Democrat Joshua Siegel is running against Republican Bob Smith in the State House race for Pa.-22. It is divided between some Allentown and Salisbury Tp wards. This is a no-brainer. Smith is eminently qualified and cares about people while Siegel cares only about himself.
Smith spent years battling the degradation of the once proud Allentown school system as a school board member. That's a thankless, unpaid job. No matter what you do as a school director, you make enemies. What really sets him apart for me is what he did as a counselor at Mount Trexler Manor. In 2010, he was pulled from the roof by a suicide jumper. He went down with her, breaking her fall as she landed on yop of him. She escaped with minor injuries. Bob was far less lucky. He had several serious injuries and we're lucky he's still with us.
Smith's bravery is on a par with first responders like firefighters and police officers. He demonstrated pretty clearly that he cares about people. According to his Facebook page, he's running to ensure safe communities, quality education, an affordable cost of living, property tax reform and lower energy costs.
In contrast, New Jersey transplant Siegel is running as a matter of political expedience. He could never be re-elected to Allentown City Council after alienating his fellow Council members, first responders and the public he supposedly serves.
Instead of promoting a safer Allentown community, he voted No to grants for the Allentown police department. He voted No to filling the depleted ranks of police officers. He participated in marches with felons like Hashann Batts, where "F--- the Police1" was the battlecry. He doxed then Mayor Ray O'Connell by handing out the Mayor's phone number to angry protestors. O'Connell thereafter received threats and calls for days.
Wait, there's more. He and fellow opportunist Mark Pinsley promoted foisting two new taxes on the already impoverished citizens of Allentown. First, he wanted to enact a 1% increase in Lehigh County's sales tax. Any economist could tell you that a sales tax is a regressive tax that is disproportionately felt by those with limited means.
In addition to this sales tax hike, he and Pinsley wanted to enact a county-wide income tax to create districts that promote the arts. Yes, people who are already struggling in Allentown to put food on the table would have to work harder to help fund the artsy-fartsys.
This is no race between a Democrat and a Republican. This is a choice between good and evil. As Plutarch notes in his Parallel Lives on Cicero, "No beast is more savage than man possessed with power answerable to his rage." If Siegel had any kind of power, you can rest assured it will be abused.
This is a heavily Democratic district in Allentown's urban core. But the Hispanic population there might be willing to vote R. For Allentown's sake, I hope so.
16 comments:
"This is no race between a Democrat and a Republican. This is a choice between good and evil."
Lol. Sadly, evil is enjoying higher approval these days in a city that's about to outlaw pro-life centers for the crime of attempting to save mostly minority lives. This is more of an "F the blacks babies!" rally cry than it is "F the police." Allentown richly deserves the evil guy. And they'll select him by a landslide. Evil is as evil does. This is today's Allentown, where life is really cheap.
Yes, there is a choice between good and evil.
That is why I will be voting for Josh Siegel, he respects women’s Rights. Women need the right to have complete freedom to do what they wish to do with their bodies, this is 2022, not 1820. I wish he would tax the real estate developers more to help the citizens of the city. After all they are the ones who received all of the funds from the NIZ that gave them tremendous tax benefits that will roll down to increase taxes on the common person.
Everyone needs to vote to keep the evil Republicans out of office, they are the group of politicians that cannot see the damage they have been doing to our country over the past 6 years.
Bernie,
All these candidates sound awful. We'll have to vote in New Jersey.
Anon. 8:25:
Do you drink the Kool-Aid by the pitcher or just inject it directly into your veins?
Sounds like you are throwing a tantrum than realizing that some issues are more important than abortion.
"Everyone needs to vote to keep the evil Republicans out of office ..."
Even if it means continuing to live in the ghetto paradise our one-party system has given us. Josh called you a ghetto. And you're still voting for him? I suspect you're a progressive whitey who doesn't live in Allentown and really doesn't like dark people very much - just like Josh.
I live in this district. Josh Siegel is a left wing fruitcake who would take his anti-police radical agenda to Harrisburg. My wife and I will be voting for Bob Smith. One track mind Dems are promoting the sanctity of women's bodies but are doing nothing about the security of our southern border that has resulted in human trafficking. And many of us believe in a child's right to live and not just the women's right to kill them.
"Even if it means continuing to live in the ghetto paradise our one-party system has given us. Josh called you a ghetto. And you're still voting for him?"
That was Pinsley, not Siegel, but they are two peas in a pod. Siegel has offered to mentor Hispanics, blissfully unaware how condescending he sounded.
As an Allentown mother of 3 we can’t AFFORD Josh Siegel. The choice has never been so clear. I just saw a Facebook live where he was screaming F the police. Allentown isn’t a paradise and we need safer streets now more than ever. Clearly he is out of touch with the community.
Just a look at Josh's facebook page and how he responds to people, especially people of a different opinion, is astonishingly horrible. He has no people skills. Poor Scott Armstrong received the brunt of Josh's mood swing. Josh belongs in kindergarten detention; not representing people.
Josh Siegel represents the next gen of Valley political power who are breaking free from the bondage of a stagnant gerontocracy, the #BoomerRemover was not enough legislative action must be taken to prevent the Diane Feinstein’s of the world from steering us towards apocalypse
Lt. Fig leaf
DGR
Smith owns the failed ASD, one need not be a BIPOC to grab your nuts and invoke the timeless battle cry of “Fu*k the police!”
And Josh is totally jacked he’s a hero to so many on the left honestly if he ran around in a leotard and cape his massive base would not care
Hey Bernie,
Thanks for opening my eyes, JoshSiegel sounds like the real deal and it’s time to get some new blood in Harrisburg. Check out this statement:”We need to fully fund our public schools and take on the charter school industry that is depriving our public schools of millions. We need to create a society built on care and compassion through universal childcare and long-term care for our seniors. We need a massive generational investment in union-built and maintained social housing. We need to provide tuition-free for community colleges and four-year public universities. It’s time that we invest in our people and the future of our commonwealth”.
My wife, daughters and I will be voting for Mr. Siegel, hopefully more of your denizens will join us.
Hey Bernie,
Thanks for opening my eyes, JoshSiegel sounds like the real deal and it’s time to get some new blood in Harrisburg. Check out this statement:”We need to fully fund our public schools and take on the charter school industry that is depriving our public schools of millions. We need to create a society built on care and compassion through universal childcare and long-term care for our seniors. We need a massive generational investment in union-built and maintained social housing. We need to provide tuition-free for community colleges and four-year public universities. It’s time that we invest in our people and the future of our commonwealth”.
My wife, daughters and I will be voting for Mr. Siegel, hopefully more of your denizens will join us.
I rarely respond to anonymous comments but since I left the school board there have been 3 straight years of tax increases, 4 different people running district, Tom Smith facilities Director leaving and business manager leaving because Of Dr.Stanford.. Many employees leaving. The district is in chaos, very sad. I was always transparent and we had stable leadership when I was on board.The lack of leadership hurts all of us, especially our students.
Hi Josh 👋
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