Sheila Alvarado Tops Dems in Race For Four Lehigh County Comm'r Seats

Sheila Alvarado, a legislative aide to State Rep. Peter Schweyer, was the top vote getter among seven candidates for four seats on Lehigh County's Board of Comm'rs. She pulled in 13,364 votes, followed by Danny Hartzell (13,115), April Riddick (10,472) and Jon Irons (10.327).

Democrats Victor Martinez, Michael Blichar and Joe Setton fell short. 

Four Republicans - Paul Moat, Rita Sisselberger, Gary S Fedorcha and Jackie Rivera - ran unopposed for the Republican nod. They will face the top for Democrats in November. 

LC Comm'r Race: Candidate Chicken Lady Cries Fowl

Amy Zanelli is the establishment candidate for Lehigh County Commissioner in District Three, which includes west Bethlehem and Allentown's east side. Incumbent Tom Muller endorsed her on the very night that he decided against seeking re-election himself. Two other Democrats, opportunist Basilio Bonilla and longtime citizen activist Dennis Pearson, were also running. Muller shoved them aside without doing his homework. Had he done so, he would have learned she was fired in 2012 for failing to show up at her job as a caseworker for child protective services in New Jersey.  He would have known that she was fired from a similar position in Northampton County in 2015. Muller told the crowd that Zanelli had been an announcer with the Lehigh Valley Roller Girls, but this is what Lehigh Valley Roller Girl Michelle Torte MessaHess said on her Facebook page: "DO NOT VOTE FOR THIS WOMAN. I care too much for Lehigh County and its residents. She is mentally unfit, financially irresponsible, and devoid of familial accountability. She has caused tyranny in several, local non-profit organizations within Lehigh and surrounding counties. DO WHAT'S RIGHT. SHARE THIS POST AND VOTE NO TO AMY ZANELLI."

Muller failed to mention that Zanelli is Hanover Township's chicken lady. Before she got canned by Northampton County, she lived in Hanover Township.She showed up at a Supervisors' meeting one night, asking them to do something about the Township's ban on backyard chickens She received permission to make a presentation at the following meeting, but never showed.

I spoke with Zanelli about these allegations, which she said were dismissed by the newspaper and WFMZ-TV69. She told me her termination in New Jersey was the result of discrimination. In Northampton, it was a misunderstanding about her hours. My own view of the information I had is that there are too many red flags for her. So after some thought, I posted a story entitled, "Why You Need to Vote for Dennis Pearson for LC Comm'r."

Zanelli published this comment, I wish to share it with you.

Greetings Mr. O’Hare and friends. My apologies for being late to the game here, but I didn’t realize this piece ran until I received a message from Dennis this morning. I will be the first to tell you that I have the utmost respect for Dennis and have no qualms about your endorsement of his candidacy. However, I think it’s important to note that the allegations regarding my raising chickens and my former places of employment are unfounded. For the record, I did not need to show up to the next township meeting. I was granted permission to raise my chickens into adulthood and re-home them for the sake of the children who were helping to care for them. And I did. In addition, the controversy surrounding my previous employment is untrue. In fact, it was at the hands of my competition that several news sources in the area received this false information and this was the only website where it appeared. Several days ago, I spoke to Mr. O’Hare and offered to meet with him to show him proof that in both instances, I was exonerated of all false claims. He refused. Neither case involved FMLA and since leaving Northampton County, they have since sent correspondence offering me two similar positions of employment, both at higher levels and pay grades. I have proof of those as well. I do not know who made a post on my behalf last night, but for that I am grateful. I can assure you it was not myself and my camp is too busy working to get me elected to spend their valuable time entertaining false accusations and fake news. With that said, this would not be the first time in history that an intelligent, well-spoken, beautiful woman has intimidated a man who then feels the need to spread rumors and lies in an attempt to tear her down. But as my grandmother used to say, if you have a target on your back it’s only because you’re so far ahead that it’s all they can see of you. See you all at the polls.

