Dave Mattei? No Way!

Mattei at a picnic

Earlier this year, State Rep. Joe Emrick was well on his way to another two years in the 137th state house district. For a second time, Democrats had failed to field someone to run against a hardcore conservative Republican with a lifetime 90% rating from the American Conservative Union. It's a district that does include conservative pockets in Palmer and the Slate Belt. But it also includes Democratic boroughs and increasingly Democratic Forks Township. Democrat Rich Grucela managed to keep the seat for ten years, so why no one wanted to challenge Emrick was a mystery. People like myself, who are unhappy with Emrick, were delighted when insurance salesman Dave Mattei stepped forward, out of nowhere, to run as a write-in candidate. We were conned.

For one thing, Mattei has never voted as a Democrat. He registered as an independent in 1997 and, over the next 19 years, has only voted sporadically. He didn't vote at all in 2014 or 2015. This year, he was unable to vote in the very primary in which Democrats happily wrote in his name because he was still registered as a Independent. So far as I can tell, he still is.

In addition to being an independent with a shaky voting record, Mattei has no real roots in this area. He is originally from Jersey, and moved into the Lehigh Valley some time in 1997. At first, he lived in Easton and Washington Township, then moved to Lehigh Tp for 14 years. He has only been in the Nazareth area for four years or less.

Why did he move to Pennsylvania from Jersey? It appears that he was fleeing debt. According to New Jersey Courts public access, actions were brought against him at F002217-92, F003270-93, F005758-96 and F008490-96.

Mattei getting chickens

While living in Easton, in what appears to be its West Ward, he worked at Home Depot in Whitehall, a rather strange occupation for a retired New Jersey state trooper. It was during this time that his emancipated daughter sought and obtained a Protection From Abuse Act Order against him. What set him off is unknown, but the incident included allegations of throwing his own flesh and blood across a room and dragging her down the steps by the ankles.

Mattei never contested the PFA.

In 2000, Mattei left Easton for the greener pastures of Lehigh Tp. He bought a home, and over the next 14 years, managed to rack up nine mortgages. According to Northampton County's civil index, Northampton Area School District also ended up filing two municipal liens (2007-ML-6826 and 2008-ML-8846) against him because he failed to pay his school tax bill. Unable to keep up with his mortgages, he gave his Lehigh Township home back to the bank. He also filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy (15-12857-ref) and, on 8/20/15, was granted a discharge.

That's how he ended up in Nazareth, just up the street from me.

Anyone can go through a bad stretch financially. But for Mattei, bad financial decisions appear to be way of life. It sure looks like that's what caused him to flee Jersey. Ringing up nine mortgages on one property in 14 years is also pretty stupid.

If he's unable to manage his own finances, how can he be expected to manage ours?

What would prompt a bankrupt Independent who only votes sporadically to want to be the Democratic champion? He certainly has no burning interest in issues. But he sure does like to eat.

He just filed a 6th Tuesday pre-election report for the period between 5/17/16 and 9/19/16, even though state house candidates have no such obligation. (You can see it here). In it, he claims to have raised $15,836.00 and has already spent $13,901.70,  a lot of it on dinners and lunches.

The Easton Area Democratic Committee gave an independent outside of the Easton area $3,000. He also collected $3,000 from the trade unions. He suckered Martin Guitar owner Christian Martin into giving him $500, and sucked money from poor Glenn Reibman, Rich Grucela and the Bobbsey twins, Pete Schweyer and Mike Schlossberg.

Mattei gets cake for intern

What has he done with this money?

Eat.

A lot.

He's a hungry guy and, in his defense, did have a family BBQ this summer. He must have really been famished on June 13. He was at Subway, the Trolley Shoppes Restaurant and the Leaf Cigar Bar, all in one day.

I'd say the Leaf and Mickey D's are his two favorites. He's been to each five times.

Mattei has also been to Nazareth Diner four times, Pizza Joe, Villa Grande Pizzeria, Pies to Die For, Dunkin' Donuts, China Wok, Pita Pit, Blendlife Smoothie and Juice Bar, Fairways Cafe, Rice 'n Beans, Little Corner Cafe, Xpresso Cafe, Diner 248, Baby Harry Coffee, Wok Box, Chestnuthill Diner, McDonald's, WaWa, Sam's Club for groceries, Tuscana Pizza and Whitetail Golf Club.

He even charged a meal in New Jersey at DeLucia's. He has also picked up between meal snacks at the gas station across the street from his office. And let's not forget the booze from the liquor store.

All told, he has spent $1,662.95 in campaign contributions on food, cigars and booze. Over 10 per cent of the money he raised is in his stomach.

This has to be some sort of record.

He must be loading up for the winter.

