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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Wednesday, March 08, 2023

NorCo's 2023 Candidates: Let Silly Season Begin!

Most readers of this blog already know this, but let me explain how a person runs for local office here in Pa.  You have to do a bit more than call the Register and say, "Put me on the ballot, damn it!" What you really need is a number of like-minded registered voters from your own party who are willing to tell the Elections Chief, "Put him on the ballot, damn it! Instead of doing this in person, they make their wishes known with something called a nomination petition. They sign it, and a circulator swears to the Blessed Virgin Mary that he saw it, too.  February 14 was the first day that nomination petitions could be circulated, the start of what is known as silly season. On the coldest and darkest days of Winter, judicial hopefuls Nancy Aaroe and Brian Panella navigated the hills of Bushkill and Bethlehem in a quest for signatures. It's the only time of year people visit me. I don't answer, but they can hear me in the background saying, "It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again!" Yesterday was the last day I could play that game. All nomination petitions were due at the end of the day, unless you're running as an independent. What follows is an unofficial list of the contested races, excluding school board races. I will list those candidates in a separate post. .

NorCo Judge's race: Those nomination petitions are filed in Harrisburg. Brian Panella and Nancy Aaroe cross-filed on both the Democratic and Republican sides. They are the only candidates. 

NorCo Council D1 (Bethlehem): Democrat Ken Kraft will face Republican William Rowe. 

NorCo Council D2 (Easton): Incumbent Kerry Myers is facing a primary challenge from fellow Dem Kelly Keegan. Maybe he can tweet her about it. No Republican is running. 

NorCo Council D3 (Nazareth): Democrat Jeffrey Warren faces Republican Casey Foreman.

NorCo Council D4 (Slate Belt & Northern Tier): Republican Tom Giovanni is running unopposed. Democrats could easily field a candidate, but Giovanni has earned their respect as a hard worker with common sense. 

District Attorney: Incumbent Terry Houck faces a primary challenge from former Judge Steve Baratta, a fellow Democrat. No Republican has filed. Barring a write-in campaign, this race will be decided in the primary.  

County Controller: Tara Zrinski and Nadeem Qayyum have filed as Democrats. Republican John Cusick is unopposed. 

Allen Tp Supervisor (2 yr): Gary Behler and Paul J Link have filed as Democrats. Jason Frack is the sole Republican. 

Bangor Borough Council (3 seats): The sole Democrat is Mark Sperling. Three Republicans - Forrest Meyers, Rosemarie Capone and Barry Schweitzer  - are running. Meyers is a member of the Steve Lynch mob.  

Bethlehem City Council (3 seats): Incumbent Michael Colon is running, along with fellow Democrats Colleen Laird, Ricky Butler, former Council member Bryan Callahan and Celeste Dee. It's nice to see Bryan back in the saddle. His viewpoint is sorely missed. Also, in a refreshing sign of small "d" democracy, Republicans Thomas Ginther and Devin Brunges are running. Shit, my brother was right when he said two Republicans would run! 

Bethlehem Tp Comm'r At-Large (1 seat). Incumbent Luke Verdes is facing former Comm'n Prez Mike Hudak on the Democratic side. On the GOP side, former Comm'r Paul Weiss is facing Steven Greco. 

Bethlehem Tp Comm'r W1 (1 seat): DeeAnn L Lawrence is running unopposed on the D side of the ticket. She will face the winner of a GOP primary that includes three candidates - former Comm'n Prez Art Murphy, Rodman J Law and Wayne Buller. 

Bethlehem Tp Comm'r W3 (1 seat): Incumbent John K Gallagher is running unopposed as a Democrat. The sole GOP candidate is Yuri Kulischenko. 

Easton Mayor: Mayor-for-Life Sal Panto faces a Democratic primary challenge from Council member Pete Melan. No Republican is running. I think Panto has been in office long enough, but Melan's only chance was a three-way contest. 

Easton City Council (3 seats): Seven Democrats and zero Republicans are running: The Dems include Downtown Kenny Brown, former Easton School Prez Frank Pintabone, Constable Lance Wheeler, Dave O'Connell, Ken Greene, Crystal Rose and Kurt Carlson. 

Forks Tp Supervisor (1 seat): Democrat Dean Turner and Republican Huntingdon Keim will square off in November. 

Glendon Borough Council (3 seats): Three Democrats and two Republicans are running. The Democrats are Jeffrey M Muschlitz, Donna Breidinger and Michael Veres. The Republicans are Kathryn J Harstine and Kurt Ostrander.  

