Northampton County Council is the legislative branch of Northampton County. It also holds the purse strings, and must approve a budget every year. Its nine part-time members are paid $9,500 per year. The President gets an extra $500. They receive no benefits, though they may participate in the pension plan.
Democrats currently enjoy a 6-3 majority. Will that change after Tuesday's election? When the dust settles on November 5, I expect Democrats will maintain their 6-3 edge.
District One: Also called the "Bethlehem" District, it consists of Bethlehem, Hanover Tp, Hellertown and Freemansburg. This district had been represented by painters' union agent Ken Kraft, but he abruptly resigned in October to take a job with Northampton County at the jail. The sole applicant to replace him was Kevin Lott, a Hellertown Borough Council member who was also a business agent for the carpenters' union. Lott was appointed to Council October 18, and is running unopposed on Tuesday. He is a Democrat. Though likable and folksy, Lott alienated Northampton County employees over his treatment of probation officers who left their union.
District Two: Also called the "Easton" District, this consists of Easton, West Easton, Glendon, Tatamy Stockertown and Wilson Borough, as well as Forks and Palmer Townships. The party nominees in this race were chosen by party bosses, not the voters because the candidates elected in the primary withdrew. Democrats are backing former Easton Area School Board Prez Kerry Myers, while Republicans support Monroe County Assistant Public Defender James Fuller.
Myers has run once before for Council, but fell short. He recently retired from Lafayette College, has been involved in youth sports his entire adult life and knows something about service and volunteerism. Fuller has made no effort I can discern in this race.
Myers is the clear choice.
District Three: This is the middle of Northampton County. It consists of Williams, Lower Saucon, Bethlehem, Lower Nazareth, East Allen and Allen Townships. It also contains Nazareth, North Catasauqua and Northampton Boroughs. It is represented by algebra teacher and Williams Tp resident John Cusick, who has 12 years of service combined. He is being challenged by Luke Verdes, who works for a consulting firm assisting nonprofits.
I will be voting for Cusick. I explained why last week. Cucick is very knowledgeable about county issues, is dedicated and tends to look at things with no preconceived notions. His institutional knowledge is priceless in a Council with next to none. I'd add he accepts no special interest money and refuses money from county vendors and political appointees. Others should follow this practice.
District Four: You can call this the Slate Belt or northern tier. It consists of the Slate Belt area as well as Bushkill Township, Upper Nazareth, Bath, Chapman, Moore Township, Lehigh Township and Walnutport.
Roseto Borough Council member Dan Engle, a fourth generation member of Boilermakers Local 28, is the Democratic nominee. The Republican candidate is Wind Gap resident and small business owner Tom Giovanni. The latter will win ... easily.
For one thing, whether it's the Slate Belt or northern tier, it's conservative. For another, Born and raised in Bangor, PA. Giovanni has solid roots in the area. He attended elementary school at Our Lady of Mount Carmel and graduated from Pius X high school. Tom lived in the Nazareth Area School District in Bushkill Township for 31 years. This past year he moved to Wind Gap, PA. He has volunteered his time with the Greater Valley YMCA, Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, Nazareth Business Council and Nazareth Bath Chamber of Commerce.
Engle was personable when I spoke to him personally, but either he or someone in his camp is fairly thin-skinned. When he announced, I poked fun at his Facebook message: "I'm 6'1 and big dark and handsome .. if you like big." He did not take it so well. He later contacted me to deny he was upset, but Northampton County Council already has two union agents among its members. Three is too many.
13 comments:
dems will raise your taxes they can not control themselves they love to spend your money.
The union agents on county council have shown they discriminate against no-union county employees. They will be joined by a third union agent with Engle and county staff will suffer. They are try8ng to forces and intimidate people into joining unions. They should be impeached.
Cusick was going to be my one GOP vote tomorrow, but a flier we received reminded me of one of the multiple reasons the Republican party turns me off anymore. The gist of the flier was if you don't vote for Cusick, and two others, then you are voting for Nancy Pelosi and other GOP "bogeymen". Such blurring of national and local politics, and I am so tired of ignorant dog whistle politics.
Thank God we have Tara Zrinski watching over the elections so there are no shenanigans.
Beaing A UNION MEMBER DOES NOT MAKE YOU AN BUSSNESS AGENT
True. Engle is not actually a business agent but is closely tied. I imagine he is on his way.
Ovem, Unless Cusick was the author of that flyer, I'd give it little weight, but that is me.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
dems will raise your taxes they can not control themselves they love to spend your money.
November 4, 2019 at 1:31 AM
Remember a guy named Hayden Phillips, he was an R and he raised your taxrs not the democrats
anon 11:58, the two union bosses on council work together. This guy is part of their crew. This is a bad trend. They tell all the other dems what to do. They control the campaign money. WE do not need another union boss on county council.
what does center cities of Chicago, philly, Baltimore , san fran and many others have in common also the whole state of California -- answer they are all run by democrats vote for the dems and eventually your whole country will look just like them and that is a fact jack.
Kerry Myers hates white people. The same guy who complained in the past that the Easton Football team staff was "lilly white". If I made a comment that a team staff was too dark then it would be labeled racism.
Dear Bigot, I responded to your comment long ago. At the time Kerry made that statement, he was right. Moreover, minority coaches are few and far between in LV high school sports, even now. This is the result of both subtle and overt racism by people like you.
racism is not cool in any color!
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