Chris Casey to Run For LC Comm'r

In Northampton County, the five Council seats up for grabs this year are "at-large", meaning that candidates are not confined to one specific geographic location. But in Lehigh County, the Commissioner races (they say commissioner, we say council member) are in five specific districts. District Two, which includes the Macungies, is represented by incumbent Percy Doughetrty. He's being challenged by Scott Aquila, a Dean at LCCC. If he survives the Republican primary, he'll face blogger Chris Casey, who's running as a Democrat. Chris believes that Dougherty, a Republican who supported public health, will lose to a man who's "in league with a "reform" group that believes we should not accept Federal and State funds to prove a point."

I'm not sure Aquila is in league with anyone. I spoke with Vic Mazziotti last week. He may be a card-carrying member of the conservative cabal on Lehigh County's Board, but he's also honest to a fault. St. Thomas More is his idol, while mine is Frank Zappa. Vic told me that he has not been asked to support anyone. He has offered his support to incumbent Tom Creighton, who has not been a member of the so-called reform team but is pretty damn conservative.

Here's Casey's pitch: "Unlike the members of the REpublican reform team, I am not a millionaire managing a plastics company, nor am I a retired County employee drawing a pension from one County while working for another. I am a blue collar guy working in a warehouse while my wife works for a hospital. We work for a living. Last year we paid over $15,000 in income taxes and after deductions, we received a refund of just over $3K. Of that $12k the Federal and state government kept, our so called reform team doesn't want to accept any of it back into the community. That is not just insanity, that is STUPIDITY."

It's a pretty good argument, but what if Dougherty wins the Republican primary?

LVPoliblgger Chris Casey Picked Up By HufPo

LVPoliblogger Chris Casey has been picked up by Huffington Post as part of their "citizen journalism unit." His first article, which touches on the ad war in the Carney-Marino Congressional race, can be seen here.

Don't tell the Gatekeepers. Congrats, Chris.

LC Dem Committeman Asks Bennett to Withdraw Candidacy

Chris Casey, one of a diverse coterie of bloggers at LVPoliblog, is also a Lehigh County Democratic committeeman. Congressional hopeful Sam Bennett actually kicked in $50 to his unsuccessful state legislature campaign last year. She probably should have dug a little deeper.

In a post published yesterday afternoon, Casey calls on Bennett to withdraw from the race.

"The biggest drawback is that Sam's present position excites swing voters to vote against her, and in general against the Dem ticket. It is a lot to ask a statehouse candidate to raise enough money to overcome that kind of a mountain. ... . I will not sit quietly as someone takes the Democratic party bus I have taken a seat on and drives it off a cliff into an abyss."

Chris Casey Alienates a Few Lehigh County Republicans

Dean Browning has popped on my blog from time to time, and has humorously suggested I call it "Not West of Route 33 Ramblings." It's actually a fair and valid criticism.

Browning is also critical of Lehigh County exec Don Cunningham, who has his eye on the Governor's mansion. That's no secret. And if Cunningham is neglecting his duties in Lehigh County, he deserves a few shots. Although I've seen no evidence of this, I'm told some Lehigh County commissioners grumble Cunningham is never in his office. Maybe he's tooling around in that car he bought with campaign dough.

Whoopee!

But Chris Casey, in a never-ending effort to alienate Republicans, has used Browning's innocuous comment to try and engage him "on an intelligent note." He then calls Browning a party hack without substantiation. He also claims Browning is a Cunningham hater, and that we don't need a commissioner who is "disruptive" or a "wrench" in government process.

You tell 'im, Chris!

In my world, we have a name for that sort of thing. It's called democracy. Surely you don't want that in the People's Republic of Lehigh County.

Update: Addicted has risen to Chris Casey's defense, claiming he knows what he's talking about. His conclusion? "Bernie O'Hare preaches integrity, but doesn't practice it " Everybody knows that!
Update #2 (5/23): Casey and Addicted must be magicians. Their entries have mysteriously disappeared. Poof!

Mighty Chris Casey is at the Bat

Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;
It pounded on the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,
For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.

My good friend and fellow blogger, the Mighty Chris Casey, is still at the plate. He exposed the credit-card scandal that ultimately led to the resignation of two supervisors in Upper Macungie Township. He's run for the office once before and lost.