Hanover Tp Supervisor (2 seats): Three Democrats and three Republicans are running for their party nominations. The Democrats are incumbent Susan Lawless, Stephen Gross and Jean E Versteeg. The Republicans are incumbent John "Jack" Nagle, former Twp Manager Jay Finnigan and Barry Check. 

Hanover Tp Supervisor (1 seat, 2 year term): Stephen Gross and Jean E Versteeg seek the Democratic nod. Barry Check and Jay Finnigan are the GOP candidates. 

Hanover Tp Auditor: Stephen Gross and Jean E Versteeg seek the Democratic nod. 

Hellertown Borough Council (3 seats): Four Democrats and one Republican are running. The sole Republican is Andrew Hughes. The four Democrats are Liz Thompson, Larry Sutton, Lynley Solt and Michael T McKenna. 

Hellertown Borough Council (1 seat, 2 year):  Four Democrats and no Republican are running. The four Democrats are Liz Thompson, Larry Sutton, Lynley Solt and Michael T McKenna. 

Lehigh Tp Supervisor (2 seats): This is Republican territory, so no Democrats are running. There are four Republican candidates - Michael Jones, Richard C Rehrig, Phillip Gogel and Cindy Miller. 

Lehigh Tp Supervisor (1 seat, 2 year): There are two Republican candidates, Janet Sheats and Patrick Vanderploeg. 

Lower Mt Bethel Supervisor (2 seats):  There are three Democratic candidates - Sandra Newman, Samantha Burns and Christopher M Cook. 

Lower Nazareth Tp Supervisor (2 seats): Three Democrats and one Republican are running. The Democrats are Robert Hoyer, Nancy Teague and Elizabeth Williamson. The Republican is Amy L Templeton. 

Lower Saucon Tp Council (3 seats): A proposed landfill expansion always makes for interesting elections, especially when the landfill pours money into the race against people like incumbent Democrat Priscilla deLeon, a long-time landfill critic. She is joined in this race by fellow Democrats and landfill critics Victoria Opthof-Cordaro and Laura Ray. Incumbent Republican Sandra Yerger, to her credit, voted No to a zoning change that makes the expansion all but a reality. She is seeking re-election, and is joined by Republicans Mark Inglis (he voted Yes), Susan Blair and Kathy Pichel-McGovern. 

Northampton Borough Council W1: Democrat Judith A Haldaman and Republican Thomas Gehringer will face each other in November. 

Northampton Borough Council W4: Republicans Anthony S Lopsonzski and Jason Donohue are running. 

N Catasauqua Boro Council (3 seats): Three Democrats (Jessica Cope, Adam R Landis and Michelle Hazzard) and two Republicans (Scott Holmes and Mark S Gioielli) are running. 

Palmer Tp. Supervisor (1 seat): Two Democrats and five Republicans are running for just one seat! Somebody's angry.  The Democrats are Charles Bellis and Baron Vanderburg. The Republicans are Andrew Rossi, Charles Diefenderfer, Kristopher Grube, Colin M Burke and Phil Taverna. 

Pen Argyl Borough Council W2: Democrat Janell Connolly and Republican Steven A Goffredo will see each other in November. 

Pen Argyl Borough Council W4: Democrat Joann Anderson and Republican Charles J Kandl, Jr will see each other in November. 

Plainfield Tp Supervisor (2 seats): Matt Glennon is the sole Democrat, and a whopping six Republicans are fighting over one seat. They are Jane Mellert, David B Johnson, Sr., Ken Field, Kenneth Fairchild, Nolan Kemmerer and Melissa Finken. 

Plainfield Tp Supervisor (1 seat, 2 year): Matt Glennon is the sole Dem. There are three Republicans - Jane Mellert, Ken Field and David B Johnson, Sr. 

Roseto Borough Council (3 seats):  Democrats Carl Renna and Joseph C Angelini will face Republicans Kenneth Tillman and Mark A Goffredo, Jr.  

Stockertown Borough Council (4 seats):  Stockertown needs an enema. Its Mayor, a convicted felon, was forced to resign. Its Council President, Amy Richard, referred to persons of color as "jungle monkeys."  Richard is seeking re-election, and is joined by fellow Republican A Joseph Gosnell. Hopefully, he disavows her blatant racism. The Democrats running are Cynthia M Hower, Rosemarie Wenzelberger and Kathleen Zdonowski. Since Wenzelberger is also running unopposed for Mayor, Richard is virtually assured of re-election unless people wake up and throw her out of office. 

Tatamy Borough Council (4 seats):  Democrats Pamela Pearson and Daniel Dewey will face Republicans Michael Lester, Joe Torrisi, Robert C Wagner and Deborah E. Frace. 

