Local Government TV

Friday, March 23, 2018

NorCo Elections Chair Treisner Bullies Butz Elementary Parents




Two days a year, I am an election judge (glorified poll worker) at a local elementary school. At least once and sometimes on both of those days, the school is closed for "in-service" training. Anthropologists at National Geographic have determined that closing the school is the best way to attract an elusive and increasingly rare species - the voter.

They're easy to scare off. If they see a parking lot full of cars, they drive away. If they see a gauntlet of candidates with flyers, they'll do a 180. They don't like rainy, windy or cold weather. But if it's quiet enough, and the weather is nice, you can lure a few of them with a bake sale. They are most active at dawn and dusk. Schools are their ideal habitat. Their numbers are diminishing and they are certainly an endangered species, right up there with the Giant Panda and Tasmanian Devil. But just as the honeybee pollinates the food we eat, the voter pollinates our government with leaders.

Because there are so few voters left, it's only natural that people are afraid of them. It's happened at my polling station, so we strictly limit how they access the building.

In Bushkill Township, where Butz Elementary School is located, a lot of people are afraid. Almost 1,800 moms and dads have signed petitions asking the NorCo Elections Commission to move this voter habitat to a nearby fire hall. That fire hall has in turn agreed to welcome this endangered species with open arms.

Voters are mostly harmless Though they sometimes attack each other, there are no documented cases of a voter attacking a child. But parents are concerned that some angry voter could walk into a school on election day and start firing. It's unlikely, but there it is. We have become an increasingly violent society. As Butz Elementary dad Korry Frank pointed out, there have been 17 school shootings so far this year, which is 17 too many. These parents want these changes because they care about their children. And the changes being sought are reasonable.

They first made their case to Executive Lamont McClure and NorCo Council. McClure told these parents he agreed with them, but the only body that could change the polling place was the Elections Commission.

Yesterday, about 50 of these moms and dads, some carrying signs and others carrying kids, appeared before the Elections Commission. This is a five-member body (two Republicans and three Democrats) that governs county elections. It would be up to them to change the polling station to the fire hall. Four out of five showed for their first meeting of the year. Republican Mary Diggs was absent, but Republican Maudeania Hornik was present. So were Democrats George Treisner, Deb Hunter and Kathy Fox.

Treisner, an experienced Elections Commissioner, ran the show. He is himself a former educator, electrical contractor, financial advisor and tax consultant. And to start, he was very cordial.

He and the other Commissioners heard detailed and eloquent presentations from Paul Soporowski, Crystal Mulada and Korry Franke. What prompted them to action was the November 2017 election day shootout involving a state trooper that led to a lock down at area schools. Because an election was going on at Butz Elementary, a lockdown was impossible there. "Will you stand for the past, or will you stand for the kids?" asked Franke.

A retired principal said his main concern was that kids would be run over by an older driver.

Ronald Short, President of the Bushkill Tp Volunteer Fire Co., said his board had voted unanimously to allow voting to take place at their social hall. He said the fire trucks and ambulances are secured away from the social hall, and there is plenty of parking.

Hornik questioned whether using the fire hall as a polling place might present safety concerns as well. But Mulada assured her that the firetrucks and ambulances have separate access and parking.

Treisner said that, as a former educator himself, he thought that an election at a school could provide "a lesson in civics" to the students. "It's not in our purview for us as an Elections Commission to vote on this tonight," he continued, even though that's precisely why they were there.

Hunter, a teacher whose son was taught at Butz Elementary, suggested moving the primary election to the fire hall for the primary, and then returning to the school for additional elections with the understanding that the school would schedule "in service" days for future elections. She said she was unwilling to move elections to the fire hall permanently because the county would have no recourse if, down the line, the fire hall decided to discontinue its arrangement. She said the Elections Code includes a preference for public buildings for that reason. Hunter said she would support moving a polling place to a private entity only if it was for a minimum of ten years.

