Lady MacBeth Falls to Dumbo

Cindy Miller, who I dubbed lady MacBeth this election cycle because of a mean-spirited campaign that included a campaign announcement before incumbent Julie Harhart announced her retirement, as well as an unpopular nomination challenge to Marc Grammes, has been defeated in a race she should have won. She has lost to perhaps one of the ill-informed candidates I have ever seen. Zach Mako. You can call him Dumbo. This makes it far more likely that Democrat Phillips Armstrong will be elected.

Armstrong Shines in State House Debate

Long time State Rep. Julie Harhart has decided to retire at the end of her term this year in the gerrymandered 183rd, which twists and turns from part of South Whitehall to Northampton and Slatington and over to Lehigh Township and points east.

The LV Tea Party has already hosted one debate featuring Republicans Cindy Miller and Zach Mako. Unfortunately, Democrat Phillips Armstrong was unable to attend that debate because of a family emergency. But he was free for a second debate at Fellowship Hall last week. You can watch the video above and reach your own conclusions. I consider Armstrong a very impressive candidate, the best I've seen in some time.

A little bit about each candidate.

Mako is a helicopter mechanic turned pilot after making it through two years of flight training. He claimed that Julie Harhart "has been helping me out, keeping me motivated along the way.". A candidate who accepted money from other Republican State Reps, laundered through State Rep. mark Mustio, claimed he would be an "independent voice."

Miller, who claims to have spent 98% of her career in the private sector. She took credit for many of the satellite facilities that Lehigh Valley Hospital plants like dandelions.She has been a Lehigh Township Supervisor for five years, has been a Planning Commissioner there for 14 years and also works for and has accepted contributions from State Senator Mario Scavello. Miller has a Master's degree from Wilkes in health care and is a certified paralegal.

Phillips is retired after 40 years as a social studies teacher at Whitehall High School. He also has a master's degree. While teaching, he was also a tour bus driver for 38 years "I totally enjoyed that," he said. After retiring, he decided to continue public service in local government. He is currently the President of Whitehall Township's Board of Commissioners. He also is involved in CTC (Community that Cares). He wants to go to Harrisburg "to make a difference." "I don't want a job,. I don't want a career," he said. His campaign finance reveals heavy union support. The root of all evil in state government, according to him, is gerrymandering. "We don't vote for our representatives. They vote for themselves. We can't do that anymore.

State Police Funding Shortfall.- Mako was stumped by the very first question of the debate, demonstrating for a second time that he really is clueless. You can make your own call. Miller said it's time for municipalities with no local police coverage to be assessed. Phillips called for more regional police departments, which he claimed would solve the financial dilemma of state police while allowing for a greater "police presence."

Medical Marijuana. - Miller is opposed, claiming it would be difficult for those who need to be drug tested for jobs or for police who stop drivers suspected of impaired driving. Armstrong disagreed noting that the bill passed into law already contains "numerous regulations." He doubts that people will be able to get it for recreational use. He suggested we should look "at all the children and all the people suffering from diseases who will be helped by this." Mako agreed with Armstrong, noting that the benefits and revenue outweigh Miller's concerns.

Privatization of state liquor stores. - Phillips would support privatization if Prohibition were just ending now, but he said that solution is impractical st this time. It would lead to one-time revenue as licenses are sold, not the steady stream received from state stores. He pointed to the possibility of some 18 year-old clerk selling hard liquor to her underage friends. He argued that the state generally has lower prices because it purchases in bulk. "Just like Wal Mart, the more you buy, the cheaper you can sell."

Mako was unable to pronounce the word "privatization," but said it would be beneficial for the state. "That is all," he said as he handed the mike to Miller. She expressed concerns about auctioning off licenses, which would lead to a few chain stores ruining small businesses. But she supports privatization anyway.

Bipartisanship.- Mako claimed the state legislature is already bi-partisan, but the Governor has been an obstacle. Miller added that the Governor has retaliated against Democrats who compromised. But she agreed there should be more cooperation on pension reform, privatization and education reform.

Armstrong blames this lack of dialogue on gerrymandering. He noted that if a legislative district is made up of all kinds of people, state representatives would have to represent everybody. He noted that, fortunately, the 183rd is one of the few split districts left.