Upper Mount Bethel Tp Supervisor (2 seats):  What's going on up in the far north is bizarre. One supervisor is under investigation for ethics violation, and Twp manager Ed "Santa Claus" Nelson was just suspended a week without pay for handing out a no-bid contract to one of his pals. One of the Democratic candidates listed for Supervisor might be its suspended township manager, Ed Nelson. A nomination petition under that name has been filed. Ed Nelson is joined by fellow Democrat Jason Albert. The two Republicans running are James E Potter and Cori Eckman. 

Upper Nazareth Supervisor (two seats): William Bartlett (husband od Becky Bartlett?) is the sole Democrat running. The Republican candidates running are Scott Sylvainus, Bill Whyte and Charlene G Petrozelli. Sylvinus is running literally, too. I saw him on the Tatamy Trail on Sunday, moving pretty fast for an old fart. He tells me he stretches a lot. 

Blogger's Note: My thanks to Northampton County's elections office for its help in this unofficial report identifying the candidates. 

53 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dems are smart here. You could run a cardboard cutout of Reagan and win as a republican in District four these days. Also, your hatred of Myers won't help Keegan. Dems are dumb here. Baggage is baggage.

Anonymous said...

Any MDJ challengers???

Anonymous said...

Rumor has it Kerry Meyers was having trouble finding enough signatures!

Anonymous said...

Morning Bernie, correction to the UMBT race. It is Jason Albert, not Paul, facing off against Santa's Democratic Helper, Nelson.

Anonymous said...

Bangor..Mrs. Capone is an incumbent..very worthy of a seat on council dominated by empty headed followers of their fearless leader..council prez. Kresge. Schweitzer also a right wing Trumper and he never offers anything but a rubber stamp to his fellow R minions.

Anonymous said...

Let's not make fun out of people who announce their candidacy. Let's make fun out of the bastards who get elected and forget why they ran for the office.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Morning Bernie, correction to the UMBT race. It is Jason Albert, not Paul, facing off against Santa's Democratic Helper, Nelson."

Thanks for the correction.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Any MDJ challengers???"

No. I specifically stated that I was only covering races with challenges.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Dems are smart here. You could run a cardboard cutout of Reagan and win as a republican in District four these days. Also, your hatred of Myers won't help Keegan. Dems are dumb here. Baggage is baggage."

I don't really hate Myers, but I can say I dislike him intensely as an elected official. Baggage is baggage, and Myers has it. He is a braggart, a bully and was stupidly using twitter to flirt with bots he thought we real people. He undermined the authority of the sheriff when he actually stated that if he were a deputy, he'd refuse to follow orders. He wanted to give a tax break for a warehouse. He threatened council members who voted to table a black election comm'r candidate when it was discovered she worked for someone seeking election. Finally, he's lazy and incredibly dumb. The funny thing here is that I started out liking this guy. Democrats are smart bc they found someone to run against him. Republicans should have fielded a candidate, too.

Ad for D4, the right Democrat can win that heavily R district. Scott Parsons won there. But it would be a challenge, especially against someone who is so widely respected. Giovanni is an R and sides with his party on R issues, but you can talk to him. He also does his homework, comes to meetings prepared and has become quite knowledgeable about the county.

"Rumor has it Kerry Meyers was having trouble finding enough signatures!"

I'm sure he could have found them, but as I noted above, he is lazy. I notice he's been absent from some key events.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Let's not make fun out of people who announce their candidacy. Let's make fun out of the bastards who get elected and forget why they ran for the office."

When we don't look at them closely before they are elected, that's how they get elected. That is the reason for this post. I want the public to know who is running. I want to be able to identify actual bigots like Amy Richard and outright extremists like Forrest Myers. I want to be able to tell you that an UMBT Super candidate is also the twp manager and was suspended. People need to know these things so they can make informed decisions where they have choices. This is the most important thig we do as citizens. Sure, I can post about Trump or Biden and get hundreds of comments, but real citizenship and real patriotism involves informing yourselves about these small local races. These people have much more impact on your daily lives than the people in DC.

Bernie O'Hare said...

". Schweitzer also a right wing Trumper and he never offers anything but a rubber stamp to his fellow R minions."

The Barry Schweitzer I know is a decent person. He might have supported Trump but is no nut.

Anonymous said...

I beg to differ having served on council with him. He is a follower and little more. Decent? Is that the criteria for political office? His FB posts in the past say differently about his political persuasions.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I have looked at his FB and there is no extremism. You should ID yourself as a former elected official so people can look at you as well.

