Darth Voter Breaks Promise, Endorses Fed Ed Supporter

In late July, State Rep. Mike Schlossberg was among 18 high-ranking Lehigh County Democrats who made clear that they want nothing to do with Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski or his campaign for re-election. Past of their message was that if the party committee lifted a finger to help him, they wanted nothing to do with the party, either.

But you should always be careful when listening to someone like Schlossberg. He was caught red-handed in a ghost voting circus on important budget votes last year.

On his personal Facebook page, Schlossberg has just instructed his minions how he will be voting on Tuesday, so they can all do the same like good little Allentown lemmings. He will be voting for MsPhoebe Harris for Allentown School Board, even though she is a Fed Ed groupie.

So let me get this straight. If the "party" helps Fed Ed, it will be cut off. But Schlossberg will endorse one of Fed Ed's little helpers.

Schlossberg Offering Free Webinar on Influencing Elected Officials.

State Rep. Mike "Darth Voter" Schlossberg is offering a free webinar this Thursday at 12:30 pm as part of what he calls an "ongoing effort to build a whole new generation of citizen activists." He's calling it "How to influence your elected officials."No word on whether he will have Miked Fleck, Fed Ed or Mary Ellen Koval on hand to offer a few pointers.

In Allentown, it's abundantly clear how Schlossberg and other politicians have been influenced. With money. The more the better.

I am astonished that he would think he's in a position to know how to influence people. He's a Democrat in a safe district. Pat Browne or Charlie Dent, both of whom could and did win as Republicans in Democratic districts, had something to say, it would be worth the listen. But Schlossberg? He's accomplished nothing in office. His sole distinction has been ghost voting.

You can register here for Schlossberg's pearls of wisdom.

Darth Voter Schlossberg Misses 13 Votes to See Kaine

State Representative Mike "Darth Voter" Schlossberg missed 13 votes on Wednesday evening, including votes on the opioid crisis and to help veterans find job. He did this so he could campaign with VP candidate Tim Kaine at Muhlenberg College.

Ben Long, who is opposing Schlossberg, properly took him to task. “Mike Schlossberg is a paid employee of the taxpayers of Pennsylvania," he said. "He is supposed to work at their discretion and put their needs and wants before his own political interests. This is an attitude that has unfortunately shown to be the norm with Mike Schlossberg and in Allentown recently. He has consistently surrounded himself with people who could further his political career but have plead guilty to various crimes from extortion to conspiracy to commit bribery. The people of the 132nd District deserve better. As the state Representative I will represent the people, not special interests. Mike is not interested in working for his constituents. His actions, like those last night, show that clearly. He needs to go. It is time to bring trust and integrity back to our community.”

After attending a political rally at Muhlenberg College, Schlossberg drove back to Harrisburg to resume his work. Long hopes he has not charged taxpayers mileage or used a taxpayer paid car for his trip.

Schlossberg is a New Jersey transplant who stuck around after college. Ben Long is a fifth-generation resident of Allentown. Born and educated here, he learned to swim at the Jewish Community Center and spent "countless hours" (his words) at places like the Allentown Farmers Market and the Civic Theatre which helped build his passion for our community.

He is a recent graduate of DeSales University and works for his family’s small business which has taught him the value of hard work, integrity and the importance of creating quality family sustaining jobs. Ben’s grandfather was a proud UAW (United Auto Workers) Union leader at the old Exide battery plant on Lehigh Street.

Long has knocked on 13,000 doors while Darth Voter is relying on money.

Ben Long: "The People Deserve Better"

Ben Long, who is running against incumbent Mike Schlossberg in the 132d state house district, was interviewed on WAEB yesterday. He's a Republican running in a gerrymandered district designed to keep Democrats in office. On top of that, he's way too young and has no real life experience. But then again, Schlossberg was too young and had no real life experience when he was first elected without opposition. .

"The people deserve better," he said, after ticking off some of his beefs against Schlossberg. Chief among these is Schlossberg's ghost vote in a crucial budget vote that passed by only one vote. When asked to explain, Schlossberg claimed it was "much ado about nothing" and blamed tea party extremists for his moral lapse.

Long had a different view, noting that Schlossberg "undermined democracy." He stated that Schlossberg's cavalier attitude "says a lot about his lack of integrity" and he asks, "If that's acceptable to him, what's not?"

He also took the incumbent to task for forming a PAC with Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski, who is the obvious target of a federal political corruption investigation in which six people have already entered guilty pleas.

He is running on a reform slate that includes campaign finance and gerrymandering. But as a Republican, he believes in  "empowering the private sector, not growing government."
 
Just 23 years old, Long is a product of Parkland School District, where his Dad sits on the board. He graduated from DeSales in May with a degree in political science. He works part-time for his father's business and spends the rest of his time knocking on doors, even on Sixth Street. His grandfather was an UAW union leader and is probably spinning in his grave.

