Tony Branco, Love Slave

Tony Branco is a former Northampton County Council member who actually lied about using campaign consultant campaign consultant Scissorhands Severson during his county council bid, both to Morning Call columnist Bill White and reporter Joe Nixon. "I didn't hire him to fire him," Branco claimed. While making these denials, Branco was busily writing out checks to Severson's Political Strategies, Inc. Branco's lie finally caught up with him when he filed his post-election campaign finance report.

OK, so we know he's a liar, but did you know why? Apparently, a bunch of women in Douglass Township were trying to have their way with him, and the poor bastard lost his day job as Douglass Township manager in Berks County and everything. At that time, he told me, "I won't compromise my ethics or beliefs for anybody." But I did not know the horrifying details.

Now, thanks to Northern Lehigh Valley Logic, we know what happened. The all-female Douglass Township board was trying to turn him into a sex slave or something. It must have been terrible. Fortunately, Attorney Richard Orloski has sued these dominatrices. Branco's complaint, already amended a few times, claims he's suffering mental anxiety, anguish, distress, humiliation and sleeplessness. I hope he's getting the help he needs.

Oh yeah, Tony is disabled, too. Apparently, he suffers from "anxiety," "heart disease," and even had his gall bladder plucked out. But these banshees didn't even care.

So at the time Tony was telling whoppers about using a sleaze consultant, he was valiantly defending himself from being turned into a love muffin. And I'm sure his anxiety, heart disease and gall bladder interfered with his judgment.

Perfectly understandable.

You know what really kills me? This maroon was actually appointed to Northampton County Council. Most of the rocket scientists who named him will be selecting Wayne Grube's replacement.

Northampton County Council: 2007's Workers & Slackers

If you want to see who works and who doesn't on Northampton County Council, look no further than their committees. That's where the grunt work gets done. Although Council has eight standing committees, the most active by far are the personnel and finance committees, chaired by Ann McHale and Ron Angle.

Council's standing committees conducted twenty-seven meetings last year. Every member of council is encouraged to participate in every committee. So it's a pretty accurate gauge of the time and effort each councilperson devotes to government service. The committees that meet are also a good indication of what council members think are important.

Council's busy Finance (Angle) and Personnel (McHale) committees, usually combined, met ten times, twice as often as the others. Humans Sevices (Neiper) met five times, and the result is an important baby step towards a bi-county health department. Dertinger's Open Space Committee conducted four meetings, and that means more farmland preservation.

The Intergovernmental (Branco), Judicial (McClure) and Economic Development Committees met just twice. Branco squandered an opportunity to promote regionalism with local municipalities. McClure used his committee as a political tool to bash Controller Schimmel and scream about the importance of a child exploitation unit. Dowd failed to deal with the financially troubled Bachman Publik House, leaving the entire council to deal with it twice during full meetings.

One committee failed to meet at all. Rev. Mike Dowd's Operations and Administration committee might have been helpful in addressing some of the overruns associated with the courthouse expansion, or the windows at Gracedale.

The workers?

Council member John Cusick attended 20 committee meetings last year, making him the hardest working and most dedicated council member in 2007. Nipping at his heels, with 19 meetings to her credit, is VP Diane Neiper. Both Cusick and Neiper are finishing their second year on council, and their attendance record reflects dedication. They are far ahead of their colleagues.

Must be steroids.

Five other council members - Wayne Grube, Ron Angle, Ann McHale, Tony Branco & Charles Dertinger - all have solid committee attendance records this year, ranging between a low of 9 for Dertinger and a high of 12 for McHale.

The slackers?

Rev. J. Michael Dowd attended just six meetings in 2007, very disappointing from a former council president. At the bottom of the heap is Lamont McClure, who was so busy taping robo calls he only attended five committee meetings. His inattention to detail might explain why a candidate who spent no money very nearly beat him. In last year's survey, McClure was dead last, too.

Branco's Finance Report Reveals He's a Big Fat Liar

How can I put this delicately?

To hell with it - Tony Branco is a big fat liar. He emphatically denied using campaign consultant Scissorhands Severson for his county council bid, both to Morning Call columnist Bill White and reporter Joe Nixon. "I didn't hire him to fire him."

But at the same time he was making these denials, he was busily writing out checks to Severson'sPolitical Strategies, Inc. Branco's most recent campaign finance report, filed yesterday, shows a $2,000 payment for "automated election day calls" on October 30, and a $3,500 check for mailings on October 25. In addition, he reports a $3,902.01 in-kind contribution from the Northampton County Democratic Committee on November 1 for mailing and robo calls. And as we all know, that outfit was using Severson, too.

Busted!

