Bill Blake Fundraiser Dec. 1

Northampton County Assistant District Attorney Bill Blake is fighting cancer. Thanks to the generosity of many people, a GoFundMe page established for Bill by Attorney Abe Kassis has raised over $11,000. It is really touching to see so many people dig into their pockets. There are lots of classy people out there.

But Abe is planning more. I'll let him tell you about it himself.

FROM ABE KASSIS: Thank you everyone for the OVERWHELMING response to this page. I can tell you that Bill and his family are so grateful for this amazing show of support.  

All of us involved want you to know about a "Happy Hour" planned for December 1, 2016, at the Holy Family Club in Nazareth. Pass the word around. There will be light fare and a cash bar. All net door proceeds will go to help with family's expenses. The Verdict, comprised of some local attorneys (including yours truly) will be performing. Please refer to the attached flyer for more details.  

Thank you all so much.

Abe

Why is Michael Assise Really Running For Constable?

Though not much is known about them, constables have existed for a long time. They've been around since the time of Edward Longshanks. During the American Revolution, they were called "chief guardians of the peace." These days, they mostly serve warrants for outstanding parking tickets.

Unlike most peace officers, constables are elected to six-year terms. Once they complete their 80 hours of training and file proof they have liability insurance, their jurisdiction is statewide. A constable elected in Nazareth, for example, can spend his time serving warrants in Milford if he's pals with the magistrate there.

Micaael Assise is opposing long-time Constable Doug Fulmer in Palmer Township I've met Fulmer while working the polls in Palmer and paying off a ticket at Magisterial District Judge Jackie Taschner's office. He towers over most people, and my guess is that most respect his authotah, even Cartman. But his chief weapon is his disarming smile.

Yet Fulmer is being challenged by Michael Assise, who has signs throughout Palmer touting his seven years of experience in law enforcement. What he fails to mention is that he was let go as a police officer in four different municipalities Wilson Borough, Palmer Township, Nazareth and Hellertown.

Assise, you may recall, is the tavern operator accused and acquitted of buying stolen lobster tails for The Brickhouse Tavern. He claimed at the time he had no idea they were stolen.

As a Wilson police officer, he was fired for his own admitted use of excessive force against an individual charged with disorderly conduct. Assise also acknowledged, in his third interview with Chief Steven Parkansky about the incident, that his original account of the matter had been deceptive. Chief Parkansky withdrew the disorderly conduct charges filed against an innocent person.

I called him about his race and he had no idea that winning does not guarantee him any work. That decision is made by a Magisterial District Judge who could just as easily decide to giver the work to someone else. So why is he running?

He told me that someone "higher up" encouraged him to run. He declined to name that person, but it's no secret that he and judicial candidate Abe Kassis share many of the same Lebanese supporters.

Tea Party Extremists Aid in Kassis Deception

Our local tea party fear-mongering

The Lehigh Valley Tea Party Facebook is apoplectic about a mailer that links judicial candidate Abe Kassis, a Democrat, to them at a tea party meeting on February 18. Chair Ronnie DelBacco denies there was a meeting that date or that Kassis "personally sought out the signatures of Tea Party leadership." He goes on to accuse judicial candidate Sam Murray, another Democrat, of "outright lies."

Here are the facts.

A faction of the Lehigh Valley Tea Party, calling itself the Republican Action Team (RAT), has been established. They call themselves the RATS, and include the local tea party leadership. Ronnie DelBacco (organized protest against foreign children at KidsPeace), Tom Campione (fighting for guns in parks), Tom Carroll (failed mayoral and judicial candidate) and Bryan Eichfeld (wants "true science" taught at Saucon Valley) are tea party leaders who are members of this faction. It's very difficult to maintain that there's any real difference between the tea party and the RATS.

The RATS had a petition-signing party on February 18 at Frank's Pizza in Bethlehem. "Please help us out and share this event with your friends and family who are registered Republicans!" is what their Facebook notice stated.

Kassis attended this meeting of the most extreme members of the tea party and personally circulated the petition obtaining their signatures. He then allowed tea party extremist Tom Carroll to circulate on his behalf and obtain signatures from even more tea party members.

