I previously labelled this as a "candidate's night." Time to fess up. It was a classic debate. Houck and Baratta were both afforded two opportunities to state their strengths and point out their opponent's weaknesses. I served strictly as a moderator. I posed no questions, nor did I plant any.
Most "debates" are designed to stifle real interchanges by inserting questioners and strict time limits to questions. It's hard to say anything substantive. It's even worse when the audience starts screaming every five seconds. But the audience is either denied the privilege of asking questuions or are very limited.
Unlike those formats, this was a classic debate. Houck and Baratta mixed it up with both each other and the audience.
My biggest mistake was my failure to impose a time limit on how long candidates, especially lawyers, could speak. My bad. I rectified that in the second round, but by that time, several people had withered away. I supplied water where I could.
Because I was acting as a quasi-moderator, I really had no opportunity to take notes and summarize what was said. I'd refer you to Tony Salamone's well-written rendition in The Morning Call, A videographer also filmed the debate, but it's unclear whether it will be published online.
I'll say this. The longer the night went on, the more crazy things got. Both Baratta and Houck were calling each other liars with reckless abandon, Some audience participants began getting angry as well. At one point, I tried to bring Sergeant at Arms Mason down to impose order with a few growls. Unfortunately, he's a black lab and refused unless I could load him up with cookies.
Republican Margie Mandell loved the cacophony . "It was nice to see Democrats fighting for a change," she said. Other Republicans at this debate included former County Council Prez Peg Ferraro, current D4 Council member Tom Giovanni and Upper Nazareth Supervisor Scott Sylvainus.
All were welcome, but the crowd was mostly Democratic. I saw several candidates in the room, including judicial candidate Brian Panella, Controller candidate Nadeem Qayyum, and NorCo County Council candidate Kelly Keegan.
After the event was over we picked up two items that people left.
One is a ladies' sweater Please contact me at bohare5948@aol.com, so I can arrange its return to you.
The other item left behind is a very nice L.L.Bean leather satchel. Witnesses told me it belongs to Baratta. The first thing I did was remove all the money. Then I called Baratta and told him I saw Houck rifling through it before he left. Then I called Houck and told him I found Baratta's bag at the debate full of what appears to be cocaine or something. Narcs are on their way and Baratta is now claiming it's my bag.
Because this debate was so successful, I will host debates this fall for (1) the judicial race, assuming there are still two candidates; (2) the county controller's race; and (3) the D3 County Council race. In addition to imposing time limits on speakers, tables will be removed and chairs added to the community room for the crowds
I wish to thank Rosie Grube, Patti Butz, Joe Kostolanci and Dat Lambert for their invaluable assistance. I wish to thank Terry Houck and Steve Baratta for being willing to serve, face the public and put up with me. Most of all, I want to thank those of you who came. It was truly inspiring to see so many people who really care about their government.
UPDATED 10:30 am: Margie Mandell videotaped the Q&A from the audience following the debate. It's pretty wild, and I'd recommend you view it.
UPDATED 5:00 pm: Kurt Bresswein at Lehigh Valley Live also has an excellent account of last night's debate.
nasty. not helpful
ReplyDeleteWhere did they stand on Constitutional rights during the COVID lockdown hoax?
ReplyDeleteThat's among the truest tests of all.
Despite believing you are usually too biased, deceptive, devious, and wrong on most State and Federal issues, I sincerely congratulate what you‘ve done here to improve our understanding of LOCAL matters. Bernie, your greatest contributions are in presenting local issues. Truly, you did a good service here, and this Independent voter appreciates it.
ReplyDeleteLocal is your lane, Bernie. When you stray from this lane you truly are a nasty, vindictive, bastard.
a debate by two members of the same party, hardly an victory for democracy.
ReplyDeleteBottom line is these people are politicians. as result they are no good, Because politicians will never do what is good for the people..
ReplyDeleteWhy do you say that with such abandon and broad stroke?
DeleteThank you for listing the names of candidates who actually validated this farse by attending. I will never cast a vote for any of them.
ReplyDeleteAttending does not indicate support for any individual. Attending means taking an interest in hearing from the candidates first hand to be informed voters.