Mulada and another woman began debating the proposal with Hunter, while the fire chief stood behind them.

"Enough!" Treisner suddenly exclaimed. He said the two ladies debating Hunter had spoken long enough and the fire chief standing behind them would get five minutes, but after that, they were moving on.

Hunter's motion ultimately failed. Only Kathy Fox supported it.

Hornik had another, more popular motion. She suggested holding the primary at Butz, and then making the move to Butz. The room erupted in applause as she made her argument. But no one would second her.

"I don't have a second so we can't vote on it," said Treisner.

"That is unacceptable," shouted someone in the audience. "Somebody second it."

"It is acceptable," shouted an angry Treisner. "According to Roberts Rules of Order. When the hell have you been appointed parliamentarian?"

As Hunter tried to calm him, Treisner grew increasingly irate.

"We're in a meeting and we're allowed to conduct our business without interference," he bellowed. "There is no more public comment." He then threatened to "clear the room."

Dr. Jekyll had suddenly turned into Mr.Hyde.

At this point the parents and their kids got up and filed out of the room.

Instead of a lesson in civics, everyone got a lesson in bad government.

Amazingly, the board then elected him as Chair by a 2-1 vote, with Deb Hunter voting No. Unfortunately, Treisner has given Bushkill parents every reason to believe their government has no regard for them. He has had a distinguished career, and I suspect his erratic behavior may be the result of health issues.

43 comments:

  1. On the news the parents also claimed Ken Kraft was partially responsible. Do you think this will spill over onto McClure?

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  2. 2:11. How could ken kraft be responsible for this?

    The only body that can vote is the elections commission, last I checked kraft is a councilman not an election commissioner

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  3. "In Bushkill Township, where Butz Elementary School is located, a lot of people are afraid".

    Paranoid?

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  4. Bully, that's a strong word. The only bully was Deborah Hunter who insists the Nazareth School schedule be changed to accommodate voting. Butz parents are organized and prepared with a solution. Firehouses have traditionally been accepted polling places even though the law says schools must be available. Yes schools are public buildings supported by taxes but you have those paying the taxes respectfully offering an alternative.

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  5. It's unfortunate that the meeting devolved at the end. Tom Shortell tweeted during the meeting that he was very impressed with the openness and conduct of the proceedings - before he detailed the ugliness at the end. I think a torch and pitchfork crowd is ginned up for a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. The often repeated claim of 17 shootings (it's recently been upped to 18) is misleading at best, and mostly false, per Politifact:

    http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2018/feb/15/jeff-greenfield/mostly-false-18-us-school-shootings-so-far-2018-an/

    The school is a great polling place. It's safe, convenient and orderly. School-related events throughout the year generate much more traffic and discourteous, illegal parking. I've never once witnessed illegal parking on election day. A separate entrance to the gym is used. Doors leading from the gym to the rest of the school can be secured. I assume they already are. Schools have been used for voting for generations without incident. Showing the kids the polls and letting them vote on simulators is a great civics lesson that requires no field trip.

    My complaint, as a voter there for 25 years, is the volume of voters. I think the township needs an additional polling place. I waited 2.5 hours in November of '16. The area has steadily grown. Tom Shortell tweeted that it was one of the busiest polling places in the LV. I think they should keep Bushkill because it's safe and a fine polling place. I think they need to keep Bushkill, and add a new district - or at least a new polling location.

    The optics tell me they'll certainly abandon Bushkill to placate the crowd and address their innacurate perceived risk.. And that will address a problem that doesn't exist, and ignore one that does.

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  6. The will of the people be damned!

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  7. Prisons are public buildings paid for by tax dollars, so are police stations, post offices, etc.Yyou wouldn't want to go their to vote and shouldn't have to vote there. Schools are a safe place to vote and the paranoia of someone attacking innocent children while in school by a voter has some credibility, it is an issue that can easily be addressed. First remove the so called Chairman of the Elections Committee. Second meet with the school board and suggest alternatives to the present situation. Remember when "election day" was a big event and all the government buildings as well as post offices and schools were closed. This should not be a major issue and should be easily resolved.

