Pa 07 Congressional Candidate Bob Brooks Accused of Racism During Tenure as Hecktown Social Club Stewart

Blogger's Note: Last night, I received the news release you see below, from Lehigh Latino Republicans, accusing Pa.07 Congressional candidate Bob Brooks of racism during his tenure as steward at Hecktown Social Club. I have received several comments making this allegation as well, but they are all anonymous. 

I've never visited social clubs, not even during my drinking days. But I have spoken to people who have been members of numerous clubs for many years. One tells me that, in the early 70s, a black person was denied membership pretty much because of the color of his skin. Members tell me that they never hear racial remarks at these clubs but acknowledge there are few minority members at most of them. 

Brooks would have been Hecktown's steward in the early '00s, when there were lots of gambling machines and raffles that once included a Harley that just happened to be won by Brooks' best friend. I heard this from a member at that time.  I personally have been unable to find any examples of overt racism. 

Now Brooks the Everyman is portraying himself as "Bombero Bob" in the Latin community. For some reason, a national news organization, Politico, has strangely published a puff piece about his "Bombero Bob" coalition. 

Lehigh Latino Republicans claim to have spoken to several people who were members of the club and were aware of the racism, including a former member named "Louie" who supplied beer for the club. 

These allegations are troubling enough for me to post them, but without people willing to take responsibility for their accusations, they are entitled to little weight. 

What is entitled to weight is Brooks' tone-deaf remark about Latinos being good at baseball. He's promoting a stereotype. 

Allentown, PA — The Lehigh Latino Republican Alliance (LLRA) — is calling on Democrat congressional candidate Bob Brooks (PA-07) to answer for his track record of disrespect and insults directed towards the Latino community in the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos.

On Wednesday, September 2nd, just two months before the election, Brooks announced his campaign’s Latinos coalition. This comes after Bob Brooks “shrugged off” a terrorist attack targeting Latinos, skipped the biggest Latino event of the year, and ignored the community throughout the campaign. During the rollout, Brooks doubled down on this track record, unveiling his big pitch for Latinos: baseball.

From Politico: “To reach Latinos, the ‘bombero’ is eager to tout yet another hat he wears — as a baseball coach of 30 years — making it an entry point in conversation with Allentown’s community of Puerto Ricans and Dominicans. ‘I watch the Red Sox. I watch the Phillies. They’re loaded with Latino baseball players, and they’re good,’ Brooks said...”

“Bob Brooks is embarrassing himself with this latest attempt to paper over his past,” said LLRA spokesman George Rivera. “Instead of apologizing for his repeated insults against the Latino community, Bob is doubling down with racist pandering. It’s time for Bob Brooks to own up to his record of ignoring, insulting, and avoiding the Latino community in the Lehigh Valley.”

Most concerning of all are new allegations that during Brooks’ time as a steward at the Hecktown Social Club in the early 2000s, the club operated with an unofficial “whites only” policy. This accusation is supported by a former member and beer distributor at the Club. The individual, whose first name is Louie, alleges that Black and Latino people were known to be unwelcome at the club and that prospective minority members were deterred from obtaining membership. The individual further alleges that Brooks was actively involved in this scheme.

From Louie: “In the early 2000's, I was a beer distributor for Hecktown social club, and I was a club member while Robert Brooks worked there. Robert Brooks was the club steward in charge of the bar at the club.

“While Brooks was the steward of the club, they deterred minorities from joining. This was known from conversations with Brooks and other Club members. They claimed the charter was closed to new members but in fact allowed new applicants through referrals through existing 

members.

“Many knew the “rule" that minority membership was not a welcoming place to Black and Latino people while Bob Brooks was the steward at the club.

“This was so known that if we had a minority friend with us, we had to go somewhere else for beers and wings because we knew our friend would not be welcome at the Hecktown.”

“This accusation is extremely serious, especially in the context of Bob Brooks’ demonstrated pattern of behavior," continued Rivera. “Brooks must directly address these allegations and provide evidence that he served minorities at the Hecktown Social Club.”

This is a pattern that we have heard from several people that were members of the club in the early 2000s. According to the research provided to the committee, Brooks has been asked about these allegations multiple times and has not responded.

BROOKS ASKED 3 TIMES and won't respond

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SeVJomfFsLKE1Rt2lJ7vXHxSHSYlv-qL/view?usp=sharing

After 36 Speakers, NorCo Elections Comm'n Plans Up to Six Pop-Up Elections and Will Try Adding 2-3 More Drop Boxes

At yesterday's meeting of the Northampton County Elections Commission, conducted in County Council Chambers (and available on YouTube), the Board heard from 36 people. These included Democrats, Republicans, elections workers and the current as well as the former Chair of the county Democratic party. That alone took about 90 minutes. After the public was heard, the Board voted along party lines (Democrats yes, Republicans, no) to explore and implement the addition of up to 3 drop boxes in addition to 7 existing drop boxes. They also plan to continue up to 6 "pop-up" elections at various locations throughout the count. Their next meeting is scheduled for October 20 at 5 pm. 