Though he's obviously a sacrificial lamb in a heavily Democratic district, he claims he's "all in" and is apparently learning from residents as he knocks on doors.

"When you actually look people in the eye who are struggling to pay their school bill, it puts things in perspective," he said. He mentioned a widow he met who has a dilemma between paying her school tax bill or buying medication.

Long was also questioned, in a shot from Lehigh County Comm'r Michael Schware, about his resignation as a committeeman several years ago to support Tom Muller over Scott Ott for Lehigh County Executive. Schware, who is something of a snake, was probably upset when his name was mentioned. His question did exactly what irked him about Long. He's upset that Long supported a Democrat, but Schware is supporting one by trying (unsuccessfully) to attack Long. As far as I'm concerned, Long's support of Tom Muller demonstrates that he is not a blind partisan like Schlossberg. ... Or Schware.

Though he has no prayer, I found Ben Long to be very impressive and hope he stays interested.

NBC10 Investigates Schlossberg Ghost Voting

NBC10 has done an investigative report on State Reo. Mike "Darth Voter" Schlossberg's vote for an absent colleague, in violation of House rules. Schlossberg attempted to minimize the practice when confronted by Channel69, claiming he needed to ghost vote to deal with evil "tea party extremists." But NBC10 discovered that the House member for whom Darth Voter was votng had mysteriously voted four other times that day, even though he was absent. Barry Kauffman, who heads Common Cause in Pa., said this practice creates government cynicism. "What this really comes down to is government integrity."

The Schlossberg perp walk on camera is priceless.

Unlike Schlossberg, Ryan MacKenzie Returns Haddad Contribution

Ramzi Haddad pleaded guilty last year to expecting preferential treatment in exchange for campaign contributions. His contributions to Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski have been documented by the feds, and I have told you about his $1,000 contribution to State Rep. Michael "Darth Voter" Schlossberg. But state records show that he contributed $1,000 to State Rep. Ryan MacKenzie as well, on 6/15/15.

Unlike Darth Voter, MacKenzie returned the money. In fact, he returned $2,000, which must have included $1,000 from a previous year.

MacKenzie rejected tainted money, while Schlossberg is using it to pay himself.

Darth Voter's Fed Ed and Ramzi Haddad Problem

I told you last week that Pennsylvania's Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation, which oversees the Commonwealth’s electoral process, has opened an inquiry into the annual campaign finance report that State Rep. Mike "Darth Voter" Schlossburg filed for his fundraising and campaign expenses last year. He spent about $13,500 on himself, claiming expenses as reimbursements, without detailing the name and address of the person or entity paying, or the purpose of the expense for which he was seeking reimbursement. This violates state campaign finance laws, as Dart Voter should soon learn. But he has another problem with his campaign finances. This is a Fed Ed problem. It's also a Ramzi Haddad problem.

Darth Voter's $1,000 Fed Ed Problem

In his report, Schlossberg reports a $1,000 contribution to Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski, made on June 24, 2015. Fed Ed initially failed to disclose this contribution, but in his amended July report, he acknowledges having received $1,000 from Schlossberg's campaign

After he suspended his campaign, Fed Ed's October report shows that he returned that contribution to Schlossberg, by check dated 7/27/15. But that return appears nowhere in Schlossberg's annual report. If the money was returned, this should have been reported. Schlossberg would also have $1,000 more than he reports.

It's certainly possible that Darth Voter never received the $1,000 returned donation. But this needs to be established, one way or the other. I am asking the Department of State, which has already opened up an inquiry into Schlossberg's campaign finances, to resolve this matter.

Darth Voter's $1,000 Ramzi Haddad Problem

I also am quite interested in a $1,000 contribution made by Ramzi Haddad to Schlossberg on 5/9/15. Haddad, you may recall, pleaded guilty last year to participating with Fed Ed in a scheme to deprive the citizens of Allentown of their right to honest services. In exchange for campaign contributions and other things of value, including food and drinks, Haddad was promised preferential treatment from the City in zoning and inspection matters.

Fed Ed announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate on April 17, 2015. According to the Haddad information, Fed Ed "determined that his best chance at winning his party’s support as a candidate for the United States Senate – and deterring other potential rivals for his party’s nomination – was to maximize his amount of campaign contributions for the June 30 reporting period, thereby demonstrating that his fundraising prowess had improved since an earlier, failed attempt at winning statewide office."

Shock and awe.

Under federal campaign finance laws, no one individual can contribute more than $5,400 to a federal candidate ($2,700 in the primary and $2,700 in the general). But Haddad was enlisted to raise $25,000 through third parties. In late June, Haddad delivered $21,500 to Fed Ed's campaign, and back dated several of these checks.

Is the $1,000 Schlossberg contribution one of these bundled checks? Did Haddad launder a $1,000 contribution to Fed Ed through Schlossberg? That's a question for the feds, not the state But a $1,000 contribution from Haddad to Schlossberg makes no sense. Schlossberg's district doesn't follow any of Haddad's major real estate - East Allentown, West Bethlehem, LVIP III near Airport, and properties in Easton area. It may include the former Agere plant.