Unfounded claims.- Nothing I wrote is "unfounded." She was terminated in 2012 from a child protective services agency in New Jersey at a time when  staffing shortages and increased complaints had reached crisis levels. She appealed her Jersey termination and an arbitrator ruled against her. I have a copy of the lengthy decision. She simply refused to work, letting our most vulnerable element, our children, go without protection.

While refusing to come to work, she was being treated for a mental illness of some kind and was both receiving medication and undergoing therapy. Though too sick to work, she was still selling Avon products and brought them in for other workers.

The same thing happened in Northampton County, where she was terminated before her probation was up because of a disagreement over the number of hours she would work.Once again, she let down the most vulnerable element of our society.

Newspaper coverage.-  With limited exceptions, newspapers run for the hills from election stories. While there is always the danger that they are being played, failure to report at all is in my view irresponsible.I believe voters have a right to know that Zanelli was terminated from two positions and that some people take a very dim view of her role in ventures like the Lehigh Valley Roller Girls.

The chickens.- Zanelli now claims she had no reason to return to the Supervisors because the Township made special accommodations for her. She had50 people sign a petition for her and then let them all down because she was given whatever she wanted. Are you beginning to see a pattern?

Refusal to meet her.-  She did offer to meet with me concerning this matter, but she answered my questions so I saw no point. She may have concluded that I refused to meet her, but why would I call her if I didn't want her side? She gave it to me, and those flags were still there. I certainly would have met her if that is what she wanted.  

Sexism. - Zanelli finished by asserting that she is "an intelligent, well-spoken, beautiful woman" who "has intimidated a man who then feels the need to spread rumors and lies in an attempt to tear her down." Actually Amy, what you look like is irrelevant to me, as is your sex. There were no lies. No rumors. Just facts.

Dennis Pearson and Bob Smith are both head and shoulders above these other candidates They have integrity something missing from Zanelli and Bonilla. They have their roots here,and do not move every three seconds.

Why You Need to Vote For Dennis Pearson For LC Comm'r

Dennis Pearson

Never say never. At age 70, Dennis Pearson is finally a married man. I also believe the time has come for the people of Lehigh County to elect him as a District Commissioner representing West Bethlehem and Allentown's east side. He has been a tireless advocate for neighborhoods, and has taken a keen interest in local government for decades.  While his delivery has always raised eyebrows and snickers, his dedication and knowledge are beyond dispute.

Dennis has two Democratic rivals.One of them is Basilio Bonilla, a former Bethlehem School Director who , when he bothered showing up, managed to piss everyone off. A grandstander, he was yanked from every committee post after Bethlehem's School Board had to apologize for a second time to Allentown's School Board after he attempted to interfere in their business. Some say he's matured. I'd prefer to see him spend more time serving his community instead of being a professional candidate.

Then there's Amy Zanelli, the supposed establishment candidate. I remember her as the chicken lady.

In 2015, Zanelli lived in Hanover Township, Northampton County and appeared at a Supervisors' meeting to complain about the Township's ban on chickens in residential areas. She told Supervisors she was a caseworker in Children and Youth. Flashing her badge,she accused Manager Jay Finnigan of fowl play for refusing to allow her to own backyard chickens. She asked Supervisors if she could make a presentation at their next meeting, and they agreed, but she never showed up.

That was the last I saw of the chicken lady until early this year, when Tom Muller announced he had decided against running for re-election as Lehigh County Executive Muller singled the chicken lady out as his preferred candidate in that district. She was identified as a Rutgers grad who worked in child protective services in New Jersey and now is a realtor.

What Muller failed to mention is that the chicken lady had been fired.

Zanelli had been employed as an intake worker in Somerset County, but was terminated in 2012 because she refused to return to work after receiving a number of leaves of absence under the Family and Medical Leave Act. Though she refused to work, she dropped in on her office one day to deliver Avon products to co-workers.

Zanelli appealed her termination and lost.

