Get Well, Bob Cartwright!

Ron Angle and Bob Cartwright

Most of you probably never heard of Bob Cartwright. He's one of the Slate Belt's many colorful characters. He is Portland's former Police Chief and claims that its water is the Perrière of the Lehigh Valley. He is both Zoning Officer and Township Manager in Upper Mount Bethel, which he calls the Cancun pf the Lehigh Valley. He's also one of those unpaid school directors, which in my opinion is by itself a basis for having him committed. It's not just any school board. It's Bangor, and that means he serves with Ron Angle. That's a second reason to have him committed, especially since he voted for Ron. On top of everything else I've just listed, Bob spends every weekend in Delaware, where he has a very successful bagel and coffee shop that serves U.S. Senators and Supreme Court justices. Unfortunately, Bob suffered a stroke a few weeks ago.

The stroke occurred in Delaware, right as he was closing his bagel shop after a busy weekend. He was hospitalized in Delaware, after which he was sent to his home there to recuperate. From what Ron Angle tells me, he still insisted in participating in Monday night's school board meeting by phone.

Despite his brash demeanor, Bob is a very private guy. He lost his wife several years ago, and has spent all of his spare time taking care of his two daughters. Last Christmas, I met him at Ron's house. He was so proud of the mug they gave him, upon which both of his little girls wrote about how much he means to them.

He's really concerned about the food security of kids in the Slate Belt. "We have some kids in this district whose only real meal is the free lunch they get at school," he told me last year. He added that over 400 families participate in the Portland's food bank. Portland's population itself is not much larger. "I'm a die-hard conservative," he added, "but at some point, you gotta' open your eyes."

I hope Bob makes a full recovery. His daughters need him, and so do a lot of families whose food security is under threat.