One final concern about this $1,000 donation. Why has Schlossberg kept it? Haddad has pleaded guilty to giving bribes, and during the time of this donation. This is not a contribution from someone who is on the FBI subpoeana list. This is a contribution from an admitted criminal. Schlossberg's unwillingness to return this tainted money should tell us all we need to know about his ethics.

Updated 12:00 pm: Schlossberg Now Claims He Gave Haddad Money to Charity. - On his Facebook page, Darth Voter is now claiming he gave the Haddad money to charity. "Good morning, everyone! This recently came up so I thought it was worth clarifying: On 9/15, I made a $2,000 donation to the Mosser Village Family Center. This was all the contributions I have received from Ramzi Haddad. I thought it made more sense to donate the money to a vitally important non-profit than return it. I'd also encourage you to learn more about Mosser, which does fantastic work and needs your assistance as much as possible. http://www.mosservillage.org"

Schlossberg's annual report does list a $2,000 contribution to Mosser, but on 9/10. It fails to indicate that this is how he disposed of the Haddad contribution. For all I know, it could just as easily have funded other donees like Ed Pawlowski ($1,000), Citizens for a Better Allentown ($2,500), or any of a number of other expenditures, including some of the reimbursements he made to himself. Yet, he would have you believe he used tainted money to fund a charity, as though that excuses it. That's like giving money from a drug dealer to the church. It is still dirty money.

Darth Voter had an opportunity to do the right thing and he failed. Now that he's been caught, he has created a bullshit explanation that never appears in his annual report.

Darth Voter Spent $13.5K in Campaign Funds on Himself in 2015

I now call State Representative and Fed Ed lackey Mike Schlossberg is our very own Darth Voter for his recent decision to cast at least one vote for an absent fellow Democrat in a crucial budget matter, in complete violation of state house rules. In typical Fed Ed style, Darth Voter tried to blame his own moral lapse on "tea party extremists."

They're probably responsible for the annual report his campaign just filed concerning his campaign finances. He raised $55,800 in an off-election year, thanks to the Lehigh Valley urban growth regime and the trade unions they employ to build the Flats at Oh So So Do So Pa. His contributors are a Who's Who of the FBI Subpoena list, from Ramzi Haddad ($1,000) to Matthew McTish ($1,000).

That's no surprise. But what I find disgusting is the $13,500 he managed to spend on himself in a City in which the average per capita income is just $17,000. So disgusting that I have sent an email complaining about it to the State and Lehigh County Elections Bureau. My email is below.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The purpose of this email is to make you aware of reporting violations in the 2015 annual report just filed by Friends of Mike Schlossberg at Filer ID No. 20120115. This report was filed with both the Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation as well as the Lehigh County elections office, as candidate Schlossberg is a resident of Lehigh.

Pennsylvania has a campaign finance reporting law that enables the public to determine who is financing elections and how candidates are spending the money donated to their campaigns. In essence, this enables the public to follow the money. But that becomes impossible when the candidate fails to explain how the money is spent.

Pennsylvania's Campaign Finance Law specifically provides, at 25 P.S. § 3246 (b), that each campaign finance report "shall" contain the following information: "Each and every expenditure, the date made, the full name and address of the person to whom made and the purpose for which such expenditure was made."

The 2015 annual report just filed by Friends of Mike Schlossberg fails to provide that information. Instead, it is replete with numerous instances in which Schlossberg periodically reimburses himself for expenditures, without any reference to the expenditure, date made, name and address of the person to whom the expenditure is made or its purpose.

To be specific, Friends of Mike Schlossberg list the following "reimbursements" to candidate Mike Schlossberg: $520.86 on 2/6/15; $372.27 on 3/2/15: $1,867.00 on 3/31/15; $144.98 on 4/2/15; $1,402.05 on 5/5/15: $658.50 on 5/7/15; $23.00 on 5/21/15; $635.40 on 6/1/15; $4,517.80 on 7/2/15 (fundraiser mentioned); $787.88 on 8/29/15; $735.74 on 9/27/15: $94.88 on 9/30/15 (mileage); $606.82 on 10/25/15; $97.75 on 11/3/15 (mileage); $735.00 on 11/28/15; and $396.09 on 12/30/15.

During 2015, Schlossberg has managed to use campaign funds to pay himself $13,596.02 with absolutely no explanation of what the money was used for, who was paid or when. This totally defeats the purpose of the Campaign Finance Reporting Law, and I am requesting that you exercise your supervisory authority and direct Friends of Mike Schlossberg to amend this report and indicate precisely the nature of the expenses for which Schlossberg seeks reimbursement.

In addition to being illegal, this report is unconscionable. Schlossberg has managed to stick $13,596.02 in campaign funds into his own pocket in a city in which the per capita income is just $17,000.