I'm collecting county council finance reports. They will all be posted by early next week.

Tony Branco Loses a Few More Votes With Robo Calls

By now, you'd think local pols finally understand that people detest robo calls, positive or negative. Over the last two weeks, John Maher and Tony Branco have been annoying the hell out of Northampton County voters with precisely that tactic. Here are some reactions.

Got this call 2X today. First time caller id said "unknown name" and the number. Second time it said Easton, Pa and the number. My heart stopped. I have a number of older relatives in Easton, and none of them in the best of health. My wife grabbed the phone and answered but no one was there. This is why the "Do Not Call" list should mean DO NOT CALL!! If it is for political purposes, shame on the politician who needs this kind of help. By the way, I Googled the number and all I got led me to this site. It couldn't give me any idea where the call came from.

They called me last night at 9:11 pm... hello, that's kind of late. I'm tired of getting these calls, and why so late? I don't appreciate it.

Has called four days in a row. Hangs up when I answer.

I finally got a person and it was for Lamont McClure's campaign.

Guess what? Tony's doing it again! This time, he's using a taped message from DA John Morganelli. It goes something like this: "Hi, my name is John Morganelli, and I love Tony Branco. And we both love developer Abe Atiyeh. He's helping fund Tony's campaign, and has given me $51,000 over the years. Did I tell you about this building he wants the county to buy? Whoopee!"

Here's how folks are reacting to today's calls.

Call on behalf of Northampton County, PA county council candidate received from this number.

Just had this number call. It was a recorded political ad urging me to vote for someone tomorrow. Thanks to this call disturbing my morning, I probably WON'T vote for this person now. Idiots.

On a busy Monday, I had to listen to John Morganelli tell me how to vote. But he's too busy to talk to me in person. I'll definitely be voting the other way tomorrow.

Another day. More votes flushed down the drain. Such is the brilliant political strategy of Bossman Long and his hired gun, Tom Severson.

Peg Ferraro: A Voice of Decency on Norco Council:

At-large Council members: Five of Northampton County council's nine members are at-large, elected by residents throughout the entire county.

Express Times: "The at-large race for a two-year seat pits Democratic incumbent Tony Branco against Republican Peg Ferraro. Ferraro's experience in local government, including 12 years on council, and her nonconfrontational approach to problem solving make her the choice. She supports a bi-county health department and a new prison for nonviolent offenders."

Morning Call: "Return Republican Peg Ferraro to get rid of Democrat Tony Branco. Her experience gives her the advantage, and we don't know what positive thing Mr. Branco has done since party cronies placed him on council -- after the voters wanted no part of him."

Both newspapers are right.

I tried hard to like Tony Branco, but he's just a lousy council member. In addition to going dark against Ferraro, he has one of council's worst attendance records. His county council gig takes second place to his day job. Liaison reports for the gambling impact study committee must be provided by a member of the public because Branco, who is council's liaison, attends no meetings. He collects campaign money from "pay to play" developers, who just happen to be pressuring the county to buy one of their sites for the prisoner treatment program. And Branco is part of a council cabal that incredibly tried to force a bloated IT contract down taxpayer throats, nearly costing them $1.8 million. He has so little regard for the voter he failed to complete the questionnaire for the Voters' Guide prepared by the Lehigh Valley Valley LWV.

Over the years, Peg Ferraro has driven me nutz. I've disagreed, and very intensely, with some of her prior votes on council. But like other prior council members like Joe Brennan or Ron Heckman, I respected her decisions because they were her own.

And in the interest of full disclosure, I better make something clear. I've known Peg for many years. She and her late husband, Dominic, were very close to my mom and dad. My father used to torture her poor husband on sailing trips. He'd post poor Dominic at the bow as a lookout for shallow water. When we'd run aground, we'd know because Dominic would catapult into the drink. Fortunately, alcohol kept him afloat until we'd fish him out.

My dad: "You know what I like about you?"

Dominic: "What?"

My dad: "Nothing."

And so on.

When my dad, and later my mom, became ill and passed away, Peg was there for both of them. She'd even bring us covered dishes. During times like that, you learn who really does care. Peg is just a good person. That's why her voice belongs on county council. We could always use a few decent people.

Branco's Blogspot Goes Bye Bye

In an omen of things to come, the Branco for Council blogspot has vanished.

Poof!

That web page had asked voters to "re-elect" Northampton County Council candidate Tony Branco. That's odd because Branco, who claims he never looks at blogs, was actually appointed to a council vacancy after losing the election.