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  8. Think the Butz Parents are overreacting to the issue. The school district should act and schedule days off for election days. Or we should move our primaries to weekends. This will give more people the time to vote and not interfere with school.

    One consequence of moving polling places from public buildings is the ability of the private facilities to prohibit campaign signs and electioneering. There are several churches in Bethlehem that do not allow campaign signs on Election Day.

    Treisner is old and cranky, not surprising that he went off handle like that.

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  9. Bernie - do you know the reasoning or history of why in Lower Nazareth voting is done at Dryland UCC instead of Lower Nazareth Elementary which is directly across the street from the church?

    For Bushkill Township, outside of the firehouse, I don't really know of any other potential location that could accommodate the # of people/vehicles involved.

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  10. I'm a Bushkill voter. I like voting at the school. I think concerns are somewhat valid and easily addressed. I think most concerns are overblown and unsupported by facts. I want voting to remain at the school. So does my spouse. The will of we people is not being damned at all. That said, there's no excuse for the treatment of attendees by Cranky McCrankerson. There are more reasonable ways to remind about, and enforce Roberts Rules when a larger than usual crowd shows up at a public meeting to ask questions and demand action.

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  11. Bushkill parents are a bunch of spoiled whiners. School's have been used as polling places forever, without incidents.They have ample parking and are handicapped accessible. Schedule teacher in-service training on election days. Problem solved. Move on to another non-crisis whining parents!

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  12. "On the news the parents also claimed Ken Kraft was partially responsible. Do you think this will spill over onto McClure?"

    Depending on how he responds to Bushkill parents, absolutely. Anytime 1,800 people get together on a county issue, you pay attention. While I think this fear of voters at schools is an emotional response, these are parents who care about their kids. I would never get in the way of a mother who is looking out for the safety of her child. They were able to find an alternative location that actually might be better than the school, and the firehall is willing to tale them. So you move the damn polling place. You don't argue with the parents or call it a "made up problem," as Ken Kraft did, because these are parents looking out for their kids. This does not set a precedent, either. This is a very rare situation in which a suitable alternative actually exists. So you move the damn polling place.

    These parents came to Council before the elections commission was confirmed and wanted to see the nominees questioned on moving the school. While neither the exec nor Council has much discretion in these members (the names come from the party chairs), it is very clear to me that Treisner should never have been selected. Munsey, the Dem party boss, should never have asked him to serve bc it is too much for him at this point in his life.

    Mary Diggs had to know this was a hit button issue, and she blew off the meeting. Lee Snover should never have submitted the name of someone who has such disdain for the voters.

    Fairly or unfairly, McClure will be blamed for this failure of government to be responsive.

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  13. If You get 'Bullied' bully em right back.

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  14. Why is there such reluctance on the part of school districts to schedule in service training on primary and general election days???????????? Schools belong to taxpaying citizens not just to parents with kids. Most voters know where local schools are located; they have handicapped parking and offer better voting machine delivery

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  15. I agree with Anon 12:06. The kids have off so many days as it is, having "Election Day" off wouldn't be that big of deal.

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  16. And the fire hall is even better. When enough people get together to ask that something be done, and you can do it without inconvenience. you do it. MOVE THE DAMN POLLING PLACE. Don't get in a pissing match with someone who does not have to stand for election.

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  17. 7:13, I don't know if you read the link you cited, but claim is unfortunately accurate. There have, in fact, been 17 school shootings so far this year. This does and should include instances of someone bringing a gun to school and the gun going off, accidentally or not. It is still a shooting and is still quite dangerous. The claim is neither misleading nor false. It is accurate.

    Now I agree that fears of the use of schools as polling places are mostly irrational, but parents have a right to be emotional when it comes to the safety of their own children. And unlike many other parents, this group has come up with a suitable alternative that is a stone's throw away and might actually be a better choice. The downside is that the county has no recourse if the fire hall changes its mind, so you execute a ten year lease and move the damn polling place.