"This country was formed on compromise," he said. "Something that I think the legislature has forgotten, and maybe even the Governor. We have to be able to compromise. Some of the biggest decisions in American history came because two sides differed, but were statesmen, not politicians."

Term limits.- All three candidates agreed there should be term limits.

Woodman, Scavello Funding Miller

Though Cindy Miller failed to file an electronic pre-primary report, I was able to look at her campaign finance yesterday, Unlike State Reps. Marcia Hahn and Joe Emrick, she did file a copy of her report at the Northampton County Elections office.

We know that her opponent, Zach Mako, is being backed by Julie Harhart, Emerick, Hahn and other Republican state representatives. They funneled their money to Mako through a $10,0000 contribution from State Rep. Mark Mustio.

What about Miller?

Her campaign is $8,500 in debt, but $3,000 of the $7,853 she raised came in the form of contriutions from State senator mario Scavello ($1,500) and former lehigh County Comm'r Lisa Scheller ($,1500).

So Mako is a puppet for one faction of Republicans while Miller is a puppet for another.

Harhart Launders $10,000 Contribution to Mako

Cindy Miller

I was sure that Cindy Miller, who is running to succeed Julie Harhart in the 183rd legislative district, was her heir apparent. After all, Miller works for State Senator Mario Scavello. But I was wrong. Harhart and other establishment Republicans actually support Zachary Mako, Miller's clueless opponent. I know this from the pre-primary campaign finance report just filed by Mako.

Miller has managed to alienate a lot of people in her quest for the state house. She suffers from a "vaulting ambition which o'erleaps itself." This became evident last year, long before she announced. In Northampton County, Executive John Brown attempted to put her on the Gaming Board, even though to do so he would have to remove Tony Pristash, a Northampton Borough Council member and a Republican who was doing a good job and wanted to remain.

Brown disingenuously told Council he wanted to replace Miller with Pristash to "mix it up," but the reality is he wanted to raise her visibility to assist her election to the state house. Smelling that politics was in the mix, Council refused to confirm this appointment, and Brown was ultimately forced to withdraw Miller's nomination.

As an indication of just how smart I am, I completely missed out on why Brown nominated Miller.But her hubris became more evident when she jumped the gun and announced her candidacy without giving Harhart a chance to announce her retirement.

From there, she went on to file two nomination challenges against the two other Republicans running for this seat, Zach Mako and Marc Grammes. In a news release about her challenge to Grammes, she referred to herself as a "small businesswoman, trusted township supervisor, wife, and mother." But returning a call from me about that news release was apparently beneath her, even though she included a contact number. She succeeded in removing Grammes, which alienated his supporters as well as numerous other Lehigh County Republicans. But she failed to get rid of Mako.

At a debate, Mako was so uninformed about most issues that I question whether he should even be allowed to fly a helicopter. "As you can tell, I am not a politician and this is not my bag," he said at one point. But his pre-election campaign finance report, which is available at the state site, makes pretty clear that he has the support of politicians.

Mako reports $12,000 in contributions, with the biggest contribution by far being $10,000 from State Rep. Marc Mustio on April 8. In addition, retired political consultant Tom Severson provided a $450 in-kind contribution of street lists and robo calls.

Why would Severson get involved? It's no secret that he and Julie Harhart were close friends for many years. He ran many of her campaigns.

Then there's Mustio from Moon Township on the other side of the state. Why would he give Mako $10,000?

Zach Mako

Let's look at who gave to him. Lo and behold, Julie Harhart contributed $5,000 to his campaign!. Marcia Hahn and Joe Emrick, two other Republican in the LV delegation, kicked in another $1,000 and $500, respectively. State Reps John Taylor and Jim Marshall and State Senator Guy Reschenthaler threw in another $3,000.

Though Harhart will not come and directly endorse Mako, she and her colleagues in the state house and senate are willing to be sneaky. They laundered contributions to Mako through Mustio. It's safe to say he is her preferred successor.

Harhart, Emrick and Hahn refuse to file electronic campaign finance reports. They file paper reports, and likely hoped that the election would be over long before we were any the wiser. But someone forget to tell Mustio to file a paper report.

