Brace's Baloney

I often criticize politicians for feeding their constituents baloney. But I never had one ask me to tell my readers he's doing it. ... Until now.

Lehigh County Commissioner Geoff Brace is launching his re-election campaign tonight at Zion “Liberty Bell” United Church of Christ (620 West Hamilton Street, Allentown), 6 pm., in the church basement.  He's asked me to tell you that he's bringing ring balogna. Then he started quoting Beyoncé's "Put a Ring On It."

Brace Decides Against Allentown City Council

Lehigh County Commissioner Geoff Brace has decided to stay where he is. In an email exchange over the weekend, Brace said he instead plans to focus on a campaign finance reform package he intends to introduce in Lehigh County this week.

He works for Mike Schlossberg, who could use a little campaign finance reform himself.

Brace Yourself For Darth Voter Sidekick

Geoff Brace is an ordained deacon. What's more, he's an ordained deacon at Zion Liberty Bell UCC. That's the Church that took the homeless during a raging blizzard. This was after Jack Felch, a clergyman in the Order of Assholes at the Lehigh Conference of Churches, streeted about 30 homeless guys. Geoff also lives in the heart of Allentown. He's not with the foo foos in the Flats at Oh So So Do So Pa,  but in center city. I got to know Geoff via blogging, and used to rely heavily on his knowledge of Main Street and downtown programs. When he decided to seek a vacancy on Lehigh County's Board of Commissioners, I backed him. When he ran for the seat, I supported him and he won anyway. Now word is going around that Brace might make a horizontal switch and go for the Allentown City Council seat that suddenly became vacant when Jeff Glazier was appointed Controller. I consider this a bad idea, both for Brace and for Allentown.

Before you jump all over me, I did reach out and ask him about this last week. In a terse message, he told me he was undecided. The reason Geoff was terse is because he knows how I feel. He was sought out by Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski to become an alternate and then a regular member of the Zoning Hearing Board. He at one time worked for NIZ Queen Jenn Mann, who is the exact opposite of her "For the People" PAC. Now he's a legislative aide for none other than Mike "Darth Voter" Schlossberg, whose moral compass may never have worked right.

Despite his attempts to distance himself, Schlossberg is a close Fed Ed ally, and so are the people in that office. There is too much suspicion that he would be nothing more than a puppet for Mann, Schlossberg and Fed Ed. The fact that he would even consider abandoning his commitment to the people of Lehigh County is a sign to me that Brace is being pressured by Fed Ed, who is still trying to lure another unsuspecting person into a web of deceit.

Brace Yourself! Geoff Brace Takes His Third Swing

He's taken two mighty swing and has had two mighty misses. Will his third attempt at Lehigh County's Board of Commissioners succeed? I'm talking about Allentown resident Geoff Brace, who is set to announce his campaign for Lehigh County Commissioner on January 28, 2013 at the West End Youth Center (848 North 20th Street, Allentown).

I've known Geoff since I began blogging, and he has always been interested in County government.

He first applied for appointment to an at-large vacancy in 2010. Commissioners chose Bill Hansell over him. Barely.

Then Geoff decided to run for the job in 2011, when four at-large seats were up for grabs. He finished a distant 7th (17,153 votes), as Republican won every seat.

Will the third time be the charm? He's running for a district seat this time, as opposed to an at-large seat, and one that includes a retiring Democratic incumbent, Dan McCarthy. Also, the pendulum appears to be swinging in the direction of Democrats. So I rate Geoff's chances as very high.

Brace will be joined at his announcement by State Representative Mike Schlossberg, former State Representative Jennifer Mann, Lehigh County Executive Bill Hansell and Lehigh County Commissioner Dan McCarthy.

“I am excited to bring my campaign for Common Sense to the voters of this district,” remarked Brace.

Jenn Mann is now in it for the money. After getting special tax breaks for the wealthy inside an Allentown business district, she's suddenly left a safe seat at the state house to become an ... a-hem ... consultant. Her successor, Schlossberg, is a Pawlowski toadie who distinguished himself on Allentown City Council mostly by being undistinguished. Once a nice guy, he's become arrogant

So I'm no fan of two of Geoff's supporters.

But I am of current Lehigh County Commissioner Dan McCarthy, who recently announced that he will not seek re-election to his District seat in Center City and the West End of Allentown.

