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| Cozze responds to question from Elections Comm'n |
Cozze is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, where she majored in Psychology and minored in Business Administration. Since 2018, she has worked at Northampton County's Department of Administration, and threw herself into elections. She was instrumental in the selection of the Express Vote y there, visiting precincts and speaking to voters. She organized a voter outreach program in which the new system was demonstrated at over 20 locations. Only Philadelphia could match this effort to inform the public. When County Council wanted to see how this system worked in Delaware, she spent the entire day at the Diamond State, visiting precincts and speaking to voters. When problems arose in Northampton County's first use of this system, Cozze is one of a handful of county workers who worked 35 hours straight to make sure the votes were counted properly.
In 2018, Cozze mounted an unsuccessful campaign for the state house against incumbent Joe Emrick. She made clear, however, that she will be completely nonpartisan in her new role. Moreover, her previous role as a candidate should give her some insight into the many problems faced by candidates for public office.
In the private sector, Cozze worked at Deerfoot Auto Parts, a successful family-owned auto recycling and service business located in Wind Gap. She also started and managed her own cake bakery in Nazareth.
It was widely assumed that Amy Hess, Acting Registrar and one of Northampton County's hardest workers, would take this job. But after November's election, in which everything that could go wrong did go wrong, Hess made it clear she wanted to return to her role as Deputy. No amount of persuasion could change her mind. In fact, Hess was one of Cozze's biggest supporters.
Even in the best of times, a Presidential election is always a challenge for the elections office. On top of that, she will be responsible for the controversial XL voting system and, if she has her way, electronic poll books to make it easier to check in voters. She will also be tasked with implementing recent changes in the Election Code that will drown her office with mail-in ballots.
I've watch her since she started working for the County. We are lucky to have her.
48 comments:
Charles Dertinger, informing the other candidates that he interviewed and picked his very own personal assistant for a high level position:
https://youtu.be/BxOiVxTB0KY?t=260
How absolutely brazen.
Anyone who has followed this saga from day one is not surprised. This was preplanned destiny.
Another Lamont BS move to ensure he can micromanage a person to do what he wants. He is a control freak. She is the one that praised the XL voting machine. See what happened there. Then he took her out of limelight when everything went to hell in a handbag. Now he is putting her in change. What a joke! Worst County Executive every. Can't wait to vote for whomever runs against him just to get all those jokers out.
The hiring panel controlled by the executive picked the person he wanted to get the job. Cheer all you want Bernie but this was hardly an open and fair process. I feel bad for the other applicants,they never had a chance.
Congratulations to mizz coze
This is the best pick, she is a tireless worker and will fit well within the elections office
We shall see..give her a chance. Lamont on the clock.
Reminds me of Scott Parsons- a terrible candidate, and lands a gravy job with McClueles as a consolation prize. What a waste of time- the other candidates never had a chance. Her track record so far at the county speaks volumes.
This election is going to be a disaster. Look at all these steps being taken to fix what THEY broke. This is government incompetence at its finest. Save us the heroic tales. The effed the thing up. Period.
Didn't I read one of your blog responses that Amy Cozze told you that she wouldn't go for it. Guess she doesn't tell the truth. How can we trust her.
This position is civil service, what were the test scores for all the applicants.
Dertinger told the Commission that several candidates applied and that Amy Cozze was the most qualified. Hasn't she only been in elections for a few months? Wasn't there someone inside the elections office other than Amy Hess, someone who has been working there for years, who also applied? Is there any chance of pushing back here or is the administration just going to win this one?
Only two were qualified? That's bollocks. I spoke to a few people who applied and they all met the qualifications in the job description (which Charles modified himself). He pushed this through with the bare minimum of interviews required.
"Didn't I read one of your blog responses that Amy Cozze told you that she wouldn't go for it. Guess she doesn't tell the truth. How can we trust her."
She told me she did not want the Council Clerk position when she was accused of wanting that by anonymous assholes like you. I never said she had no interest in the elections job, which only recently came up and only bc the other Amy did not want it.
Frankly, this is no plum. It is going to be quite a challenge.
"This position is civil service, what were the test scores for all the applicants"
Not civil service. It is career service, and she was chosen in accordance with the rules. I heard nothing about a test.
"Wasn't there someone inside the elections office other than Amy Hess, someone who has been working there for years, who also applied? "
Yews, there was one other candidate from inside the elections office who is certainly qualified.
So a partisan Democrat is put in charge of our election process by a Democrat controlled county council during a hyper-partisan election year with fatally flawed voting machines approved by that same council. Coincidence?
