Easton City Council Candidates Speak at Shiloh Chapel

Last night, a pod of politicos docked at Shiloh Chapel on Easton's south side for a candidates' night hosted by the South Side Civic Association. The room is adorned with a large sign saying "No Perfect People Allowed." With the exception of myself, that was largely the case. It was certainly true of the 12 candidates there to make five-minute pitches. It was also true of the event organizers. That's why no Republicans were there. Neither Controller candidate John Cusick nor judicial candidate Nancy Aaroe were at this forum. They are just as imperfect as the Democratic candidates, but received no invitation. Was this a slight? No. Democratic candidates received no invitations either. Like the shad who swim up the Delaware this time of year, they just knew.  This event could have been better publicized. Including candidates and organizers, I counted only 34 people. That was disappointing. From my own event in Nazareth a few weeks ago, I know people are hungry for democracy.  And although I'll admit I get the most reactions when I write about national issues, local government is the one that has the biggest impact on our daily lives. It is where one person truly can make a difference. 

Today's story is limited to the five candidates seeking three seats on Easton City Council candidates. I'll have separate posts about the Easton Mayoral, DA, and County Controller races, 

Kurt Carlson:  A College Hill resident, Kurt was a Fulbright fellow who claims to have developed the "most comprehensive affordable housing plan the Lehigh Valley has ever seen." He states he hears "a lot of rhetoric about who does and does not belong" when what Easton really needs are people "who are deep into the data. That's where I come in." He stated he brings a "perspective." "I think outside the box." 

He certainly has impressive credentials and talks about things like "arterial development" and "Main Street 2.0," so he's obviously fluent in bureaucratese in addition to French and an assortment of foreign languages. 

What he fails to bring is any sense of humility  

Ken Brown: I'm more used to seeing "downtown Kenny Brown" on the basketball court, where he was a referee at my grandson's high school basketball games.  He is currently VP of Easton City Council and Director of NorCo's Court Services. But he grew up in the throes of poverty, first in Philly and then in Easton public housing. Ken's brother Carl went down a different path, committing numerous armed robberies and even a prison escape. Eventually, he was killed by Easton police, who informed young Ken that "we killed your n----r brother." 

Ken would later work at the Police Athletic League with the very officers who had killed his brother (in self-defense). One day, the officer who made the racist remark about Ken's brother apologized, and Ken forgave him. 

There's a lot of quiet wisdom in this man, who acknowledged "we could always do better."

That's how he's lived his life.  

People throw around words like "affordable housing" and homelessness all the time. Ken, who came up hard, knows what it's like. "We're all one paycheck away." 

He describes Easton as "one city, one community and we ought to be proud of it."

Easton is lucky to have a civic leader like Brown, and he will win easily. 

Frank Pintabone: A 4th generation Eastonian, Pintabone is the quintessence of its south side. Since he was 19, he's been involved in community service. Whether it is a "Stop the Violence" march or Thanksgiving turkeys, he's been doing it for years. He believes the best way to build Easton is by "strengthening our neighborhoods." To that end, he'd like to revive the Easton Trolley (it's actually a bus) that would transport people to all four corners of the city. Noting the hilly terrain, he explained that many people find it difficult to walk. He'd also like to bring a full service grocer to the West Ward and crack down on absentee landlords. As he explains on his website and repeated last night, he's "from the neighborhood and for the neighborhood." 

Pintabone, who knows everyone in the city, is a ball of energy who understands the city's problems better than just about anyone. He excelled as Easton School Board President. It was in disarray when he arrived. When he left, a deficit had been wiped out, teachers were brought back and schools for the neighborhoods were being built. 

Lance Wheeler: Wheeler, a lifelong resident of the West Ward and its fiercest advocate, pledged he'd give up is $9,300 salary if elected. "When there's shots fired, I'm there," he said, without mentioning that he's a constable. He talked about racism in Easton, noting that as a kid, he was unable to use the pool at Eddyside. He and Mayor Sal Panto got into a nasty exchange over Lance's use of a park for a pumpkin patch, the sale of Christmas trees and a Superbowl party. He also made strange statements that black kids don't do heroin or fentanyl and don't think they can swim. He was clearly off his game and his unusually unpleasant demeanor turned people off.  

"I'm not here to win a vote," he said during his rather bizarre speech. If that was his goal, he succeeded. 

Crystal Rose: Like Pintabone, she's a 4th generation Eastonian. Her campaign page spells out her priorities of affordable housing, creating home ownership opportunities and giving everyone a voice at the table. She spoke about fighting blight, absentee landlords. She said that "fixing the small things will have a big impact." 

I know she's responsive. She provided a detailed response to a question I had about her race. 

She's a banker who has served on the City's Civil Service Board, Grow-a-Row and has participated in fundraisers for Third Street Alliance. 

She was quite impressive.

Ken Greene: A retired educator, Greene states Easton can "move from good to great" by building up the community. He claims to have visited 2,500 homes and has learned that residents want a community that is "clean, safe and accessible. 

What I dislike about Greene is that he is attempting to buy his seat, just like he bought a home on center square.  He might be able to dine at Ocean and Maxim 22, and live at the Grand Eastonian Hotel for two years, but I doubt he has a clue what really bothers ordinary city residents, no matter how many homes he visits or TV ads he buys.  

He did try to tone it down a bit last night, wearing jeans instead of dress pants. But to him, this is just a little hobby.  To the other candidates, this is their life.

Maybe he should try polo. 

Dave O'Connell: Two-term Council member Dave O'Connell does have a Facebook page, but his entries there are rare. No webpage. He said his campaign consists of "just walking and knocking on doors." That's probably the most effective way to campaign in Easton if you can survive the hills. He's pushing 80, but I'm told he's been everywhere.  Of all the city council candidates who spoke last night, I found him to be the most sincere. He was also humble. He never talked about his own accomplishments and only called himself "part of a team that has made Easton a more desirable place to live, to work and to visit." He described Easton as safe, stable, financially secure and well-managed. He touted the strides Easton has made to secure affordable housing at Black Diamond and Shiloh. Questioned about Lafayette College's expansion, he noted (almost apologetically) that he was the sole Council member to vote No. Then he credited Lafayette for its recent efforts to reach out to the community. 

My picks? If I lived in Easton, I'd go with Pintabone, Brown and O'Connell. If I had a 4th vote, I'd cast it for Rose. Carlson is a little too full of himself, Greene is trying to buy his office and Lance needs a nap.