He spent so much time with the tea party that he was late to a meeting with Easton Democrats that evening. He apologized that he had been at "another meeting," but failed to tell these Democrats where he was or what he had been doing.

This is something undecided Democrats need to know before they cast their vote.

Abe Kassis and His False Advertising

Sam Murray with his real daughter

Abe Kassis is one of three candidates running to be Northampton County's next common pleas judge. He wants it badly, and is outspending everyone two to one. But there's a danger in wanting something too badly. It makes you do stupid things. In Abe's case, he's trying to be all things to all people Along the way, he has been deceptive.

At the onset of the campaign, Kassis actively sought out support from the most vitriolic extremists within the tea party. People like Ronnie DelBacco and Tom Campione, who give ordinary Republicans the willies. He has another one of these extremists circulate in his behalf. At the same time, Kassis was telling Easton Democrats that he's one of theirs.

Then the campaign ads started, one of which includes a picture of a group of cute kids sitting on Abe's lap The rent-a-kids picture was used to counter the reality that both of Abe's opponents - Sam Murray and Vic Scomillio - are family men. Abe is not.

Then came the preprimary report, revealing that Abe had paid political consultant Tom Severson $37,600. For those of you who don't know who Severson is, he was convicted of filing deceptive campaign expense reports in 2010. That explains the rent-a-kids deception.

The dishonesty continues. A recent campaign mailer starts like this:,

ABE KASSIS is
the Only Democrat for Judge:

If you go beyond the colon, you see the qualifiers. But if you don't, and just glance at the ad like 90% of us do, you might start thinking Abe Kassis is the only Democrat in the race. He's not. He's the only Democrat who sought out support from the right wing fringe. But there's another Democrat running.

Sam Murray.

Son of a steelworker and seamstress, Murray does not have the money to outspend his opponents two to one. He has to put his children through school, and is unable to kick $25,000 of his own money into his campaign because he wants to do right by his children. But to his credit, Sam has made no false claims about who he is or what he brings to the bench.

He prefers to tell you the truth.

That's the kind of judge we need.

Abe Kassis Spends $37,600 for Convicted Campaign Consultant

Abe Kassis

Abe Kassis is hungry for a Northampton County judgeship. He poured $25,000 of his own money into his campaign. That's something we can all respect.  But he's so hungry that he's doing other things, too. One of them was to consort with tea party extremists while circulating his nomination petition. He himself solicited support from its most radical members, like Ronnie Del Bacco, on the same night that he was making one of his speeches to Easton Democrats. He's so hungry that he later appeared on a right wing talk radio show hosted by a man being sued by the Lehigh County DA for defamation. He then sent out what I call his integrity  mailer, posing with a woman and three children, creating the false impression that she is his wife and they are his children. It's misleading and somewhat insulting to candidates Sam Murray and Vic Scomillio, who actually have real families of their own. Now this veteran prosecutor, who has claimed he will be tough, has filed a campaign finance report revealing that he has given more than half of the money he's raised to a consultant who was convicted in 2010 of filing fraudulent campaign expense reports.

Sam Murray

Kassis' pre-election report, filed in Harrisburg with no courtesy copy provided to the Northampton County elections office, reveals he's raised $66,906 in his judicial quest. In addition to the $25,000 coming from his own pocket, he's received considerable support from the Lebanese community, including his own affluent family.

The sum Kassis reports is nearly twice the $36,873.10 raised by Sam Murray and considerably more than the $44,480.80 donated to  Vic Scomillio. Together, all three judicial hopefuls have raked in $148,000, according to papers filed with the Department of State. That's no surprise. What amazes me is that Kassis, who holds himself out as tough on crime, has spent $37,600 for political consultant Tom Severson.

He was fined $14,000 and placed on three years of probation after a guilty plea in 2010 to filing fraudulent campaign expense expense reports, as well as tampering with public records.  Now, a few short years later, a judicial candidate is paying him for the same kind of work that resulted in a criminal conviction.

Vic Scomillio

Severson has actually received more money from Kassis than Sam Murray was able to raise.

Seversoin was also convicted in 2009 of misdemeanor harassment after a strange outburst during a funeral mass.