How about Miller? She filed a paper report. She'll fit right in.

Basically, the Republicans have one ambitious candidate who has alienated everyone and one clueless candidate who will be controlled.

And Democrat Phillips Armstrong. He filed an electronic report so the public can follow his campaign finance.

Who Should Succeed Harhart?

Cindy Miller

Republican Julie Harhart, State Representative for the 183rd legislative district, has decided to call it quits this year after eleven terms in office. Her successor will represent a hodge podge of the northern Lehigh Valley. It includes parts of Whitehall and even South Whitehall Townships, extends north through Northampton and Catasauqua to Slatington and Walnutport, and then east to Moore Township. The race for this seat is one of just three competitive primaries within the Lehigh Valley, and was one of the contests featured in a packed debate hosted by the Lehigh Valley Tea Party on April 7 at the Se-Wy-Co Banquet Hall in Lower Saucon Township

Though represented by a Republican, Democrats have a registration edge in this District, and a competitive race can be expected.

Five candidates - two Democrats and three Republicans - submitted nomination papers for this seat. But as a result of successful challenges, only three candidates - two Republicans and one Democrat - remain on the ballot. Republicans include Cindy Miller, Lehigh Township Supervisor and field representative to State Senator Mario Scavello; and Zach Mako, a combat veteran and helicopter pilot in the National Guard. The sole Democrat is Phillips Armstrong, a Whitehall Township Commissioner who spent 40 years as an educator and coach in the Whitehall-Coplay School District.

All three candidates were invited to the tea party debate, but Armstrong sent his regrets as a result of an unexpected family emergency.

Mako, dressed in a suit that obviously made him feel uncomfortable, carried an assortment of index cards that he consulted regularly, even during his opening statement. At one point, he drew some laughter when he was stumped by a question and began looking over Miller's shoulder to see what she was writing. "As you can tell, I am not a politician and this is not my bag," he explained. He said he would be an "independent" voice who would "stand up to special interests and career politicians." He vowed he would oppose the "radical tax and spend policy"of Governor Tom Wolf.

Miller told the audience she grew up in Walnutport and attended Slatington High School before it became Northern Lehigh. She said her background - "98% of which is in the private sector" - is business and health care.

In stark contrast to the debate between Coyle and Simmons, in which candidates used every second of their time, Miller and Mako kept their answers short.

Reducing size of state legislature. - Both agreed on reducing the size of the state legislature. "It is way too big," said Miller. "My only concern is constituent services," said Mako. "As long as that is not diminished, I'd be absolutely fo shrinking the size of the legislature."

Will they take pension? - Mako said he thinks he is required to take it but would turn it down if he could. "I actually like that 401k that they're planning, and think that would be great, especially for a young guy like myself," he said. "I might not stay in government." Miller would not take the pension, but admitted she is participating in one as a member of Senator Scavello's staff. "It needs to start in the House," she said.

Per diems. Neither candidate would accept per diems ($165 per day), but would instead turn in receipts for actual expenses.

Zach Mako

Term limits - Mako believes the term limit is at the ballot box. "If you're doing a good job and people like what you're doing, you stay in. If not, you're gone," he explained. Miller disagrees. "We have too many legislators who've been in too long," she argued. "We say that we leave it up to the people to make the decision, and a lot of times the uneducated choices are being made at the poll." She would like to lengthen terms of office to four years "because you're running every year for office and you're not dedicating your time to constituents or in your legislative duties."

Mandatory retirement age for judges. - Both favor keeping the age at 70. "Anything over 70 is just increasing the pension crisis in Pennsylvania," said Miller.

HB 76 and Property Tax Elimination. - In over 1,600 phone calls Mako has made over the past two weeks, the predominate concern he has heard is the need for property tax relief. Miller stated that, in Lehigh Township, she has been able to stave off a tax hike. "I looked at our budget, we reformed out budget; I was instrumental in implementing a capital improvement plan; we renegotiated our contracts, especially pensions."

Second Amendment rights. - "I can tell you I fully believe in the protection of the Second Amendment and I actually have my license to carry, so now you know I'm not a liberal in nay way," said Miller. "I also have a concealed carry permit and have a Smith and Wesson Bodyguard that I carry every day," added Mako.