Thank you for your kind attention to this matter. I can be reached at the above email address or 610-xxx-xxxx.

Ben Long To Seek Schlossberg Seat

In case you haven't guessed by now, I'm no fan of State Rep. Mike "Darth Voter" Schlossberg. Nominally a Democrat, he's really just another crony capitalist more at home with Fed Ed and Lee Butz than the people he is supposed to represent. Don't believe me? Look at his campaign finance. Though he's never had an opponent, $141,498.54 have still been poured into his campaign coffers between 2012 and 2014. He spent huge chunks of that money on Miked Fleck and, of course, himself. But is that a reason to jump into the arms of another untested candidate who has never held political office or, for that matter, a real job?

Meet Ben Long. He's seeking the Republican nomination in Schlossberg's district, but it's hard for me to be enthusiastic about what appears to be a Schlossberg Knockoff. He hopes to graduate from DeSales University this Spring. He claims to work for his daddy's water technology company, but his Facebook page lists his true job - candidate. He made it official yesterday.

If this is all the GOP has, Schlossberg is going to win.

"I have no interest in being just another politician," he incredulously claims. Since I've known him, that's all he's ever been. First he was Dean Browning's protege. Now he is Bill Heydt's protege. But he really belongs in a seminary somewhere. All he talks about on his Facebook page is God and Jesus. Since I'm in league with Satan, that does not appeal to me.

I'm sure that will get him the Jewish vote.

Maybe he's praying for a miracle.

Ben, please run for student council and try to persuade a grown up from either party to run.

Below is a list of Darth Voter's major contributors, outside of unions. Those on the FBI subpoena list are marked in red.

Lil Butz - $250
Lee Butz - $250
Greg Butz - $1250
Jeff Barker - $100
Jim Hickey - $350 
Ramzi Haddad - $1,000 
PPL for Good Gov't - $3,750
Robert Bennett - $5,000 (Exide)
J.B. Reilly - $2,250
Joe Topper - $2,250
Citizens for Urban Renewal (Reilly and Topper) - $2,500
Michele Portnoff - $2,000
Charles Marcon - $3,000
Matt McTish - $3,000 
J.G. Petrucci - $500
Sean Boyle - $2350 
Scott Alinson - $750 
Jenn Mann - $2,500
Thulin (Arcadia) - $500
Air Products $1,000
Mark Jaindl - $1,000
RETTEW PAC - $1,000
Pa. Consulting Engineers - $900

Mike Schlossberg - Darth Voter

On Christmas Eve, I stole a story first published in The Patriot News about Lehigh Valley State Rep. Mike Schlossberg. It seems that State Rep Daryl Metcalfe watched as Mike Schlossberg did a bit of ghost voting, casting at least one vote for an absent fellow Democrat in a crucial budget matter. This is a violation of state house rules, and Metcalfe vowed he would take it up with the House Ethics Committee.

WFMZ-TV69 decided to steal this story, too, and contacted Schlossberg. Like his Mentor Fed Ed, Schlossberg has ignored requests from me for public comment. He's ignored constituents on his official Facebook page, too. But when a TV news station with a much wider audience than yours truly wanted to know what's going on, he could no longer hide.

I'd expect a normal person to act contrite and claim he simply didn't know what he was doing. I could see him blaming an Evil Twin who did it while his head was turned the other way.  Instead, Darth Voter was arrogant. He called it "much ado about nothing," a "common practice," and said it is "expressly allowed" in the Senate.

He also blamed everything on "tea party extremists."

Last time I checked, neither I nor The Patriot News are "tea party extremists." Daryl Metcalfe, the person who actually saw Darth Voter in action, is certainly a tea party enthusiast. But he's not the one who was ghost voting. That was Schlossberg.

The rule states, "No member shall be permitted to vote and have his or her vote recorded on the roll unless present in the hall of the House during the roll call vote." There is no exception in this rule for members who wish to vote against the tea party agenda.

Is it common practice?

It's not supposed to be. In fact, under House rules, a state rep must vote if he or she is at his desk when a matter comes up. He is unable to vote "present."

There's good reason for this requirement. You see, if a legislator votes, he is considered present and is entitled to claim per diems. The complaint over a "common practice" that Schlossberg derides as "much ado about nothing" is one that enables state legislators to rip off taxpayers by claiming per diems while sitting on a beach. That may not mean much to him, but it matters to those footing the bill. As Common Cause Executive Director Barry Kauffman noted way back in 1998, "Each time the rules are flagrantly violated, it breeds more violations. It breeds contempt for the whole system."

Schlossberg, who claimed $60,857 in expenses in 2014 on top of his $85,338.65/year salary, is hardly one to be concerned that legislators are taking too much from the citizens. He doesn't think much of them, and in fact disparages them for spending too much time watching TV.

Is ghost voting "expressly allowed" in the Senate?

In a word, No. In the Senate, all votes are roll call votes. If a State Senator is going to miss his vote, he advises the leader of his party how he intends to vote, and the leaders honor those wishes.

