Pa State Rep. Bob Freeman Raises $66k in Quest For Re-Election: Also Benefitting From Ray Lahoud

According to his latest report with the State, filed Friday, State Rep. Bob Freeman has raised $66,000 in his bid for re-election to the 136th Legislative district. He also reports $24k worth of in-kind contributions. Going into the final days of the campaign, he was sitting on nearly $63k.

His most recent report lists $26.5 in contributions from unions and fellow legislators. In-kind contributions, mostly from the Pa House Dem Campaign Commitee, appear to have funded at least three mailers. 

What about his opponent, Taiba Sultana? She has filed, but her report is still unavailable on the state website. The state elections office informs me that data from some reports is still being imported. When I see her report, I will tell you about it. 

I can tell you that an independent expenditure committee has been formed in opposition to Sultana. This committee, formed by Ray Lahoud and funded with $45,000 out of his own pocket, is exposing her as she should be exposed. 

Lahoud, incidentally, is an immigration attorney and knows all about the plight of immigrants in this country. He needs no lectures from Sultana. 

I'm Falling Apart

A few weeks ago, I told you that I'm basically blind in my left eye as a result of cataracts. That issue will hopefully be addressed soon. But I'm still falling apart. A month ago, I suffered an injury to my shoulder while lifting. That has been slow to heal, but I was doing quite well with some stretches. Until yesterday.

A friend wanted me with her during an appointment she had with Palmer Police yesterday after her parked car was hit over the weekend. I told her there was nothing police could do, and I would be useless, but she insisted. So, I went. And because the weather was so nice, I rode my bike along a number of back roads that are always more hilly than they seem when you're driving. 

I was right. There waws nothing police or I could do. After the interview had concluded, I started to get on my bike, which was right next to her car, where she made me move it. For some reason, I lost my balance and went over. I landed right on the very shoulder that was healing rather nicely. Now it isn't. 

It could have been worse. I fell over right by her car. She did not notice and began backing up and missed running me over by about six inches. She never saw me laying there and just drove off. Eventually, I got up and rode home to an ice pack and Aleve.  

Believe it or not, I still enjoyed the ride and look forward to Ironton Trail tonight, where I will try to beat my grandson 

Stollsteimer Leads in Money Race for Dem AG Candidates

The campaign finance reports of three out of five Democratic candidates for Attorney General. Because the state elections office is still importing data from reports into their system, the reports filed by Jared Solomon and Keir Bradford-Grey are unavailable. Reports are on file for Eugene De Pasquale, Joe Khan and Jack Stollsteimer. 

Of these three, Stollsteimer is way ahead in the money game. He raised $353k in the most recent filing period, which gave him a $$871k warchest. He spent $637k, leaving him with $234k for the closing days. He is heavily funded by trade unions.

Joe Khan raised $276k in the most recent reporting period, giving him a total of $619k. He spent $479k, leaving him with $140k. Locally, he did get a $10k contribution from State Rep Josh Siegel, who while qa member of Allentown City Council voted No to police grants and participated in "Fuck the Police" demonstrations. 

If I were Khan, I'd have sent that money back. 

Eugene DePasquale raised $88k in the most recent reporting period, giving him a warchest of $226k. He spent $132k and had $94k for the closing days of his race. 

Democratic State Treasurer candidate Erin McClelland has been tagged by the Department of State for failure to file her 2d Friday Pre-Primary Finance Report, which was due on Friday. A person who would like to manage state finances should be doing an exemplary job of reporting her own campaign finances. I was already set against her, but this is the final nail in her coffin. 

She caught heat earlier in the campaign season for raising and spending money before registering a campaign committee with the state. That's yet another election campaign finance violation. 

Making Russia Great Again

The world is a scary place. Donald Trump as President will make it much worse. That is my chief objection to him as President. He endangers national security. His unwillingness to stand by allies undermines our own safety. 

He has stated that, contrary to our treaty obligations, he would refuse to help defend NATO allies who are "delinquent" in contributing to their own defense in the event they are attacked by Russia. “No, I would not protect you ... . In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay. You got to pay your bills.”

It's bad enough that this bible hawker is unable to keep his own word, as numerous contractors can attest. But he will refuse to stand by America's treaty obligations as well. 

