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.