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| Dr. Paige Van Wirt |
Though she is a write-in candidate and has no legal obligation to follow Pennsylvania's campaign finance laws, she has nevertheless filed a pre-election report indicating that she has spent $7,000 of her own money to snatch one of the four seats up for grabs. Her signs are everywhere. She has sent a mail piece to voters and, best of all, is going door-to-door. She has created excitement in what otherwise would be a sleepy race in a one-party town.
Suddenly there's a race. The beauty of this for McClure is that, no matter whom Bethlehem voters choose for City Council, they'll be giving him their vote in the Executive race.
Four years ago, the Bethlehem Mayoral race was over in the primary. Bob Donchez emerged the victor despite a last-minute endorsement of Willie Reynolds by John Callahan.
Donchez Democrats felt they had been betrayed by Callahan, who had broken a promise to remain neutral.
Callahan paid the price in the general election. While Mayor-elect Bob Donchez was celebrating his victory at Hotel Bethlehem with supporters, Channel 69 announced that the Christmas City incumbent Mayor, John Callahan, had just conceded defeat in his bid to become next Northampton County Executive.
The room, which included about 200 Bethlehem Democrats who had voted for Brown, burst into applause.
Callahan barely won Bethlehem, and was actually defeated in several precincts.
It is unlikely Brown will get many of those votes this time.
Updated 10:38 am: This post has been updated to make clear that Dr. Van Wirt's write-in campaign is for Bethlehem City Council.
52 comments:
Not only did Callahan only win the county by around 200 votes(terrible for a democrat),he lost the fourteens' wards in Bethlehem to Brown. Callahan not only lost but dragged down county council candidates with him. Many stills think that Ron Heckman and Jerry Seyfried would have won with a Callahan victory or better showing.
Jerry and Ron are two of the most knowledgable people I know concerning the county, along with Peg Ferraro, Ron Angle, Rich Grucela and Lamont McClure. I was so disappointed that Jerry and Ron Heckman fell short. Heckman is much superior to Vaughn and Geissinger, who don't even want to be there.
Can't tell from the report, your story, or a google search which position she is running for?
If Bernie's theory is correct and Donchez voters voted against Callahan because of his endorsement for Willie then that should not have impacted the other dem county council candidates. The democratic county candidates ran a strong coordinated campaign. Let's not forget that Callahan faced a highly negative campaign by both McClure and Reibman in the primary. McClure finished a dismal third place but ran more than 10 attack ads against Callahan in the primary. The real story of the 2013 election was very low Democratic turnout and a highly motivated Republican base.
Callahan fanatics have a hard time owning his defeat and the impact on county council. If one looks at the numbers and talks to the Bethlehem democrat voters of the time the impact is clear. Democrats that voted for Brown perceived democrat county council candidates as part of the "Callahan Team" and only cast their Brown protest votes. Sadly, council candidates were harmed by a poorly managed county campaign. Heckman had the highest totals and Seyfried was second. There is no question the split vote in Bethlehem as well as Brown's punishing mail atacks was enough to cost both of them the election.
hahaha. Another prediction from the single worst political prognosticator on the Interwebs. You get an "A" for effort, Bernie. Keep slugging. Even a broken clock ......
I don't see your name listed on her campaign finance report Bernie. How much is she paying you to write about her? Or will that be in her next finance report?
Anyone know why she and her husband moved here from Virginia?..LOL
I noticed that only two of the Allentown NIZ boys, [Joe Topper & Lee Butz], are donating money to the Brown campaign. In the last election, J.B. Reilly and Joe Topper led a host of NIZ money to Brown. This year, the money has severely eroded!
Dr. Wirt is an interesting candidate and should benefit all democrats in the upcoming election.
With this said, Bethlehem is the key for this election. Brown still captures the upper tier of NC, [I don't know why], but that seems to be dwindling because nobody knows, [when he changes his mind after the election], where he is going to dump his new prison idea on.