Incidentally, the requirement that NATO nations devote 2% of GDP to their own defense is a benchmark set in 2014, not a treaty obligation. The person who asked nations to pay more was Barack Obama.  

Two Tragic Lsses For Us

Over the past week, two people who I admired very much passed away. They had little in common. One was a hard drinker was completely capable of telling people to shove it when he was tired of their bullshit. The other went out of his way to be kind-hearted and forgiving to everyone, even me. They did have one thing in common.  They cared. 

The former is John Kachmar, who died Friday after a lengthy illness. After graduating from Notre Dame Green Pond, he served in the Marines, ended up in Vietnam and was wounded in action. 

My father, a WWII vet who was wounded in action himself, never talked to me about the war or his experiences as a POW. After being released from the service, Kachmar attended Moravian and wanted to interview my father about the war. Although my Dad tried to duck the interview, Kachmar's father was a bigwig with the local Democratic party and put the heat on. 

During the interview, my dad was initially evasive when asked about his war experience. But he eventually let John have it.

"Excuse me, but what the hell makes you think you know what it was like?"

"Because I was wounded myself in Vietnam."

My father talked to Kachmar after that. They actually became drinking buddies. One night, Kachmar had a tap on his door, and it was my dad with acclaimed novelist Kurt Vonnegut. That trio formed an unlikely bond while Kachmar was still a student at Moravian College. 

Many people think if they wear camouflage or prance around wrapped in a flag and a bazooka at a Trump rally, that makes them patriots. Getting shot in the gut for your country is what makes you a patriot.  

I eventually met John as well, mostly when he worked for former Congressman Don Ritter and was administering Lehigh County.  Kachmar spent several years managing municipalities throughout the country, mostly in the South. In fact, he actually helped establish several local governments.  

We became re-acquainted again when he returned to Bethlehem and took on Willie Reynolds in the Bethlehem Mayoral race.

The latter is Deacon Anthony Koury. 

If you attended Notre Dame Green Pond athletic contests at any point in the past century, you undoubtedly saw him. He worked there for 43 years. 

During his time with the Crusaders, Koury did it all. He was a gym and social studies teacher, traffic director and maintenance supervisor. He was also the school's athletic director. In that role, he was able to persuade Alberell Electric to contribute outdoor lighting for football games. He sweet-talked Young Volkswagon into building a scoreboard. He also lobbied for and finally succeeded in getting Notre Dame into a league. But the accomplishment of which he is proud is convincing the PIAA to allow small schools to join forces for a team sports. As a result, Notre Dame became the beneficiary of gifted football players from Moravian Academy. And Moravian Academy added some Notre Dame girls to its field hockey teams.

I got to know him when he worked as a tipstaff. We were frequent lunch companions. In the years I knew him, I never once heard him say a negative thing about anyone. He would fail as a blogger. But as a human being, he excelled. 

22 Apply For NorCo Council Clerk Position

At the end of the April 4 meeting, NorCo Council President Lori Vargo Heffner announced that she as seeking applications for the Council Clerk, now that Linda Zembo is retiring. The pay is ridiculously high, $107,482 a year. That's over three times what most clerks are paid in the county. The one downside is that it is an exempt position, meaning the position is at-will. 

As of Friday, 22 people applied for this job. Only two are current county employees. An external hire would have a long learning curve.  I am a bit shocked to see that 19 of the 22 applicants are women, and that very few men or women have anything close to qualifying work experience. 

Council should cast the line again, a little closer to shore.  An effort should be made to hire someone who works for and understands the county. I can think pf people in different departments who would be excellent in this role.  

Over 250 Easton Residents File Petition Seeking Resignation of Easton City Council Member Taiba Sultana

Sultana cuffed by Easton police after
alleged assault of adult son

Easton City Council met Wednesday night at the Easton Area Community Center in the west ward. It generally meets once a year in the neighborhoods instead of city hall.  Thugh there is no YouTube video of the meeting, Patsy Hitzel of South Side Civic Ass'n recorded most of the meeting on Facebook. (You can see it here). During this West Ward summit, Council was presented with a petition seeking the immediate resignation of controversial Council member Taiba Sultans. This request, presented by Christine Phillips, was signed by over 250 City residents. Ironically, it included the names of many of the black and brown people whom Sultana claims to champion. 

