1. Wrong Party. - In a Republican Township, Mickey is running in the only Democratic precinct against a Democratic incumbent who is a union member. Good luck with that.
2. Wrong Boss. - In a letter to Township residents, Mickey points out that he works for Pennsylvania Venture Capital. That's true. What he does not mention is that this outfit is owned by Abe Atiyeh, who is Mickey's real boss.Whatever you or I might think of Abe, and I actually like the guy, he's despised in both Bethlehem and Bethlehem Township.
3. Wrong Roots. - Mickey starts his letter to voters by telling him he comes from rural Maryland. Somehow, I don't think that will help his bid for a Township office. In fact, Mickey moved into a rental unit, and there's some question about his real motivations.
4. Wrong Motive. - Is Mickey running because he really has his heart set on becoming a Bethlehem Township Commissioner? Did he wake up one morning and say, "Boy, I'd really love to be a Bethlehem Township Commissioner so I'm going to move there and run"? Or is he running because his boss wants to pack the Board?
It's no secret that Abe Atiyeh backed Marty Zawarski and Felix Barnard when they ran for the Board, and won. It's no secret that, in this Spring's primary, he backed both a Democrat and Republican running against incumbent Paul Weiss. He managed to knock Weiss off the ballot, and unless Weiss wins his precinct in a write-in campaign, Abe will be in control of Bethlehem Township. A victory by Mickey would be the icing on the cake.
There are some who say that fear of an imminent Abe Atiyeh takeover is what has prompted Township manager Howard Kutzler to step down, though Kutzler denied that last night.
I believe Mickey is running for the right reasons, but doubt he can sell himself in the Township's only Democratic ward. But I hope he runs for County Council against Lamont McClure, where many of the impediments I mention here will not apply. There I think he has a shot.
