UPDATED: Following the Money: Zrinski Outraises Giovanni 3 to 1 in NorCo Exec Race

Money may not be everything, but it sure helps if you're running for office. Based on the pre-election reports filed for NorCo Executive candidates Tara Zrinski (her report is here) and Tom Giovanni (his report is here), Tara Zrinski is well on her way to victory in November. In a county in which Democrats still maintain an edge in voter registration and in a race where the name "Trump" is nowhere to be found, she has outraised Tom Giovanni by a margin of 3 to 1, both in cash and in-kind contributions.

According to her report, Zrinski raised $93,687.00 between June 10 and October 20. She also received $64,698.14 in in-kind contributions, and I'm not talking about pizza pies. In contrast, Giovanni raised only $26,885.00 as well as $19,399.31 in in-kind contributions. 

Zrinski's report demonstrates a great deal of grass roots support. She received contributions of $9612.00 from 71 individual donors of $250 or less. Giovanni had far less grass roots support. His report shows only 32 contributions of $250 or less. 

Zrinski was also boosted by several large PAC contributions, the largest of which is IBEW ($15,000). She also received $10,000 from the Jane Fonda Climate PAC and $5,000 from Executive Lamont McClure's local campaign fund. 

Her largest individual contributor was Nimita Kapoor Atiyeh, wife of Abe Atiyeh. He owns the work release center in West Easton being leased by the county.

Zrinski benefitted immensely from in-kind contributions made by the Democracy First PAC. That group produced mailers, campaign literature, paid people to go door-to-door and even paid rent. 

Giovanni's largest PAC contributor was the Pa Future Fund ($5,000). His largest individual contribution came from Charles Baltic III ($1,500), a retired attorney who lives in Upper Mount Bethel and who has spoken out against satellite elections offices in Northampton County. His largest in-kind contribution is $17,000 from the state Republican party for both campaign literature and postage. He also reports $2,243 from a sign company called JES for banners. I believe that portion of his report is a bit misleading because it fails to explain who actually paid for these signs. I believe the person who did so was Lou Pektor and am pretty sue Tom told me that himself when we met to discuss his personal story. Tom supported a LERTA for his development in Upper Mount Bethel Tp.   

(Updated 7:34).

Where Are Tom Giovanni's Mailers?

So far, I've received four mailers from Tara Zrinski's campaign for county executive. Two appear to be directly from her campaign. Another two, which also ask you to support County Council candidates Jason Boulette and David Holland, come from the DemocracyFIRST PAC. But I've received nothing from Tom Giovanni, Zrinski's opponent. 

If Tom wants to be elected, I'd think he'd have reached out to Democrats and independents by now. This is because mail-in ballots have already been sent out, so it's almost too late at this point. Zrinski can win this race without GOP support. But I doubt Giovanni can do so without attracting a few Democrats. That will not happen if he fails to reach out to them. As my friend, Bishop Ron Angle once told me, "People like to be asked."

The Tom Giovanni Story

Late last month, in 12-minute segments, Northampton County Exec candidates Tara Zrinski and Tom Giovanni had the opportunity to make their case at Tony Iannelli's Business Matters program. Tara, who has far more experience on these shows than Tom, was definitely more poised and less nervous. But does this mean she should be the next Executive? Yesterday, I had the opportunity to sit down and talk to Tom for more than a few minutes and learn a lot more about him. I want to share his story with you. Maybe it will make you want to vote for him. Maybe not. But at least you'll know why he's running and what he hopes to accomplish.

Giovanni is known as Northampton County's Quiet Man. He rarely speaks at meetings. Some of you consider this a negative. One of you has actually reviewed the minutes of several meetings to note how little he has spoken in comparison to others, as though this somehow disqualifies him. Quite the contrary. In my 74 years on this planet, I have learned that those who speak the most tend to know the least. They fail to listen. They already think they know everything. The reality is that we have one mouth and two ears for a reason. We need people in government who actually listen. Giovanni does that.

Though he is only a part-time employee of the county as a member of county council, I often see Giovanni at the courthouse when I'm there to search a title or plead insanity. What's he doing? He's listening. He listens to county employees when they have gripes. He's met with corrections officers, deputy sheriffs, 911 workers, Gracedale staffers and even human services caseworkers. He knows that there are far too many steps for most positions. He sees the turnover. He probably hears some things that are just not true, as things do tend to get twisted a lot, but he's listening.