Bernie-I know you have a crush on Saint Dr. Paige, but she is not doing anything special or extra by filing a campaign finance report. She is following the law as she is required to do. As a write-in candidate, she falls under the definition of candidate in 25 P.S. § 3241, and is required to file a report if she spent over $250.00. This position is followed by several counties including Berks (http://www.co.berks.pa.us/Dept/Elections/Documents/Candidate%20Information/Write-in_Candidates_Info.pdf) and Lancaster (https://co.lancaster.pa.us/316/Write-In-Candidates)
The hypocrisy of Paige's supporters is quite funny. On one hand they want campaign contribution limits, but on the other hand support a candidate who can spend $7000.00 of her own money to run a write-in campaign. If they get their way, only the landed gentry of the historic district would be able to afford to run for office in Bethlehem. So much for the little guy be able to run a viable campaign.
It is funny that you think any of those people in Bob's celebration would have voted for Callahan.
McClure may get those votes, but will lose votes from die hard Callahan supporters who remember his vicious attack ads against John in the primary...where he finished third.
8:50,
I was unaware that the law required write-ins to file, and stand corrected on that point. But I have to condemn your sexism. When I write a piece complimentary of a woman, the suggestion that I do so bc I have a crush in her demeans her and her sex, as well as me. When I write a post that is critical of a woman, I'm told I'm a sexist. The real sexists are those who are so focused on gender.
As for your "landed gentry" argument, that's precisely what can happen now. Campaign finance limits prevent the landed gentry from buying people like you, and encourage a real grass roots effort. If a person wants to spend more, it has be his own personal funds. The way to combat the wealthy who wish tobuy for themselves is with clean campaign finance laws that exist in several jurisdictions. Any Council member could have introduced such an ordinance instead of the bullshit measure enacted.
"Can't tell from the report, your story, or a google search which position she is running for?"
Bethlehem City Council. This is my third story about her.
"McClure may get those votes, but will lose votes from die hard Callahan supporters "
They support McClure and even contributed to his campaign.
"The real story of the 2013 election was very low Democratic turnout and a highly motivated Republican base."
That's true in nearly every municipal race. In fact, in my very first paragraph, I point to that problem. But the second problem is that many of the Dems voted for Callahan. A big reason for that in Bethlehem is that Callahan broke a promise to remain neutral and endorsed Willie. Countywide, Callahan failed to campaign.
Paige decided to self-fund out of consideration for donors because write-In campaigns are notoriously tough to win. BTW – Olga Negron & Michael Colon have demonstrated that you can win without contributions from developers. Unfortunately other council members have not only taken hefty contributions from developers, but they have refused to recuse themselves from voting on matters of benefit to those developers. So when it comes to campaign funds and official business, it is preferable to have people who are not obligated to donors.
"I don't see your name listed on her campaign finance report Bernie. How much is she paying you to write about her? Or will that be in her next finance report?"
This is my third story. The first was to let readers know she is running. The second was to tell them why. This one predicts that it will probably increase turnout in Bethlehem and help McClure.
If I lived in Bethlehem, I would write her in. I consider her a breath of fresh air.
Although I'm sure it happens with some bloggers and even journalists, I would never accept a dime from a candidate or elected official. Also, no one tells me what I can write, not even people I support.
I've been at this a long time. You can call me biased. Guilty. But I really try to be fair, and know I've been honest.
My question is why are you so afraid of a little democracy? It's highly unlikely that Dr. Van Wirt can pull this off? Why are you so afraid?
Bernie has demonstrated he's capable of reading a resume! It's pretty hard to deny that his support for Dr. Paige is on solid ground, since she's infinitely more qualified than all the guys currently on council who have been doing not-so-much and don't show any vision for our city aside from the same old story of supporting grandiose development projects and not raising taxes. I think she'll bring some much needed creativity, since she has experience in places who are doing something different, supports strong and comprehensive ethics legislation, and has demonstrated capacity to think creatively when it comes to developing a business. Surely she'll be better at engaging the public than the guys on council who pontificate endlessly while saying nothing, if someone is lucky enough to get a response at all. If you think these people should be in office, just go bring an honest person to a council meeting with you when there is a contentious issue that comes up, and ask that person to give you an assessment of councilmens' responses to the public comments after the meeting. And regarding Bernie's reporting, I don't always agree, but he is the ONLY courageous news reporter we have. The others are usually just presenting the views that elected officials are willing to give them, adding a small dose of opposing perspectives every now and then, and generally securing their access to whatever crumbs of information elected officials dole out. This is not real reporting. I wish there were more reporters who weren't sucking up to elected officials.
I wish Paige the best of luck. It's not easy running a write in campaign as I am currently running one now. Bernie I also think it's great that you are giving her exposure. Media often forgets about the underdogs.