Branco & McHale Seek Last Minute Votes at Norco Council Meeting

A good seat in the peanut gallery was easy to find at last night's forty minute meeting of Northampton County council. Aside from department heads and press, I counted only ten people, and three of these were council candidates. A light agenda was obviously intended to avoid controversy on election eve. But two members, Ann McHale and Tony Branco, used their incumbency to grab some last-minute votes.

McHale had some fellow there, ostensibly for a "healthcare presentation," but this was just a thinly disguised attempt to heap praise on McHale for saving the county a gazillion dollars. Ann modestly stated, "I was willing to provide the impetus a few years ago to get this done." McClure heaped praise on McHale, and even Angle chimed in. McHale regally nodded.

Branco asked council to contribute $1,000 to the American Red Cross. No particular reason. No emergency. "I think it's a fundraiser," is the only justification Branco provided. Hey, it's only money. The sole council member to vote against this "feel good" grant was John Cusick, who doesn't have to worry about an election for another two years.

Last night's council meeting demonstrates one thing - the advantage of incumbency.

DA Morganelli Should Take His Own Advice Concerning Campaign Finance Laws, and Enforce Them in Northampton County

Maureen Lally-Green is a Republican superior court judge seeking one of two open seats on the state supreme court. She's getting a little outside help from Virgina-based Center for Individual Freedom (CFI). That group recently launched what it calls a "public education effort" that thanks Maureen for being tough on violent criminals and adhering to established law and precedent. Lally-Green's camp views these ads as a "gift." An expensive one, too! Estimates about the cost of this advertising are at $750,000.

In an agreement with Republican Attorney General Tom Corbett, CFI may run ads except for those that "expressly advocate" the election or defeat of candidates.

Enter Attorney General hopeful John Morganelli.

In a news release issued this afternoon, he demands immediate action. "[W]e need the attorney general to immediately seek an injunction against the Center to stop this blatant violation of the law that can only do irreparable harm in the closing days before the election. It is clear that the only remedy that will stop this in the future and obligate political committees who want to influence Pennsylvania elections to comply with our law is a remedy that will stop this end run around the law in its tracks."

I'd like John Morganelli, AG hopeful, to meet John Morganelli, Northampton County District Attorney.

For weeks, Ron Angle and Peg Ferraro, candidates for county council, have been besieged by slimy and anonymous robo calls and negative mailers. Their opponents, John Maher and Tony Branco, have both acknowledged this is the work of political consultant Tom Severson. And yesterday, Maher amended his campaign finance report to reflect a $4,888.35 in-kind contribution from the Northampton County Democratic Committee for "design mailing" and robo calls. Yet this is reflected nowhere in the party's latest finance report.

Obviously, the slime campaign against Angle and Ferraro is flying under the radar.

In his news release, Morganelli notes that (1) CFI is a politcal committee; (2) is attempting to influence the election; (3) is subject to campaign finance reporting laws; and (4) should be required to list its contributors and expenditures.

Well, The Northampton County Democratic Committee is a political committee, too. It's trying to influence the election just as much as CFI, and must list its contributors and expenditures.

Like CFI, the local Dem party is violating election laws. There has been no accounting for the money raised or spent in the smear campaign being orchestrated against Angle and Ferraro. So I urge John to take his own advice and seek an immediate injunction against the Northampton County Democratic Committee. "[W]e need the [district attorney] to immediately seek an injunction against the [Norco Democratic Committee] to stop this blatant violation of the law that can only do irreparable harm in the closing days before the election. It is clear that the only remedy that will stop this in the future and obligate political committees who want to influence Pennsylvania elections to comply with our law is a remedy that will stop this end run around the law in its tracks."

Update: In fairness to John, he may have a conflict of interest investigating the local Democratic committee, and is a friend of political consultant Tom Severson. But for years now, there has been no oversight of political shenanigans, and this should be referred to the state AG with the same urgency as John's concerns about CIF.

Norco Dem Party Funding Maher's Sleaze Campaign

As recently as Monday night, John Maher was insisting he had nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with the smear campaign being directed at his opponent for Northampton County Council, Ron Angle. "I am running a very positive campaign. Someone else in the district has taken up the banner. It's not part of my campaign." So far, nine separate sleaze mailers have been directed at Angle, accusing him of everything, from stealing kids' Halloween candy to devil worship. I've lost count of the number of anonymous robo calls.

Well, guess what? Maher has just amended his campaign finance report to report a $4,888.35 in-kind contribution from the Northampton County Democratic Committee, made on October 20. This in-kind contribution consists of design mailing and introductory phone calls.

Since the reporting cycle ended October 22, the mailers and phone calls that have followed are not included in that report. But reporting laws require contributions of $500 or more must be reported within twenty-four hours after they are made. Angle tells me that, since October 22, three mailers have gone out, blasting him. In addition to that, there have been six evenings of anonymous robo calls. The cost for each of these items is over $500. Yet, no twenty-four hour report has been filed.