As Executive, he told me his door would always be open to people who want to talk to him. If he heard gripes from employees, he'd arrange a meeting between them and their managers to see if the problem could be worked out as a team. "We're all on the same team," he told me. 

This, unfortunately, is far from the way things are right now. The relationship between the workforce and administration has increasingly become adversarial, with some employees who rightly or wrongly feel they will face retaliation if they speak out. This is a far cry from the way things were under Gene Hartzell, Marty Bechtel or Jerry Seyfried. 

In addition to the adversarial relation between employer and employee, there is also a very unfortunate partisan edge to many things. It was pretty clear in a news release from the county about the "postponed" centenarian luncheon. McClure made that matter worse when he referred to Senate Republicans who refuse to pass a state budget as "deadbeats." But more alarming, at least to me, was what has happened to State Rep. Ann Flood's Senior fests. They usually attract about 300 people from her district. She has asked the county to send someone from the Area Agency on Aging on each occasion, but her correspondence has gone unanswered. The county does respond to other state agencies. She believes she is ignored because she criticized McClure's handling of an election a few years ago, when the voting machines were improperly tested. If that's true, the only persons being hurt are the seniors in her district. 

Giovanni told me he would be neither adversarial nor partisan in his dealings with others. Contrary to one of the rumors being propagated by readers of this blog, he has no intention of asking former Exec John Brown to serve in his administration. He is more interested in governing than in politics and told me his only interest is county government. He has no intention of going anywhere else. 

On Business Matters, Giovanni stumbled when explaining why he's running for executive. But when I heard his story, I know why he's running, and it's for all the right reasons. 

He's a product of Bangor, as many of you know. Many of you know that he's a product of Pius X High School, Lincoln Tech and Northampton Community College, after which he launched a successful career in IT with 15 employees. Most of you probably don't know that, although he had no obligation to do so, he provided medical benefits for his staff. Only few of you know what made him as interested in human services as he actually is.

Tom's father served in the Korean War. When he returned, he "wasn't right. I don't know what he saw, but he wasn't there. He ended up in Allentown State Hospital." His Dad would later be sent to Norristown State Hospital.

This left his mother, on her own, to raise two boys with a house and a mortgage. She struggled.  She worked at three different blouse mills to keep the bills paid and food on the table, but it wasn't enough. One day, "I remember it like yesterday," the "town fathers (and bank) met with his mom in the living room to say they would take over the house and build a parking lot. The family would move from a home to a small apartment next to a news stand. "I was five years old, and my brother was two, and I vowed in my mind I will never let this happen to me." 

Tom grew up poor, had a father whose combat experience mentally crippled him, and knows first-hand what it's like to have nothing.

Given his life experience and his Italian heritage, I asked him why he's a Republican and not a Democrat. "I was a Democrat," he answered. He told me Sundays included trips to his uncle's house, where portraits of FDR and JFK adorned the walls. There were so many that he wondered whether they were relations. "No, no, no, they're Kennedy and FDR and the Democrats. So I grew up like that."

Tom eventually changed parties at the request of (now Judge) Craig Dally, who was then running for State Rep.  

(I remember tormenting Dally myself once over switching parties when he ran for State Rep., and he responded, "I didn't leave the Democratic party. It left me." 

I told Craig he'd lose the election. He won. 

That was the first in a long line of unsuccessful election predictions I've made over the years.)

Giovanni also told me that governing requires compromise. "Nobody wants to compromise," he said, noting Council's complete inability to appoint a person to take over Tara's job on County Council after her election.  

In conclusion, Giovanni brings a nonpartisan and non-adversarial approach to government that includes compromise and a team approach. He'd listen instead of pontificating. He has a deep understanding of the immense importance of human services, which the county is state-mandated to provide. This is regardless of whether it is technically a core county function. 

Tara is a more polished and experienced campaigner who can probably raise more money than Giovanni. She'll probably win. But a Democrat or Independent might want to consider voting for him.  Zrinski has been a very good controller and has matured from her experience as a member of county council. I would not be unhappy to see her elected. But she might be more driven by state and federal issues, as her record attests.  Giovanni is focused solely on county government.  