Why would a judicial candidate pay such a huge sum to a disgraced (and convicted) political consultant?

Maybe he thinks Severson has paid for his mistake.

In 1994, before he was a judge, Emil Giordano accused Severson of "sleazeball politics," calling him the "leader of the pack."  For a judicial candidate to use Severson, and pay him so much money, is an insult to the voters, most of whom will never know that a "tough" prosecutor is using a convicted criminal to garner a judgeship. This poor decision is also an insult to many fine Lebanese families who put their faith in Kassis.

Vic Scomillio has raised $44,480.80, with the largest sum coming in the form of a $5,000 check from L Anderson Daub. His law partners have helped with generous $2,000 contributions. He even picked up a $500 check from Wilson Police Chief Steve Parkansky.

Scomillio has spent $27,541.31, including $5,000 for polling. He has sent out at least two mailers, and has $16,939.57 left in the closing days of the campaign.

Scomillion has also lent $7,275 to his campaign.

Sam Murray raised $36,873.10, including $5,000 out of his own pocket. He has spent $33,319.54, leaving him with $3,553.46 in the closing days of the campaign. In contrast to Scomillio and Kassis, Murray has relied on numerous small contributors who were able to give between $50 and $250. That's where he got $13,000 of his warchest. The Palmeri family has been generous, and so have several attorneys with whom Murray has worked closely over the years.

Murray has received in-kind donations from Abe Atiyeh (billboard) and developer Gary Strausser (opening announcement). He is employing H Street Strategies and Joe Welsh for campaign consulting. So far, he has sent out three mailers.

250 NorCo Retirees Have Lunch With Judicial Candidates

After last year's mass exodus, there are now 1143 retired Northampton County employees. Nearly 250 of them packed into Northampton Memorial Community Center yesterday for lunch with judicial candidates Abe Kassis, Sam Murray and Vic Scomillio. Former Executive Gerald "Jerry" Seyfried, who is a master at putting together these kinds of events, was still amazed at the number of people who appeared. In addition to Seyfried, former Executives John Stoffa and Glenn Reibman attended. Recently retired employees like Marie Cunningham and Frank Flisser came. So did former workers who have been gone a bit longer, like Annie Stofko and Maurice Dimmick.

How do they like their new lives? "I love it," stated Regina Mugavero, who retired recently from the Court Administrator's office.

You're not going to believe this, but I was seated at a table with Stoffa, Jerry, Mike Corriere, the three judicial candidates and  Ken Kraft, who was County Council's delegate.

Kassis, Murray and Scomillio are in the middle of a race against each other, but they have remained on friendly terms and kidded each other during the lunch. All three were gentlemen, which reflects well on each of them and their profession.

Executive John Brown was invited, but did not appear. He sent no representative from his Administration, either.

Judges Emil Giordano, Paula Roscioli and Anthony Beltrami were busy being judges and sent their regrets.

Stoffa, sporting a new hat that he tells me comes from Spain, is the retiree representative on the Retirement Board. He reports that the total pension plan stands strong at $361 million. It is 84.3% funded, compared to just 50% in 2008.

Here's what the candidates had to say in the time allotted to them.

Abe Kassis. - Like everyone else, he was surprised at the turnout, and feels like he's among family when with workers and retirees. If elected, this veteran prosecutor pledged to treat everyone with respect "the way we respect each other in this room." He promised he would go that extra mile.

Sam Murray. - Sam joked that when he walked into the community center, he saw so many friendly faces that he felt like he was back at the courthouse. He discussed his commitment to his wife and three choildren, his 32 years of experience as a lawyer and his time as both a Custody Master and Juvenile hearing Court Officer. He mentioned his Little League coaching experience, which took a Bethlehem team to the World Series. But the topic he feels most passionate about is his work with Easton's Community Center, which feeds children in Easton's West Ward, where he grew up, both before and after school.

Vic Scomillio.- He is running to help "protect values we all share." he started as a Clerk to Judge Robert Simpson (who now sits on the Commonwealth Court) and has 15 years of experience representing businesses, big and small, as well as ordinary people. An Eagle Scout, he volunteers with North Penn Legal Services and would like to see more problem-solving courts like a court for veterans who run afoul of the law.