Wait, it gets better. Angle tells me Maher has suddenly just remembered that he gave Bossman Long a check for $8,000 so that the local party could run its mailers and anonymous robocalls. What's more, Maher seems to remember that some other Dems kicked in for this, too! Yet for some odd reason, nothing I'm telling you appears on the latest finance report filed by the local Democratic party. That report reveals no expenditures on behalf of anyone. It fails to list Maher's contribution, or those from some other Dems. Maybe Joe Long forgot, too.

We now know what's going on. The local party is running the smear campaign so that machine pols like Maher and his pal, Tony Branco, can claim innocence, pretending they are running "positive" campaigns.

Busted!

Branco: No Response to LWV Questionnaire

LehighValleyHousewife does her homework. Before deciding on which candidate to support, she always checks the only voter's guide in this area, the one prepared by the Lehigh Valley Valley LWV. Amazingly, Tony Branco is the only candidate seeking county office who failed to respond to this single question, “What do you view as the major issue in this campaign and how will you address it?”

If he can't take the time to answer one question, can we really expect him to answer citizen concerns once he's in office?

Peg Ferraro Will Do Some Branco-Bustin' Tonight!

Tonight, at 7 PM, the Lehigh Valley League of Women Voters will sponsor a candidates' night for all Northampton County Council wannabes. This forum will be hosted by St. John’s United Church of Christ, Broad and Prospect Streets, Nazareth, PA. The LWV has a lousy debate format, unlike Pen Argyl's Debate at the Slate or the Express Times' Debate at the State. But as is usual here in the People's Republic of Northampton County, two of the races have become downright squirrelly. Anonymous robo calls have targeted both Ron Angle and Peg Ferraro with vicious smears, and their opponents refuse to intervene and stop it. So I suspect Angle will be lighting a few firecrackers against his hapless opponent, Machine Man Maher. And Peg Ferraro will do some Branco-busting.

I've always wanted to be in the League of Women Voters. If I were, I'd blow Tony Branco a few kisses and ask these questions before the voters send him packing on November 6.

1) Who does Tony represent anyway, citizens or pay to play developers?

That's a question that The Express Times' Sarah Cassi seems to ask. You see, Tony wants the county to buy a Lou "Pay to Play" Pektor property in West Easton and then team up with Allentown's Rajah of Rezoning, Abe Atiyeh, to build some goofy combination assisted-living and prison center for nonviolent types. Sarah notes that Branco accepted $1,000 from Atiyeh before the primary.

Here's how Tony explains everything. "Just because I got a donation doesn't mean they own my vote. If it's a good property, I'll vote for it. If it's a bad property I won't vote for it." Incidentally, Branco thinks it's a good property.

When I asked Branco myself about this on Friday night, he told me, "If you think $1,000 buys my vote, I have a bridge ... ."

OK. How about $2,000? You see, Lou "Pay to Play" Pektor gave Tony a $1,000 check too, and that was on October 13.

No? How about $4,400? Last time Branco ran for county council, and lost, he raked in $2,400 from Atiyeh, Pektor and another developer named Tuskes.

No? How about $5,400? You see, this dude named Ramzi Haddad also kicked in $1,000 for Branco's campaign on October 1. Who's he? Why, he just happens to be Atiyeh's business partner at Brookside Construction and Easton Ventures. They've worked together on everything from Easton's Cinema Paradiso to Nazareth's racetrack to Hellertown's movie theater.

2) Who does Tony represent anyway, citizens or prospective county contractors?

That's a question that Morning Call columnist Bill White seems to ask. You see, Tony is part of a Northampton County Council majority that incredibly tried to force county exec Stoffa to accept a bloated IT contract that was $1.8 million higher than the amount that was finally bid. Tony told Bill he was concerned about "the process." Here's Bill's retort: "I prefer to talk about the election process, which we'll be conducting this November.

If you live in a district being served by McClure, McHale or Branco -- all of whom are facing opposition for re-election -- write '$1.8 million' on a slip of paper and stick it someplace where you'll see it every day."

3) Does Tony let his day job interfere with his gig on county council?

According to mapquest, Branco has a 1 1/2 hour daily commute to his new, $62,000 per year, day job as Topton Borough manager. Last week, he missed an important county council annual budget hearing because his day job had him at a seminar. Branco's previous gig, Douglas Township manager, also involved a long commute and resulted in him missing meetings. Where do his loyalties lie, with the county or whatever municipality he happens to be working for this week?

4) Why did Tony break his promise to meet with municipalities?