The Elections Commission is a five-member body established under the Home Rule Charter. It consists of no more than three members of the political party that received the most votes in the most recent general election, with the remaining two seats for the political party that received the second largest number of votes. It ostensibly exists to administer elections, but since it has no power over the purse and no separate budget, it has basically been little more than a whipping boy for voters with grievances. 

The current members consist of Democrats Sharon Gavin-Levy, Becky Bartlett and Richard Groff as well as Republicans Scott Hough (who participated by phone yesterday) and Shawn Welch. They heard a lot of complaints as well as a number of requests. 

Complaints came mostly from Republicans and are best summed up by remarks made by Jay Martin. He noted that there have been numerous election mishaps extending back several years. He argued that before expanding pop-up elections or adding drop boxes, the elections office needs to "get the basics right. You do not fix repeated errors by adding complexity. Stop expanding. Stop experimenting."

Realtor Robert Dandi called drop boxes "glorified garbage cans." He complained that the county elections process fits the definition of insanity because officials keep doing the same thing, expecting different results.

One voter who works for the RNC complained that "if they find out you are a Republican, they won't listen to you." She called for the removal of the entire elections office.

On the other side of the ideological spectrum, former Elections Comm'r Margie DeRenzis responded to some among the 36 speakers who contend they are ignored. She said that during her five years as an elections commissioner, each and every complaint was taken seriously and addressed by the Registrar. "But as we all know, where there are humans, there will be human error. I don't know any way of fixing that in any field of life, not just our elections."

DeRenzis was among a cascade of voters who are seeking additional drop boxes, primarily in the Saucon Valley area. The main reason why Saucon Valley voters would like more drop boxes is because two voting precincts have been closed, and the closest replacement that elections official could find was at the Stabler arena, which actually is located in Bethlehem. 

They also expressed concerns over President Donald Trump's Executive Order and subsequent guidelines by the USPS that could interfere with Mail-in Voting. DeRenzis noted that Trump's threat to send ICE officers to polling places would have a chilling effect on legitimate Hispanic voters. Mail-in voting would alleviate that concern. 

After listening to the public, Comm'rs heard from Solicitor Michael Vargo. He said ballots will be printed once the courts rule on whether Andrew Tupone stays or must be removed from the ballot.

Voting Registrar Chris Commini apologized to the Board and the public for a meeting that had to be canceled because he failed to post the agenda, and said that miscue was entirely his own fault.

He then addressed some of the concerns raised by the public.

He noted that, except for a Deputy Registrar, his office is fully staffed. 

As far as drop boxes are concerned, he told everyone that drop boxes must be under video surveillance, indoors, chained and ADA complaint. 

He asked for help finding polling places, saying he would appreciate public input.

He explained the purging process, something he and his predecessors have done several times. A person basically has to stop voting for five years before becoming inactive.

He addressed the complaint of dead people on the polling books. He said his office looks at obituaries, receives reports from family members and gets periodic reports from the state Department of Health as well as the Coroner's office. 

He agreed to look into making the elections webpage more user friendly and to look for larger signs to direct voters to polling places. 

The four pop-up sites being considered for the general election are Upper Mount Bethel Tp Municipal Bldg (10/6), Pen Argyl (10/14), Lower Saucon, and Lafayette College (10/15).

My personal opinion is that while Lafayette College is fine in a primary, it is a bad choice for a general election because it will unfairly tilt the vote towards a heavily Democratic college crowd, just as a pop-up election at some field and game club would tilt Republican.  I think it probably violates the Pa Constitution's requirement of a "free and equal" election. 

I also agree that there have been too many errors in recent years to throw in pop-up elections. 

One of the 36 people who spoke last night was a gentleman named Phillip Godbane (sp?). He said his wish this election cycle is that NorCo stays out of the national news spotlight. 

Social Media Influencers Should Disclose Paid Political Promotion

The New York Times and Philadelphia Inquirer have published identical stories noting that what they call "social media stars" are publishing vlogs and podcasts that promote candidates for public office without bothering to tell their followers that they are being paid. Wouldn't this be disclosed in campaign finance reports that candidates are required to file periodically? Not necessarily. As the Times article observes, these payments can be funneled through middlemen. 

I wonder whatever happened to ethics.

Only four states require social media influencers (which would include bloggers) to disclose paid political messaging. I am unaware whether any legislation is pending in Pennsylvania, but hopefully, someone who at least has a scintilla of an interest in preserving our democracy will take note. 

Federally, one Congressman is promoting legislation that would require social media influencers to disclose payments from foreign countries. I think all paid influence should be disclosed. 

I do not know how someone in good conscience could take money to promote a campaign while holding himself out as an independent voice. Failure to disclose a payment tells me the person is deceiving his followers. 

We live in a day and age when trust in our media is at an all-time low. This just makes us less credible. 

I can tell you I have never accepted nor have I ever been offered a dime for what I write. I know no local bloggers who have ever done this sort of thing. But it's hard to believe us when there are people out there who are selling themselves like hookers, although we all aim to please.  