Before the lunch ended, retirees paused to remember former Northampton county employees who passed on in the past year. They include Mary Cantalupo, Sigfriedo Diaz, Thomas Fenstermacher, Dominic Fimiano, Henry Heil, Tom Marchetti, Joanne Miller, Harold Smith, Pat Repsher, Alan Fowler, Pat Hannon and Rae Moyer.

Abe Kassis Appeals to Fringe Again

Assistant District Attorney Abe Kassis is a fine lawyer, but I now question his judgment. A few months ago, he himself circulated a nomination petition at a meeting of the local tea party. He got the endorsement of members who like to call themselves RATs. He was so busy there that it made him late for a meeting of local Democrats.Unfortunately, this was no fluke.

In February, Kassis appealed to tea party hard-liners like Chairman Ronnie Del Bacco and gun nut Tom Campione, who is currently threatening to sue municipalities who don't allow fellow gun nuts to prance through parks with a six-pack in one hand, and a six-shooter in the other. Bethlehem Tp Comm'r Pat Breslin, who voted against a no-tax hike budget because it included a slight increase in wages for non-union employees, signed Kassis' petition. So did Saucon Valley School Director Bryan Eichfeld, who recently advocated replacing what he calls propaganda about global warming with "true science." Kassis even allowed Tom Carroll, another RAT, to circulate for him.

You might write that off as inexperience or a simple mistake. But Wednesday, Kassis appeared as the guest of Bobby Gunther Walsh. He is so over-the-top on crime that he is being sued by Lehigh County DA Jim Martin for defamation. Just the day before, Walsh had gun nut lawyer Joshua Prince as his guest. A few fays before that, it was gun nut Larry Pratt. That guy has been linked to white supremacist, anti-Semitic and paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland. He even called on the Protestant population there to arm themselves.

I believe it's a mistake for any judicial candidate to appear on that program. I can forgive Judges John Foradora or Cheryl Allen because they are not not local. But Abe is, and should know better.

He never listed his Bobby Gunther Walsh appearance on his Facebook page, which tells me he was trying to appeal to the frings.

Abe Kassis, the Tea Party's Candidate for Judge?

Tea Party rally last summer

Easton Attorney Sam Murray has won the signature battle in the three-way race for Northampton County Judge. He has filed 1527 signatures (about 1,000 Dems and 500 Republicans) in support of his nomination. Assistant DA Abe Kassis  followed with 1,127 signatures, and former Northampton County Solicitor Vic Scomilio filed 1075. All three candidates are challenge proof and will appear on both the Democratic and Republican ballot. But this is actually a three-party race. With some notable exceptions, the tea party appears to be backing Abe Kassis.

On February 18, Easton Area Democrats hosted a candidates' night. Sam Murray spoke, and Abe Kassis arrived just as the meeting was ending. He did say that he was late because he was at another meeting. What he failed to say is that the other meeting that night was with the tea party.

Abe spoke there as well, and managed to get signatures from tea party hard-liners that include its Chairman, Ronnie Del Bacco. Last Summer, DelBacco staged a protest at KidsPeace, aimed at undocumented and unaccompanied children who, through no fault of their own, ended up in this country. At one point, he decided to lead everyone in prayer. He forgot that Someone once said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me."

Kassis also received the endorsement of Tom Campione, who is currently threatening to sue municipalities who don't allow gun nuts to prance through parks with a six-pack in one hand, and a six-shooter in the other.

Tea party hardliners like Bethlehem Tp Comm'r Pat Breslin, who voted against a no-tax hike budget because it included a slight increase in wages for non-union employees, flocked to the Kassis banner.

Saucon Valley School Director Bryan Eichfeld, who recently advocated replacing what he calls propaganda about global warming with "true science," is on the Kassis bandwagon. Eichfeld also objected to the formation of a UNICEF club at the Saucon Valley School district.

The tea party likes Abe so much that Tom Carroll, one of its leaders, began circulating for Abe himself. Carroll is a former judicial candidate himself, but was crushed by Jennifer Sletvold. I believe Carroll and other tea party hardliners blame Scomilio for this defeat.

