McNeill's St. Patty Day Fundraiser to Fight Heroin and Opioid Addiction

Dan McNeill, State Representative from the 133rd District, is running for re-election against Republican Dave Molony. So having a fundraiser is to be expected, and he is. But instead of raising money for Miked Fleck or Fed Ed or even himself, he has pledged to send whatever he gets to combat heroin and opiod addiction.

“This epidemic is tearing families apart throughout the Lehigh Valley, and I’d rather see the money we raise go to fighting this problem than to pay for another campaign mailer,” said McNeill. “I’m tired of hearing about another young life lost to heroin, and the money will be better spent on educating or treating these young men and women from this often deadly addiction.” McNeill states that he is researching where to donate the money.

His St. Paddy Daty Fundraiser, is actually scheduled for the day after. It will be at 6:00 p.m. this Friday, March 18, at the American Club Pavilion in Coplay. (300 Cherry St).

McNeill hosted a standing-room only Town Hall Meeting at Whitehall High School on February 24, and is planning on another at The American Club Pavilion on Wednesday, March 30. When i get more details, I'll let you know. “I want to keep the conversation going, to try to reach as many parents and young adults as we can. If we can keep just one young adult from traveling down the path to addiction, or help them get into recovery, then all of this will be worth it,” concluded McNeill.

For more details, contact Celeste Dee, who is with the Friends of Dan McNeill, at cdee@advantagepep.com.

Molony, McNeil Talk State Politics on Business Matters

I was a guest on WFMZ-TV 69's Business Matters last week to talk about Gracedale, Northampton County's nursing home. Former Exec Jerry Seyfried was kind enough to drive, and got us there just in time to see the state house debate for the seat being vacated by Joe Brennan.

Dave Molony, who ran for the seat two years ago, is a soft-spoken gentleman. He and his wife, Ming Ming, own and operate the Lehigh Valley Accupuncture Center.. They both have all kinds of credentials following their name like OM, DOM and Ph.D.

McNeil has one - IW. He's an iron worker, and looks as though he could still haul a steel beam on each shoulder. This former union agent, who was set to retire in July, looks very uncomfortable in a suit and tie. But like Molony, he's a gentleman, too.

So what happens when two gentlemen debate each other?

Not much.

Maybe I'm spoiled by Angle, but I'd call that an uninspired thirty minutes. McNeil seems to have just a little more fire in his belly, but everything seemed to be a little off, from the candidates to the questions.

State's Biggest Problem. - To McNeil, its jobs. To Molony, it's bloated government.

Governor Corbett's Job Performance. - Molony contends the Guv' was dealt a poor hand, making the budget "very difficult" for him. McNeil stated that he would try to work with the other side. "United we stand; divided we fall," he said.

Urban Development. - Molony stated that developing Allentown is a "good thing," and McNeil added, "We should never have left the City to begin with." Molony concluded by saying we have "amazing arts" in Allentown.

Had he said "amazing farts," I'd agree.

I was a little surprised that McNeil, who served two terms as a Whitehall Township Comm'r and was its Executive, would complain about anyone leaving Allentown.

Pension Reform. - McNeil at first stated, "I don't think we have to give up anything." He stated the solution was more jobs. But he later conceded that pensions should be calculated on a 40-hour week, with no overtime. Molony called defined benefit pensions an "antique" that does not exist in the private sector.

Declining Infrastructure. - Molony believes we should repair bridges and highways, but hold off on anything new until the economy improves. McNeil, however, believes we should start new projects, including high speed rail. Molony supports small hydroelectric projects.

Union Defense. - McNeil is unabashedly a voice for labor. "If the union's go, God forbid, everybody's going to be working for $4 and $5 an hour." Molony countered that he was a union member and has nothing against them.

Closing. - Molony stated we have to look ahead. McNeil, for the third or fourth time, said we need jobs. "We also need to get out of the Middle East somehow," added the iron worker, who jabbed China as well for some reason.

To his credit, Molony made no reference to Joe Brennan's legal troubles or the circumstances that led to McNeil's selection.