Career service you still need to be tested with written exams, then your scores are considered when applying for a career position.
"Career service you still need to be tested with written exams, then your scores are considered when applying for a career position."
If regs require a written test, I am sure that was done.
"So a partisan Democrat is put in charge of our election process by a Democrat controlled county council during a hyper-partisan election year with fatally flawed voting machines approved by that same council. Coincidence?"
Speaking of flaws, there are a few in your question.
First, I am unsure whether Cozze was ever a partisan Democrat although she is a Democrat who ran for office two years ago. She told me yesterday that she views her role as nonpartisan and has acted that way since she began her role with the county. Should he county have excluded her bc she is a Democrat? That is nonsense.
Second, Council had nothing to do with her selection. She was chosen by a panel of county workers.
Third, the XL is far from fatally flawed. It is an excellent machine that was improperly aligned, programmed and tested. We know exactly what happened and fixed it. If you distrust the machine, you can vote by mail or seek a provisional ballot at the polls. I trust the machine but will still vote by mail as a matter of convenience.
Since her hire, there have been a number of people who have really had it in for Cozze and I do not understand why. She is smart and dedicated. She is the choice of Amy Hess, the Chief Deputy in that office and someone who deeply cares about elections.
If she fails in this role, you can punish McClure when he seeks re-election. He knows this and has confidence in her ability to do the job. Give her a chance.
If an applicant for this job feels he or she was excluded improperly, this person can invoke the appeals process in the Administrative Code.
If it walks like a duck.....
My sources tell me that all of the other applicants were treated in a rude manner. during the interview process in order to eliminate them. Surprisingly HR went along with it.
Career jobs must take a written test there’s no way around it.
Then I am sure that happened.
12:11, if only two were qualified, I would think that means there were only two interviews. But if your “sources” tell you they were all treated rudely, I am sorry they feel that way and would like to know why.
She was appointed to an appointed position and are you telling me she was appointed to a career service job. People take these career service tests, only these people can apply for these positions, no one appointed or interviewed without taking a career test can hold a position like this.
The voter registrar is career service, just like many of the row offices. Read the HRC and Admin Code before braying here with nonsense.
You are smitten with this Cozze woman and have displayed that since she got her patronage job. You love McClure and have done a 180 degree turn on your once very clear observations of he and Dertinger. They act like thugs. They bully and try and intimidate. This woman was hired as a secretary for Ken Brown yet was always prancing around the 3rd floor outside Dertigners office and attending functions that had nothing to do with her job. They demanded she be referred to by a title that was not her real job in order to pump up her image.
She was intricately involved in the disastrous election in November and was front and center when telling everyone she was an expert. When the crap hit the fan the administration hid her. You know damn well a board made up of people controlled by the executive dose what he wants or there is Hell to pay.
This was a done deal and is a sad reminder of how the system is flawed. Go back to County Commissioners as the entire "transparency" thing has been subverted by all powerful executives and limp powerless county councils. Either that or demand that the executive and a majority of the county council be of different political parties.
Extra points for including glitter in your mail-in absentee ballot application!
6:36, If I praise a female I am smitten. If I criticize her I hate women. The person who seems to have a sexist attitude is you. Amy is smart and dedicated. She does what she is directed to do, not what you want. She has never demanded to be referred to in any way. The administration did not hide her. That is horseshit, as usual. She faces a challenge and will overcome it. As for McClure and Dertinger, I was ragging on both of them as recently as yesterday. If you think they act like thugs, you don't know thugs. It';s clear to me there's a lot of hate inside you.
This is the rule, career tests are given, the people that scored in the top three are considered for the career position. They cannot just a point someone to this career position, I can see a lawsuit in the future.
The other posters make good points.
Deritnger made it clear she was to be referred to as an executive aide. Also I guess with your new press release way of reporting on McClure actives you don't care about the employees that were steamrolled by the "panel". So much for loyal county employees when there is a political patronage person to take care of and making sure she can't be thrown put when McClure is gone.
Employees are used to this. McClures people are not the first. Many promotions have occurred of females by male administration officials over the years and you know it. The election commission should rally think about this as they are not afraid to stand up to the administration. The Election Commission is in charge and needs ot put their foot down. Dertinger tried to force them into a vote and they said no way. He will now try and force county council into a vote before they have time to review the contract or discus its. Lets hope they have some backbone.
McClueless and Dertringer operate by being bullies. County Council and Election Officials among others need to take their stand and not let them bully away.