When you solicit the support of extremists, I have to wonder about your own views, particularly when you're running for judge.

Sam Murray: "He Deserves to Be a Judge"

Sam Murray asks security to remove me from his campaign announcement. 

Unlike real reporters, I hate writing under pressure. But I'm under a lot right now. Tammy warned me last night that I better do a good job with this write-up. I usually laugh with scorn when someone says something like that to me. But Tammy is no politico. She's Sam Murray's legal secretary. I have no fear of politicians. But you don't piss off a legal secretary. or there will be hell to pay. So I hope this is acceptable, Tammy.

It was a Who's Who of lawyers, elected officials and family friends, both Republican and Democrat, who descended upon Riverview Country Club last night. A throng of at least 170 heard Easton attorney Sam Murray announce his candidacy for the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas. I was there, too. I crashed it.

I told the receptionist that my name is Jerry Seyfried..

"He's already here, sir,"

"Did I say Seyfried? I meant Stoffa. John Stoffa. I have dyslexia."

She gave me the look most people reserve for craZies, but let me pass.

I was in.

I've known Sam since he first started practicing law in 1983. Like many lawyers, he's smart and is unafraid of work. But what sets him apart, both a lawyer and as a person, is that he always has the time to listen, and I mean really listen, to people. He will hear what you say. This is what will set him apart as a judge, too. Good judges, I have noticed, are excellent listeners.

Audience applauds when Wheeler tases me. 

Sam's a product of Easton. His father was a steelworker and mom a sewing machine operator. A blue collar family. He grew up with troublemakers like Easton City Council member Ken Brown and fellow Attorney Bib Nitschke. He's a graduate of Moravian College and Seton Hall University School of Law. He has spent the past thirty years helping people. Some of his clients have been wealthy. Others have been poor. But I personally have seen him give the same attention to therm all.

The courts saw something they like. In 2003, Sam was appointed a Child Custody Master and Juvenile Court Judicial Hearing Officer. For those of you who are outside the legal arena, Masters and hearing officers stand in the place of a judge, and their recommendations are nearly always accepted.

So Sam already knows what it is like to make a tough call.

"I will always protect and defend the Constitution," Murray stated last night. He added that the most important right in a courtroom is due process.

The reception room was decorated with pretty blondes and Murray yard signs

Though Sam stopped there, let me connect the dots. The Brown administration and Solicitor Vic Scomillio, who is also running for judge, have done a poor job protecting the constitutional right to due process, i.e. notice and an opportunity to be heard.  Vic fired a County employee without affording her due process. And just this week, the Brown administration's failure to prepare criminal trial notices very nearly resulted in the cancellation of criminal court.

Nobody disputes Vic's personal integrity or his legal acumen. But his stint with Brown has killed any hope he has to be a judge, at least for now. His chariot is driving headlong into the Red Sea, but a wall of water is collapsing around his judicial race.

Sam will be resigning his seat as a Juvenile Court Hearing Officer. The Courts require this from any judicial employee. Murray not only agrees with this principle, but adds that any County employee who runs for judge should resign. Let me connect the dots again. Sam is referring to Abe Kassis, an Assistant District Attorney who is also running for judge and who has kept his County job.

Sam has always believed in community service. He has coached girls' basketball, and managed the 2002 Lehigh Little League team that won a state championship and participated in the World Series.

My grandson was in awe when he met Sam and his son Joseph one Sunday.

At the reception, I sat with the bad crowd. Constables Charles Hentz and Lance Wheeler, along with former Chief Probation Officer Mark Mazziotti, kept wary eyes on me. They know I'm slippery. I still managed to eat all of the hummus, mushrooms and bruschetta. When they finally kicked me out, I left for a County Council meeting with a garlic breath so strong that they were forced to go into Executive Session.

There was no shortage of local heavyweights at this shindig, from former NorCo Executive Jerry Seyfried to former State Rep. Rich Grucela. Prominent Republicans like Ray DeRaymond and Bill Murphy were there. Bethlehem and Easton Mayors Bob Donchez and Sal Panto offered statements of support.

But the person who put it best was Mark Mazziotti. "He's the first guy I ever met who actually deserved to be a judge," stated the former Probation Officer. He should know.