Blogger's Note: I was unable to find a web page for McNeil.

133rd Dist.Dems: Rosado or McNeil to Replace Brennan

Fountain Hill Mayor Jose Rosado or Lehigh County's Dan McNeill will succeed State Representative Joe Brennan as the Democratic nominee in the 133rd legislative district. These two were recommended to the state executive committee by over thirty committee members after a meeting earlier this evening.

The state executive committee is expected to act on this recommendation on Monday.

Rosado and McNeil were selected from a field of 8 persons who had expressed interest. At one point, there were nine. USW union boss Gerry Green briefly considered running for the position, but had second thoughts.

All candidates interested in being the nominee gave a brief speech, followed by the vote. Only state committee members and committee members from the 133rd were eligible to cast a ballot.

The nominee - Rosado or McNeil - will square off against Republican Dave Molony. He and his wife, Ming Ming, own and operate Qi Spa in Catasauqua.

Rosado ran for this office six years ago, but was defeated in the primary by Brennan. Molony was the GOP nominee two years ago, and has refused to politicize Joe's arrest.

Updated 10:05 PM: The Express Times reports that McNeil is the top vote getter, but Acting LC Democratc Chair Bar Johnston has told me that both Rosado and McNeil's names are being forwarded to the state committee. There were not many votes separating the two, she explained.

State Rep. Joe Brennan Off the Ballot

State Rep. Joe Brennan has successfully petitioned Commonwealth Court to have his name removed from the ballot this November. Democrats have until next Wednesday, 4 PM, to decide on Joe's replacement.

Dave Molony is the Republican seeking Joe's seat.

Acupuncturist Wants to Stick it to Joe Brennan

State rep. Joe Brennan, a former Northampton County Council member and strong advocate of government transparency, has a challenger to his state House seat. It's right-winger David Molony, a prominent acupuncturist, who wants to stick it to him. Molony and his wife, Ming Ming, are both licensed as Oriental Medicine Practitioners, and own Lehigh Valley Oriental Medicine Center in Catasauqua.

Molony made his candidacy official last night at the Fullerton American Legion. According to his announcement, "there will be food, soft drinks and juices. Lots of neato folks as Dave announces his candidacy to the world."

Gee, I just hope nobody challenged him to a game of darts.

There must be serious money in acupuncture. Since 2000, Molony's contributed $42,918.00 to federal dudes like George Bush, Rick Santorum and Pat Toomey. He's also been a generous donor of at least another $30,000 (I did not add it up exactly) to Republicans seeking state office. In a letter to friends, he pledges "to invest a lot of time and a bunch of money to win this."

If I were Joe, I'd quit the state house and enroll in some school of oriental medicine right now. Forget politics, there must be serious coin in those damn needles.

But fortunately for us, I believe Joe will fight for his seat. I say this, not just because Brennan has been an exceptionally dedicated state rep who has been willing to cross the aisle to work with Republicans like Craig Dally, but because Molony scares the hell out me. It's not his needles, but his Orwellian ideas.

Get a load of this, which comes straight from one of Molony's fundraising letters.

"Did you know that a very high percentage of cars are stolen between 2 and 6 AM? Police can't pull over anyone without a probable reason. Why can't the state provide a very low cost sticker for your car that allows police to pull ovr any car with this sticker between 2 and 6 AM with the fact that bought a sticker that says you probably won't be out at that time of night?"

OK, and why stop there? Why not put stickers on our houses allowing police to barge in whenever they feel like it, or have the state surgically implant a chip inside each one of us so they can scan our criminal history and bank accounts?

If this guy is giving money to people like Santorum and Toomey, why is he promoting ideas that are essentially Marxist?

Molony also slams Brennan as some lever puller who "should be doing more than voting for the party line." Brennan, you may recall, joined a Republican-led effort to break the state budget impasse, embarrassing House leaders in working out a deal. He even supported Republican Craig Dally's candidacy for judge. Funny, I don't see a single Democrat among the many political beneficiaries of Molony's largesse. So this claim, coming from a partisan, is just Molony baloney.