Anonymous said...

Bethlehem City- Celeste Dee is a screwball lunatic

Bernie O'Hare said...

I don't know why a political consultant runs for office.

Anonymous said...

I reiterate that you know nothing about Bangor or it's supposed elected officials and probably have never attended one of their meetings ever..to observe and report what goes on there all the time. Your opinion about Barry is unsubstantiated and has no basis in the reality of the boro and it's lack of leadership. My own identity is not important anymore but I carry the history of things unseen and unreported by our ever shrinking media coverage of local politics as they pertained and still pertain to Bangor boro inaction by it's elected officials..such as they are. Wonder why their chief of police resigned in January? Why not chase that story?

Anonymous said...

I want to thank all of the candidates for running. It is not easy getting signatures when people do not answer their doors anymore, it is not easy juggling family, work, and a campaign, and it certainly is not easy being an elected official. These people do it because they care, and for that reason I thank you all!

Anonymous said...

BernieOHare to 11:24, First, you can’t claim the credibility of a former Council member yet refuse to say who you are. You made your identity relevant. Second, I have attended several bangor meetings over the years and have written about them. Third, you instruct me to chase a story but refuse to say why. Why not enlighten us instead of hinting around? Basically, you come off like a weasel, not someone who is reliable.

Anonymous said...

"Celeste Dee is a screwball lunatic"

and that distinguishes her from the rest of that Council how?

Anonymous said...

Bet the former Bangor Council Member is Mr. Hauser. He who casts stones Dave. Mr. Schweitzer is a good individual, although I cannot vote for him in the Primary, he will have my vote in the General if he makes it. He is far better than the influence of the Roseto Mob sent across our border to influence Bangor Politics.

Anonymous said...

All these people are politicians County and country will continue to go downhill.

Anonymous said...

""Celeste Dee is a screwball lunatic"

and that distinguishes her from the rest of that Council how?"

Exactly. This council and administration are the worst ever in Bethlehem's history.

Reynolds is a self-centered ego-maniac, who surrounded himself with "yes" people. He is at war with Lehigh, churches and developers. Not exactly a good way to run a city.

And the council is dysfunctional. Kwiatek and Wilheim are bobbleheads for Willie. Van Wirt just gave up. Leon and Enix have no idea what's going on. And Crampsie-Smith is just off the deep end. Colon is running a clown show.

Anonymous said...

I think UMBT's race is going to be a Municiple race to watch. The people want transparency. That corner of Northampton County Government is so opaque, it has not seen the sun in years!

Anonymous said...

Bernie - there are THREE seats open in Plainfield. One a two-year term to replace a member who resigned, two six-year terms. Stating that 6 candidates are vying for one seat - you need to correct that because it's pretty far off.

Anonymous said...

Forrest Myers is a J6 denier; Russia sympathizer; Qanon believer. Peruse his Facebook page, and you'll see he's cut from the same cloth as Lynch. He gave up drinking the FOX News Kool-Aid, he mainlines it directly into his neck.

Anonymous said...

"Dems are smart here. You could run a cardboard cutout of Reagan and win as a republican in District four these days ..."

What an idiotic statement, as Parsons' election showed. Unlike some districts where the sheep vote for the first race-mongering plastic straw crusader from the home office, District 4 seems willing to consider all options.

Anonymous said...

I will only vote for Democrats at every level of our system.

Anonymous said...

Kerry Myers has a younger brother named Forrest. Is this the same guy? By the way, Forrest is nothing like Kerry. He is like the flip side to Kerry.

Anonymous said...

Peter Melan is going to go Republican if he doesn't win the primary.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Bernie - there are THREE seats open in Plainfield. One a two-year term to replace a member who resigned, two six-year terms. Stating that 6 candidates are vying for one seat - you need to correct that because it's pretty far off."

I made the correction after checking. There are 2 six-year terms and one two-year term. Thanks for pointing it out.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Kerry Myers has a younger brother named Forrest. Is this the same guy? By the way, Forrest is nothing like Kerry. He is like the flip side to Kerry."

The Bangor Forrest is Forrest Meyers, not Myers, and is no relation.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Peter Melan is going to go Republican if he doesn't win the primary."

He can wage a write-in campaign.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"I will only vote for Democrats at every level of our system."

I vote the person.

Anonymous said...

Upper Mt. Bethel still a shitshow? Now that's news. I miss going to meetings and watching Ron lead those boobs around by their noses.

Anonymous said...

What is going on in Hanover? Is Finnegan retiring? Can he run for Supervisor as Township Manager?