    This is a situation in which the government can be responsive to the wishes of the community, so be responsive instead of telling parents that you know better than they do what is and is not safe. I find it incredible that I even hae to write this.

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  18. "he kids have off so many days as it is, having "Election Day" off wouldn't be that big of deal."

    So now you are an educator, too? You substitute your judgment for that of the school system? Wrong. They are in the best position to decide these things, not county government. I would support a state law mandating that schools be closed on election days and that the school year be extended two days.

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  19. "Tom Shortell tweeted during the meeting that he was very impressed with the openness and conduct of the proceedings - before he detailed the ugliness at the end"

    I was not impressed at all. I saw two people getting up at a time, the same person speaking three times. I knew it would devolve and it did. I do not blame the parents. I blame the elections commission for failing to make clear, at the outset, that only one person can speak at a time,and that once a person is done speaking, he or she is done. I also thunk Deb Hunter made a mistake in discussing her proposal before courtesy of the floor was even over. She should have waited.

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  20. I understand the emotional response of parents. I also think it's terrible government to react to emotion, and not facts. Many are afraid of flying in planes. They don't realize their automobile trip to the airport is exponentially more dangerous. Their fear is irrational. Facts indicate the parents' fears are similarly irrational. Laws and policies shouldn't be changed on the basis of irrationality. You swerved into true motivation behind the county eventually capitulating to the irrational masses. Elected officials don't want to be blamed for being unresponsive. I give my often irrational wife what she wants too, just to stop the annoying soundtrack in my head.Government by feel and not facts is poor government. I don't like McClure or Kraft one bit. But they've done nothing wrong here. They simply have an irrational, nagging wife they need to shut up. And they eventually will.

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  21. "Think the Butz Parents are overreacting to the issue.'

    I agree, but they are parents looking out for their kids. Instead of being smugly condescending, a good government tries to be responsive. The county's response to this has been terrible.

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  22. The kids have off so many days as it is, having "Election Day" off wouldn't be that big of deal."

    "So now you are an educator, too? You substitute your judgment for that of the school system? Wrong. They are in the best position to decide these things, not county government. I would support a state law mandating that schools be closed on election days and that the school year be extended two days."

    I think you didn't read my post correctly. I'm saying that letting the kids have off of school on "election day" isn't the worst idea in the world. I'm all in favor of fire halls (that's where I vote) but if those aren't available and a school is required, not having students in the building when strangers come in seems reasonable, doesn't it?

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  23. Hunter has become a legend in her own mind. She is one of Matt Munsey's chosen ones.

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  24. At the November 20th 2017 Nazareth Area School Board meeting, Superintendent Dennis Riker pledged to close Butz Elementary for the day should the school be used as a polling place again.

    It will be interesting to see if he keeps his promise.

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  25. So because a situation has not yet occurred, it can’t happen? Ignorance is bliss! School violence is on the rise and parents (naturally) want to protect their children. What is wrong with that? I support these parents 100% for being proactive.
    When a school shooting DOES happen during voting THAT’S when people will say, “How could this have happened?” Well, since there is a simple solution to this one, why not fix it?
    To anyone who has never been to Butz Elementary, there are EXACTLY 2 handicap parking spots near the gym entrance. TWO! Many other people roll their windows down to complain about the lack of parking. Overflow parking (which is basically everyone since the lot is so small) occurs on the grassy fields behind the school. These fields are a muddy mess once it starts raining. Voters have already had to push their cars out of that mud pit!
    Voters must stand outside, sometimes in excess of an hour, in order to vote.
    Mr. Short, the President of Bushkill Township Fire Company, stated that they have ample parking (their lot is AT LEAST three times the size of the lot at Butz), areas for voters to wait inside, and there are no children on the premise. PERFECT! Win-Win for all!
    Oh, and if you are a Bushkill Township resident who does not know where the fire company is located then you probably shouldn’t be voting in the first place.
    A petition signed by over 1,700 Bushkill Residents SHOULD be heard!