When he auditioned for county council, Tony claimed his top priority was to "sit down with local municipalities to discuss a lot of the problems they are facing. A lot of local zoning plans did not foresee the large influx of growth actually taking place." Sounds pretty good, huh? After all, three times over the past three years, communities along the Delaware River have been ravaged by floods. Council not only appointed Branco; they named him their intergovernmental committee chair.

Branco repaid council by failing to conduct a single meeting in 2006.

He's conducted two or three meetings this election year, but has come up with no proposals for zoning or flooding. Although a top county priority is regionalization, that can't happen when the intergovernmental committee fails to conduct meetings.

5) If Branco really wants to sit on county council, why such a lousy attendance record?

Northampton County Council has eight standing committees, which conducted twenty-two meetings last year. Every member of council is encouraged to participate in every committee. So it's a pretty accurate gauge of the time and effort each councilperson devotes to government service. In addition to his failure to schedule a single meeting of the intergovernmental committee, Branco attended just seven committee meetings in 2006. The only council members with worse records are Lamont McClure and Charles Dertinger.

So how about this year? So far, he has missed four full meetings of county council. (3/25, 5/17, 7/19 and 10/19).

6) Why does Tony have such a lousy attitude towards public participation in local government?

In one of his last actions on Hellertown Borough Council, Branco was among those who imposed a five minute limit on public comment during borough council meetings. That rule exists in Bethlehem and Northampton County, and is there to insure that everyone is heard. But in Hellertown, Branco complained that meetings were just taking too long, and claimed he wanted to be home by 10 PM. A councilperson should be more interested in letting everyone speak than in being home early.

7) Why did Tony refuse to stop the negative robo calls?

On Friday night, after being made aware of negative and anonymous robo calls being directed at Peg Ferraro, Branco called her to apologize. He claimed he was "upset" and "mad" over what had happened. Yet he refused to fire his campaign consultant, known for these dirty tricks. As a result, the calls continued again on Saturday night. Doesn't he realize this type of campaign just discourages good people from voting?

Let's face it. This Branco needs bustin'.

Slime From Branco's Camp Continues

When I spoke with Northampton County Council candidate Tony Branco on Friday night, he refused to end his association with the sleazy political consultant he's hired to bash his opponent with robo calls. And last night, the negative phone calls continued. Voters were told, "Peggy Ferraro has repeatedly ran and ran and ran for public office... ."

Negative campaigning is bad enough. But now we've got negative campaigning with poor grammar, too.

Tony Branco Doth Protest Too Much

This morning, I told you about dirty campaigning in the at-large race for Northampton County council. Anonymous robo calls, made mostly at dinnertime, sent Peg Ferraro right into kitchen garbage disposal units. A sample of one of these recordings is here.

Early this evening, I spoke with an upset Tony Branco. He admits he's using Tom Severson, the Darth Vader of Sleaze, to run his campaign. He even admits that he has prepared robo calls.

Just not that one.

"I don't believe in dirty politics. That's not what I'm about. I'm upset. In fact, I'm mad."

I'd like to believe Tony. But I'm having trouble, and here's why. First, when I told Branco he could listen to the robo call on my blog or at NewsOverCoffee, he told me he's not into blogs. That's pretty odd, because Tony has set one up for himself. In it, he asks voters to "re-elect" him, even though he was never elected to council. He was selected, not elected. Second, after telling me he does not read blogs, he called tonight to ask why I pointed out he was MIA during yesterday's budget hearing. He actually thinks his day job has priority over his obligation to the people he supposedly serves. Third, he refuses to rid himself of Severson, the sleazy consultant who engineered those robo calls.

I used to think Tony was a good guy who was just listening to the wrong people. I now think he may have been one of those wrong people all along.

Barron, Angle & Ferraro Shine in Debate at the Slate

Nearly fifty people braved cold and wet weather last night for what is fast becoming the Lehigh Valley's most widely informative and entertaining debate for political hopefuls. You see, no one watches TV in the slate belt. They instead spend their evenings shooting at each other, going to meetings and talking politics. So the Pen Argyl Area Concerned Citizens decided a few years ago to just invite the candidates up for a night of give and take. And the result has been a smashing success, not just for the candidates, but for the rest of us as well.

The format is terrific. Each candidate makes a brief opening statement. After that, a three member panel poses tough questions, followed by even tougher inquiries from the public. After we all have our say, candidates cross-examine each other.

Several luminaries attended the festivities, including fellow bloggers Chris Casey, WindGapper & RadRalph. And although he started his day with a 7:30 AM speech, Northampton County Exec John Stoffa was there, too, giving me dirty looks. Maybe his wife is mad at him and he was afraid to go home.