DeleteThat was the most entertaining thing I will witness the whole year! Absolutely amazing show! Wish they would do a tour together. Next time leave a tip jar because I would have paid good money to see a show of that caliber.
ReplyDeleteI would imagine that the current and soon to be former Fountain Hill Borough manager was not there? It seems he is over his head in deep doo doo for soliciting minors. I heard from a friend that there was police activity at his house last night, and he was taken away in an ambulance.
ReplyDeleteFirst, thanks to Bernie for hosting what turned out to be a very good use of time. Second, I walked in thinking that I was Team Baratta, but left without a team. I found that the former judge threw around a lot of accusations, but many had little substance. His attacks on Mr. Pepper continued, despite Houck stressing that no laws have been broken. Baratta seemed to have a lot of supporters in the group (probably more than Houck), yet he was angry and raised his voice a number of times. Does he have the temperament to manage people or should he just enjoy his retirement? Houck didn’t land many punches and spent much of the time defending himself, Pepper, and his office. I was more impressed by Houck’s restraint than I was by Baratta’s hissy fits.
ReplyDeleteThank you and the folks at Border House for hosting this event, It was eye-opening and informative even for someone like me who can have no influence on the Primary outcome because of party registration. Additional kudos to you for recognizing necessary format changes for your upcoming events. And may I add one additional recommendation…7:00 meetings should start at 7:00.
ReplyDeleteBarrata certainly took his liberties when Bernie said there was no time limit. Did Barrata really think anyone would appreciate his long winded 40 minute opening?! I actually considered that his strategy was to talk until 9pm and not give Houck anytime to respond. It was obnoxious! And so were his groupies. One woman yelled "bullshit" and then coughed. As if we were in the movie Animal House. Classless! And then there was the guy who incessantly talked throughout the whole event. That guy was shameless. Barrata's crowd did him no favors. They weren't there for a debate, they were there to be an angry mob with no intentions of listening. They resemble Barrata himself.
ReplyDeleteHouch however was impressive. He remained calm throughout the 40 minute tirade of lies and misinformation. He was prepared with his answers. He anticipated the accusations and had a rebuttal. But the best point of the night was when Houck said that Barrata may have served as a judge but he certainly does not know the responsibilities of a District Attorney. And that was made clear by Barrata throughout the night. Barrata should review civil vs criminal too. He brought the members of the church with him, but he clearly is confused about Houck's responsibilities as the District Attorney regarding that issue.
I walked away with confidence of who I am voting for. Houck for the win!!!
I hate meetings that start late. I generally agree, but it was a reasonable, 10-minute delay. The meeting started at 7:10. The sole reason for the delay was to try to get more chairs so people could sit. I would not wait beyond those 10 minutes and explained it. Thanks for coming and sorry about the 10-minute delay. Our time is valuable.
ReplyDeleteThe next debate you should host should be for County Controller; except use an MTV Celebrity Death Match format. Tara could attack with solar panels and campaign signs from past failed campaigns and Nadeem could use the junk on his property as well as the lockboxes he uses to store all that cash he has on hand.
ReplyDelete"Where did they stand on Constitutional rights during the COVID lockdown hoax?"
ReplyDeleteYou could have come and asked the question. COVID did come up. Houck stated his office worked through COVID. Northampton County, thanks to both the courts (of which Baratta was then a part) and the DA, tried the first capital case in the state amid COVID. He had police departments amend mutual aid agreements to ensure police overage. With respect to the lockdown, both he and DA outlined their positions here: https://lehighvalleyramblings.blogspot.com/2020/05/lehigh-valley-das-outline-prosecution.html
Not a civil debate a cat fight. A shame. Not helpful to voters. Each attacked the other. I wish a Republican would step up and run. Sad.
ReplyDeleteA question was asked about women’s reproductive rights and the stance of the candidates. Baratta pandered, Houck tried (despite heckling) to remind the attendees that he must enforce Commonwealth laws, whether or not he agrees with the law. Obviously, one candidate showed his activist side, the other the realistic role of the DA.