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  26. I'm curious about George Treisner. I went to school in Bethlehem with a George Treisner. Monacacy School on Main Street. It had grades 1-5. No 6th or Kindergarten. This was the early 1960's. I think he lived on Loraine Ave. He would be 63 or 64. Would you know or could you provide a contact for him? Thanks.

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  27. Mr. T is about 20 yrs older and originally from NYC.

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  28. 17 school shootings? That's a very misleading and mostly false statistic and is an immediate tell that the rest of the argument is weak. These same parents text and drive with their progeny in the car. I see it nearly every day at that school as the California stop at the end of the driveway and pull into traffic on Bushkill Center Road. 20 MPH speed limit when kids are present? Hahahaha. But lets scream for a solution to a problem that DOES NOT EXIST. Assholes. Their kids are in more danger from them.

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  29. Hold elections on the weekend, problem solved.

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  30. As your comment Bernie at 12:12 just change it. Unreal

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  31. 7:29 your an asshole

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  32. Anonymous March 24, 2018 at 11:37 AM

    Is everyone who disagrees with your pov an asshole? Maybe the other anonymous poster called you, or parents, one, so you called them one? Sounds childish to me...And we wonder why discourse has deteriorated into a shouting match.

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  33. "17 school shootings? That's a very misleading and mostly false statistic and is an immediate tell that the rest of the argument is weak."

    There have been 17 school shootings this year. This is completely accurate. It includes accidental discharges but these are school shootings.

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  34. Don't know what to make of this.

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  35. If you ask me, the voters are at risk for going into a gun free school zone to vote. The voters will be safer voting at the fire hall since it is not a gun free zone. I'm not aware of any fire halls getting attacked by crazed gunmen. Maybe the kids should go to school at the fire hall as well, it's safer.

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  36. I'd be willing to bet that Fire halls probably have a higher incidence of shooting than schools. I I googled this and came up with a lot of shootings. They are mostly accidental discharges. The most effective solution is a state law closing schools on election day.

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  37. 12:41 Well played.

    I believe as of now there are 20 incidents where guns we're fired in schools. One incident involved the accidental discharge of a gun in a gun safety class. One involved the shooting of two students in Alabama. At first it was reported as accidental, but later that changed. The third incident was in MD. The security officer killed the shooter. Two students were injured by the shooter one gravely.

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  38. Treisner has a history of lashing out at meetings. He called Karen dolan and bitch and raised his voice a city democratic meeting once. And served as parliamentarian at a norco Dems meeting and called a candidate for vice chair a bitch. Why do people put this guy on board and committees?

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  39. If these blind parents really cared about their children, they woud expend their time and energy on the real problem - politicians paid off handsomely by the NRA and pro-gun proliferation groups to spread very deadly weapons throughout the US. I am pro-2nd 2A, but not to the point that JQ Public has AR15's and similar weapons. This is insane.

    All the blather about voting not in schools, arming teachers (and even students) is just off topic nonsense distracting from the root of the problem. When is the last time a voter took out a student while voting???

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  40. What a pain in the arse. This could be solved so simply. Either the school has a teacher in-service or a day off. It is only two frickin days a year. That way the county does not need a lease with a private concern. A public building is used for what it is intended and it is already compliant w2iht all regulations.

    How this got to this point only shows how obstinate the school officials are being. Everyone knows that school district leader think they are gods but enough is enough. Time for the school board and superintendent to do the right thing.

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  41. Simple, maybe its time to change election day from a Tuesday until a Saturday. Since we are no longer a "local working" community as much of the country anymore, maybe it would allow for more voters who commute to work to vote. ??? Sure the liberals won't like it however.

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  42. "Sure the liberals won't like it however."

    What? Which whacky alt-right website run by the
    Russians claims this? You need new tinfoil.

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