Bernie O'Hare said...

Believe it or not, under 53 P.S. Municipal and Quasi-Municipal Corporations § 66301, a township manager can also be a supervisor.

Vladimir Ill-itch said...

Anon 4:29 -

If you're a candidate and lose in the primary, you cannot change party and get added to the November ballot on the another party. BO'H may want to fact check this but I am fairly certain that's the case.

Not that it matters, though. Sal could campaign on pledges like "killing the first born son of each mother" and "building the world's largest statue of Kim Jong-un" and Eastonians would still elect him in in a landslide.

Anonymous said...

Just another reason as to why we need B Callahan back

Anonymous said...


"Believe it or not, under 53 P.S. Municipal and Quasi-Municipal Corporations § 66301, a township manager can also be a supervisor."

Yeah, that's wrong. Check out section c of that statute.

(c) The office of township manager is not incompatible with the office of township secretary, township treasurer or any other township office or employment, except that of supervisor, auditor or township police officer.

Township Manager can't be a supervisor. Those double negatives are tricky.

Peter Melan said...

@429pm. Haha! Nope. But feel free to reach out if you would like to have a discussion. Contact info is found at https://petermelan.com/contact. Be well.

Bernie O'Hare said...

9:21, you are correct and I was mistaken. I bow to your superior intellect, lol.

Anonymous said...

I think you spell Myers incorrectly in the body of this story.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I did and just corrected that error. TY.

Anonymous said...

Is it true your new best friend barron von footinmouth was seen checking names on election petitions in the Registrar's office? Is it true he wanted to see who signed Kerry Myers petitions? This was allegedly done during working hours. It would not be the first time footinmouth has screwed around on the taxpayer's dime.

Is this part of the democrat operation to get rid of the only elected African-American county official by the democrats? Jefferson Davis would be proud of this action by county democrats.

Anonymous said...

Bernie!

Body oil or no body oil, this listing must have taken hours to prepare. Thank you for keeping us informed.

Bernie O'Hare said...

1:49, Barron is salaried and puts in far more than 40 hours per week, including Council meetings outside of business hours. So if he wants to look at Myers' nomination petition, he can. You seem to think being African American is an excuse for failing to follow the law. It isn't. In response to your accusation, I called Barron. he tells me he did come down to the elections office to turn in a nomination petition for Zrinski. He looked at none of the nomination petitions. At the time he was there, he spoke with Ken Kraft, Pete Melan and Lance Wheeler.

If Myers played games and doesn't have valid signatures on his petition, he can expect a challenge. In fact, now that you brought it to my attention, I'll have a look myself. Besides, I'd be interested to see who is foolish enough to support him.

Anonymous said...

It's amazing that people will vote party only no matter what, or for or against someone based on race or gender. Let's vote people over party and open the damn primaries up to everyone so we get back to the sane middle.

Anonymous said...

I will be voting for John Cusick for Controller. I'm a Dem, but John knows County finances, is a math teacher, he's fair and will be a watchdog that makes sure the administration is kept in line.

Anonymous said...

Zirinski has sold her soul and her vote to the administration to be their candidate. Cusick for Controller.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Body oil or no body oil, this listing must have taken hours to prepare. Thank you for keeping us informed."

Thanks for the compliment. I made some errors, but I have 5,000 editors who correct me when I make an error.

Anonymous said...

Bethlehem Twp should be interesting. The radical left (LV4ALL) vs radical right (tea party) with former commissioners in the middle

Forrest Meyers said...

I heard about your comment sometime ago. Steve Lynch is a friend and I am a supporter. I only want what's best for my town and country. I also read that you checked my Facebook page. It's open to everyone. I'm not ashamed of who I am. I am a patriot. I know that sounds cliche to you guys. But it means a lot to me. I love America. I love Bangor, and I love humanity. You can also check my YouTube page called. This is Bangor. I really appreciate your opinion. It means a lot to me. Any attention is better than none at all. Have a great day.

Forrest Meyers said...

I Just want to Thank You anonymous. I heard about your posts sometime ago. They came up when I was searching my name yesterday. I am a supporter of Steve Lynch who is also a friend. I know it sounds cliche to you guys. But I am a patriot. I love my town. I love my country and I love humanity. I only want what is best for my town. I read where you checked my Facebook page. It is open to everyone. I'm not ashamed of what I believe. I also have a YouTube channel called. This is Bangor. I would appreciate it if you checked it out. It may help you to understand what I want to do. Anyway, I appreciate your attention. Any attention is better than no attention at all. Have a great day.