ReplyDelete@8:35 YES! My thoughts exactly. I was extremely uncomfortable while Baratta spoke, I almost felt embarrassed for him. He should retire with some dignity intact. For whatever reason, he appears to have a vendetta against Houck, making a fool of himself while pursuing it. #TeamHouck
ReplyDeleteHouck didn’t answer Something about him getting paid by a law firm in Philadelphia and About Pepper getting COVID money from the paycheck protection program for his private law practice that he never paid back. Houck avoided the questions. The discrimination complaints against Houck are kinda troubling.
ReplyDeleteHouck would put women and their doctors in jail for abortions if Harrisburg wanted it. Big loser.
ReplyDeleteA judge, in most circumstances, must enforce the laws as written, where does it say a DA must? It does not say a DA must because that’s not true. Prosecutorial discretion is a fundamental principle of criminal Justice.
ReplyDeleteThe uninformed and irrelevant comments on this blog over the past few years, no offense intended to Bernie at all, make it clear that we get the government we deserve.
I’m voting for Baratta.
ReplyDelete"Houck didn’t answer Something about him getting paid by a law firm in Philadelphia "
ReplyDeleteI'll agree that Houck's answer was unclear and spoke with him after the debate. Houck received money for a referral he made in a mesothelioma case over a decade ago and long before he became District Attorney. He never spoke to the law firm and just received a check. He did the right thing and was in fact assured by the Ethics Commission that his actions were both legal and ethical. I will have a story about this tomorrow.
Bernie,
ReplyDeleteI’d like to see a summary of the various allegations towards each candidate and your take on the issues after doing some fact finding.
Help us sort truth from fiction in this important race.
Baratta clearly won the room last night and had Houck on the defensive for most of his time at the podium.
Watched the video. What a shitshow. I'm embarrassed for the electorate. We deserve better than these two hacks.
ReplyDeleteLet's have Houck prove why Kline and Spector is paying him. A referral fee for a case that was 10 years ago????? Total BS. Houck is a liar. Send him back to Bucks County. He even thought he was in Bucks County when answering his first question. I was reading up on that "legion" award when he was a rookie Philly cop that he touted. He was nominated by his corrupt precinct boss that was under indictment at the time for extortion, police corruption, and prostitution charges and was found guilty a few months after. Send him back to bucks county. Just another corrupt philly cop from the Rizzo years. What's up with the covid money they were talking about for pepper? Corrupt.
ReplyDeletehouck would put women and their doctors in jail if Doug Mastriano makes a come back and bans abortions in pennsylvania. He's not pro choice. he wouldnt even say that he would not charge for those if abortions were totally banned. He's a democratic in name only.
ReplyDelete"Houck would put women and their doctors in jail for abortions if Harrisburg wanted it. Big loser."
ReplyDeleteHouck was never asked if he'd prosecute women or their doctors for performing or receiving abortions Here's what Houck said in response to a question from a person who actually asked him to advocate for women's rights.
"If they [the state legislature] ask the district attorney, which has no involvement in that type of law, yes, I would. I'm pro-choice and would advocate for women. I have two daughters and am 100% pro-choice."
Here's what Baratta said. "If the health care provider believes there's medical treatment necessary, there's no way that I'm going to file criminal charges ... . I don't believe that abortion should be limited in Pa. I believe that the law we have now is working fine. "
Houck said he would advocate for choice if asked. Baratta likely feels the same way, but did not answer whether he'd actually advocate the issue, which really is not the function of a DA. Baratta said he'd refuse to prosecute, but that wasn't the question.
You never asked Houck whether he'd refuse to prosecute, and it's unfair to criticize him when you failed to ask that question.
Terry can't even remember what freakin County he works for...it's embarrassing, maybe it's because he's only lived in Norco for 4 years? Maybe it's because he didn't have Northampton County written down on any of his manifestos he was unable to look up from. Bernie can you advise why your buddy is incapable of thinking on his feet in front of an audience despite claiming to be the most capable attorney on his staff????
ReplyDeleteMr. Houck needs to return to his roots; namely, Philadelphia. His wokeness is annoying and dangerous.
ReplyDelete"I’d like to see a summary of the various allegations towards each candidate and your take on the issues after doing some fact finding."
