Ron Angle Appointed to School Board despite Judge's Hissy Fit

Angle amused at Grigg's histrionics

He may have dropped his bid to be Controller, but Ron Angle is back in public office. He was appointed to Bangor's School Board last night from a field of five well-qualified candidates. He was elected on the first ballot, too, after all five candidates had been nominated. Angle received votes from President Michael Goffredo, Ken Brewer, Bruce Cameron, Toni Lynch and Bob Cartwright. He will only be in office for the next three months, finishing the term of Pam Colton. He was elected on the first ballot despite inappropriate meddling from Magisterial District Judge Sherwood Grigg, a die-hard Democrat who lobbied against Angle. He was elected on the first ballot despite the slinking presence of Northampton County Democratic Chair Matt Munsey, who apparently has given up on the actual partisan races for judge, controller and county council. Angle was appointed because he could hit the ground running. Unlike the other candidates, who quickly disappeared after the vote, Angle has been a regular at school board meetings and understands the issues. He proved it last night, proposing an approach to financing debt that could save the school district as much as $70,000.

Magisterial District Judge Sherwood Grigg Meddles in Angle Appointment

Grigg not a happy camper

Sherwood Grigg is a senior Magisterial District Judge. By now, he should know that it's inappropriate for a jurist to be involved in political activity, as prescribed by Canon 4 of the Rules Governing the Standards of Conduct for Magisterial District Judges. He should also know he has an obligation to be impartial, which is spelled out in Canon 2. But Grigg threw judicial ethics to the four winds in an attempt to sabotage Angle's appointment.

Angle is the Republican that democrats love to hate.

Earlier in the day, Grigg was promising people that there was no way Ron would be appointed,. Grigg would make sure of that himself by calling school directors and urging them to vote against the Northampton County Bulldog. .

Before the school board meeting started, he explained to the person seated next to him that he had come to swear in the new appointment, but refused to bring his robe. Then he added, "If a certain person is nominated and elected, I'm out of here because I don't get paid to do this."

Grigg also spoke publicly in support of Attorney General Kathleen Kane, who earlier that day had been ordered to stand trial on perjury and other charges. "She was set up," he pontificated, and then noted how easy it is to set someone up.

When Angle saw Grigg, he sat next to him. Like the hypocrite he is, Grigg smiled and made small talk with Angle.

After Angle was nominated and elected with five votes, Grigg got up to complain that the board needs to go through all the other candidates. But Angle had already been elected, a point made by both Solicitor Don Spry and President Goffredo..

Despite his earlier threat to leave, Grigg remained to administer the oath. But it was a special oath> One I never heard before. It  went on about three times longer than most oaths of office, and included pledges like "I will not take kickbacks."

A bemused Angle went along for the ride.

Obviously, Grigg failed to act fairly and impartially. .

Angle Did Hit the Ground Running

Angle and Bob Cartwright. Those two could set fire to the Lincoln tunnel. 

Once sworn in, Angle actually did hit the ground running. In fact, he may have saved the school board as much as $70,000 in his first meeting.

The school board was considering refinancing some debt with an $8 million bond issue. This would save the district about $230,000, even with administrative costs. Bond counsel Kevin Reid estimated those to be about $110,000.

Angle suggested that, instead of floating a bind, the school district could save a huge chunk of the underwriting money by approaching several banks and getting a loan at a lower rate. Reid called Angle's suggestion reasonable, and Business Manager Mark Shiavone acknowledged he had seen that approach when he was in the banking industry himself.

Legal fees will remain the same, but the elimination of other underwriting costs could save around $70,000. So instead of just voting to float a bond, the Board unanimously directed the Business Manager to first explore the option of obtaining a loan

From there, the school board went into other matters, like how much to pay substitute teachers and whether it is paying too much for bottled water. I could only take so much and left after three hours. As I've written before, I think anyone who serves on a school board is nutz. It's a thankless job.

The Angle and Slate Belt People Don't Know

The slate belt is often derided as the armpit of the Lehigh Valley. I know this because I am one of its chief tormentors. But I'll let you in on a little secret. I love it up there. The air is just a little cleaner. The people are nutz, but are just a little happier. Its terrible economy, which results mainly from a lack of infrastructure, might just be a blessing in disguise. Instead of 500,000 and 600,000 sq ft warehouses, the area is dotted with beautiful farms and magnificent views.

Before last night's meeting, I brought Dat's grandmother up to see Ron and his wife Sharon. This person is Vietnamese and has been in this country since 1985. When she first arrived, in the dead of Winter, they were hosted by a family that could only afford to give them one meal a day. Her family scoured the fields outside of Bath, looking for corn. She knows little of the Lehigh Valley, outside of its three cities. She went nuts on Angle's farm, picking apples and pears. The Angle no one knows actually helped her. His wife Sharon offered a jar of homemade plum butter.

She then asked Angle for a chicken. Ron has no chickens, only geese. But he told her she was welcome to take a cow home. Unfortunately, she could not fit it into my car.

It's a Toyota.

He made her day, and all she could talk about on the ride back to her home is how nice Ron and Sharon are.

And they are.

The school board made a good call.