Let me give you the play by play.

County Controller candidates: Steve Barron (D) v. John Schimmel (R). - Barron Pulls an Upset.

When I first told you about last night's debate, I told you the main event would be Ron Angle, who even wore a suit. But the biggest surprise is relative newcomer Steve Barron, who did so well against twelve year controller John Schimmel. I didn't see that one coming. I don't think Steve did either. I shook hands with him before the debate, and he was very nervous. He needn't have been.

Bethlehemite Barron was in Schimmel country last night. Schimmel has lived in the slate belt for thirty-eight years, and noted this almost as soon as he started speaking. But by the time the dust had settled, Barron had won the crowd.

Although not a public accountant like Schimmel, Barron is certainly qualified. He currently manages 28-32 employees and a $100 million budget. And while attending law school, he performed audits for the state of Delaware. But what impressed most was Barron's insistence that the controller job be full-time. "You cannot manage a $340 million budget if you do it part-time." Asked how he could survive on a $39,000 salary, Barron claimed that would actually be a payraise for him. Schimmel smirked, and people noticed. At first, Schimmel claimed his office was only 0.8 miles from the courthouse, but by the end of the evening, he said he'd commit himself full-time if the county charter is changed.

Schimmel was very defensive about the embezzlement that Northampton County suffered last year, mentioning it several times, even though Barron himself did not make it an issue. Schimmel even tried blaming county council audit requests. "It tied us up quite a bit," and then started questioning Barron's auditing experience before he was permitted to question him.

One thing bothers me about Barron, and that's his close ties to many of the Democrats on council. Would he let them use him as a political tool? Amazingly, someone asked Barron about that, and he responded very convincingly. He claimed his best friend is actually a Republican, but would stop being his best friend if he stole from the county. He also made clear that he has no role to play in county policy. "This office cannot be political."

Barron's final point pretty much says it all. "Look at what experience has gotten you. It's got offices that have gone unaudited for decades."

Plainfield Township Supervisor candidates: Randy Heard (D) v. Glenn Borger (R). Heard Wins Because He's a Dentist.

These guys should flip a coin or something. Pretty much all I heard was "I agree with Randy" and "I agree with Glenn." There were no discernible differences. But Heard is a dentist and they scare the shit out of me, so I'll call him the winner. Actually, Heard has a keen interest in local government and has been attending meetings for years. They were both likable and both would benefit Plainfield Township.

County Council at large candidates: Peg Ferraro (R) v. Tony Branco (D). Ferraro Wins.

Peg has thirty years of government service, and twelve of them have been on Northampton County Council. She's won some races and has lost a few, too. That prompted a question about why she would want to do it again, especially since she'll have to run again in two years.

"It's a genetic defect," she answered. After we stopped laughing, she explained that she grew up with it and enjoys it.

Her biggest concern is our out of control prison population. And last night, she embraced Stoffa's proposal that we start adopting programs for inmates that combat recidivism. She also spoke favorably about the very controversial bicounty health bureau, giving it some cautious support.

That's not the Peg I know. In years past, she has always been reluctant to take positions until absolutely necessary. But she's become very relaxed and really opened up last night. I liked what I saw.

Like Peg, Tony Branco is very personable and charming. And he sounded more like a councilman last night than he has on council. But Tony is also one of the council members who strangely rejected a routine Stoffa request to rebid a county contract. He was concerned that doing so would penalize a bidder who did everything right. But he forgets his allegiance is to taxpayers, not county vendors. Stoffa ultimately ignored council and rebid the contract, saving taxpayers $1.8 million over the amount that was originally bid by that same vendor. Branco had no explanation for his actions last night, or for his refusal to listen to the advice given by council's own lawyer.

County Council District 4 candidates: Ron Angle (R) v. John Maher (D)

Let me tell you the difference between these two guys. Ron Angle started things off by noting, "I see a few ringers in the crowd." And there were, too! He stood up, brash as ever, and flatly told the crowd, "This race isn't about me. It isn't about the guy next to me. It's about good government. We have an exec who believes in good government, so I'll support him. It doesn't matter if he's in my party." By contrast, Maher read from a script in which he at one point called Angle an "antagonistic life long politician." At this, Angle smiled and shrugged.

After slamming Angle, Maher proceeded to claim that he's from the "corporate culture" and is one of those "consensus builders" who believes that the majority should decide and that government must be conducted openly.

I asked Maher to reconcile that claim with his participation in the local party machine. Twenty Democratic committeemen, mostly from Bethlehem, chose him as the slate belt endorsed candidate in some dark Nazareth bar. All he could say was that he went to the party. At another point, he claimed he's "come up through the ranks of the party system." He even said the party should "close ranks." He's clearly a machine pol.