Here's what Phillips stated, as best as I can transcribe it:

"In the two years that Mrs. Sultan has held her seat in office, she has done very little for the people of the city that she was entrusted to do when she was elected. 

"Since 2022, Mrs. Sultana had shown very little interest in the citizens of this city ... . In 2022, she has missed out of four budget meetings. In December 2023, she missed committee meetings to protest the Menorah lighting in Bethlehem. In January 2024, she missed committee meetings to have her State Rep announcement party. In March 2024, she had her children at the dais during the Council meeting while her husband and adult child were present and were able to sit with them, then proceeded to use the footage of that meeting as a political mudsling opportunity to again disrespect her constituents. On March 27, 2024, she did not appear in person when topics such as the parking issue on Davis Street in Southside was discussed, In April 2024, she did not attend the committee meetings to discuss the quality-of-life issues of parking in the downtown.

"At the end of 2023, South Side residents came to planning to fight three pieces of development that the residents of South Side did not want in the community. She did not attend and of [those meetings] while other Council members showed and addressed the concerns we had ... ."

"She has brought more division in the City and has continuously been combative with her constituents. ... She seems more interested in making headlines addressing national and international business as a priority. 

"Many issues have been raised in South Side Easton and Mrs. Sultana was involved in none of these issues by supporting the residents in finding a solution or attending meetings to object to projects. The many times you've seen Mrs. Sultana on South Side is for her benefit, Seven town homes on Coal Street taking away all green space on an already small lot; a smoke shop less than 215' from another location; selling the same items, wanting to sell synthetic opioids; and a garbage issue in your neighborhood that we reached out for your help. South Side Civisc Ass'n reached out to you about getting benches and tables for the field house about a year ago, and you came back in October to say there was no money in the budget, yet they were notified that they were already ordered and actually [are] waiting in storage to be installed.

"Mrs. Sultana has made false, derogatory statements about the City of Easton police department twice in less than a year by calling them unprofessional, racist [and] politically motivated, and yet again now with a political ad. Her unprofessional behavior and lack of respect, shown multiple times for other members of both Council and public officials, are an indication to all that she does not have the people of Easton's best interests in mind.

"Being an elected official, you are to lead by example 24/7, 365 days a year. Unfortunately, many people who agree with this petition wouldn't sign it for fear of retaliation by [Sultana]. 

"Again, we are demanding that Mrs. Sultana resign as a City of Easton Council member, effective immediately. This should not be a hard decision.to make since she has no respect for the city that pays her ... You've done nothing but pretty much bash everyone who disagrees with you ..."

Earlier that evening, Sultana proved that at least some concerns raised by Phillips are correct. She read into the record a lengthy letter from ACLU objecting to the suspension of licenses to landlords who allow criminal activity in homes they rent Once she finished, Council member Roger Ruggles advised her that legislation has been withdrawn. "She wasn't here," observed Mayor Sal Panto. "It was withdrawn," continued Ruggles. "You read all of that for nothing because it's not in existence any more."

Council member Frank Pintabone said that the legislation would only affect people whose homes are raided for drug sales, illegal weapons, child pornography or human trafficking. It would have no application to women who call police to report abuse "We got to get the criminals out of the neighborhoods," added Mayor Panto. "That's the primary crux of the resolution. ... We're not looking to kick any good people out, we're looking to kick criminals out of the neighborhoods, and as a City Council member, you should be concerned about the crime that's in our neighborhoods."

Sukltana then complained that she wished someone had told her the bill was withdrawn.

After these remarks were made, Sultana asked Council to consider religious holidays when scheduling future meetings and noted that she had to leave a family gathering in Philly to be present. She chose against responding to the petition at the meeting, but later told LehighValleyLive that the petition is politically motivated, part of a smear campaign and "unfounded propaganda." 

She is a candidate for State House. 