After reading Darth Voter's arrogant and dishonest explanation to WFMZ-TV69, I can only guess at what he's said to Miked Fleck.

Schlossberg Mum On Ghost Voting

On Christmas Eve, I told you that State Rep Daryl Metcalfe's physically saw Mike Schlossberg do a bit of ghost voting. He cast at least one vote for an absent fellow Democrat in a crucial budget matter. This is a violation of state house rules, and Metcalfe vowed he would take it up with the House Ethics Committee.

Since that time, Schlossberg has failed to address these ghost voting allegations on his State Rep.Facebook page or his Twitter account, despite requests from myself and others that he do so. He has also failed to respond to a message I sent to him concerning this issue.

Fed Ed has taught him well.

But he's had time to update his Political Fails blog, which he uses to hawk his book.

In  fairness, he might be busy right now looking for a ghost job for Lisa Pawlowski. .

This is the guy who bragged, "The City's finances are on stable ground for the first time, really, in decades ... ."

He won't be answering me because he thinks you're stupid. Last summer,he defended raising money against nonexistent opponents and said, "[I]f the average American took as much time to independently research their politicians and candidates for office as they did to watch half of a TV series, we could eliminate corruption and bad politicians overnight."

You have the research. I have even more here, in an article entitled "Schlossberg Has 141,498 Reasons To Be Sick."

But he thinks you're too absorbed in your TV set to want to get rid of him and his corruption.

Schlossberg Caught Ghost Voting For Missing State Rep

State Rep. Mike Schlossberg, whose mentor Fed Ed taught him everything he knows about honesty in government, has been caught red-handed casting a vote for a missing House member in yesterday's very tight 100-99 vote on the still unresolved state budget. State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe is calling for a House Ethics Committee investigation, according to The Patriot News.

This is a clear violation of a state House rule that provides, "No member shall be permitted to vote and have his or her vote recorded on the roll unless present in the hall of the House during the roll call vote."

The member for whom Schlossberg voted, Pete Daley, said he gave no authority to anyone else to vote on his behalf.

Schlossberg publishes a blog that chronicles political gaffes, usually by Republicans. Time for him to include himself.

"Bottoms Up" Beer Glass Bill Inches Forward in Gridlocked State House

As the state budget impasse draws closer to a new record, our Lehigh Valley state legislators are hard at work. Mike Schlossberg is doing what he can to trumpet his social media business. Gary Day is drumming up support for an official "Bottoms Up!" beer glass.

At a time when school districts and nonprofit human service agencies are running out of money, he's honed in like a laser beam on the Samuel Adams Boston Lager Pint Glass. Last time i checked, Sam and Boston were both in Massachusetts.

Here's his memo to other state reps about this important piece of legislative drivel.

Samuel Adams is a large craft brewer in Pennsylvania. Despite it's name, two-thirds of their products are produced in Breinigsville, Pennsylvania, which is located in my district. While I am not seeking to name them as the official beer of Pennsylvania, I am seeking that a specifically constructed beer glass be named as the official beer drinking glass of the Commonwealth.

The Samuel Adams Boston Lager Pint Glass is the first glass specifically designed to showcase Samuel Adams Boston Lager as the brewers intended. It has been demonstrated in research that the right glassware can optimize the consumer's drinking experience.

While many Pennsylvanian's may argue over the best beer in PA, I believe it is safe to say that most brewers will not go to the length of designing and producing a specifically patented vessel for beer serving and consumption.

Don't get me wring. I'm all for it, so long as Samuel Jackass Badass Ale is recognized as the official beer of Gary Day.

Schlossberg Has 141,498 Reasons To Be Sick

The spin game has begun. NIZ Czar J.B. Reilly and his minions are in full mode damage control at The Morning Call. Reilly dismisses a federal investigation as a "distraction" while his childhood chum, State Senator Pat Browne, harrumphs that it's been unhelpful to the City. NIZ Board Chair Sy Traub disingenuously claims that his board is an independent body, despite the fact that every board member is confirmed by King Edwin's bobble heads on City Council and its own Executive Director just happens to run the City's DCED department. But the most ridiculous of the NIZ defenders is State Rep. Mike Schlossberg, who claims he's been "sick for a week" and that "[n]o matter who is investigated or thrown into jail, ... there are still incentives to businesses to be here."

That's kinda' been the problem all along, Mike.

When $54 million in state tax dollars suddenly gets poured into developers' pockets with no accountability or transparency, it is inevitable that someone is going to get greedy. Schlossberg has been pretty greedy himself. He has 141,498.54 reasons to want federal investigators to go away. $141,498.54 have been poured into his campaign coffers between 2012 and 2014.* Many of his campaign contributors are on the FBI subpoena list.  With these donations, he has poured $33,549 into Fleck's political consulting firms. He also has spent close to $19,000 on what appears to be his favorite charity - himself.

He's raised a lot of money for someone who has never had an opponent.