Maher, relying on his experience in the "corporate culture," even tried to defend council's goofy decision to try and award a bid to a high bidder. I believe Maher should continue his experience in the corporate world and leave governing to officials who will look out for the taxpayers.

Angle, by contrast, claimed it is time for the county to get back to the basics - courts and prisons, row offices and human services. He pointed out that, when he was first elected to county council eight years ago, Northampton County was a corrupt government. Two people ended up in jail. He admitted he can be divisive, but also pointed out, "I know the difference between right and wrong. Four people want to go back to the wrong, and he [Maher] wants to join them."

(Photos courtesy of Wind Gapper)

Update: The Morning Call has a well-written report of last night's debate.

Portland's "Nonpolitical" Masons Exclude Ron Angle From Event Open to Public

Portland's Masonic Lodge celebrated its 150th birthday yesterday. Festivities included a dinner, dedication of a new slate sign and an Eagle Scout project. The Pocono Record claimed, "Everyone is invited to attend."

Everyone except Ron Angle.

Councilman Ron Angle, represents Northampton County's slate belt district, and decided to attend this public event. He was actually personally invited by some masons. He arrived armed with a plaque, commending this fraternal group, although I frankly don't know what exactly it has done.

While standing in the parking lot and speaking to Portland Mayor Kay Bucci, Angle was approached by "Worshipful Master" Larry Bruen.

"I wish you'd reconsider attending tonight's dinner, Ron."

"Are you telling me I can't go in?"

"I didn't say that. I'm just asking you to reconsider."

Also standing in the parking lot was Pennsylvania's very own Grand Master, Ronald August. He agreed to go in and sort out the problem. After going inside for a time, somber and apologetic faces emerged. Angle was told he was unwelcome.

"Why not?"

"Charles Dertinger claims you don't like masons."

Now let me tell you why Angle was really banished from this public event. Council member Charles Dertinger, himself a long-time mason in Portland, was there with his own commemorative plaque. And Tony Branco was his guest. You see, Tony is running for election to an at large seat on Northampton County Council. And since no one knows Tony outside of Hellertown, Charles is trying to get poor Tony a few votes.

But the last person he wanted to see was Ron Angle, who's also running for reelection. He didn't mind shaking a few hands to help out Tony, but didn't want Angle to benefit in any way. He was afraid Angle, as he usually does, would steal their thunder. So he duped this supposedly nonpolitical group to prevent Angle from attending an event that was supposed to be open to all.

Charles' brother, Sean C. Dertinger, is actually the secretary of his esteemed organization, which refuses to admit women as members.

Why would anyone, on council or not, want to congratulate a group that excludes women as members? Why would Masons, in the presence of their Grand Dragon or whatever they call him, allow themselves to be used by Dertinger for partisan politics? Why would it ask one member of county council to leave a celebration supposedly open to all? Why would it permit two other council members to remain?

Norco Councilman Tony Branco: "I Won't Compromise My Ethics or Beliefs For Anybody"

I told you yesterday that Northampton County Councilman Tony Branco has lost his day job as Douglass Township manager in Berks County. I spoke with him today. He could not go into details but said this, "I won't compromise my ethics or beliefs for anybody." I suspect there's much more to this story.

Norco Councilman Tony Branco Loses His Day Job

Northampton County Councilman Tony Branco has complained, even to me, of his long daily commute to and from his job as Douglass Township manager in Berks County. Unfortunately, he lost his job there a few days ago. I don't know any details. He does have a commanding knowledge of township and borough laws, and is a likable fellow, so this surprises me. I hope he finds a new job closer to home.

Northampton County's Branco Busters

Tony Branco, an at-large Northampton County councilman, is up for election this year. Notice I said "election," not re-election. He lost when he ran for the office, and was later appointed to fill a vacancy.

Although very likable and sincere, Branco's record is undistinguished. Before his appointment, he told council he'd "sit down with local municipalities to discuss a lot of the problems they are facing." But his intergovernmental committee failed to meet even once last year. He attended just seven of council's twenty-two committee hearings. He's not vey well known outside Hellertown. He's vulnerable.

It's no secret that popular Peg Ferraro intends to challenge Branco. Her impending candidacy prompted a Democratic committeeman to declare, "Peg Ferraro will lay waste to Tony Branco for the at-large seat, with even me voting for her. Peg's a good woman and smart." I think it's a safe bet she'd attract Democratic votes.

But Peg herself may be facing a primary, and that's got to be good news for Tony Branco. John Cusick is a Republican county councilman and committeeman to boot. Inside word is that he has recruited someone from Williams Township to face Ferraro.