Democrats Have No Good Choice in Race For Auditor General

Philadelphian Malcolm Kenyatta and South Whitehall Tp resident Mark Pinsley are the two candidates seeking their party's nomination in the race for auditor general. Republican incumbent Tim DeFoor is unopposed. I've already accidentally voted for Kenyatta (yes, I'm an idiot) but should have voted for neither candidate. In the general election, I will vote for Republican DeFoor. 

Why I dislike Pinsley: He's a blatant opportunist. No sooner was he elected South Whitehall Tp Commissioner than he announced he was running against Pat Browne in a State Senate race. Undaunted after losing, he took on Lehigh County Controller Glenn Eckhart in the next election cycle and knocked him off. As Controller, he proposed both an increase in sales tax in Lehigh County as well as an income tax that would hurt low-income families that work multiple jobs just to put food on the table. He called for UN observers in the 2020 presidential election, He also revealed his true feelings about Allentown and Bethlehem when he objected to them being combined as part of redistricting. "We don't need another ghetto," he said. Well, we don't need Pinsley. While running for re-election as Lehigh County Controller, he told donors he was running for state auditor general. Now he tells donors he wants to run for the US Senate. 

The most offensive thing about him was his use of families accused of child abuse as political props. He paraded them before both Northampton County Council and Lehigh County's Board of Comm's with unproven claims of misdiagnoses of child abuse. His claims were completely contrary to the philosophy of the human services departments in both counties, which will only separate children from their family as a last resort, and with due process. 

Why I dislike Kenyatta: He's a state representative who is running for re-election while simultaneously running for auditor general. This is becoming quite the trend, ad a bad one. I've already noted that AG candidate Jared Solomon and state treasurer candidate Ryan Bizzarro are doing the same thing. 

This practice discourages new blood from seeking office against an entrenched incumbent. Also, if the candidate is successful, there will have to be an expensive special election to fill the vacancy. A ban has been proposed in the state house, but its sponsor is a legislator who just ran for two offices in the same election himself. 

Finally, I believe in divided government. In a Democratic administration, a Republican auditor general is more likely to be independent. 

Who's the Best Democrat to Take on Stacy Garrity in Pa Treasurer's Race?

Two Democrats - Erin McClelland and Ryan Bizzarro - seek their party's nomination for Pennsylvania Treasurer. The winner will take on incumbent Stacy Garrity, who is running unopposed for the GOP nod. The position, which pays $197,748 a year, is responsible for managing and safeguarding the Commonwealth's financial assets. This includes meeting payroll, receiving taxes and other revenue and issuing lawful payments. The treasurer also invests Commonwealth funds. It holds the pension funds. The purpose of this post is to tell you about them so you can make an informed decision. 

Ryan Bizzarro: He's a lifelong resident of Erie County who was stricken with leukemia as a child. He graduated from Edinboro University (political science, criminal justice) and then earned a Master's in public administration from Gannon University. He worked as a victim advocate in Erie County before being elected as State Representative in 2012. 

Like Jared Solomon in the AG race, Bizzarro is running simultaneously for state treasurer and re-election as a state representative. As far as I am concerned, that disqualifies him. Plus, who the hell votes for someone named Bizzarro?

Apparently, a lot of people. Bizzarro has raised over $500,000 for this race, and as of early March, has $430,000 to spend. 

Erin McClelland: Like Bizzarro, she's also from the western part of the state. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh (psychology) and Chatham University. She has devoted her private sector career to mental health and substance abuse counseling. She's run for Congress twice and has lost twice. 

Her biggest issue, and she diverge sharply from both Bizzarro and Garrity on this point, is her strident opposition to the proposed Keystone Saves program. 

As explained by the Keystone Saves Coalition, "The Keystone Saves program is intended for businesses without a retirement plan and would rely on voluntary regular payroll contributions to fund individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Keystone Saves would be a public-private partnership in which IRAs are professionally managed by a third-party financial firm overseen by the state. Administration and investment fees would be kept low through the economies of scale produced by a statewide program." This program has been endorsed by Pew Charitable Trusts and is supported by 75% of 500 polled small business owners. AARP also supports this measure. 

The Pennsylvania House passed a bill for this program and Bizzarro voted for it. Incumbent Treasurer Garrity likes this plan as well. 