Pa. 07 Congressional Candidate Bob Brooks Must Answer Fraud Case By September 14

Bob Brooks, Democratic nominee in the upcoming Pa. 7th Congressional District race against incumbent Ryan Mackenzie, is also the Defendant in an action contending that he fraudulently conveyed real estate to his current wife to avoid a $130,000 judgment owed to his mother-in-law.  In late July, NorCo Judge Jennifer Sletvold rejected Brooks' attempt to dismiss the suit and ordered him to file an Answer. 

In her ruling, Judge Sletvold makes clear that a fraudulent conveyance has been averred with sufficient detail to withstand preliminary objections: 

Plaintiff alleges particular facts to claim how Defendants actually intended to defraud Plaintiff, the judgment creditor. The Complaint alleges that the judgement in the 2018 lawsuit was entered on January 10, 2022, and the quitclaim deed, transferring ownership of the Property from Mr. Brooks and Second Wife to solely Second Wife, occurred in close proximity, approximately two months. The quitclaim deed was a transfer to an insider, Second Wife. The debtor, Mr. Brooks, still resides in the Property and uses it as his primary residence. The transfer of the property was for $10.00 when the value of the property was $413,200.00 at the time of transfer. Second Wife immediately encumbered the property with a $330,000 mortgage, and the loan proceeds were not used to pay the debt owed to Plaintiff by Mr. Brooks. See Compl. ¶¶ 21-31. We find these allegations to be pled with particularity and are legally sufficient to sustain causes of action under 12 Pa. C.S.A. § 5104. Accordingly, this preliminary objection is overruled.

After this, you would think that Brooks, who is after all a Democratic Congressional candidate, would quietly and quickly settle this dispute. It certainly does him no good to have this hanging over his head.

Instead, Brooks' plan is to delay this matter as long as he can. His Answer was due in mid August, but he sought and obtained an extension for his Answer. It's due on September 14. By that time, mail-in ballots should be going out. 

It's clear that whether he wins or loses, Brooks will string this case out as long as possible. 

That's because, as I've said many times, he's shady.

UPDATED: British Newspaper Reports Mackenzie Embellished Work in Private Sector ... Mackenzie Demands Retraction

Incumbent Lehigh Valley Congressman Ryan Mackenzie (R. Pa.), who represents the Pa, 7th Congressional District is facing allegations that he embellished his work in the private sector. According to The Guardian,, the DCCC has accused him of "fabricating" a career that he never had. 

The article cites several sources indicating that Mackenzie claimed on several occasion to have a real estate license (he did have one for two years) and to have worked in real estate.

According to The Guardian, Mackenzie's LinkedIn profile showed him as having experience in real estate sales, but his current profile only lists his experience in the state house and Congress. 

The DCCC statement, in part, asserts:

“Ryan Mackenzie was already disgustingly caught lying about his age on his Tinder profile by nearly 10 years. Now it looks like Mackenzie and his allies have embellished his résumé and fabricated a career in real estate that never existed. ... The truth is that Mackenzie is a career politician who has seemingly never worked a day in his life outside of politics and straight up does not understand the challenges that working Pennsylvanians are facing.”

A Mackenzie spokesperson said that references to real estate sales were "passing mentions." 

This race is gonna' get ugly. 

UPDATED 10:20 AM :

Mackenzie has responded to the Guardian article written by reporter Michael Sainato, and is demanding a retraction. It does appear to me that those who suggested that the Guardian is biased are right, but it also appears that the news outlet got its facts wrong.:

Michael,

I saw your article published today and it revealed something you did not disclose when reaching out to us - that the accusation about Congressman Mackenzie’s early career experience was coming from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), and that it isn’t backed up by anything other than their statements and opinion.

We have all of the documentation to support that Ryan Mackenzie did complete the required real estate coursework at Lehigh Carbon Community College, passed the real estate salesperson exam, carried the proper real estate license in Pennsylvania for 2 years, and entered into a contractual agreement with a broker to provide referrals to them while he worked full-time in two other jobs.

Like so many other young people, the congressman tried out different fields of work, including being a licensed real estate salesperson as a side gig while working full-time. Any accusation from the DCCC is easily refuted with the documentation we have and it is purely politically-motivated on their part.

We request a retraction of the article or update to reflect the factual information.

Mackenzie himself addresses the reporter:

“Your recent article driven by the unfounded accusations of a purely political organization (the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee) whose identity you refused to reveal until publishing falls far short of any journalistic standards. and, more importantly, ignores the facts that entirely disprove your writings. As noted in our original conversations with you, those facts are clear: I completed Pennsylvania’s rigorous process to earn a real estate sales license; I signed a contract with a real estate company as a referral agent while holding two other full-time jobs at the beginning of my career; and I successfully referred clients for sale. I have never claimed more or less than those facts. Further, you chose – despite being shown that I was not responsible for their creation – to attempt to credit me with biographies and promotional items written by other organizations.”

"Documentation showing that I held a PA license for real estate sales, my contract with the referral agency, and an example of a completed referral sales contract are attached. Names and addresses have been blacked out to protect the privacy of private citizens. We would request a retraction of the article or update to reflect the factual information and would encourage you, in the future, to not rely upon accusations from a partisan political organization as the basis of your reporting."