Brace was born on the West End where his late-grandfather was a dentist. Brace and his wife, Sara Jane, are homeowners in Center City Allentown.

Brace now works for State Representative Schlossberg. Lucky him!

That's a step down from his previous experience managing successful non-profit organizations, including the Pennsylvania Downtown Center and Kutztown Community Partnership.

“As commissioner, I will bring my experience serving the people, helping small businesses grow and add jobs and supporting revitalization across Pennsylvania,” says Brace.

Despite the endorsement of Money Mann and Rubber Stamp Mike, Brace will likely be the best of all candidates seeking district seats in Lehigh County this year. In fact, he's one of those rare gems often overlooked by voters. though he's in this for all the right reasons.

Plus he's got a cool name. Geoffrey. Sounds like he belongs in the House of Lords with Wellington.

Meet LC Commissioner Candidate Geoff Brace

Geoff Brace, downtown revitalization guru, LC Comm'r candidate, you are definitely a wonk. Am I right?

Geoff: "You can call me a geek, Bernie. That's OK."

You applied for the position. I think you came in pretty well when it was open for appointment.

Geoff: "Yeah."

You grabbed quite a few votes that time from Republicans, and now you're running for the position, an at-large seat. Why should the voters select you as opposed to a very strong Republican team in what appears to be a Republican year?

Geoff: "When I talk to voters, I talk about two parts of why I think I'm a good candidate.

"The first is my passion for communities, and I'm not just talking about Allentown or Bethlehem., but our small twns, the farmlands, the suburbs. I'm passionate about our communities.

"I also talk a lot about fiscal responsibility and the fact that I manage, very hands on, a small nonprofit organization, watching every penny, squeezing every nickel that we possibly can.

"So I'll bring my passion, I'll bring my fiscal responsibility with me to the job as Lehigh County Comm'r".

Will you be an independent voice or will you be another vote for Executive Cunningham?

Geoff: "Anybody who knows me knows that I'm an independent-minded person. While the three other [Democrat] candidates and I agree on the importance of keeping Cedarbrook in Lehigh County hands because it's so effectively managed and because of the resurces it provides for LC taxpayers, we disagree on other issues.

"At the end of the day, I've always said a good idea is a good idea. I don't care if it's a Democratic idea or a Republican idea. If it's a good idea, it merits attention and I'll look for the good ideas.

How do you enjoy married life and living in downtown Allentown?

Geoff [laughing]: "My wife is a true saint. I'm laughing because Sarah [I hope that's his wife] has tolerated my weekends knocking on doors evenings, going to candidate forums, taking care of the dog we just adopted ... We're enjoying married life."

What kind of dog?

Geoff: "He's a Bichon miniature poodle mix, a little cottonball."

One of those little designer dogs.

Geoff: "Certainly not a designer dog. He's usually dirty. He's got leaves all over him. But he's a good dog."

Brace: $26 Million in Unpaid Fines Should Be Pursued

Geoff Brace is one of the four Democrats seeking an at-large Commissioner spot in Lehigh County this Fall. The others are Dennis Pearson, Tim Waitkus and incumbent Gloria Hamm. They are runnng against Republicans Vic Mazziotti, Brad Osborne, Scott Ott and Lisa Scheller.

Brace has reacted favorable to Executive Don Cunningham's budget address, delivered last week, although he believes elected officials should tighten their own belts and the judiciary should pursue unpaid fines more aggressively. Here's his statement.

“I believe the County Executive’s Budget represents some interesting opportunities for Lehigh County taxpayers. First, I look at the total expenditures proposed for 2012 and notice that it is $2.2 million less than was adopted in 2011 ($391.1 million in 2011, $388.9 million in 2012). This highlights something I’ve been saying since I announced my candidacy: Lehigh County must do more with less. That is the reality of government going into 2012.


"I am supportive of the more than $4 million in property tax relief the county executive proposes. 2011 has been a tough year for the economy and taxpayers. This represents money in taxpayer wallets to support our local economy. Tax relief is good.


"I support the efforts to bring back the Green Futures fund and protect open space throughout Lehigh County. With real estate values low, the benefit of preserving open space today can be realized for generations to come. We need to protect our communities, rural, suburban and urban. Open space preservation is a great way to protect our communities and invest in our economy.


