Judge Emil Giordano, A Regular Guy, Throws Pizza Party

Judge Emil Giordano

Lehigh Valley favorite son Emil Giordano, a highly regarded Northampton County judge for the past 13 years, is running for Superior Court this year.  He is seeking one of four vacant seats. Giordano is "highly recommended" by the state bar association, its top rating. But Giordano never mentioned that last night at a pizza party he threw for about 300 bi-partisan supporters at Northampton Memorial Banquet Center. There was no need. He's perhaps the most popular Lehigh Valley jurist to emerge since Jack Panella. Attorney Mark Altemose, who introduced Giordano last night, explained why. In the eyes of most people, he's a "regular guy."

I've seen this for years. He's never been known as Judge Giordano at baseball games or on the basketball court. It's always been Emil. No one would know he was a judge. They instead know him as a coach, a dad, a fan. A regular guy.

Pizza galore!

Altemose said he was honored that Giordano would ask a "lowly Democrat," and one who is also a Plaintiff's attorney, to introduce him. But he learned that the reason is because Giordano ran out of Republicans at so many other events. He had to turn to Democrats, starting with the letter "A".

Giordano fell a little short in his last bid for a seat in the Superior Court, but decided to try again. He told his wife than when they first met, he was a small town lawyer in a strip mall in Egypt. "Did you ever imagine, in your wildest dreams, that I would be running for the Superior Court of Pennsylvania?  he asked her.

"Honey, you're not in my wildest dreams," his wife answered.

What was amazing about this event, aside from Judge Giordano's self-deprecating humor, are the number of loyal friends who appear with him. High school classmates. Fraternity brothers. Former students from Moravian College. Former clients.

Mayors Ed Hozza (Whitehall) and Fiorella Mirabito (Bath)
were classmates

Executive John Brown was apparently too important to attend. His opponent, Lamont McClure, had what Giordano would consider an acceptable excuse. Baseball. Peg Ferraro,unfortunately, was unable to attend because she was burying her brother John. . Seth Vaughn, who is seeking re-election, were nowhere to be found. Nor were any of the Democratic Council candidates.

Fortunately, numerous local government officials were there.Controller Steve Barron and NorCo Council members Hayden Phillips and Glenn Geissinger came. Council candidate Ron Angle was there. Northampton Borough officials. The entire Bushkill Township Board of Supervisors. The entire Bath Borough Council and Mayor Fiorella Mirabito. Hanover Township's Jay Finnigan and John Diacogiannis. Dave Colver from Palmer Township.Whitehall Mayor Ed Hozza. I know I missed some of you.

Hanover Tp's Jay Finnigan and John Diacogiannis

Tony Pristash, a Northampton Council member, did the photography.

In a show of bi-partisan support, Democratic State Senator Lisa Boscola and Republican State Senator Mario Scavello both spoke on behalf of Giordano.

Senator Mario Scavello said it was tough to follow Lisa Boscola and Mark Altemose

Giordano asked his son Caden, a basketball standout and scholar at Bethlehem Catholic, to stand up. Then he asked three MDJ candidates running in his district  to take a good look at him."If he gets in trouble, do not give him bail," he joked.

Caden is now taller than his father. "I can still beat him,"lied Giordano

Giordano came up hard.His parents came to this country from Italy and met in night school, where they were learning English. He worked in their pizza shop after school. Though he claims to have hated it, he said that job taught him about service.

Why is he running for Superior Court judge? Because "they don't have to all come from the big cities. Appellate courts are full of judges from Philadelphia and Allegheny County. It's my humble, self-serving opinion that we need judges from smaller counties who have small town values and that's why I'm running."

Controller Steve Barron and his lovely family. Fortunately,
his daughters look like their mother.

The ying and the yang of Northampton County. Flamboyant barrister Gary Asteak
and Northampton County bulldog Ron Angle. 

Hayden "the Colonel" Phillips ordered me to clean the bathrooms 

Magisterial District Judge candidate Vivian Zumas, with Asteak and Finnigan

Updated 8:50pm: Unfortunately, Peg Ferraro was unable to attend as a result of the death of her brother John.