Not McClelland. She calls the plan a "dangerous financial product" susceptible to fraud. She points to an SEC warning about self-directed IRAs like Pennsylvania Saves. "While all investments have risk, self-directed IRAs have some risks that differ from those involved with IRAs offered by registered broker-dealers and investment advisers. These risks include a lack of legal and regulatory protection and a heightened risk of fraud, particularly when investing in alternative assets." She is also bothered that the legislation would make the plan mandatory for any employer with more than five employees.

She has no money for a statewide campaign, As of March, she had raised $110,000 and had $105,000 to spend. 

My opinion: Though McClelland offers a contrast to Bizzarro and Garrity, she lacks the resources to run and win. I am unable to vote for either of these Democrats. 

Who is the Best Dem in PA Attorney General Race?

Pennsylvania's Attorney General, who is paid $197,748 a year, is the Commonwealth's chief law enforcement officer; the state's collection agency; defends all actions brought against the state; administers consumer protection laws; prosecutes violations of antitrust laws; and represents the Commonwealth in cases where a local District Attorney has a conflict of interest. Five Democrats seek their party's nomination. They are Keir Bradford-Grey, Eugene DePasquale, Joe Khan, Jack Stollsteimer and Jared Solomon. Above you can see a debate involving all five. Below I'll tell you a little bit about each of them.

Keir Bradford-Grey - She's a graduate of Ohio Northern University Pettit School of Law and served as Chief Public Defender in Montgomery County and as the leader of the largest public defender's organization in Philly. If elected, she would be the first public defender to be elected as the state's top prosecutor. "I'm running to be the people's lawyer, and that's what the Attorney General is in every other state," she has said. The "people's lawyer" in other states prosecutes criminals. She promised to go after criminals in the board room."

As of March, she had raised a total of $640,000 and had $211,000 to spend. 

Eugene DePasquale - He's a graduate of Widener University School of Law who served as a state representative for three terms and as state auditor general for two terms but lost a race for Congress. Though he has no experience as a professional prosecutor, he touts an enviable record during his time as auditor general. "It is my investigation that found over 3,000 untested rape kits. ... It is my investigation that found 58,000 [one out of five] unanswered phone calls at the child abuse hotline. Any single one of those calls could have meant life or death for a child."

DePasquale's work as auditor general found that a former Bangor school Superintendent was paid $142,000 for "consulting services" never provided.  He blew the whistle on voting machine providers who shower county officials with gifts. It is he who revealed that funds from the state's high gas tax were being diverted to fund state police instead of repairing roads. 

His work made him unpopular with the Governor, but he was independent. 

As of March, he had raised $570,000, and had $180,000 to spend. 

Joe Khan - He's a graduate of University of Chicago Law School and served as a local and federal prosecutor, including the corruption investigation that led to the prosecution and conviction of the Mayors of Reading and Allentown. But he fell short in his bid for election as Philadelphia DA. 

He certainly has experience as a prosecutor. He led the pay-to-play corruption investigation that led to the conviction of the Mayors of Allentown and Reading, but he also closed the grand jury even though FBI agent Scott Curtis claimed that the problem still exists in this area. 

As of March, he's raised $923,000 and has $314,000 to spend. 

Jack Stollsteimer - A graduate of Temple Law, Stollsteimer is Delaware County's DA. He led the effort to deprivatize the jail in that county and reduced its population by 30%. Asked whether this is dangerous, he responded by saying he balances criminal justice reform with public safety. He said he actually has reduced the jail population by 40% and uses those savings to get low level offenders the help they need. As a result, shootings in his county are down 72% and homicides are down 68%. 

He's the only Democratic candidate who actually has been a District Attorney. He has support from the trades union and has prosecuted worker misclassification. 

He said he's spent his entire career trying to reduce easy access to guns, not by those who have the right to have them, but from thse who don't. 

As of March, he raised a little over $1 million and had $368,000 to spend. 

Jared Solomon - Thus guy id simultaneously running for AG and for re-election as State Rep. That takes him out of the picture for me. 

My Opinion: I really like DePasquale but believe Stollsteimer will be most effective in that office. I think DePasquale is in the best position to win because he comes from the western part of the state and has no competition from that region. The other candidates are all from the Philly area and might cancel each other out.