When Ferraro confronted Cusick, he supposedly denied knowing she intended to run. "Gee, I wish I had known you intended to run."

Right. And the check is in the mail.

It's nice to see Northampton County Republicans are screwed up, too.

NorCo Council Gives Bethlehem Knights of Ni . . . A SHRUBBERY!!!

"Every time it rains, it rains . . . pennies from heaven.
Don't you know each cloud contains . . . pennies from heaven."

That's not exactly how Gracedale residents feel. Every time it rains, they get soaked. Leaking windows have been a problem for years. And last night, a Cowan Associates engineer told Northampton County Council it will cost the county $2.7 million to fix that problem. This is in addition to the $2 0r $3 million in cost overruns for the judges' new palace. And the $482,000 that council wants to spend, just to renovate their own crib. And the millions that have to be spent, and soon, for another prison expansion because the prison expansion we're still building is already near capacity. And the millions the county intends to spend for yet another real estate acquisition. And let's not forget that new contract for county employees, which should cost another $3 0r $4 million.

Do you get the idea that Gracedale's windows aren't the only things leaking? The county is bleeding money, and there's no end in sight.

Last night, county council had an opportunity to get some of that money back. Get this. Five years ago, the county gave Bethlehem $13 million to build a frickin' road. The county didn't really have $13 million. It borrowed the money and has actually indebted itself to the tune of $26 million so that Bethlehem could build a road. But even Bethlehem was unable to blow $13 million on a 4,000 foot road. It spent under $11 million. And guess what? Bethlehem wanted to use the remaining money to build another road! It turns out the city can't do that legally, So now, the knights of Ni in Bethlehem insist on that dough for shrubbery and signs. They demand . . . a SHRUBBERY!

Knight of Ni: One that looks nice.
King Wayne: Of course!
Knight of Ni: And not too expensive.
King Wayne: Yes!
Knight of Ni: Noowwwww.... GO!

Sounds silly, doesn't it? Wait, this gets better.

Council members Ron Angle, John Cusick and Tony Branco sponsored an ordinance to get $2.2 million of that money back. The ordinance was drafted so that Bethlehem could keep $200,000 for . . . A SHRUBBERY! But the knights of Ni had their hearts set on something else.

Knight of Ni: ANOTHER SHRUBBERY!
King Wayne: Oh not another shrubbery!!
Knight of Ni: Then, when you have found the shrubbery, you must cut down the mightiest tree in the forest... Wiiiiiithh.... A HERRING!

That's right, bippy. Bethlehem wants about $700,000 so it can plant shrubs and stop signs along a road it previously claimed was done.

County Executive Stoffa wanted that money for the prison. He previously told Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan that the county must "identify all the funds it can find to address our Prison overcrowding issue." And last night, he told council, "I'm not King Midas." So what did King Wayne and his Knights of the Obtuse Table decide? They refused to take back a dime. In the end, only Cusick, Angle and Dowd voted for the ordinance. Even Tony Branco, who had sponsored the ordinance, ended up voting against it.

Councilperson Ann McHale called this shrubbery "the icing on the cake." I'm sure county workers who've seen no payraises for nearly four years will be thrilled at this waste of public money. So will cold and wet Gracedale residents. But council members know that Bethlehem has more votes than a bunch of senior citizens in Gracedale.

Getting elected is far more important than good government to most politicians, and last night was a perfect illustration.

Dems Find Someone to Run Against Angle in Northampton County

Slate Belt Concerned Citizens, an unregistered group partially funded by retail unions, was a vocal opponent of the Wal-Mart and Lowes proposed in Wind Gap. One of its organizers, spokesperson John F Maher, is a tireless worker who poured his own money into the effort as well.

Northampton County had unbelievably donated $3 million from its $111 million megabond to develop a road for this project. It had resisted numerous efforts by Ron Angle to kill the project. Last June, Maher's group had enough. It sued.

Just a few weeks ago, Wal-Mart's developer, National Realty and Development Corporation, packed up its tent and returned to New York. It was a terrific and rare victory for the little guy. Maher withdrew the lawsuit, quitting while he was ahead, something that never stopped me.

Today, Maher told me he intends to run for county council. "Yep Bernie, I'm running as a Democrat for the 4th district of Northampton County Council. I 1st need to win the primary, then I'll oppose Ron!"

I admire John, but wish he were running for an at large seat instead of facing Angle. Maher would easily defeat Tony Branco. Branco is an appointed councilman who has failed to distinguish himself, to put it charitably.

It's one thing to go after Wal-Mart. But going after Ron Angle in his own district? That's just nuts.