ReplyDeleteTomorrow I will have a story concerning the money Houck received from Kline Spekter, which Baratta claimed was an illegal payment received for outside work in violation of a state statute barring a full-time DA from accepting civil work. Turns out that accusation is false. I agree Houck was unclear when he addressed it.
Tomorrow, I will have a story on the Sikh church (temple in Lower Nazareth and Baratta's claim that Houck is refusing to help one faction fight another because they don't look like him. That claim is false.
In the comments, I've addressed an attack on Houck's abortion stance. The claim from the commenter is false.
I will address other claims like the supposed preferential treatment given to Kelvin Myers, who was given work release after being charged with institutional rape.
Great event, Bernie, but I'm concerned with Baratta's temperament and motivation and don't buy that he wants to make the DA's office better. I get the feeling he wants to make it the way it was three years ago. Obviously, I'm voting for Houck, as the previous DA proved to me that he wouldn't prosecute a big shot for witness intimidation, and I'm not interested in seeing that kind of justice in the county again. Now, when are we going to see the controller candidates face off? That would be some real entertainment!
ReplyDeleteWhile you're preparing your various defenses of Houck, can you please report on the EEOC complaint filed against his office? Also, can you interview Pepper and let us know his response to Baratta's claim of impropriety regarding Pepper's tenant relationship with this defense attorney??? And one more thing - Why couldn't Terry sum up the situation with Kline and Spector last nigh after it repeatedly coming up? According to you it's quite simple. Did he not have, "I received that payment before becoming DA" written down anywhere? WAS THAT THE PROBLEM?!?! How can you trust anyone with so many ethical complaints who can't even look an audience in the eyes. His lack of eye contact spoke volumes to me. Even more than the countless times he contradicted himself.
ReplyDeleteAsk houck about enforcing tougher abortion restrictions if Harrisburg passes them…
ReplyDelete"While you're preparing your various defenses of Houck, can you please report on the EEOC complaint filed against his office? "
ReplyDeleteI have made clear from the onset that I support Houck. I consider them both excellent lawyers, consider both friends, but there can only be one DA. I think Terry is better suited for the job, but would support Baratta if he wins. I prefer Terry because he is a professional. This is all he's ever done. Baratta knows this and came to last night's debate knowing this, I promised him I'd be fair, and I was. I did not interject myself, except as a moderator, and planted no questions. I actually like the fact that Baratta is running bc democracy works better when people have a choice. So drop the insinuation that any review I do will be anything but honest.
I am reviewing some of Baratta's many complaints against Houck, and will be reviewing some of Houck's complaints against Baratta. If they can be substantiated, I will note it and why. If they are unsubstantiated, I shall note it and why.
"Ask houck about enforcing tougher abortion restrictions if Harrisburg passes them…"
ReplyDeleteYou can easily post that question to Houck on his campaign Facebook page or his website. So if you want that question answered, go and ask yourself and then share what you learn with us. OK? That would be a great help.
"Bernie can you advise why your buddy is incapable of thinking on his feet in front of an audience despite claiming to be the most capable attorney on his staff?"
ReplyDeleteI watched him try a capital case without reading questions. I agree he should not have read and would be better if he spoke from his heart. When he did that, he was.
"The next debate you should host should be for County Controller; except use an MTV Celebrity Death Match format. "
ReplyDeleteI will host a controller debate in the general, not the primary. The only reason I hosted this debate is because this piomary will very possibly decide the race.
houck is too far to the right for me. he supports the death penalty and cash bail. with abortion, at the debate he said he would not "speculate" on a question about what he would do if the state entirely banned the right to choose. he didn't want to speculate because he would enforce those laws and put women in jail.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your honest responses to the comments Bernie. I will never call you a coward again.
ReplyDeleteNumerous people are complaining about Houck reading from notes last night. He has a full-time gig and is on-call 24/7, I imagine, so he doesn't have the luxury of free time to rehearse and memorize things the way Baratta does. I arrived firmly pro-Baratta, but left glad I had this opportunity to see the egomaniac at work. Looking forward to voting for Houck.