NorCo Exec Candidates Go One-on-One on Business Matters

Earlier this week, Tony Iannelli's Business Matters hosted a one-on-one conversation between Tony and NorCo  Exec GOP nominee Tom Giovanni, followed by a similar conversation with Democratic standard bearer Tara Zrinski. Each segment lasted about 12 minutes. Iannelli made clear several times that he had offered a debate format, but that Giovanni nixed the idea. In my view, that was perhaps his biggest mistake. On top of that, Giovanni stumbled over words in responding to even the simplest of questions. I credit Tom as the Quiet Man on County Council, and as he pointed out himself, "If you're speaking, you're not listening." As true as that is, a county executive must be someone who, when he does communicate, does so effectively. Tom, for all his qualities, comes up a bit short on that metric. 

The very first question, one of Tony's famous softballs, simply asked Tom why he's running. This was Tom's answer: "The reason I'm running is for - um - people and what I like about - I'm a life long citizen of Northampton County - born and raised here and presently, I'm county commissioner of District Four. So what really concerns me about county government right now is the lack of accountability, integrity and transparency. That to me really bothers me. When I'm county executive, I will bring those virtues back to the people of Northampton County."

Tom did eventually answer the question, and I believe him. I just wish he'd also bring some effective communication as well. He later provided an example of the lack of transparency by noting that Gracedale was running at a deficit and this was never disclosed to County Council until June. 

In January 2024, Executive Lamont McClure told County Council, "In my administration, we have not had a county contribution from the general fund, and the general fund, for people listening on Youtube, is the real estate tax revenue we collect. My administration has not once contributed from the general fund to Gracedale. Gracedale has been self-sustaining since I have been in office."

Independent audits of Gracedale tell a different story. There was a $15 million deficit in 2023 and a $10 million deficit in 2024.

Interestingly, Giovanni had no problem with Tara Zrinski's audit (She is county controller) of $5 million that was set aside for retention bonuses at Gracedale. She determined that less than half of that was actually paid and the rest was poured into Gracedale's operating expenses. 

What does Giovanni want to bring to NorCo? "All that I want is good government. Right now I don't think we have good government. Right now, we have people who are attacking each other, saying different things, and that's not good government."  

What did I say Giovanni should have debated Zrinski? That's because, in a debate format, Tara Zrinski tends to get loud. She is more familiar with a rally atmosphere than the art of persuasion. But one-on-one, she can be very effective, presents well, and is an effective communicator. 

When explaining her audit of $5 million set aside for retention bonuses, she said that it was actually the unions who negotiated away the bonuses in exchange for higher salaries. She added that Executive Lamont McClure told Council this is what had happened. But that statement is slightly disingenuous because the retention bonuses were also intended for nonunion workers and should have remained in effect for them. She did acknowledge that "there could have been more transparency in how that money was moved over."

She praised McClure's tenure as Executive, especially the way he responded to COVID. "But I plan on running my administration a little bit differently." She indicated her cabinet would be different. "I'm not Lamont McClure 2.0."

I believe we have two very good candidates seeking office. What's especially nice is that the loser will be able to remain in office on Council or as Controller. 

Giovanni has often voted with Democrats. He is fairly bipartisan. I believe him when he says his primary focus is good government. Zrinski has long been an ardent environmentalist but has made the slow and sometimes painful transition from activist to elected official. She has done a great job as Controller. I believe both candidates would be more willing to pay people what they are worth. 

But how would they respond to a crisis like the state budget impasse currently facing McClure? Would they borrow money? Use the rainy-day fund? Warn of a furlough in October? Or would they have another solution? I have asked both what they would do and will give you their responses on Monday.  

How Did NorCo Exec Candidates React to Charlie Kirk's Murder?

Tom Giovanni, GOP candidate for NorCo Exec: "Please join me tonight in praying for Charlie Kirk's wife, Erika, and their beautiful children following today's tragedy. Enough is enough with political violence. We must come together."

Tara Zrinski, Democratic candidate for NorCo Exec: "I had not planned on posting anything about Charlie Kirk’s assassination because I just didn’t have the words, but, I have read many posts and watched the reactions from the news, the President, talking heads on podcasts and it is all vile.

I mourn not for Charlie Kirk but for human decency. A man, who I did not know, has died, he had a wife and children and probably friends, although none I would align myself even in polite conversation. The proper, respectful and decent thing to do is to say, “sorry for your loss. I pray for the friends and family of this lost soul that he may rest in peace.” Yet, we have lost all semblance of decency in this polarized and charged political landscape.

I mourn for the hope that people can come together, even when they disagree, for mindful political discourse. I grieve for the future so uncertain for our country and the world. I am bereaved by the loss of kindness in the hearts of people.

