About Me

My photo
Nazareth, Pa., United States

Monday, September 14, 2015

Updated: St. George and the Sheriff

Unlike Northampton County, Lehigh and most other counties elect their Sheriff. Ron Rossi, Lehigh County's Sheriff for the past 27,000 years, has decided against seeking re-election. He threw his support behind Democrat Ed Zucal, a Sergeant on on Allentown's police force. But most of the money, even union money, has gone to Joe Hanna, a Lehigh County detective and the Republican nominee. From J.B. Reilly to Abe Atiyeh, he is the pick of the crony capitalists. Since most of these contributions were made before news of the federal investigation broke, I'd be inclined to give Hanna a pass on accepting nearly $62,000 from what I'll call the Citizens for Oligarchy. But what I won't forgive is the $1,000 he accepted from St. George. I have no problem with St. George slaying as many dragons as he likes or being the patron saint of England. But I do have a problem with St. George donating to a political race.

Actually, St. George is innocent. My real beef is with Hanna and the St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church. According to Hanna's campaign finance records, he accepted $1,000 from the St. George Charity Fund on 1/21/15. Not only is this contrary to state election laws, it also us contrary to the IRS ban on political activity by churches and charities.

Most of St. George's parishioners are from Syria, Greece or Allentown. There is no shortage of needy families in any of these places. I am appalled to see a charity fund perverted for a political campaign.

12:40 pm Update: St. George Slays the Blogger! - St. George does not just slay dragons. He gets bloggers, too. While the above posat is accurate, it fails to tell the complete story. In my effort to play gotcha', I failed to look at the post-primary report filed by the Hanna campaign. It reveals, quite clearly, that Hanna returned the $1,000 contribution made by the St. George Charity Fund. He returned the money on May 13, approximately four months after it was made. It likely dawned on someone in his camp, maybe Hanna himself, that this kind of contribution is unlawful.

Had I done a bit more research, this would not be a story. While the Church obviously abused its tax exempt status, the error was caught and rectified. I am quick to point out errors on campaign finance reports, so I have to acknowledge mny own mistake, and apologize to anyone who was misled by my faux pas.

(Originally published 12:07 am.)

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good job bernie about time someone looks into this check out the rest of donors fed ed and abe got them to donate to Joe hanna too,the other thing beanie why would a union from Philadelphia endorse hanna when this is not there County look at that report

Anonymous said...

Would his office be the one putting the handcuffs on Pawlowski? Behind his back or in front?

Anonymous said...

The town is rotten from top to bottom.

Anonymous said...

Ono not joe you just didn't put that to print Bernie¿!($ Were is mr klean and DA Martin in the Brown Hole flopp of Allentown pa¿!($

The circus sticks are linning up to take the fall for OZ the closet creature behind the curtian¿!($

redd
patent pending

Anonymous said...

a freshman attempt to set the record straight. Your unbalanced obsession with campaign finance is severe. You looked at all of Hanna's filings, but chose to spoil the pot with your usual outright lies to suit your agenda , which is categorical hatred of anyone successful in the public or private sphere.

If you were not such an impotent cocksucker, Hanna may actually be offended. As usual, take it from the source.

Bernie O'Hare said...

My concer about campaign finance is well warranted, as evidenced by the federal investigation. But I am concerned about getting my facts right. So when I make a mistake, I have to admit it.

Anonymous said...

It's been proven in the courts that Bernie isn't impotent. Read the transcript of Mezzacappa vs Ohare

Anonymous said...

Bernie...the Lightbearer. Hold that torch high Bernie so as not to cast your own shadow. Let us see, and make them feel the heat, I don't give a Hoot who they are, or what Fraternity they come out of, living in truth and dying with dignity is all of my concern.

Anonymous ip's can lead to very interesting title searches, 15 feet of corruption, a Surveyed trail of how bad things really are in my little corner of the county. I'm small but enough of a grease spot to make them slip. Check it out.

Anonymous said...

Shoot first ask questions later. Just takes one time.

Anonymous said...

That's okay bernie hanna did give the money back but he is still pawlowski regime and abe 's puppet hopefully the feds investigate hanna too that double dipping crook

JoshLCowen said...

Correcting a mistake? You'll never make it in journalism!!

Bernie O'Hare said...

We are all entitled to our opinions, but nor our own facts. When I screw up, I have to own up to it and I don't mind being taken to task.

Anonymous said...

Bernie you like to look up people keep digging in hanna's past he will find a lot of things wrong especially he is associated with all the people that were on the fbi list so bernie don't feel bad you made a mistake everything else on there is accurate good job

Anonymous said...

Seems to me everything can be fudged to a precise date as per regulated¿!($ This like Dubbs Church Karoly facts are all in the mix with the regulatory mandates in human services rendered at the lower levels, all of which the trickle down effect is negated for the pompussy boil on the ass of the eastcoast the third world nation unto itself allent pa has become administrationally since the kings knighting to the thrown¿!($ Take a good wiff approaching from the north and you too will smell the circus cistern of the nation as the worlds cistern has the same smell crossing the tapnz over the hudson¿!($

redd
patent pending

Anonymous said...

Toss in a way to go asshole. Malign first check your facts later. How bout purging the blog instead of leaving this half truth in cyberspace forever. YOURS in Christ.

Bernie O'Hare said...

This blog stays up as an indication of my error. Only anonymous cowards refuse to accept responsibility for their words.

Anonymous said...

You are an irresponsible menace. You are the true coward. Attacking people and leaving your yellow journalism trail like a staph infection poisoning the internet. An oops my bad May be sufficient in your perverse moral universe but it is woefully inadequate and reprehensible.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Yawn.

Anonymous said...

Bernie you really didn't make a mistake .let me finish.that 1000 was giving to him from few om a committee.it was only after some of the syrian members balked was the money requested to be given back.otherwise he would still have it .if the McCall would print our articles you would see that a very large syrian population die support Mr zucal especially after the flag raising ceremony in whitehall where Mr hanna did not show up .so except for a little screw up you are right on the mark

hottarandfeathers said...

HANNA COVERED UP CRIMES 2016 FOR POLWASKI THEY BOTH NEED TO BE INDICTED.RIPPOFF .COM HANNA IS ON AS WELL AS A COMPLAINT FOR CORRUPTION TO INTERNATIONAL CRIMES UNIT NEW ORLEANS.THE BOTH NEED TO LEAVE BY INDICTED SOURCE. SPECIAL AGENT.2009-2016

hottarandfeathers said...

HANNA is running block for a Syrian.kickback scheme with mayor Ed look at the ayitiea.has his sign in the Window .Demotion is in order to restore trust in city.

hottarandfeathers said...

He needs to be cuffed and indicted. Both