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.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."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.
31 comments:
Now the democrats who are disappointed in the dem candidate for Co. Executive have a chance to put a real person in the seat. Zirinski is a disaster, and many democrats have said privately they could never vote for her for such an office. Others have said the McClure gang is using her feminist, hate the patriarchy, team Tara nonsense as a way for her to get elected to be a figure head and allow Barron to run the county. You can praise her one year of being quiet but her entire record in office and in life speaks for itself.
Democrats for Giovanni will be a real thing.
The MAGA fools who only believe in the legitimacy of elections that they win are best to be put in charge of Elections ?
Well Employees there it is. John Brown wants to decimate your healthcare again. Vote for any of these guys and you can say hello again to co-insurance.
Good to see Giovanni plans to continue to do what Lamont has been doing for the last 8 years. If he does, things won’t get screwed up too bad.
Fair enough. Criticize the ‘19 and ‘23 functioning of the voting machines. What’s the answer ? Spending millions more on a new machine ?
I feel a red wave coming..................but it's mostly nausea.
Have heard very little about their plan to offset any loss of federal funding to keep Gracedale
afloat. I don’t believe they even know what the
IGT funds represented nor how to navigate the
Paperwork and contact with other counties and state representation. Just another posing political photo op with no substance.
McClure has essentially privatized Gracedale. Nobody gives him credit for doing what John Stoffa and Ron Angle knew must happen. Botching two elections was purposeful and worked as designed for Ds. He couldn't get away with it in 2024, though. That's why Wild is gone and Trump is POTUS. The cheaters were closely watched, even in Bucks County where they gave it their best shot.
What John Brown is saying here is that he was overtaxing you for four years and would like to use Giovanni to do that too. Lamont is more of a fiscal conservative than any of these dopes.
The Republicans , with the exception of John Brown, have a decent slate of candidates. Giovanni has a shot, since Tata Zrinski is the worst possible candidate- for any office. That being said, I wish Hollywood Cotturo would run, even as an Independent.
Funny how Tom and John have found their voices now that they know McClure won’t be crushing them at the polls.
The Dems have Zrinski, the Republicans have John Brown- both losers, always looking for the next office to campaign for!
Tom is a great guy and given the choice between him or Tara I’ll take him all day. I don’t trust Tara. All of a sudden she’s a center left moderate. I think she’s much more the radical with the bullhorn at the BLM rally. No thanks.
Union rep I bet
I decline to post an anonymous personal attack against a candidate based on that person's weight. Identify yourself, and remember, those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
Wahoo!
I agree 1000% Zrinski is the bait N switch candidate- a radical community organizer with a bullhorn!
The days of no tax increases are over, for both sides. It will be interesting to hear Republicans strategies knowing that personnel, aid programs, human resource areas, and federal funds are
being destroyed by their own government leadership, and then the Dems delayed response on how to
Slow down or curb all the fires that have been ignited that were obviously flown in their faces for the past four years. Where are the plans?
Well, it is hard no on Zirinslki. She is an incomp0etnet clown and shameless self-promoter. Everyone knows why Mcclure pushed her. The McClure e gang usually starts when they get up on the morning. Then they continue. His no name cabinet administrators continue praising McClure and bashing all others. Barron, Keegan and the rest of th cult followers.
Thye can attack Brown all they want but this is about Giovanni. He knows that McClure/Barron have been living off the fat of the land with money and dt will soon end. They showed their hand at budget time. No one believes doubletalk Barron anymore. So, bring on the honest Quite man, Tom.
Giovanni must beat Zrinski, but has to run a strong campaign, unlike her opponent in the Controller's race. Cusick should've won, but ran a non-existent campaign!
In reading the comments from the candidates, I see many holes in their presentations. Bernie are you going to point these out? I'm too tired to type that many rebuttals.
I don’t know, publish it. Who’s “bigger” than Lamont and he would have won “bigly”
every voter in Northampton County is aware that John Brown raised taxes through the roof. McClure couldn't go eight years without raising taxes. He was riding the windfall of an incompetent John Brown. Even after he lost the election he tried to undo his massive tax increase and the dems wouldn't let him do it. As far as being an efficient commissioner, he failed again. The R's screwed the employees and also the retirees while John Brown was at the helm. Now it's our turn to repay the favor. Bend over John.
Oh, stop whining, crybaby, and get back to work. Stop wasting my tax dollars!
This is a nice post Lori. I thought you might be too stupid to write a comment like this. Narcissists are usually “dumber than they look.”
Who is actually going to do something about wages? Employees are so underpaid, and offices are understaffed because of this. Pay inequity is rampant! Even workers within the same department, don’t make what their peers are making. You get a raise if someone likes you. It’s disgusting. A lot of county workers are being paid $15 or $16 per hour. That is not a livable wage anymore! And the pay study? Nothing very came of that. It was a joke
Bringing back Gracedale under county control is now privatizing it? After going through a global pandemic Gracedale seems to be doing better than many other nursing homes whether they are private or public. If McClure would have ran again he would have crushed anyone the R’s would have put up along with their new buddy Vargo-Hefner
John Brown was by far, the worst Executive in NC history.
100% correct- Zrinski is a disaster!
Until a real and functioning council realizes that wages and taxes are the real concerns, and their job of this county, and decide to do a real wage review and comparison, like real councils do, nothing will be done.
Just like Obama running the Country with Biden as President, Zrinski will be a figurehead Executive, with Barron running things behind the scene.
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