Over the weekend, a group of about 30 people attended the annual Lehigh Valley Workers Memorial at Bethlehem's Rose Garden. It was established to commemorate the Lehigh Valley's working men and women who been killed or injured on the job. Lamont McClure, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Congress in Pa. 07, was there. He's been doing it for over 20 years. None of his Democratic rivals showed, nor incumbent Ryan Mackenzie. Although State Representatives Bob Freeman and Steve Samuelson came, none of Bethlehem's elected officials wished to pay their respects. Their absence is astonishing, especially since Bethlehem's Recycling Center has been named after two employees who were killed on the job.
It was April 16, 2002. Dana Grubb (then a Bethlehem City employee) received a call telling him to get out to the recycling center immediately. In his own words,
"Our police department was already on site investigating. There was a lot of blood in the area were Ray Theis and Lewis Cornfeld had been hit and crushed against a cardboard compactor and building.
"I was back and forth with the City's police communications center as we tried to locate their families.
"Ray had been medivacked to Lehigh Valley Hospital and Lew to St. Luke's Hospital. There was confusion about who had been sent where. I was asked to go to St. Luke's to provide identification. One had died on the way to Lehigh Valley Hospital, the other was still alive, but they weren't sure who was who.
"When I arrived at St. Luke's I was ushered into the emergency room where I was able to ID Lew. I will never ever forget what the trauma of his injuries had done to his appearance. He was hardly recognizable.
"Afterward I was sent into a room where Lew's family was waiting along with a chaplain. When an emergency room doctor arrived, he told them to prepare for the worst. You could feel the heavy emotions in that room. Lew would pass very shortly after.
"I left and went to Town Hall where a City Council meeting was underway and let Mayor Cunningham know the status of the situation. He made an announcement to Council.
"For years each April 16 a brief remembrance is held on/around April 16 to remember these co-workers. Unfortunately, the current management no longer does anything to remember the two men whose names are honored at the Their-Cornfeld Recycling Center. They're just names these days."
Incumbent Ryan Mackenzie might have shipped this event because it attracts mostly union members, but this could be one way he could have demonstrated that he actually does care about workers and their on-the-job safety. Ryan Crosswell, who appears to have lived everywhere in the United States but the Lehigh Valley, probably knew nothing about this annual tribute. That's what I'd expect from someone who moved here to run. Obando-Derstine was until recently was a systems engineer with rate-greedy PPL, has never had any real connection to the working class. But Bob Brooks is a former Bethlehem City firefighter and a union president. His absence tells me what he really thinks about the working class, not his TV ads.
Don't get me wrong. I recently watched the Blue Ridge Cable TV of the Dem Congressional candidates who were sparring in Jim Thorpe. All seemed likable. McClure and Crosswell were easily the most polished speakers, which should be expected because that's how they both made a living. But Brooks and Obando-Derstine were fine.
Of the four candidates, Crosswell is best suited to beat Mackenzie because he might attract GOP votes from disaffected Trump supporters. But the problem with Crosswell is that he will not be representing us, as his finance records reveal. He simply lacks the understanding of local issues and people that McClure has. He's been doing it many years. Along the way, he has made some enemies. But he's been on the frontline, and here in the Lehigh Valley.
10:55 AM UPDATE: I am informed that Congressman Mackenzie was at a ceremony to honor Lehighton's last surviving WWII veteran at its American Legion and attended a Department of Labor Memorial event in DC on Thursday.
41 comments:
Considering what tasks the next Congress needs to work on, we need someone who has experience reading, writing, and interpreting legislation and who knows how to conduct investigations. Crosswell and McClure fit that bill. While the other candidates bring lots of different experiences, they do not have the skill sets we need at the moment.
If he cared about workers, he'd come clean about the missing McClure/Barron, Zrinski $400,000 Gracedale employee dough. Symbolism means nothing when the money is missing.
Lamont can't seem to raise the money he needs to compete and he's probably bluffing with that 200K. Brooks leads in polling despite attempts to smear him.
Here we go. It’s McClure time. If Lamont McClure really cared about workers he would have paid them a decent wage.
Lamont cares about workers LOL. He’s leaving the jail understaffed by at least 40 COs because he won’t pay them a decent wage. Nobody answers the phone at Human Services. Oh yeah he’s pro worker……only at election time!!! That’s a fact!!!
Still carrying his water. You forgot that he held taxes for over 8 years and sooner, not later, they must go up, You forgot the fiscal and labor concerns left behind at Gracedale
affecting 2,000 employees and 700 patient/residents. He chose not to address them.
Didn't he let go the employee that got hit in the crosswalk while working late, yet he goes to honor LV Workers' Memorial. He is so two faced. He never get elected. He doesn't care about anyone but himself.
Bernie you are so right. McClure is the greatest thing since sliced bread !
A vote for Crosswell is a wasted vote. He can’t win, but if you don’t mind helping Crooksy, waste away.
Lamont is the bee’s knees.