Schlossberg is a member of the country's second highest paying legislature, after California. He ran unopposed last year, primarily because democracy is dead in Allentown. It's been replaced by crony capitalists who include King Edwin Pawlowski, Pat Browne, Pete Schweyer, Jennifer Mann, nearly all of City Council and any businessman who wants to succeed. Servants of the urban growth regime, their Dark Lord is J.B. Reilly.

Schlossberg is currently being paid $85,338.65/year to represent one of the most impoverished districts in the state. But that's not enough. He also ranks #36 for expenses, according to a 2014 Morning Call report. Theye include $9,782.00 in per diems and $8,027.43 for mileage. That $18,000 above and beyond his $85.338.65 salary.

That $18,000 is about $1,000 more than the per capita income of an Allentown resident.

Schlossberg's Contributors and FBI Subpoena List

Schlossberg's contributors include an alphabet soup of unions, most of whom were likely coaxed into donating by his well-paid political consultant, Michael Fleck. Because nominally he's a Democrat and is willing to say bad things about Republicans, that was probably an easy sell.

Below is a list of some of his other major contributors. Those on the FBI subpoena list are marked in red.

Lil Butz - $250
Lee Butz - $250
Greg Butz - $1250
Jeff Barker - $100
Jim Hickey - $350 
Ramzi Haddad - $1,000 
PPL for Good Gov't - $3,750
Robert Bennett - $5,000 (Exide)
J.B. Reilly - $2,250
Joe Topper - $2,250
Citizens for Urban Renewal (Reilly and Topper) - $2,500
Michele Portnoff - $2,000
Charles Marcon - $3,000
Matt McTish - $3,000 
J.G. Petrucci - $500
Sean Boyle - $2350 
Scott Alinson - $750 
Jenn Mann - $2,500
Thulin (Arcadia) - $500
Air Products $1,000
Mark Jaindl - $1,000
RETTEW PAC - $1,000
Pa. Consulting Engineers - $900

Schlossberg Spent $33,549 on the Guy He Blames For NIZ Mess

Late last week, during a remission in one of his periods of being sick, Schlossberg did his best to insinuate on WFMZ-TV69 there's really only one bad guy in this matter - Mike Fleck.

"Certainly, that would be the implication," he knowingly told a reporter.

Since Schlossberg's finance reports indicate that he poured $33,549 into three of Fleck's political consulting firms, is he a bad gay, too.

Certainly, that would be the implication.

When you sleep with a skunk, the skunk doesn't go away smelling like you.

Why is Schlossberg Paying Lawyers? 

Though he had no opponent and there were no challenges to his nomination petition, Schlossberg's report indicates a $4,907.50 payment to Attorney Tim Brennan on 5/7/12.He obviously was paying for Brennan's legal services for someone else, but does not identify this person or explain this in any other way. The same is true of "in-kind" legal services received from Attorney Scott Alinson, who spends most of his time trying to make deals for developers.

Alinson's legal advice apparently failed to cover identifying the real object of the $4,907.50 payment to Brennan.

Schlossberg draws $1,182 room bill at Waldorf

One thing Schlossberg's report makes very clear is that his favorite charity is himself. He's so incredibly cheap that he even charged a $5.50 lunch at Jack Callahan's to his campaign. But he also made sure that his campaign picked up his $1,182 bill for a 2012 stay at the Waldorff Astoria, where he also paid $400 for one frickin' dinner. He also spent $257.58 to rent a tux.

In 2013 and 2014, he got away from explaining how he is spending that money by simply calling it "reimbursement." He did slip up at times. For example, he bought a $1,000 laptop, which probably actually is a legitimate expense.  But for the most part, he's been very cryptic about the $19,000 he has spent on himself. So it's no surprise that he has no qualms about the lack of transparency on ANIZDA and in Allentown.

Should Investigations Stop Because It Might Jeopardize NIZ?

NIZ cheerleaders have argued that that they do is separate and apart and completely independent of what King Edwin does, despite the fact that their names are littered all over the FBI subpoena list. If that is so, then how can the investigation hurt them?

But if there is criminal activity, I would think that innocent supporters of the NIZ would want a complete investigation and see the bad weeds pulled. The argument that criminal activity should be permitted because business is booming is the same argument that was used to encourage child labor and numerous other terrible ways to make money.

Fortunately, the feds don't give a shit what Sy Traub or Mike Schlossberg thinks.

___________________
* Schlossberg does not have to report his 2015 contributions until the end of the year.

Professor Schlossberg To Educate "Progressives" On Reaching the Dark Side

We already know that State Rep. Mike "the Professor" Schlossberg is going to take his Bachelor's Degree and teach the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce how to create successful business blogs. But that's only where his expertise begins. This is apparently "the most exciting weekend of the year" for progressives, and Schlossberg will be teaching a class at the Harrisburg Hilton on how to reach the dark side.