She told me she was a victim of discrimination.

Zanelli worked in Northampton County Children and Youth as a caseworker between  March and October 2015. She was terminated there as well, and during her probationary period.

She told me this was because her hours had been expanded beyond the time she had agreed to give.

Dennis is far superior to both of these candidates.    

Brace Yourself!

Geoff and his family

On Monday, Lehigh County Exec Tom Muller announced his non-election campaign inside the hallowed halls of Brookside Country Club, where my chief concern was being tossed by the waitstaff. But Thursday night, things will be a little different for Comm's Geoff Brace. He promises he really, really, really will be running for re-election. Instead of supplying food and booze at his announcement, Geoff is asking supporters to bring canned juice, bread and jelly for the Jubilee Ministry of Zion UCC. That's a ministry to the homeless Brace and his family support with time, energy and finances. And that's where he will take his stand. Technically, it's at Zion “Liberty Bell” United Church of Christ (620 West Hamilton Street, Allentown), 6 pm., in the church basement. You can park in the rear for free. That's where Pip the Mouse lives. Whether he shows up depends on whether anyone is bringing cheese. He doesn't do juice.

Echoing some of the remarks made by Muller on Monday night, Brace claims "[w]e’ve ended pay to play politics in Lehigh County and strengthened the safety net for citizens of Lehigh County by re-committing to Cedarbrook nursing home by supporting the work for children and youth, providing stronger services for mental health, the homeless, intellectual disabilities and rehabilitation. We’ve also managed to find addition resources for farmland preservation.”

Brace's district includes Allentown's west end, which is no different than Nazareth or Bethlehem. But it also includes Center City. That's NIZ Island. But it's surrounded by a sea of poverty. And that's where Geoff, his wife Sara Jane, and his son Isaac, reside. He walks the walk. I've known him since I started blogging about 11 years ago. Over that time, I've grown to know him as a person who has deeply held religious beliefs, and who tries to put them into practice.

Unfortunately, none of his good qualities ever rubbed off on me.

He's a graduate of Ursinus College, after which he obtained a Master's Degree in Public Policy from Lehigh University in 2004. He began his career in public service by working for the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, visiting the Main Streets in small communities statewide. Then he went to work as the Executive Director at Kutztown Community Partnership. Currently, he is a legislative assistant to State Rep. Michael "Darth Voter" Schlossberg.

I can only hope that his ethics and integrity are contagious.

He may be running unopposed.

Fr more information about Brace’s re-election, visit www.geoffbrace.com.

The Lehigh County Republican Establishment Team

My blogging intern, Michael Molovinsky, touched on the hypocrisy of whatever Team the Republican Commissioner candidates are running as on Tuesday. He made his points well, but I think no point is fully made until it is driven home with a sledge hammer. They may call themselves the Reform Team or the Results Team. What they really are is the Establishment Team. For from being a grass roots effort, they are a toy being played by gazillionaires Wayne Woodman and Lisa Schiller. When they get tired enough, they'll move back to California.

Their original Messiah, Scott Ott, has already fled the Lehigh Valley. He left town after losing the Exec race twice  - once to to pagan Don Cunningham, and later, to infidel Tom Muller. Huckster that Ott is, he's established a GoFundMe account so that he and his family can spend a week this summer in Costa Rica, pretending to love Jebus. He's looking for 8 large.

The Establishment Team

While waiting for the Second Coming of Scrappleface, the remaining Establishment Republicans needed someone to replace Ott on the Board and selected Amanda Holt, a home-schooled piano teacher who lives with her mommy and daddy. Amazingly, she's running for election.

So is Brad Osborne, who ran as a moderate four years ago but now is one of the Establishment Republicans. Here's what Vic Mazziotti, another Establishment Republican, said about Osborne when he failed to inform fellow Republicans that then Exec Bill Hansell was going to veto a Budget they had just approved. "Osborne claimed he was fiercely independent," said Mazziotti. "What I've found is that he is fiercely indecisive, and that is one of his better points." Osborne quickly flocked to the Establishment Republican banner and became a Benedict Arnold to the rest. He voted to appoint Amanda Holt as Ott's successor after promising others he'd never support one of the Establishment Republicans. He is now a Wayne Woodman toadie.

