In the same scam used to get himself elected, Northampton County Dem Boss Joe Long has a penchant for scheduling endorsement meetings without notifying people he'd rather not see. He did that in 2007, when the party endorsed its favored few over Will Power and Bill Hall for county council seats. He's done it again this year, asking a handful of about thirty committeemen to endorse a slate at what he himself called "petition signing meeting." There was no roll call. Candidates who may not even be committee members were never told they had no vote.Refusing to go gently into that good night, Power and Hall are again running for county council.
Last time he ran, Power was the victim of a vicious smear campaign orchestrated by Lamont McMud, which even included allegations that Power had assaulted his own disabled brother. Unfortunately, he has passed away a few years ago, and Power was forced to produce a surreal voice from the past on his laptop. "My brother never struck me or did anything to hurt me. I apologize for what I did. I love 'ya, brother." Even State Senator Lisa Boscola, Will's sister, publicly denied the allegations. It was too little, too late.
Bill Hall believes he should represent the people, not some party machine. He advocates thorough and honest reform in our government institutions, arguing that integrity, independence and courage should be the qualifications of a candidate. He has previously condemned Northampton County Democratic machine politics. Last year, Hall considered filing a primary challenge to Sam Bennett, but backed off at the midnight hour.
Isn't it time for Big D Democrats to start acting like little d democrats and let the people decide these things?
Update: Power's In, But Hall is Out. Although Bill Hall assisted in gathering petitions, he himself will not be a candidate in this year's council race. Power filed his nomination petition late this afternoon in an office swamped by paper and candidates.
