Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
Is Easton's Sal Panto going to become Mayor for Life? He's already served six terms, and despite what he promised everyone four years ago, he's reportedly considering an unprecedented seventh term. City Council members Kenny Brown and Peter Melan are also pondering their own runs.
Despite his overbearing personality, Panto has been a good Mayor, But it's time to let someone else take over. If he still is interested in public service, he can run for County Council District Two.
You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.
Sal Panto Mayor for life, why not? You like McClure's plans to be Executive for life or maybe until he runs for state senate.
ReplyDeleteAlso, why are you stirring up trouble between Kerry Myers and Sal Panto? Panto will not challenge Mr. Myers. You just don't want Mr. Myers to win. Are you on team anything for Lamont like Lott and Zriniski? Aren't two sure votes for whatever he wants more than enough?
Sal loves both of those guys. But if anything is said in the negative, sal can claim his email was hacked
DeleteSal Panto Mayor for life, why not? You like McClure's plans to be Executive for life or maybe until he runs for state senate.
ReplyDeleteAlso, why are you stirring up trouble between Kerry Myers and Sal Panto? Panto will not challenge Mr. Myers. You just don't want Mr. Myers to win. Are you on team anything for Lamont like Lott and Zriniski? Aren't two sure votes for whatever he wants more than enough?
Santo is at least clean not like the pervert we have in Whitehall, we the taxpayers must now pay for his criminal acts he should now be put out of office.
ReplyDeleteNot all Mayors are clean. It's politics.
DeleteIf the people want him they will re-elect him. The citizens of Easton will let him know when his time has come to leave office. From all I can see and hear, He is a good mayor. Isn't the Mayor of Freemansburg a fifty year veteran of the job? Panto's pension should be almost as much as his salary. He should run for County Executive so we can rid ourselves of what we have now. We would hate to lose him, but duty calls.
ReplyDeleteThe doors of the county government center aren’t big enough for Panto’s head to fit through
DeleteHoly Mayor for Life, Batman! Sal is Easton's number one cheerleader and a good ambassador of the city. Easton has turned around quite a bit from the 80s/90s when it looked like the only hope it had was to raze large swaths of it and start over. He's done a good job but it may be time to let Brown or Melan take a turn. Either would also do a good job.
ReplyDeletesal Pashto appears to be doing a good job for the community. In looking further into him I can only find one issue that he should work out. It’s time to start the removal of the racist Columbus Monument. I’m Italian and it show be taken down. Perhaps a statue of Sal should replace it?
ReplyDeleteEveryone is afraid to challenge Panto. He refuses.
ReplyDeleteOr he promotes to a higher position to eliminate competition!!! Like Mike Krill to fire chief
DeleteSal’s defense of the glorious Columbus statue from the woke mob was his greatest triumph by firmly asserting his deep historical understanding and commitment to the fellow Italians who paid for its installation he stuck a thumb in the collective cyclops eye of revisionist history and the authors of two locally disgraced blogs
ReplyDeleteTony Profundo
Mayor for life? That's a good idea, I want to see him build five more parking garages downtown that never get more than 20% filled.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize that Sal defended a Columbus Statue, good for Sal.
ReplyDeleteStanding up to the pronoun Taliban is worthy of my support.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
ReplyDeleteBig fish in small pond. He's benefitting from gentrification. That's a good thing because he can't legally increase his millage because it was nearly maxed by previous mayors. That's why he regularly raises fees, but still brags about holding the line on taxes he can't legally raise. Why run for a meaningless council seat when you get to be king of your home town? He is probably unelectable outside of safe, blue Easton. The townships remember his Strausser days and hate his guts.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely
DeleteStatues say a lot about their city. In Easton, there are precious few. But it's an interesting mix. Lafayette celebrates the Marquis with a couple of campus statues, I believe. The legendary Traill Green is honored in Easton Cemetery. In downtown there are just two: Columbus and Larry Holmes, both championed by Sal Panto. No Easton statue is as offensive as anything named for Woodrow Wilson, however; especially schools with a cartoonish warrior in headdress.