6:36 AM Amen. You hit the nail on the head. Lamont and his Administration need to go before he put Northampton County under more. Shame the election for his position isn't sooner. Then let's see what he says about the wonderful election machine when he is out.
Everyone unhappy with the new voting machines should gear-up for the introduction of computer registration materials to be handled on equipment provided by a Florida firm. Wonder if they arrive pre-loaded from Florida?
"Deritnger made it clear she was to be referred to as an executive aide. Also I guess with your new press release way of reporting on McClure actives you don't care about the employees that were steamrolled "
Funny, you just claimed Cozze insisted on being addressed by her title, now you claim it is Dertinger. Which lie do you want people to believe>?
As for my reporting on McClure, I have been highly critical of how he compensates employees. I have stood up fort them multiple timers. But I have no evidence that anyone was steamrolled in the selection of a new registrar. If I did, I would be writing about it.
"The Election Commission is in charge and needs ot put their foot down. Dertinger tried to force them into a vote and they said no way. "
DErtinger did not try to force anything. He wanted them to vote on epollbooks. They said they wanted to wait a week. No worries. If he were a bully, as you say, that would never have been allowed.
" Many promotions have occurred of females by male administration officials over the years and you know it. "
This is about as sexist as things get.
Of course females are promoted by males. and guess what? Males are promoted by mails as well.
The panel that appointed Cozze consisted of two females and one male. So your sexist argument is nonsense.
Govtech.com features an article about the problem Philadelphia had with its e.poll book vendor’s product. Also, the decision not to use them. Don’t believe this to be the same vendor as the one NC selected.
I could be wrong but I thought the council looked at test scores and experience for this position.
10:16, I will have a detailed article about the poll books, which have been used successfully in LC for the past six years. Also, due to the Act 77 changes, it is no longer possible to print paper poll books in time.
11:17, you are wrong.
From what I can gather, poll books need to have all data loaded in HERE. That’s a good thing, provided the data is up-to-date. I’d like to know more about how clean our data is. Naturally, the data can never be perfect at any given time. It seems, throughout the nation and particularly California, existing voter data in many places is very flawed. Lots of duplication and other junk.
Seems most places where these e.books are used find them to be an improvement. However, they must be frequently guarded against hacking, with software kept current.
"DErtinger did not try to force anything. He wanted them to vote on epollbooks. They said they wanted to wait a week. No worries. If he were a bully, as you say, that would never have been allowed."
Stop it, you know that is not true. He tried in his bully imperious way and they told him too bad. He can't force the commission to do anything. You are repeating their all powerful rap. A former election commission member showed the Home Rule Charter and it said only the commission runs the elections office. Too bad you approve of disregarding the county law in favor of one man rule. Please do not refer to Mr. Trump as an autocrat when you endorse and promote a local autocrat. Does council even read the charter?
There was no bullying. Had you been there you would know that
How much does the job pay for somebody with no experience never worked in the office but knows how to vote.
The records in the Voter Registrars office are not accurate in some areas. When the County computerized their records and microfilmed all their records, it was done in such a haphazard way that details of persons personal voting records were entered with errors. Judge Grifo who took exception to a story that was printed in the Morning Call took exception to his voting record when the Paper reported that he missed voting in some elections. Judge Grifo told the reporter he never missed an election and only voted absentee ballot on several occasions. The State gives out awards to individuals who have voted in every election for the past fifty years. In Northampton County, if you swear under oath that you voted in every election you can still get your 50 year award because the County voting records are not accurate. Our voting records are only as good as the people entering the data.
6:01 - well, that’s the scary part. I am less concerned about whatever devices are used than I am with the care with which the data has been loaded and kept up-to-date. Citizens need to be convinced we will not be starting out the new record keeping system with too much junk data.
It seems these new devices will be more heavily relied upon than the present, old-style process. It will be foolish to simply load in the current information without first making sure any incomplete and flawed records are removed. Remember, this change is intended to make the documentation not just easier to access, but BETTER.
One of the goals of increasing mail-in voting is to increase the amount of votes cast. That means a greater amount of cross-referencing. Perhaps, an overwhelming increase. We must insist the data has been recently proofed.
Have to agree with this pick. It is no doubt the breast person got the job.
What happend to my post Bernie? I didnt say anything that was not true.Do you just pick and choose what you want to be posted on here? I mean I get when someone tells lies. All I said is you are fair with women you go both ways. I have seen you really be hard on Women in that Office years ago and now you are being kind to a few. What's wrong with that. Please explain what's not true about that statemen . Thank You.
Unless it didnt post then I apologize.
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