Pension Reform. - Miller found that in Lehigh Township, taxpayers were paying more for pensions than the employees who benefit from them. She claims the union now matches what the Township pays in. She would replace the current pension system with 401ks, "I feel that is something that should be able to be done immediately," she said. "I don't see why it should just be for new employees." Mako added that pensions have gone away in the business world, and should be abolished in the public sector as well.

Sharia law. - Both candidates would support a ban on the use of Sharia law, an Islamic legal framework used in some Arabic countries. "I have seen what that does," said Mako. "I've been in places where it's running rampant."

Economic development. - Miller stated that, in Lehigh Township, "We have developers that have found us." She said that as a result of expanding commercial zoning, "We have a developer coming in who is going to take care of one of our worst intersections." She also spoke of developer David Jaindl's plans to convert a 285-acre seminary into a "mixed use zone." She agreed about a lack of development in Slatington. "The problem wth Slatington, unfortunately, is that there's no infrastructure, there's no parking, there's no nothing. That all has to get addressed if you want businesses."

Mako called small business "the backbone of America" and said leaders should be more "proactive."

Paycheck protection. - Mako was unfamiliar with a "payback protection" bill, which would prevent government from deducting union dues from wages and transmitting the funds directly to labor organizations. Miller supports the bill, stating she has friends and family in education who resent seeking their dues collected out of their paychecks.

Brown's Clown Car Continues in Reverse

Tony Pristash is a local business owner and member of Northampton Borough Council. He is also one of three at-large members on Northampton County's nine-person Gaming Board.  But if Executive John Brown has his way, Pristash will soon be gone.

Northampton County gets all kinds of money from the Sands Casino. In addition to a host fee, it also brings in about $1.6 million in slots tax revenue annually, and about $1.2 million in table games revenue. State law is pretty flexible about how the table games revenue is spent  But it is much stricter about slots revenue. Northampton County had to create the nine-person Gaming Board just to dole out the slots revenue. Priority must be given to grant requests from Bethlehem and other communities that are contiguous to host city Bethlehem. After all impact grants have been awarded, other communities can apply. Most years, the pie is gobbled up by the host and surrounding municipalities.

Pristash, as one of the three at-large members, has to watch as most of the grants are awarded elsewhere. This may seem unfair, but that's the way the law is written. But in his years on the gaming Board, he has never tried to sabotage grant applications or steer things unfairly. He has often been a voice of humor on a Board with a tedious and thankless task.

At yesterday's Personnel Committee, Brown proposed replacing Pristash with Cindy Miller, a well-regarded Supervisor from Lehigh Township. In response to questioning by Ken Kraft, Brown admitted that Pristash wanted to continue serving, but he wanted to replace him with Miller anyway to "mix it up."

Peg Ferraro stated that Cindy Miller would "be fine, but I also know that the person who has the job really wants it."

Ken Kraft, who serves as Council's liaison to the Gaming Board, agreed that Pristash is "very active, very involved."  

This appointment will now go to Council tonight without a recommendation.

It's unclear precisely what Brown has against Pristash, although it is perhaps because he was part of an unanimous Board that refused to replace Executive Director Karen Collis with Brown's DCED Director, Diane Donaher.

This nomination is almost certainly headed to defeat tonight, and this is yet another illustration of John Brown's poor leadership.

The Gaming Board appointment is not like a cabinet official, where an Executive appointment is entitled to great deference. In fact, the Gaming Board's enabling ordinance, which was drafted by Lamont McClure after several months of study and discussions with Council, specifically provides that it is intended to be an "independent" body. In the discussions leading up to the Ordinance's adoption, McClure made clear that it was his intent to make it as inclusive as possible. He noted that the County Council could serve as the Gaming Authority, but thought it important to give a voice to those on the ground to work together.

It appears that Brown, in complete defiance of this ordinance, wants to pack the Board with people who will do his bidding. This is an insult to Cindy Miller, who is nobody's puppet.

He has needlessly embarrassed her and Pristash, a volunteer who did his job.

Tacky.