running for State Representative and I will bring real leadership back to Harrisburg if I receive the honor of representing the 138th District."
Right after that, I got another email. It was from political consultant Mike Fleck to Leslie, and he copied me accidentally.
Oopsie.
He advises Leslie, "Looksgood wait and seewhat he says. Good night and good luck."
Hmmmm.
If her financial difficulties were one of the reasons for her race, I'd expect to see that prominently featured on her campaign literature. It's not. Not too many people campaign on a slogan like "Vote for me, I'm behind on my mortgage!"
I'm not so sure voters will buy the Mike Fleck-inspired argument that our leaders in Harrisburg are responsible for her failure to make her monthly payments. On the other hand, I think there's something to be said for a representative who knows what it is like to go through a financial crisis.
I'm sorry for your financial problems, Leslie, and even more sorry that I feel compelled to report it. But I think voters have a right to know.
55 comments:
I plan to vote for Altieri, but I feel it was fair and appropriate for you to post this publicly available information for voters to see.
Cue the "you want to ruin this poor young woman" tape loop our bitter little friend and her insane cadre of fellow criminals like to invoke.
I don't really know. I called another blogger, who told me he wouldn't do it. I'd say it's a close call, and I tried to be fair about it. I think it is something voters should know, and they can decide for themselves what importance to attach to it. Yesterday, I posted a blog critical of Hahn. And one of the trolls accused me of being on Leslie's payroll. I had most of this information by then, and laughed to myself.
It's a story and one the public needs to know. I'm used to the hate, but Leslie was pretty good about it.
You are a bastard but this is a fair post. This candidate has been running for this seat forever. How she manages her personal life regarding finances is important to her abilities in office. It is obvious this is a problem that has been going on for some time. Maybe if she spent more time attending to her personal financial matters than campaigning for four years, she wouldn't be in this situation.
Now that I know this, I believe her campaigns a Hail Mary pass to financial freedom. She is not the first person who is hoping an elected office for life will solve their bad judgment decisions.
Glad to know now before the election. Live within your means. First lesson of adulthood. Sorry we have enough freeloaders in Harrisburg, one more is one too many.
Not making a payment, or partial payments, for four years is not the result of a downturn in the economy. To even think you can afford a $500,000 house two years out of school smells more like a person who feels entitled to something. Then instead of even attempting to pay, realizing you're underwater and bailing out but instead blame the state simply reeks. And then expect to be elected to help run the state is beyond comprehension.
Last comment was Bill Coker.22
But if she wins she can make the payments !
Very flawed judgment. Why does politics, particularly democratic party politics, get these people? They can't manage their own lives yet want to mange yours. Unbelievable.
Why buy a $500k house right out of college. Why go for a mortgage(2nd?) in 2011? Sorry too many issues.
We need maturity and good judgment in office. We are already in desperate need of it.
Bernie, you say she didn't make a payment. Does that starement ecen include partial payments? If that is the case, that is a really serious problem.
Her priorities are screwed up. Yet somehow the democratic party leaders love this kind of candidate and fawn all over them. Not someone I can trust with my vote.
As 12:27 mentioned, it gives the impression that she is running for office in order to secure a job, that can save her home.
I feel badly for her financial troubles, but not enough to vote for her.
it's not even a close call. a half a million dollar home right out of college? it speaks to fiscal responsibility.
glad you ran it.
Not even the good ole' Blog Mentor is that crazy. Just cane over drom his wife's blog. That poor old sap lost his good ooks, minds, and any creditibility that he might hae once possessed. Too bad. I would have loved to see Bernie take everythinf the Mentor owns and burn it in a barrel, just to say he did. Just sayin' "w/ " good old Gregory, mustache Mario, and the Witch. And that witch ain't a bitch named Karma Karen. Anywho, good call on posting this. You love to make fun of women and drag them through the mud so your posion posse can feel better. The river was right about you. He said you have issues. Maybe it is penis envy? Anybody want a tic-tac? Didn't think so. 8
That she thinks she still belongs in a mansion she cannot afford is outrageous. She should downsize and pay her debts. Are her taxes current? She seems like an atrocious money manager with an heir of entitlement. While that makes her perfect for Harrisburg, she's lost my vote. To those of us who've struggled through layoffs and personal setbacks to keep homes of half that value, her behavior is patently offensive. Debtors prison needs to be brought back for contract breakers like her.