Cunningham and Callahan cared about the Theis/Confeld Recycling Center. Donchez/Reynolds never did. I will never forget my men and my friends.
Tom Marshall
Former Recycling Director
Couple things - I think you're overestimating Croswell's ability to attract R votes. He's pretty far left, I think disaffected Trump voters (and there are a lot of us) simply won't vote before we vote for a leftist. Give us a true moderate and then you might have something. But none of these 4 are moderate.
Second, I agree with you - all 4 and Mackenzie should have been there. But before criticizing, I'm curious where they were? Can't be everywhere. And of the 5, the unions are most important to McClure. After all, the unions turned their backs on one of their own in Brooks and endorsed McClure.
Like I said last week, watch out whenever Jim Irwin is behind you.
Brooks is a loser, and I agree with your description of the others, but McCluless has the worst personality of any LV pol, with the exception of John Brownpants.
McClure is the only viable candidate. At this time we need someone with experience to navigate the BS going on in Congress and he has the guts and grit! He has proven himself to be a winner against ICE and MAGA. He has my vote!!!
Come on Bernardo. McClure was a terrible Executive and accomplished nothing.
McClure is the only one of the four Democrats who has any standing to represent PA7.
Has Crosswell bought a house yet ? Does he still have a D.C. license plate ?
And Jim Delgrosso cared, Tom. You ran recycling effectively and efficiently by creating an atmosphere of family with your staff. Sadly, it's very different these days.
Lamont is the ONLY choice. He is the strongest and smartest of the four. The others would be lame and terrible.
They all stink the fact that their is 4 of them is not good for anybody. A real toss up, but the fact that brooks is endorsed by Shapiro and a firefighter (who doesn’t love firefighters) gives him the edge for the majority of unknowing voters
And what does that say about the choice!
You know you stole it all in overtime to your buddies and friends
Brooks has too much baggage for me, McClure’s handling of Gracedale and employees bothers me and Crosswell doesn’t live here.. That leaves Derstine probably a long shot but she knows Washington having worked for Casey she has my vote but whoever wins has my vote over Mackenzie a Trump sycophant
Lets see, a new morgue, fixed infrastructure all over the campus, melidas building torn down and added parkiing, a new parking deck/office if not for the obstructionism of Lori Vargo Heffer and her fellow Republicans, getting us through covid, shall we go on?
don't forget, he is a Republican MAGA leaning Firefighter. you think he gives a shit about democrats, look at his facebook over the years
This is pathetic. Brooks will wipe the floor with Lamont in this primary. The guy has raised 40 grand in the last 10 months
It went to pay excessive overtime, the very same people were claiming. They got their money. And, their excessive overtime was cut.
We should definitely remember those two men but we should not write a political blog about who attended the memorial and who did not. I am sad that Lamont McClure was in attendance, however. Anything to have someone notice him.You just gave him that look, Bernie.
Here is an idea.....vote republican
Your pay went up 30% over the last 8 years, and your healthcare expenses stayed the same. Your wages would have gone up even more if you hadn’t insisted on binding arbitration. McClure offered you more at the bargaining table than you won in arbitration.
I worked at the recycling center for six months in 2019 after retiring. It was hard work at times but I had no issue with management or the staff. Everything was professional. The biggest challenge was dealing with people who wanted to leave junk there.
Jeff Ward
Bethlehem
Lamont has been in attendance almost every year for the last 25 years.
McClure is great just ask him or Brrnie. McClure put Gracedale is a near fatal hole, he fought any pay studies for employees and he stiffed the retirees. His bragging no tax increases is illogical because he used all the money and the cupboards are bare. He and Brwon, the worst county executives in history. Fortunately, he has his buddy Irvin propping him up in spite of his poor treatment of employees. He ignored a county council resolution to give bonus money to Gracedale employees and instead used it to fill the fiscal holes he created.
Was this event at The Workers Memorial properly publicized/advertised to let the people know of the ceremony? I called a friend of mine whose husband died in a Bethlehem Steel accident and she said she didn't know anything about it. Also I had a cousin who died in a Bethlehem Steel Explosion and the family wasn't notified. Maybe we're missing something here.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA and fake Indian) just endorsed Bob (the fake family man) Brooks. Crooksie has all the right scummy friends. What do Shapiro, Warren, and Crooks have in common? They're stunning liars. The party doesn't like McClure and knows he carries a lot of rotten baggage. You can stick a fork in him. He's more done than $400K in Gracedale employee bonuses.
the entire County Courthouse is the new morgue- terrible morale!
"10:55 AM UPDATE: I am informed that Congressman Mackenzie was at a ceremony to honor Lehighton's last surviving WWII veteran at its American Legion ..."
Where was McClure? He's heartless to choose whoring for dough over honoring a WWII survivor. Simply disgusting.
worst personality too!
go away Lamont!
McClure doesn’t stand a chance. He’s obnoxious and thinks his shit doesn’t stink. He has no personality and Norco voter had enough of him and his lies. Oh, where’s the money Lamont.
McClure has a trust problem.
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