This Democrat in a one-party City is giving a lecture entitled, "Preaching Beyond the Choir: Using Social Media to Reach Audiences Outside Your Own Echo Chamber"

Here's how his class is explained:

Most people who use social media are pretty good at creating and sharing content that gets their friends excited. But as progressives our goal has to go beyond that — we have to get the rest of the population psyched up and behind our ideas. Participants will learn how to 1) Create, phrase and share social media content that can influence more than just the progressive community, but a broader social media audience. 2) Not be annoying and drive other social media users nuts. 3) Message content so it applies to the general audience, not just the progressive community.

I'm already annoyed.  

Schlossberg To Teach Blogging Class On Taxpayer Dime

As a State Representative, Mike Schlossberg is paid a salary of $84,012. Last year, he also received approximately $18,000 in per diems and mileage expenses. These extras are about $1,000 more than the per capita income of an Allentown resident. if you put it all together, he is paid about $102,000.

For that kind of money, I think we are all entitled to a State Representative who is not moonlighting in the middle of the work week, doing something else. But Schlossberg is doing his best to pick up a few bucks here and there as a "social media consultant."

Maybe he should send his resume to NorCo Exec John Brown. He loves consultants.

Anyhoo, Schlossberg is playing hookey on Thursday, February 12. I'm not sure if the state house is in session that day. If it is, Schlossberg better recruit someone to do some ghost voting for him. He's been hired by the Chamber of Commerce to teach the Nazareth Business Council "Blogging Boot Camp". Naturally, the class will be in Bethlehem.

While there, Schlossberg will also shill his book, "Tweets and Consequences." It's selling for just $10.49.

Must be a real page turner.

Here's what I think. Professor Schlossberg should pay Pennsylvania $279.45 for a day in which he has chosen to enrich himself instead of do his job.

Schlossberg: Close the Rapist Support Loophole

I'm unhappy with the way Mike Schlossberg left his position on Allentown City Council, where he mostly served as a bobble head to Mayor Edwin Pawlowski. An opportunist, he ran for Jenn Mann's seat the second it became available, even though he had just been re-elected. Then he resigned well before he had to, leaving an undemocratic City Council full of appointees as opposed to people actually chosen by the voters. But his early legislative proposals as a State Rpresentative are impressive.

His most recent proposal will end the current practice of forcing a raped woman who bears a child from having to make an unpleasant choice between receiving child support from the rapist or termination of parental rights.

Schlossberg's legislation would require convicted rapists who father a child to pay child support – even if their parental rights are terminated.

“As unbelievable as it sounds, currently in Pennsylvania, rapists can enjoy parental rights as the result of a loophole in the Domestic Relations Law that strips them of child support obligations if those rights are terminated,” Schlossberg said. “No rape victim should be forced to pick between parental rights and child support – and a rapist should be penalized for his crime, not rewarded with parental rights that may further torment his victim.”

In Pennsylvania, termination of parental rights ends the obligation to support the child. Even when those rights are terminated because the father raped the mother.

“This creates a huge injustice for a woman who may be further traumatized by being forced into maintaining even a cursory relationship with her attacker,” Schlossberg said. “The law should punish the rapist, not the woman who courageously bears a child as a result of such a heinous crime.”

Schlossberg said his bill has been drafted and is being circulated in the House of Representatives for co-sponsors before its formal introduction.

“As a legislator, anything I can do to give rape victims more rights is a step in the right direction,” Schlossberg said. “The legislature can do nothing to make a rape victim whole, but we can certainly do more to eliminate a painful choice between getting help with child-rearing costs or reliving a horrific experience.”

Hopefully, there will be strong bi-partisan support for what is undeniably a good piece of legislation.

Schossberg: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the NIZ

Mike Schlossberg, who has no opponent in his state house race for Jenn Mann's seat, will take office in January. Since his district is mostly in Allentown, he obviously supports the Neighborhood Improvement Zone. Here's how he answered my questions.

1) Do you support the NIZ? - Yes, absolutely.

2) Are you willing to repeal the Allentown tax grab under which the EIT of surrounding municipalities can be used to finance a hockey arena, and other improvements over a 30-year period? - No. As State Representative, I would be more than happy to work with each and every municipality in order to ensure that their EIT revenue is returned as soon as possible. As I understand, the settlement offered by the city would, in fact, provide the municipalities with their EIT revenue up-front, and I hope that this resolves their concerns.

3) Are you willing to impose a restriction that would prevent the poaching of other LV businesses within a 25-mile radius of the NIZ?  - Let me turn this question around - when suburban greenfields or farmlands are developed with the help of government funding, or subsidized by tax dollars in the form of road and infrastructure improvements, are those developments banned from recruiting city businesses? Of course not. So no, I would not support such a ban.

4) Are you willing to insist on a requirement that all new businesses moving into the NIZ agree to pay a living wage to its workforce? - Absolutely, but that has nothing todo with the NIZ. as the link you sent me clearly demonstrates, minimum wage is insufficient to support one adult in Lehigh County, let alone someone with a family. To me, that is unacceptable.