ReplyDeleteOne has to look at the arguments for term limits to determine if there is a need to change horses. One of the arguments is that the executive controls appointments. That can create an unelected government that doesn’t operate independently of the executive. A cursory examination of Easton boards and commissions notes old names plus city employees. The boards are a check on executive and legislative powers. In this case there may be none. Secondly, are the priorities the same. Are areas and populations being ignored. Are neighborhoods changing without the consent of residents who live there? Answer these questions and you see a need for or against change. It’s important to look to the future. Is city management able to continue? Even beyond one term and this individual. If anything a future term should be about transitioning out of office.
ReplyDeleteNobody from Easton, PA likes to be told how to vote, especially from an outsider. Just ask the newest senator from PA.
ReplyDeleteI don't care if Mayor Panto is good or bad - we need term limits to prevent exactly what we have now in politics.
ReplyDeleteWill good people get caught up in this? Yep. Too bad.
If Sal stays in for life he will eventually have to rule from a nursing home. He would have to operate from the nursing home at the top of Washington ST hill as Gracedale is out of the city limits. I bet the members of his cabinet are squirming as a new mayor could can all of them. I guess Sal's decision will rest in part whether there are any job openings at Lafayette College or the Bridge Commission.
ReplyDeleteI liked when he skipped protocol and made his niece Queen For A Day
ReplyDeleteAh your referring to holy cross park AKA Pantoland
DeleteWith no real press oversight anymore there should be term limits on all executive office holders. Ther power of the executives (mayor or county) is enormous today. and they have little checks. Thery hand out big contracts and many grants. Parttime legislatures with understaffed offices cannot keep tabs on them. Should be a two term, eight-year limit on elected executives. Big money has made term limits important for all offices, especially at the state and federal level.
ReplyDeleteChange politicians like underwear,term limits should have been a referendum long ago. Once they get in too long ,their like termite s. Background checks and credit scores should be a mandatory disclosure for any candidate along with a statement from any separated spouse.
ReplyDeleteThe people have spoken , Sal is good for Easton that’s why he keeps getting elected
ReplyDeletePossibly there hasn’t been a formidable opponent since Tom Goldsmith, who kicked Panto’s ass.
DeleteThere was suppose to be a separation of City Administrator and duties as Mayor. They got rid of Steckman because he apparently didn’t play nice , so now the new one carries the water bucket just right . Who is responsible for running this city?
ReplyDeleteMr Steckman didn’t bow to or kiss the kings ring or ass, so it wasn’t the Panto way and steckman was sent to the highway
Deletewe need David G. Hopkins!!
ReplyDeleteHe would put the many punks in check
DeleteTheir was to be a separation of duties between city administrator and Mayor of Easton within the new city charter . Sal wormed his way into that committee during the process. He probably should have been not allowed as a former mayor. He was in there. The poster has a point. And we need a Easton city nepotism rule too. Not like the EASD that has a security director whose married to the HRDirector . The last 2 and former HR directors were related to power people. At least the last one was competent. This is NOT in the interest of the tax payers . If you knew what I know , you might attempt a Vince Foster maneuver. I got facts . That’s why they hate me . I might run for Mayor too , to mix up the numbers after I re register as a Democrat— I’m as unqualified as at least two possible candidates,one is as dumb as a stump - and the other - I didn’t get a business degree from a college that only had class on Saturday and it was a self appointed degree. Yup their going to hate me.I know too much ,I’m a retired dishwasher among other things. Who else was one ? Federal Judge Smith’s first job and Peter Kohler both washed dishes. I pay my bills on time and never declared bankruptcy ,I went to war without a 2S deferment,served only 32 yrs with 12 MOS’s and I didn’t leave my wife for my employee. Your going to hate me ,so go ahead and run ,Make My Day!