He did give $1,000 to Controller Steve Barron for robo calls and another $300 to Rich Wilkins for consulting. Barron won't say whether his deal includes an "all you can eat" clause.

So we Democrats have really done well. We have an independent with a spotty voting record and an even more shaky financial history to run against an entrenched, well-financed incumbent. He is using campaign finances to play big shot. He has no chance of winning. My chief concern is that Mattei might explode before the election.

Mattei is on the Way! This Thursday!

At this time, Joe Emrick is the State representative for the 137th legislative district in Pa. It's a slice of the eastern portion of the slate belt, and reaches into Stockertown, Tatamy, Nazareth, Upper Nazareth and includes a portion of Palmer Township. Though it's a republican seat, it was represented for ten years by Democrat Rich Grucela. Democratic write-in candidate Dave Mattei would like to pick up where Rich left off and actually represent the people instead of a consortium of lobbyists and developers like J.B. Reilly.

Dave's campaign kick-off will be this Thursday, 6 pm, at the Farmers' Insurance Office, located at 6 South Broad Street in Nazareth.

Mattei opened the Farmers Insurance agency in Nazareth four years ago, serves on the board of the Nazareth-Bath Regional Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of the Nazareth Rotary. He lives in downtown Nazareth, not far from my estate, and I sometimes wave at him or have one of servants lift my arm and do it. He is a former New Jersey State Trooper.

This is his first run for political office.

Former State Rep. Rich Grucela is reportedly ready to offer his endorsement and support on Thursday.

Mattei Claims Write-In Victory in Emrick Race

Dave Mattei, a Nazareth businessman and retired New Jersey State Trooper who waged a last-minute write-in campaign against incumbent State Rep. Joe Emrick, is claiming victory. He believes he earned enough votes to be the Democratic nominee. Official word will have to wait until the votes are canvassed.  

Mattei Waging Write-In Against Emrick

I am more than a little disappointed to see that State Rep. Joe Emrick has no opposition in tomorrow's primary, and that no Democrat sought his party's nomination. Dave Mattei, a Nazareth insurance agent and former New Jersey State Trooper, must have been upset, too. But unlike me, he is doing something about it, and has formally announced his write-in campaign in the Democratic Primary tomorrow.

Mattei is asking Democrats in the 137th PA House District to write him in for Representative in the General Assembly, where there is currently no candidate on the Democratic Primary ballot. He needs to get at least 300 write-in votes to win the Democratic nomination and challenge Joe Emrick on the November ballot, and he has knocked on several hundred doors over the past two weeks to let Democrats know.

Dave Mattei opened the Farmers Insurance agency in Nazareth four years ago and serves on the board of the Nazareth-Bath Regional Chamber of Commerce. He recently moved to downtown Nazareth after several years in Washington Township and more than a decade in Lehigh Township, arriving in Pennsylvania after his first career as a New Jersey State Trooper.

Earlier this month, Mattei earned the “Spirit of Nazareth” award for his dedication to the local community. He helps regularly with events, volunteers at the weekly “Loaves and Fishes” soup kitchen, and recently rebuilt the Nazareth’s nativity scene with all parts and labor donated.

Mattei is tired of the partisan obstructionism and gridlock in Harrisburg that prevented a budget compromise, leaving Pennsylvanians nine months later with a budget that still does not balance, nor addresses the problems of restoring school funding or responsibly lowering property taxes.

Though Mattei has been registered with no party affiliation since locating in Pennsylvania two decades ago, he finds himself increasingly frustrated with the Republican legislature’s unwillingness to negotiate a compromise on key issues that affect nearly all Pennsylvanians. The first compromise budget proposal with a bipartisan majority was only blocked by Emrick’s Speaker of the House quick gaveling the session closed days before Christmas, and it nearly passed in spite of no support from Lehigh Valley Republicans.

“Joe Emrick is part of the problem, and I’m ready to be part of the solution,” Mattei said. “Residents from the Bangor area of the Slate Belt to Nazareth and the Easton suburbs deserve a leader, one who will reach across party lines to find broader compromise to do the business of Pennsylvania.”

To avoid a challenge that would force him to answer tough questions about his record and failure to compromise in Harrisburg, Republican Joe Emrick is trying to block any opposition for November by sending a glossy mailer to Democrats asking them to please write him in. Doing so would only have one purpose -- to prevent voters of the 137th District from having a choice in November.

Democrats in the 137th who want an honest discussion of what’s been going on (or rather, the dysfunction) in Harrisburg should write in DAVE MATTEI at this Tuesday’s Primary.

Because I've already voted absentee, I am unable to give Mattei a vote. But I ask every Democrat in the Nazareth - Palmer - Slate Belt district to do so.

Emrick has got to go. He is a poster boy for a complete lack of transparency in government.  I also understand that his constituent service is horrible because he refuses to give people more than three minutes of his time.