Mike Schlossberg Now Unconstested in State House Race

Mike's the one on the left

Earlier this week, I told you that Aryeh Spero, a rabbi, was running against Democrat Mike Schlossberg for Jenn Mann's state house seat in Allentown.

Not anymore.

According to The Express Times, Rabbi Spero has withdrawn, possibly the result of residency concerns or problems with his nomination petition.

Barring a write-in campaign by Republicans or an independent candidacy, Schlossberg will succeed his old boss, Jennifer Mann, as a State Representative.

State House Candidate Mike Schlossberg Discusses His Race ... and the NIZ

Photo credit: Kim Cressman

Mike Schlossberg, who's running for Jennifer Mann's seat in Allentown, has answered a few questions I sent his way concerning corporate income tax, his race, the NIZ and lobbyists. Although I disagree completely with his take on Allentown's tax grab, I appreciate his willingness to take a position he knows I'll dislike.

If I determined who I support based solely on the issues, I'd soon find myself unable to vote for anyone. Aside from the issues, I look for other things. Mike is responsive, hard-working, transparent and accountable. I'd say he was smart, too, but he blew that by talking to me.

Mike filed his nomination petition on Monday. He needed 300 signatures. He had 520 on Sunday.

Q) Although the Delaware loophole certainly is a problem, don't Pennsylvania corporations already have among the highest income taxes in this country? Don't you think that plays a role in businesses leaving the Commonwealth? - Yes, absolutely. Pennsylvania has one of the highest corporate income tax rates in the country, and I believe that this has significant repercussions on our competitiveness. A top priority for job growth in Pennsylvania should be lowering the CNI, and I believe the best way to do this is by closing the Delaware tax loophole and then dedicated a portion of the recovered tax revenue to a gradual decrease of the CNI. There is currently a bipartisan legislative effort in the State House by Rep. Dave Reed & Rep. Eugene DePasquale to do just this, and if elected, I will join them in their efforts.

Q) With all the redistricting and judicial decisions, do you know whether you even have an opponent at this point? - Not a clue. I am running in the "old" version of the 132. We'll find out Thursday or Friday who else is running.

Q) As a state representative, would you support legislation that authorizes an authority like the NIZ Board to take EIT from people who live in part of your district, and divert it elsewhere, without notifying the municipalities affected? - If I was a member of the legislature, I would have voted for the NIZ legislation. I believe that this funding mechanism will make a massive redevelopment of Allentown possible. That being said, the biggest problem with the arena project and NIZ so far has been the confusion and the lack of communication on certain areas related to the issue. The confusion is a byproduct of the uniqueness of the NIZ funding mechanism; when you have something this new, concerns will exist. The issue over EIT is both unfortunate and regrettable, and I do wish that the Department of Revenue had informed the surrounding municipalities about this change sooner to give them a chance to better adjust their budgets. I'm also looking forward to seeing data on just how much money is involved so we can get a better handle of how much of a problem this really is. Regardless, if I'm elected, I'll work with the Department of Revenue to try to get these payments sped up, as I know Senator Browne and the Mayor will do.

Q) Can you explain why you declined to table a vote on the NIZ Board, when the nominees were selected in part by a State Senator whose wife works for a lobbying firm that represents three of the biggest NIZ beneficiaries? - My honest thoughts were that the nominees had been thoroughly vetted (actually, much more so than usual). The nine appointees came from a variety of backgrounds; legal, real estate, non-profit, education, legislative, etc. They also were put through some pretty serious background checks, including taxes, fees, permits, criminal, etc. In my mind, the nine people selected will provide the necessary leadership for this board; regardless of Senator Browne's role, or that of his wife's, I think we have the right people.

Q) Would you support legislation to require elected officials to resign if a member of their immediate family becomes employed as a lobbyist? - No. First, let me say that I would support legislation and policies to address perceived and potential conflicts of interests on a case-by-case basis to ensure public trust through transparency, and to prevent actual conflicts of interest from occurring. I think this type of approach would get to the root of the issue, investigating and mitigating conflicts of interests, rather than making a broad statement based on someone’s relationship.

I believe that the legislation that you describe is simultaneously too broad and would not cover many potential conflicts. If a lobbyist and elected official are married, that doesn't automatically imply a conflict – there are, after all, hundreds of legislators and lobbyists that have never interacted in Harrisburg. If this type of legislation went into effect, it wouldn't address a variety of scenarios that could exist. Say a couple isn't married but they are dating; no forced resignation would occur. What about siblings? Parent/child? Heck, what if you have a gay couple that has been together for years - one is an elected and one is a lobbyist. They can't marry, and under this scenario, there’d be no problem. That’s why I prefer my approach; I believe it cuts more to the root of an issue, which is investigating and mitigating potential conflicts on a case-by-case basis, rather than making a blanket statement based on a relationship.