ReplyDeleteTheir was to be a separation of duties between city administrator and Mayor of Easton within the new city charter . Sal wormed his way into that committee during the process. He probably should have been not allowed as a former mayor. He was in there. The poster has a point. And we need a Easton city nepotism rule too. Not like the EASD that has a security director whose married to the HRDirector . The last 2 and former HR directors were related to power people. At least the last one was competent. This is NOT in the interest of the tax payers . If you knew what I know , you might attempt a Vince Foster maneuver. I got facts . That’s why they hate me . I might run for Mayor too , to mix up the numbers after I re register as a Democrat— I’m as unqualified as at least two possible candidates,one is as dumb as a stump - and the other - I didn’t get a business degree from a college that only had class on Saturday and it was a self appointed degree. Yup their going to hate me.I know too much ,I’m a retired dishwasher among other things. Who else was one ? Federal Judge Smith’s first job and Peter Kohler both washed dishes. I pay my bills on time and never declared bankruptcy ,I went to war without a 2S deferment,served only 32 yrs with 12 MOS’s and I didn’t leave my wife for my employee. Your going to hate me ,so go ahead and run ,Make My Day!
ReplyDeleteI don’t think she was his employee but his travel agent
DeleteThis is not about Sal Panto
ReplyDeleteI must say Peter you do know your facts, I stand corrected I thought you were referring to Panto
ReplyDeleteEaston population as per the Census Bureau in 2021: 28,057
ReplyDeleteRegistered voters in the City of Easton, as per the Pennsylvania Department of State as of November 7, 2022: 17,136
Total votes cast in the 2019 Democrat primary election for Mayor: 1,690
Votes cast in the 2019 Democrat primary for Sal Panto: 1,282
Total votes cast for Mayor in the 2019 general election: 3,482
Votes cast for Sal Panto in the 2019 general election: 2,839
Registered voters by party affiliation in the City of Easton, as per the Pennsylvania Department of State as of November 7, 2022:
Democrat: 10,205
Independent: 3,630
Republican: 3,123
Any competent candidate with a plan and a ground game can beat Sal Panto in the primary election since there is an excess of registered electors who do not vote in Easton. By either reaching out to Democrats or getting the Independents and Republicans to switch parties for the primary and vote against Sal Panto.
With mail-in voting, they would not even need to leave the house to have a challenger beat Sal Panto in the primary election.
Last Constable run I had most votes of anyone running for anything total in 3rd ward . Fact check that. Of coarse I did what Hemstreet did his last run. I could change the numbers and not spend a DIME like Hemstreet did beating a Dem .
ReplyDeleteAnd the Republican in the primary that was a football coach at P- Burg high . Hemstreet out smarted them and the Republicans that were attached to displace him. How about you Bernie ? Want to be my “advisor “.? I m still PO’d about some things and one is my former workplace . The situation is perhaps grave , I’m going to expect an ACCIDENT shortly ,because of my experience from the military about people in hazardous occupational areas that are non- cohesive. I loved my job and I hate what’s happened to it. This is a leadership issue. Fire Department’s should be hiring pit bulls not lap dogs. Pit bulls go in the buildings under appropriate conditions,not hang outside. They come in on call in. Well we have 20 months to prep before the long final in landing. Easton City employees should LOVE to come to work ,get creative,and want to do more than “what’s just required “ because they should like being with their comrades. Leadership is an art form ,it’s starts at the top by example. It’s an absolute ability to generate energy from within a body where the group structure has an obligation to their other members. My ph. No. Is 610-248-0212 if anyone has any comments- please text me first , I can only talk on my phone though my hearing aids .
ReplyDeleteAnd unreleased , is I will personally train a Law Enforcement person free, to become a better shot as I have federal agents to Constables . LEs are under attack nation wide , the cops look like their tactical but we’re never infantry trained, so they runaround a site then congregate to gather in parking lots. Big mistakes being made. Text me 610-248-0212 if you want to advance. I personally wouldn’t want to be an Police Officer now in this climate. Survivable issue’s are free from a 70 year old infantry guy , stuff you didn’t get at academy. Free and confidential.
ReplyDeleteGod bless our law enforcement. They are under attack and under skilled to deal with it.