"I believe the 2011 budget carries several opportunities to reduce spending or obtain financial gain in areas that don’t appear to be considered in the County Executive’s proposal:
· Based on my understanding and conversations with the administration, our judiciary continues to have unpaid fines that exceed $26 million. That we allow deadbeats to get away with unpaid fines is wrong. The judiciary needs to perform better on this front and I think the county commissioners should be paying attention to this need.
· Additionally, the judiciary must find ways to reduce spending. I am challenging our judiciary to find ways to reduce proposed spending in the 2012 budget by 10%, a total of $2.7 million. The judiciary represents 25.5% of the 2012 proposed budget, up from 24.8% of the 2011 budget. The judiciary’s share of the budget represents the largest growth of any area in the budget besides Elected Officials
· Finally, I believe all Elected Officials need to re-examine their budgets to find additional savings. In 2011, elected officials represented 10.8% of the budget. In 2012, the proposed budget for elected officials represents 11.45% of the budget. That elected officials run their budgets expecting to have $600,000 in extra money to run their departments in 2012 compared to 2011 is simply inexplicable. Everybody, from commissioners to county row officers, needs to find savings in their department budgets.


"The County Executive’s budget is a starting point for the 2012 budget. Now the commissioners have work to do to make improvements to this budget. There is certainly room to do that by closely examining the budgets of the Judiciary and all Elected Officials."

Geoff Brace Running For Lehigh County Comm'r

Last year, Geoff Brace was one of the dirty dozen, twelve Democrats seeking appointment to Commissioner Bill Leiner's vacant seat. Dean Browning and Dan McCarthy voted for Geoff, but Dean switched to Bill Hansell the second time around, and Bill is now the Commissioner VP.

Geoff told me then that he's decided to run for the job this year. His campaign web page, located here, contains three simple messages: fiscal responsibility; more private sector jobs that pay real wages; and protecting our communities, not just from crime, but special interests.

A center-city Allentown resident, Geoff is a Lehigh County native who has devoted his career to community revitalization. During his days with Pennsylvania's Downtown Center, he crisscrossed the state, making mostly smaller communities aware of and assisting them with programs to improve their communities. Currently, Geoff is helping engineer the revitalization of Weird Kutztown as Executive Director of their Community Partnership.

Brace will formally announce his campaign for Lehigh County Commissioner later this month.

His campaign will be managed by Dean Browning's nemesis, Pip the Mouse.

Geoff Brace Helps Kutztown Put On a Happy Face

Yep. That's the same Geoff who comments at LV blogs.

Can You Say Comm'r Geoff Brace?

Lehigh County's Home Rule Charter tells us that Bill Leiner, a Democrat who is resigning as a Lehigh County Comm'r, must be replaced by another Democrat. Commissioners could play games and appoint a Republican who switches parties just as long as it takes to get appointed, but that would likely defeat the intent of the Home Rule Charter. Commissioners have 45 days after the vacancy occurs, or it goes to the courts. The successful applicant must be a person who has resided in Lehigh County for at least one year before there was a vacancy.

When Lehigh County's Republican-controlled Board filled a Democratic vacancy nearly two years ago, they chose David Jones, a person whom they believed would run for the job and provide some continuity, as opposed to a mere stewardship. In fact, he was nominated by conservative Glenn Eckhart, of all people.

I have no reason to doubt this philosophy has changed, but doubt very much that the appointee will be either Hillary Kwiatek or Jeanne McNeill. Both were involved last Fall in ugly races against incumbents Glenn Eckhart and newcomer Tom Creighton. Both were heavily financed by the County Executive, causing now Chairman Dean Browning to question their independence. Most damaging of all, neither had the courtesy to call their opponent and concede, once the results were known. Neither came to the Commissioners' swearing-in ceremony, as Browning had done when Dan McCarthy beat him a few years ago in a District race.

But rest assured, there is no shortage of Democrats interested in this position. One name I've been hearing is one most of you know. Allentown resident Geoff Brace, a frequent commenter here and on other blogs, is interested. Brace, just 29 years old, is a downtown revitalization specialist who until recently, drove all over the state to train people in Main Street revitalization programs. He currently is employed as executive director of Kutztown's Main Street initiative.

Photo Credit: Reading Eagle