What office do you seek?
https://www.facebook.com/EricMillerEastAllensupervisor
"Unfortunately other council members have not only taken hefty contributions from developers, but they have refused to recuse themselves from voting on matters of benefit to those developers."
They refused because they do not have to recuse themselves. Under the state ethics law, there is no conflict of interest for campaign contributions. Do not make it sound like council people are doing some illegal.
Township Supervisor in East Allen Township.
The state ethics statute is very weak. The Center for Public Integrity gave PA an F and characterized state government as “an entrenched culture of malfeasance.” There are many thingsnthe state statute permits that damage public trust. It is also permissible for public officials to accept all kinds of gifts and tangible things of value as long as they are disclosed and the official has read the mind of the donor and understands that donor’s intention is not to influence official action - wink wink! So just because they can do something diesn’t mean they should or they have to. Considering how often gifts and campaign contributions are involved in corruption the public as well as the official would be served by either refusing contributions from entities that are likely to have business in front of the council or advise the donor upfront that they will recuse themselves in that instance. It would be the right thing to do.
Right thing to do in your eyes. Nobody on council has violated the law, though.
This is a little bit like the chicken or the egg. If a candidate for office takes positions favorable to developers, like saying 'we need to develop vacant lots and build on the steel land', that candidate will obviously get support from developers and unions, etc. But when they come to vote on those issues, people will say that the candidate was bought and paid for by the money. So did the contributions flow to the candidate because of his/her stance on the issue, or is his/her stance on the issue due to the contribution?
People give money to Olga because they agree with her on the issues. Those contributions did not influence her opinion of the issue. I doubt very much that money from a developer influences the decisions of the other council members. They already support the issue and would vote for a parking garage on the South Side or to rezone Martin Tower no matter if they got contributions or not, because they believe that development will improve the city.
If campaign contributions limits are imposed in Bethlehem, then it will open the door to soft money influencing the elections. I can see developers forming PACs to send out mailers negatively attacking candidates who are against developers.
Why all the hate in Bethlehem? Bethlehem democrats cannot afford another food fight like four years ago. Please do not confuse this internal city fight with the county race. Support your great candidates for Northampton County.
1:12, you are right. These donations are completely legal. But you must concede that they create suspicion, especially since these developers really have no agenda other than themselves. I don’t for a minute think that any of the Council members who accept these donations are breaking any laws and I do not question their personal integrity. They are good people. What Dr. Van Wirt is doing is just energizing citizen involvement and giving them a choice. There is no need for the personal slights at Barbara Diamond or Dr. Van Wirt. I respect them both and you are all trying to do what is right.
Elective officials should be held accountable to their constituents, not just their campaign donors. In Bethlehem, decisions are made in advance of public comment and input, or prior to public comment and input. The developers have a seat at the table in decisions, and ordinary citizens do not. Sure, certain elected officials may have views that align with developers, and thus get campaign contributions from them, but there job is to consider everyone's interests, not just what developers want. If elected officials don't do that, they shouldn't be re-elected. Hopefully that will happen when enough citizens start paying attention to what's going on and come out and see the current officials in action, completely ignoring citizens, trying to make decisions behind their backs, etc. The difference between Olga and the others is that she actually listens to what citizens say, and then she votes based on what she hears. If you want to interpret that as meaning that Olga's values happen to be closer to the values of ordinary citizens, then Bethlehem needs more Olga's in elected positions. We need people running the city who represent the values of citizens, not the values of developers. Furthermore, citizen discontent with certain elected officials, is not because those elected officials support development-as-usual. Instead, huge financial handouts are being given to developers by changing or ignoring laws. The rezoning of Martin Tower involved changing the existing zoning law in ways that dramatically increased the property's value, in terms of many millions of dollars. Go look at the monstrous parking garage placed in an historic district on the south side, all for the benefit of the guy who owns the building on the corner. There was no reason to attach that garage to his building except for the purpose of increasing the value of his property. The garage could have gone in much better locations, and smaller scale parking could have been made available on that site. But no, a massive giveaway to the developer occurred. It is one thing to support development (of all kinds, and not just enormous projects from people with big bucks), and another thing to up-zone to make particular developers loads of money. If those are the kinds of values our elected officials have, we should get them out of office. I want them representing me, rather than delivering my tax dollars to the new infrastructure needed for projects that make people who don't even live in the city oodles of money. Olga voted for the citizens, the others voted for making lots of money for developers. This is not development-as-usual. This is financial windfalls for particular developers. There are ways to support development that produces better results for citizens. Look at Bruce Haines: He wants to pay for his own garage, and yet there is some hold up that seems to go on and on. The current administration with the support of Council put the BPA in the red to pay for a parking garage for one developer, and they can't get out of the way for the guy who wants to pay for his own garage. I'm sorry, but the idea that the money is flowing to the candidate because of the candidate's stance on the issue is simply a really superficial understanding of some very wrong politics.