As a fellow Democrat, I feel compelled to weigh in on the matter. Ms. Altieri needs to understand the difference in between a hand-up and a handout. Unlike Republicans who believe in picking yourself up by your bootstraps, Democrats like myself believe their are inherent barriers for some that need a hand up, if they're willing to work for it. Ms. Altieri missed Democratic Values 101. She's looking for a handout. Unscrupulous behavior by a candidate (or anyone else, for that matter). You were correct in reporting, BO. The voter needs to know the candidates, before they send them to Harrisburg. This is an unfortunate case for the Democratic Party.
I'm not seeing the house listed on the recent or next sheriff sale?
4 years and no payments, how can that be?
A $550k home with a $300k mortgage.... does that mean she had $200k down payment?
I know another person who was advised to stop paying on a mortgage for a house that was under water (worth less than mortgage). I suppose the reasoning was that the lender would eventually negotiate a more favorable interest rate. Maybe that is the advise given these days.
Other than Jim Gregory (who is now most likely a permanent boy toy for other males), O'Hare chooses to go after women the only way he knows how. One would suspect his dislike of women so does that mean he favors other men to satisfy his sexual desires?
Too bad. I simply do not vote this race. I saw Ms. Altieri on a debate the last time around and she was woefully unqualified and unsuited for the office she seeks. But I certainly am not going to vote for continued Republican disfunction in the state house.
"O'Hare chooses to go after women the only way he knows how"
You are woefully ignorant. This is news, plain and simple. I plan to vote for Altieri, and this tells me important information to know before I do. I may not vote for her, but I certainly won't vote for stuffed pants suit party-hugger Marcia Hahn.
Go cry a river, because O'Hare exposed your pattern of harassment of public officials just in time to educate voters in your election. Again, important information for voters to know.
When you figure out that O'Hare is simple reporting news, come back and apologize to him. Until then, keep your hateful and spiteful comments to yourself.
"'m not seeing the house listed on the recent or next sheriff sale?
4 years and no payments, how can that be?"
Go back and read the article. It tells all you need to answer the question for yourself. In a word, hardship.
I am saddened to see Altieri placing part of the blame for her financial problems on leadership in Harrisburg, as if to suggest she will make a positive change.
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? We don't know all the circumstances of her situation, but she bears most of the responsibility.
Voting is the lesser of two evils, IMO. I'm still voting against Hahn.
Thanks for reporting this Bernie, this is important for the voters to know.
She obviously bit off more than she could chew with this house, and should probably just let the bank take it and move on to something more reasonable.
I would not want someone in a political office making decisions with taxpayer dollars in a similar manner - spend spend spend and make up all sorts of silly justifications when the money runs short. This is very telling, this lady = tax and spend democrat.
I also do not recall seeing this property on the recent sheriff sale lists, though I could be wrong. Maybe there is more to the story.
Also, forgot to mention - what real world experience (business or otherwise) does she have that qualifies her for this position? I am not seeing any.
Talk to people who work in agencies that assist homeowners with foreclosure, discrimination, and substandard housing issues on a DAILY basis and then talk to me (a Democrat) about needing to change the system. The downturn in the economy affected people who were already marginalized, or who had solid jobs that disappeared b/c of the recession, and they have struggled to make it. I'm not seeing anything like that in her letter. Unfortunately for her, she doesn't present a compelling case as to why I think she will be a good decision-maker in H'brg, let alone a good fiscal manager.
Anon 10:43: Thanks. Now I see why they won't let it go. $300k down payment, even with the declining market they probably have at least $100k in equity, unless the inside is trashed.
I could possibly sympathize with her situation is she downsized, sold the house and bought a modest row home in Allentown. People don't need a suburban McMansion, her visually impaired spouse might have increased access to services and increased mobility in an urban setting anyway.
"'m not seeing the house listed on the recent or next sheriff sale?
4 years and no payments, how can that be?"
The matter is in a judge's hands. Again.
" Are her taxes current?"
Yes.
There is usually more to a story like this.
This is non-sense- college has nothing to do with it . She gets her husbands disability payments and she can't make the payment on this elephant . Who's fault is that?She is a fraud as a candidate in any leadership position any place on this planet. Simply stated ,she bit off more than she can chew. This is her thought process about life, and at other peoples expense.
Bernie,
It was the right move to publish this. Knowing that someone can't manage their personnel finances or wasn't able to realize that they couldn't afford a mortgage payment tells me that she may not be able to handle a seat in Harrisburg.
Don't go losing sleep over this.