Lisa Scheller, Wayne's wife, decided against seeking re-election. She's actually an attractive woman and a good, albeit conservative, Commissioner. Her loss is a shame. He husband, Wayne Woodman, recruited Olympian Marty Nothstein to replace her on the ballot. Now Marty knows all about recovery drinks and bicycles, but doesn't know a damn thing about county government. But because he's an Olympian who can blow thunderbolts out his ass, he'll probably be top vote getter.

The fourth member of this team, Vic Mazziotti, is a man I deeply respect and admire. Though I consider him one of the most intelligent people I know, he's under Wayne Woodman's spell. He only wanted to serve one term, but was persuaded to run again to keep Dean Browning, the man they all love to hate, off the ballot.

The Establishment Team's Money

In a story published in The Morning Call, Woodman insists he's an outsider who simply helps little guys who would never stand a chance but for his beneficence. What seems to have slipped his mind is that he was the frickin' at the time he financed most of these campaigns. He is the Establishment, right down to his elephant underpants.

Crony capitalists like Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski and J.B. Reilly have been pigs in the way they've bought Democratic candidates in Allentown. But on the County level, campaign spending has grown exponentially in large part because of the husband and wife team of Wayne Woodman and Lidsa Scheller. Over the past four years, they've spent $211,450 to get control of five Commissioner seats and the County Executive's office.

This year, they've kicked in $42,000 for the election of their Establishment Team.

2015 Election Spending by Woodman, Scheller



They can say "free speech," but this is the kind of speech that drowns out every other voice.

The Establishment Team's Hypocrisy

While they are perfectly willing to accept the free speech of Wayne Woodman and Lisa Scheller, they have circulated flyers  hypocritically condemning Democratic Commissioner candidates for doing what they are doing. They are attempting to muddy them up over Fed Ed and Miked Fleck. Michael Molovinsky rejects that argument convincingly. "While the ethics of Pawlowski are certainly fair game for a discussion of City Council and school board candidates, whose decisions interact with the city, those questions are not relevant to the election of county commissioners."

Molovinsky is endorsing Dan Hartzell, a Democrat and The Morning Call's former Road Warrior. I will endorse Hartzell, Joanne Jackson, and Vic Mazziotti, who courageously took aim at pay-to-play with Joanne Eichenwald.

Lisa Scheller and Wayne Woodman Continue to Buy Elections

You might think Dean Browning is spending a lot of money to become a Lehigh County Commissioner.And he is. His latest campaign finance reports reveal that he raised $43,000 and have spent $22,000 of that plus another $20,000 for an in-kind donation from a PAC that he set up and funded a few years ago.

But he's running against Wayne Woodman and Lisa Scheller.

They are the moneybags behind the latest Gang of Four, consisting of Marty Nothstein, Vic Mazziotti, Brad Osborne and Amanda Holt. They have raised $50,000 and spent $44,000. Out of that they have spent $31,000 for Campaign Pilots. That's the new campaign consulting firm sett up by the Republican Action Team (RATs). I'll have more to say about them on Tuesday.

Of the $50,000 they raised, $15,000 or 30% of it came from the husband and wife team of Wayne Woodman and Lisa Scheller ($7,500 from each). Brad Osborne donated another $7,250. So the three of them donated 45% of the money they raised. Interestingly enough Marty, Vic and Amanda are not listed as donors although Amanda's parent's donated $1,000.

A run down of what Wayne and Lisa have done over the past 2 years is as follows:

• They paid for 40% of Mike Schware's campaign in 2013 (they donated $10,000 to him)
• They paid for 26% Scott Ott's campaign in 2013 (they donated $55,000 to him)

So since 2013 they have spent $95,000 on just Lehigh County government races. And they are the primary donors (30% and 40% respectively) for 5 out of 9 current or potential County Commissioners.