Will these new machines cause vote counts to be delayed because of the write ins.? Write ins are more difficult than the old sticker method.
Bruce Haines is not paying a dime for his garage. His new garage and the additional rooms and conference center is being paid out of the Criz. The same Criz that he railed against and claimed was not fair or legal!
"His new garage and the additional rooms and conference center is being paid out of the Criz. The same Criz that he railed against and claimed was not fair or legal!" And thus he proved once and for all that he is not an idiot, while those who wish to withhold CRIZ designation for the project demonstrate they are vindictive and put their personal vendettas above the good of the city.
"Will these new machines cause vote counts to be delayed because of the write ins.?"There should be no delay in the tally. There will be delay in the booth.
The CRIZ doesn’t pay for anything if the developer doesn’t generate revenues from the project. Benner has the CRIZ but didn’t use it to build his garage but rather got lease discounts from the Parking Authority who are going to lose $1million per year on his oversized garage. Haines didn’t ask the city to go into debt to build him a garage yet the Parking Authority got pissed that they weren’t in control of his private garage. Sounds like the Parking Authority is somehow in control of the economic development department in Bethlehem. In most coties the Parking Authority mission is to facilitate evonomic development. In Bethlehem it’s mission is to be an obstacle to economic development if you aren’t a favorite son developer that contributes to campaigns.
And now we know who Patriot2 is: Bruuuuuuce!
Oh,quit your whining, snowflake.
Write in Page
Don't vote for Olga
Justice served
So do we then assume that anonymous 7:43 AM&PM is Brian Callahan or Willie Reynolds?
Does it matter? Have they ever voted differently on anything besides the bamboo ordinance?
I would vote for Paige over Olga any day of the week. Paige is apparently for smart economic development. Olga has yet to vote for one economic development project and she raises our taxes!!!
Don’t believe there has been any economic development project presented for Olga to vote upon unless you consider the oversized Benner garage subsidy as such.
Patriot2 Olga needs to be shown the curb
Vote Page van wert
don't vote for Olga. The non transparent fake patriot
Bruce can't vote for either of them...he votes in Florida!
Suggest ONLY to vote for Olga & Paige as good old boys need to be gradually shown the door like what happened to Rescuiti when his term was up!! By the next mayoral election all will be gone. Voters will ultimately prevail in have by a voice In Bethlehem.
Next election is time to let the voters know the truth about Paige and her move here.
Next election Haines won't even be around here. His investors will sell the hotel once they get the Criz money. Haines only cares about Haines. Always has , always will. He dosn't care one bit about anyone else who owns a business on Main Steet.
This thread is about how Van Wirt's campaign will increase Dem turnout. Given the number of attacks, I think it will.
Ad hominem attack: Short for argumentum ad hominem, is an argumentative strategy whereby an argument is rebutted by attacking the character, motive, or other attribute of the person making the argument, or persons associated with the argument, rather than attacking the substance of the argument itself.
the same 10 characters show up to complain and olga votes for them. olga is their puppet. they are not "the people" they are 10 people. paige is 1 of the 10. diamond is 1 of the 10. it's a very small circle. there are 75k+ residents in the city. they don't get around much, don't know too many people around the city, and don't represent citizens by any means.
Doesn’t really matter what you think of Haines motives as the question is has Bethlehem benefitted by that investment group restoring & reopening the hotel nearly 20 years ago?
This has really veered off course. This blog was published to note that Dr. Van Wirt's candidacy should increase turnout and help McClure. Titus, the anonymous personal attacks at Bruce Haines, Olga Negron and Dr. Van Wirt are really off topic. Stop acting like little children.
You've been warned. Next I start looking at my statcounter.
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