Hank_Hill
I agree with ANON 5;43 She may be a nice person and may have proper intent, but we all have to look at the record. The record is were this blog of yours comes in . You have exposed a Bethlehem council woman ,a violation in civil rights in Nazareth, you have mad the Mayor of Easton stop contribution of information ,exposed the radical changes at the county on healthcare so they can read it. This is the value of your service to the citizenry and TAX PAYERS.
I just looked at the salary for this lady IF she were elected. She still can't afford to pay this house down on what she would receive from the state. The numbers don't work . She needs to move to Miller Heights.
I'm sorry, but if she can't live within her means with her money, how is she going to make the government live within its means with our money
One can well imagine the internal torment you endured before choosing to publish this
It's obviously a moral failing. One longs for the days of debtors prison.
8:18, I really have no personal quarrel with Leslie or her husband, both of whom seem like exceptionally nice people. She has always been willing to speak to me. I did not cry in my pillow, but I did think about this before going forward. I decided that people should know.
Leslie and Bryan are good friends of mine, and I'm not here to stick up for them, but I am going to offer this piece of advice for those who think you can just downsize at a whim.
There is a house very similar to the Altieri's for sale in Bushkill Township that has been on the market for nearly 9 months now with no movement. DO you just move out and gain a secocnd rent payment in the $1200 range (average 3br 2 bath home rent in the Valley)? How is that financially responsible when you probably already cant get rent if yor credit is shot.
Someone in my family went through a divorce and had to short sale the house, which was severely under water. They consulted a lawyer, who after a $500 check for a 15 minute consult told them, as paid legal counsel, to not pay the mortgage until the bank does something.
Mortgages and banks are a very screwed up system. She has paid her taxes in order to avoid a tax-lien sale. As their friend, I do support them and wish them the best. As for her statement, she turned to Fleck, who is also most likely a good friend and gave his 2 cents.
Running a for a paid political office is no different than interviewing for a job, except you are interviewing thousands of times with every call made and every door knocked upon. She is at least trying, and working very hard to get elected, instead of just sitting around and whining about what they hate about things politically on Bernie's blog.
"One can well imagine the internal torment you endured before choosing to publish this"
Another very ignorant person, or possibly a return visitor. This is news. A reporter doesn't get emotional about publishing something they feel the public should know. Go find some Kleenex, drama queen.
9:42. Yellow journalism at its finest.
This blog isn't a source of news. It's a gossip column.
Incorrect, 10:24. Bernie broke this news story. It is very far from gossip, it is based on documents at the court house. Your fraudulent PFA and denied LTCF application can also be found there - I saw them.
Go somewhere else if you don't like what you read here. You will surely not be missed. Those of us who care about what is going on in the community will continue to read this blog. If you want gossip, go look at westeastonfootprint. Just don't inhale - the cobwebs will choke you.
Is she endorsed by the nc dem leadership?
This is the best they can do?
Obviously, the woman needs the job. If we each vote for her twice, we will be represented in H'burg by somebody who really knows how hard it is to get by these days. Am I kidding? I'm not sure...
Altieri's campaign reports appear to show her financial hardship was self inflicted.
Now we have Tricia, Karen and Leslie. How many young women must be destroyed by the woman hater O'Hare. These young women are just three of his latest victims.
Yet poor Jim Gregory sit sin jail. Why is that?
No one cares about Jim G. Any more. And Trisha you don't care either.
Leave these young women alone.
Reporting the news related to a public figure's actions or pertinent background is not destroying people, you ignorant stalker
These public women all created their own reputation, and in one case (yours) rap sheet.
If you can't take the heat of your own actions, don't blame the person who reveals them, and don't try to make something sexist that isn't. You are just choosing females that O'Hare has reported on in a very lame attempt to make a point you can't make.
Have a great day, you bitter washed-up miserable example of a human being.
A similar situation exists in the Monroe County race in the 115 District. Maureen Madden is listed in the county Legal Reporter as having 2 separate liens for past income taxes totaling over $28,000. To have liens that big means there was a big income at some time. She is a big believer in tax increases as long as she doesn't have to pay them.
Leave these poor young women alone already!
@7:06 If you can't handle the truth and the news, don't read this blog. It sounds like you have been battered senseless by it, if your only response to a news story about a woman is "leave this poor woman alone" and "you hate women". Go back to your bog and slosh around in the fetid water if you want to aimlessly waste your time.
She is a fraud! They put themselves into that problem.
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