That can't be healthy for County government.

Who Will Replace Ott?

Dean Browning

I told you yesterday that Scott Ott is resigning his seat on Lehigh County's Board of Commissioners. He's goin' where the stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas. But who will replace him on Lehigh County's Board where his successor, like he, must be a Republican. Three names have already surfaced.

Norma Cusick. - This Salisbury Township resident is reputedly being sponsored by Percy Dougherty. She's run before, in 2011 and 2013. She lost both races, but has served as a Salisbury Township Commissioner and on the Salisbury School Board. She is the mother of former Northampton County Council President John Cusick. Her husband, Dr. Richard Cusick, once ran for Congress as a Democrat.

Nathan Brown. - This Emmaus Borough Council member ran against Mike Schware in last year's primary, but lost. He believes Lehigh County is headed in the wrong direction under the so-called Reform Team formerly led by Scott Ott. Commissioner Brad Osborne is reputedly promoting this candidate.

Dean Browning. - A former Commissioner, Browning stood against a push by Ott, Wayne Woodman and others to force then Executive Don Cunningham to rework a budget that proposed a 16% tax hike. They did so knowing it was impossible and having done nothing themselves to cut costs. Dean, who met weekly with Cunningham to present the leanest budget possible that did not sacrifice services, refused to play along with the political panderers. It cost him his seat, but he kept his conscience.

If the man with a conscience seeks this seat, he should get the appointment.

Commissioner Vic Mazziotti is a great admirer of St. Thomas More. Dean Browning, not so much,.

But there are similarities. Thomas More was beheaded for following his conscience. Dean's head is still firmly planted on his shoulders, but his refusal to play politics certainly damaged, if not killed, his political career. Browning refused to "pin my soul to another man’s back, not even the best man that I know this day living: for I know not where he may hap to carry it.”

Dean refused to pin his soul to the Wayne Woodman and Scott Ott political machine. Now Ott is gone, and from what I hear, Woodman will resign as party boss.

Lehigh County could do far worse than to select a man with a conscience.

Leiner Goes on the Attack

Bill Leiner is running against Tom Creighton for Lehigh County Comm'r in Disttrict #1, which includes Coplay, Whitehall, North Whitehall, Slatington, Washington, Lynn, Weisenberg, Lowhill and Heidelberg townships. Leiner is Coplay's former Mayor and was a Commissioner himself. He resigned suddenly to move to Texas, but then returned to the Lehigh Valley.

A Democrat, he should win easily in Coplay,Whitehall and Slatington. I think the numbers are against him in other, heavily Republican Townships.

But do voters, even Republicans, want to elect a Commissioner who breaks his word, time and again? That's the question Leiner poses in a mass email to supporters. He wants each supporter to persuade two others to vote for him, an election strategy that goes all the way back to Abe Lincoln.

Please give them my email address billleiner@aol.com or my phone 610 751-2745 if they want to speak with me. I would love to speak to them.

My opponent, a Tea Party Republican, promised during his first term to balance the Lehigh County budget, not raise taxes, not use the County Stabilization Fund to balance the County budget, and not take a pay raise he was awarded in 2010.

His promise results - he voted to raise taxes twice, voted to use Stabilization Funds to balance the County budget, had no plan to balance the budget and after two years of not taking the $1,500. raise in January 2012 he secretly contacted the Board of Commissioners Chair and asked for the raise. It was granted.

His 2013 campaign slogan should be "Promises made; Promises broken." We need honest, open, reasoned government in Lehigh County. The Tea Party extremists in Washington are paralyzing our country. The Tea Party extremists in Lehigh County government are damaging the business environment and public safety in Lehigh County.

I need your help. Join and follow through with the "Two for Leiner Club." Get me two additional votes.