ReplyDeleteI'll take a former cop over a Judge to be DA any day of the week. The whole thing smells, nobody leaves a $215K a year cake job to be DA without an agenda. I'm very suspicious of this Barratta. When is the last day to declare party registration for the primary Bernie? Is it the same day as the last day you can register, May 1st? I would suggest all republicans change their registrations and vote for Houck.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts exactly! Baratta brought up Morganelli’s name a lot. The two did a lot of talking and planning against Houck over this past year or so, obviously. Which speaks to Morganelli’s character. I was unable to attend on Monday unfortunately, but watching the video on FB was nauseating. Barratta was clearly putting on a show for those who egged him on to run, and looked unhinged. I was a bit on the fence with this race. Not anymore. Houck is the clear choice.
DeleteLet me tell you a story about John Adams… no not the Second President of the United States, but the DA of Berks County. He challenged, as a Democrat write-in candidate, a very unpopular Republican Incumbent DA named Mark Baldwin. As these two Democrats malign each other, in such a visceral and defamatory fashion, they will alienate each other’s supporters and keep those supporters from voting for whoever emerges from this shit show. Any Republican Attorney out there with any credentials could easily defeat whoever crawls out from this demolition derby.
ReplyDeleteBarratta is AGAINST CASH BAIL. so is Larry Krasner and Alvin Bragg. Look how it’s working out in their jurisdiction. Baratta will be a disaster.
ReplyDeleteWhere can you find the video?
ReplyDeleteAnd Terry would put women in jail for making their own choices.
ReplyDeleteNice effort. But a 35-minute opening monologue was ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteHouck is a Republican acting as a Democrat. Send him back to bucks County.
ReplyDeleteWish we would’ve heard more from Baratta about why he’d be great at the job instead of spending the whole time bashing Houck. Also, congrats on hiring the first black court administrator - who most people that work at the court house agree is horrible at his job. Surprised Baratta hasn’t heard that since he seems to hear all the other courtroom chatter/gossip.
ReplyDeleteExcellent and informative program last night, Bernie. I walked in as a Terry Houck supporter but left undecided. Barrata presented good arguments. I have 7 weeks to complete my homework.
ReplyDeletePepper took taxpayer money by accepting COVID relief funds for his “private” law office and having them forgiven and then sent clients to Minotti (his landlord) and is giving good deals to Minotti clients. He also didn’t calculate all of the “sick” time he actually spent running his “private” law office and was paid by taxpayers for that time. Just like Houck, scamming the taxpayers.
ReplyDeleteWhats the deal about the abortion comments? This is a DA's race in a purple state, abortion isn't the issue, prosecuting crime is. I suspect these folks are Baratta people hoping to fire up the democrat base.
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading Kurt Breisswein's story on LVL. The very last sentence states that Baratta opposes cash bail. I think someone already posted this but that's a huge issue for me! That tells me he's looking to be a criminal justice "reformer". NO THANKS! I want a prosecutor to do what he's paid to do, lock up criminals! He has made disparaging comments about the Colonial Regional police as well. So, he is of the belief that the criminals are the victims and the cops are the criminals.................screw him!
ReplyDeleteCan’t say I’m excited about either option but Baratta is the clear choice for me. Most everyone commenting on here is clueless.
ReplyDeleteFor example, the phone number for the DA’s office is 610-829-6630… just call during regular business hours and see if the phone is answered under the current administration.
Am I clueless or is Baratta opposed to cash bail? I hear crickets.
DeleteNorCo has had no cash bail for low level offenses for several years, and it works quite well. It saves the taxpayers $ they would otherwise be spending for people who are going to appear.
ReplyDeleteI will have a story about cash bail in NorCo next week. I promised Baratta I'd be fair to him, and when he was President Judge, he made changes to the way bail is considered that essentially guaranteed that no low level offender would go to jail unless he or she was a flight risk or a danger to the community. I'll explain next week. I believe Jermaine Greene also facilitated these changes as Court Administrator. He flagged the issue. I support Terry and have been critical of Baratta's campaign, but he was a good judge and tried very hard to keep people out of jail when he could see an alternative.
ReplyDelete#HOUCK4DA
ReplyDelete