I want to drop some Buddhist wisdom here that I have been thinking about. As the Dhammapada states, "An ignorant person takes pleasure and delight in killing living beings". Taking a life, even that of someone who you deem a wicked, or evil, person, creates new negative karma for the killer. It doesn’t remove that victim’s karma, either, and creates more suffering that, for some, will give birth to violence out of their vindication and condemnation of the act for others.

The goal is to break the cycle of violence, not to perpetuate it, even against those who may seem deserving of harm. We cannot break it if we keep perpetuating it. Charlie Kirk, for sure, had an agenda. I did not agree with him but, I do not wish him or his family suffering. I pray for peace. I pray for the end of suffering and the end of violence. I pray his death is the last."

Both Tom and Tara have reacted to this senseless killing with empathy and compassion. What Kelly Keegan said is the exception, not the norm. 

Who Is Your Pick For NorCo Exec?

Zrinski

Two Democrats - Amy Cozze and Tara Zrinski - seek the Democratic nomination for Northampton County Executive, which Lamont McClure is leaving at the end of this year. The winner of that race will go on to face Republican Tom Giovanni, who is running unopposed for the GOP nod. 

The position of County Executive was established in NorCo's Home Rule Charter and essentially gives him or her control over administrative functions and proposing a budget. The Executive is elected once every four years but is unable to serve more than two consecutive terms. The salary is currently set at $125,000.

I'm a Democrat and hence am unable to vote for Tom Giovanni. My choice is between Zrinski and Cozze. Each candidate has sent one mailer. Neither has been negative, although Cozze's campaign manager has lashed out at Zrinski for not being gay enough. That's odd because Cozze actually thanked Zrinski for stands Tara as a Council member had taken on LGBTQ issues. 

Amy Cozze

Although she has poor people skills, Cozze did do a good job as Elections Registrar. But she also threatened to resign just 12 days before an election unless her salary demands were met. That's blackmail. She put her own personal interests ahead of what is best for the county, and I could never support her for anything. 

Another thing that troubles me is that, in a Democratic primary, she has studiously avoided mention of her own gayness. Why? Her campaign manager took Zrinski to task over LGBTQ matters, but Cozze herself has said nothing about her own sexual orientation. Does she think Democrats are intolerant?

I was highly critical of Zrinski when she was on County Council but have been pleasantly surprised by the good job she has done as Controller. She has a good relationship with and is fiercely protective of her staff. She has avoided the temptation to promote unrelated topics that have nothing to do with county government, which is what her counterpart in Lehigh County regularly does. She also has a better understanding of county government than Cozze after serving as a Council member and as Controller. 

Mail-in ballots are out, so now would be a good time to make your case for either Democrat. 

NorCo Council Member Tom Giovanni to Run For Exec

I've dubbed him the "Quiet Man" of Northampton County Council. Most politicians have a difficult time trying to be succinct, but not this guy. He follows Abraham Lincoln's admonition that it is better to be quiet and be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt. When he does speak, people listen. His name is Tom Giovanni. He represents NorCo's District 4, which includes the slate belt and northern tier. He announced yesterday that he is running for County Executive. Below is his release:

(Plainfield Township, PA) Republican Northampton County Councilman Thomas Giovanni announced today that he is running for Northampton County Executive. Giovanni will formally announce his candidacy alongside a slate of Republican candidates for Northampton County row offices at an in-person press conference on February 6th.

“After seven years of failed leadership under County Executive Lamont McClure, it is time for a change in Northampton County,” said Giovanni. “Mr. McClure and his allies have taken Northampton County backwards. He failed in his constitutional responsibility to administer fair and secure elections; disastrously failed to give county residents an equal opportunity to vote after two election fiascos in 2019 and 2023; and even failed the most vulnerable of our county’s citizens by not maintaining the quality of care at Gracedale.”

“The dysfunction and incompetence of Mr. McClure’s tenure motivated me to offer better leadership and a new direction for Northampton County,” continued Giovanni. “I will help Northampton County reach a brighter future and continue to be a champion for every resident as I have done as a council member. No matter who Mr. McClure and his allies back in this election to continue his failed track record, it will not deter me from working to better Northampton County.”

“We need an executive who will work for the people of Northampton County instead of weaponizing the office and leaving the people of Northampton County behind. I will be making a formal announcement on February 6th, along with a slate of candidates that will truly fight for the people of Northampton County.”