Strike one!

Then, when no one else would challenge state rep Doug Reichley in a heavily Republican district, Casey stepped back into the box. He waged a courageous, though ultimately unsuccessful, campaign against an incumbent featured on Bill White's rogues' gallery of state legislators who either voted for or accepted the midnight payraise.

He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the dun sphere flew;
But Casey still ignored it and the umpire said, "Strike two!"

Now, in an attempt to restore transparent and accountable government in Upper Macungie, the Mighty Casey is still at the plate. He won the Democratic nod for supervisor on Tuesday with 365 votes. He'll face the voters in a heavily Republican district who don't seem to mind officials who use credit cards for personal expenses or who send out fliers at taxpayer expense on election eve.

Oh, somewhere in this favoured land the sun is shining bright,
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light;
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout,
But there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out.

Pa.'s Ethics Commission Slops Upper Mac Pigs at Public Trough

Chris Casey has finally been vindicated. He's the dude who dimed Upper Macungie supervisors fattening themselves at the public trough. He's paid the price. Public ridicule and the occasional death threat have taken their toll on his physical health.

The arrogant little piggies who abused their public trust, Tom Gorr and Porter Krisher, admit nothing beyond their consent agreements. They've been fined a paltry $14,000 by a disinterested state ethics commission for thefts that included $56,000 in payments to a tree service company owned by Krisher's son. No criminal prosecution. No resignation.

The trough's open for business again!

In his own blog at True Dems, Casey tells us

my favorite credit card expense of all is not Tom Gorr's charging his college courses, hell, it's not even his charges to duenow.com. to write his term papers for him. No, my absolute favorite is that he spent $1500 of taxpayers money for his enrollment at L.A Weight loss centers!

At the same time he was charging "business meals" to the Township credit card!
Taxpayers were paying for it going in, and coming out!

Talk about taxing both ends!

I'll have more to say about our state ethics commission later. Why wasn't this referred to the DA for criminal prosecution? With evidence this damning, why didn't the state insist Krisher resign as part of this consent agreement? It has done a disservice to Lehigh Valley residents. It has allowed a thief to remain in public employment.

We need a few more Chris Caseys and a few less of those public piggies in Upper Macungie, as well as the state ethics commission. Why not put Casey there? I know he's ugly, but that would be real reform. It wouldn't take a new law or constitution, either.

Lynn Township Excesses Led to Reform

Morning Call columnist Bill Rutherford White reminds us, in a recent column, about the spending excesses inflicted on unsuspecting taxpayers by second class township officials. "Under state law, second-class townships like Lower and Upper Macungie can allow supervisors to hire and supervise themselves, blurring the lines between management and labor, in effect making them accountable to themselves."

Lynn Township has ended that practice, thanks to reform-minded township officials like David Najarian. Chris Casey tells us why in an excellent report at True Dems. Here's a brief excerpt.

The Township employed a full time Secretary Treasurer who worked out of their home. From all appearances, it seems that the person charged with the duties did the barest minimum of work possible, but at least made sure that they, and the other employees and/or Supervisors, got paid.

What few records that were kept show that Lynn Township has not invoiced any reimbursables for almost a decade, going back to 1998. After firing the Secretary treasurer and hiring a new one, an internal audit showed clear evidence of petty theft and missing equipment. It was also discovered that the Township was Delinquent in paying Federal Wage withholding taxes for a period in 2004, and had not filed several mandated pension reports.

Chris "Blue Collar" Casey Planning Run for Lehigh County Commissioner

Chris "blue collar" Casey, told me today that he intends to run for an at large commissioner seat in Lehigh County next year. Some may question another run so soon after Casey's loss to Doug Reichley for state rep., but I'm glad he's doing it. Two Republicans may not be seeking reelection, and Casey is certainly gaining name recognition in the Lehigh Valley.

In Casey's words, "We need citizens on the Board of Commissioners who will work to improve our county's many communities with an eye on what economic and social conditions we can reasonably expect to exist in the next 20 to 30 years, not for how our economy and society function today." Although Casey thinks county exec Don Cunningham is a leader, he believes "Lehigh County Judges and the 7 to 2 Republican edge in Commissioners is more obstructionist and backward thinking than progressive."

Too bad he can't run here.