NorCo Republicans Unveil Full Slate For Executive, County Council and Judge

Yesterday afternoon, in the cacophonous Northampton County Courthouse rotunda, a formidable slate of Republicans announced their candidacies for the county offices to be decided by voters this November. Their point man is Tom "The Quiet Man" Giovanni, a second term Council member who has decided to take the next step and run for Executive.

Standing with him are County Council candidates John Brown and John Goffredo, both of whom are seeking re-election to a second term. Also present was political newcomer Juan Martinez, who owns the popular Don Juan restaurant chain. Two other newcomers, Bethlehem police officer Sam Elias and commercial air cargo pilot and Venezuelan immigrant, are also seeking two of the five at-large Council seats up for election this year. They were both working and unable to attend. Finally, James Fuller, who is running for Northampton County judge, introduced himself.

 

Giovanni, whom I have referred to as "the Quiet Man" on NorCo Council, explained he's never been interested in making headlines or playing politics, but feels "it's time to get louder" because of what he calls the dysfunction, irresponsibility and mismanagement by the county administration. 

I first met Giovanni long before he ran for office. I mistook his IT business for a computer repair shop. While he was unable to help me, he referred me to a few people who could fix my ailing blog machine. In the private sector, he also served as a board member of the Greater Valley Y, including 9m years as its chair. He currently is the board chair of Nazareth Mutual Insurance. 

He pledged fiscal responsibility and a rejection of tax hikes. He noted he has always voted for tax cuts and would oppose any tax increases, adding it would be unfair to burden people struggling with high prices. 

He promised to end "the failed policies that have hurt Gracedale." He claimed that the Lamont McClure administration failed to maintain the quality of care at the county-owned nursing home. 

Giovanni also pledged to expand farmland preservation should he prevail. "We need to work to protect family farms and keep them going from generation to generation. Also, our farmers have to have a voice in county government. Farmers are the people that put food on the table, and we need to cover theor backs." 

Giovanni asserted that the McClure administration has been neither transparent nor honest over the past seven years and botched elections in 2019 and 2023. 

"When you are elected, you must represent everyone, no matter if they voted for you or not. Unfortunately, what we are seeing in the county government is political weaponizing the office instead of working jointly for bipartisan results to work for the progress of the morale of the county employees. And I did vote for a pay study."

"I will continue to wake up every day to fight for the county that I love so much." 

John Brown, a former county executive and Bangor Mayor, is finishing hie first term. He graduated from Bangor High School and the University of Notre Dame.

He stated that, when he was Executive, he worked to make sure that Gracedale, a 688-bed facility (current census is 546), had a 97% occupancy rate. He said his reforms eliminated multi-million-dollar losses and returned the facility to profitability while earning a four-star rating. 

He complained that the McClure administration is responsible for two failed elections in 2019 and 2023. He added that McClure has also undone most of the improvements he made as Executive. "They have spent down most of the county's reserves," he charged, asserting that the county drained its rainy-day fund just to be able to balance the budget. He also slammed the county for failing to replace failing infrastructure like the parking deck on the courthouse campus, and then "plunge the county into debt to do so."

His final and most egregious indictment is that the administration has allowed Gracedale "to fall into financial and operational ruin with a 425-bed census with only 30% of the nursing staff [as] county employees.

John Goffredo, a slate belt businessman seeking a second term, has lived in NorCo his entire life. A coach and volunteer firefighter, he said "a lack of leadership in general" is what has prompted him to run again. "We have too many people who are followers or opportunists or activists seeking these positions and not people that are here to do the will of the citizenry and to do what's right, even when it's politically inconvenient." Though he is a Republican in a 6-3 Democratic Council, he was elected VP in January. He said that as a member of the minority, he has mostly played defense, "trying to stop things I thought were bad ideas, things that were pushed over every year, every time they got the opportunity to bring up the same issue. We have to sit there and argue for months as to why we thought it was a bad idea. He argued that with a Republican majority on county council, they would be able to "get back to the things that matter."

Thise include the county core functions, like elections. He noted botched elections in 2019 and 2023, with machine malfunctions and vote-flipping. He also pointed to 6-hour long lines in the 2024 Presidential. "All of those things are unacceptable. We don't have that many responsibilities as a county government. We have the courts, we have the jails, we have elections with human services.  If we can't get elections right, we're failing the most important task this government has."

Goffredo stated that a Republican majority County Council would introduce a new "culture of excellency."

Juan Martinez Announces Bid For NorCo Council

Unfortunately, and as a direct result of the incompetence of my videographer (me), I could only upload this announcement as a YouTube short video. 

Martinez, said he worked hard to build something from the ground, creating jobs and opportunities while contributing to the local economy. But he said that, along the way, he's encountered a government that imposes roadblocks instead of finding solutions. 

He said he would bring common sense and accountability as well as a leadership that listens and works hard. He would work to support small business, lower taxes, responsible budgets, safer communities and better infrastructure. Most importantly, he pledged to bring a county government that works for the people. 

He introduced his wife and two sons, who joined him for his announcement. When finished, he invited everyone to his restaurant on Third Street (he has five of them) for tacos and margaritas.

That was a generous gesture, but I am a highly conditioned, well-trained athlete, so I demurred. 

James Fuller Announces Candidacy For NorCo Judge

Fuller stated that he's been a resident of Northampton County since he was a child. He went through the Easton school system and graduated from Penn State. He at first worked for KidsPeace, where he met his wife of 15 years. They have two boys who attend Northampton schools and he coaches baseball, soccer and basketball. His soccer team went undefeated, but his basketball team is 2-7. 

He has practiced criminal law in  Monroe County for nearly 10 years, 7 as a public defender and two as a prosecutor. "My message to everyone is that I'm in court every day." He has tried 13 jury trials, 10 of which are felony trials. He feels that running for judge is the best way to give back to a community that has given him so much.