Following the Money - NorCo Council GOP Candidates Campo and Martinez Raise $23,485

Of the five Republicans seeking seats on NorCo Council, Dan Campo and Juan Martinez are immigrants who would bring diversity to the county's governing body. Campo is a commercial pilot while Martinez is a successful businessman whose Don Juan Tex Mex restaurant chain is very popular. Neither has ever run for office, but both have done quite well in raising money in their bids to win. 

Campo (you can see his report here) started in June with $1,090.40, and raised $15,285.00 through October 20. This gave him a total warchest of $16,375.40. He's spent $12,223.36, leaving him with $2,607.86 for the closing days of the campaign.

Like his Republican running mate Sam Elias, Camp has a great deal of grass roots support. He received $2,860 in small contributions ($50 to $250) from 23 individual donors. 

But Campo also had three large donors. The Greater LV Ass'n of Realtors kicked in $3,500, and Flexicon's David Gill donated $2,000. But his biggest contributor was Richard Picut for $5,000. Picut 's company does industrial machinery, so he's not looking for a county handout. 

Martinez (you can see his report here) started in June with $3,877.90, and raised $8,200 through October 20. This gave him a total treasury of $12,077.09, of which he spent $9,715.52. This leas him with $2,362.38 for the closing days of the race. 

Martinez had only 8 small donors ($50-250), for they include former congressional candidate Maria Montero, Lou Pektor and Att'y Blake Marles.

His large contributors include Greater LV Ass'n of Realtors ($3,500), retired attorney Charles Baltic III ($1,000), Mathew Pezon ($1,000) who runs a home-buying business and several restauranteurs. 

He took a $400 in-kind contribution for some kind of cigar party. 

Finally, he lent his campaign $1,000. 

Both of these candidates have compelling life stories, the kind that would appeal to Democrats. But it appears that no effort was made to reach out to Democrats. 

UPDATED: Following the Money - Sam Elias Has More Grassroots Support than Anyone in NorCo Races

I've written about the campaign finances of the five Democrats running for NorCo Council. Five Republicans are in the hunt, too. What about their campaign finance reports? I'll start with Sam Elias, a Bethlehem police officer seeking office for the first time. His job alone makes him popular. So does his Lebanese heritage. There are only about 700 Lebanese families in the county, but they are very vocal and very persuasive.  Sam's report (you can see it here) reveals that he's raised more money, not counting in-kinds, than any of the other County Council candidates. Moreover, he's received more of the smaller ($250 or less) donations than any of the candidates running, including Tara Zrinski. Does this mean he's going to win? No, but it is a very positive sign.

According to his report, Elias started with $2432.52 in June and raised $17,775.00 through June 20, giving him a total warchest of $20,207.52. He's kept $12,164.26 for the final push, which makes sense because many Republicans and independents wait to vote until election day. 

He received $2,000 in donations of $50 or less, and $9,825 in 73 individual contributions of $250 or less. That's two more than Tara Zrinski, who's leading the charge for county Dems as the Exec candidate. 

Elias was the top vote getter in the Republican primary, and I think it is highly likely he wins a seat on Council.  

Updated 9:35 am: In my original version, I reported some large contributions that actually went to another candidate, not Elias. He actually rejected a contribution from the realtors because of their affiliation with and endorsement of Josh Siegel, whose anti-police rhetoric was a staple of his agenda as a member of Allentown City Council. 

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).

Brown and Goffredo Attack Zrinski Over Campaign Donations

At last week's finance committee, and again during the full meeting of NorCo Council, members John Brown and John Goffredo attempted to claim that Controller Tara Zrinski violated the Home Rule Charter, Administrative Code and even the state ethics act by accepting $13,425 in campaign contributions from Executive Lamont McClure and other county employees. These include several members of McClure's cabinet and the District Attorney. Her office audits all county departments, so this without question does tend to compromise her independence. But contrary to the assertions made by Brown and Goffredo, these donations are completely legal. Moreover, her willingness to take money from people employed by the county is precisely what Brown did when he was Executive. His hypocrisy is stunning.

Hate the game, not the player. 

It's certainly true that Zrinski did accept $13,425 from county staff. The largest of these was McClure's $10,000. Eight other contributors include Human Services Director Sue Wandalowski ($600), Solicitor Missy Rudas ($750), Human Resources Director Mary Kaboly ($500), Public Works Director Mike Emili ($250), DCED Director Tina Smith ($250), Ass't Solicitor Mike Corriere ($500), and Deputy Controller Mark Aurand ($75). These are all exempt employees. They are political appointments. Nothing in the Home Rule Charter, Administrative Code or state ethics act makes these contributions in any way illegal.

In fact, the Home Rule Charter specifically authorizes political activity so long as it is done on an employee's own time. (Judicial employees are restricted as a condition of employment). 

I've often referred to this type of donation as legal bribery. Back in 2008, Northampton County Council did consider a feeble attempt at campaign finance reform that went nowhere. Former Council member Diane Neiper said "I'm not in favor of this. It's my right to raise as much money as I want to run my campaign." Several other council members, including Peg Ferraro, John Cusick and Wayne Grube, agreed. And Ann McHale noted that, whatever limits are imposed, creative people will find a way around them.

The most meaningful change in NorCo came from Executive Lamont McClure, who on his own initiative directed that campaign finance reports be posted online so we can at least follow the money and connect the dots. 

John Brown insisted that the donations made to Zrinski were illegal. 

"It violates state ethics. 

"It violates the home charter.

"It violates the administrative code. 

"So I pointed that out. If that's not the case, then, too bad."

It's not the case. Brown should know this because it's precisely what he did in his failed 2017 campaign against McClure. 

Brown's warchest included payments from county appointees who owed their jobs or titles to him. They included Dave Ceraul (Ass't Solicitor - $2,500); Dave Backenstoe (Ass't Solicitor - $1,000); Michael Snover ( Ass't Solicitor - $400); Robert Miklas (Assessment Appeals Board - $500); Dick McAteer (Assessment Appeals Board - $500); Tim Herlinger ($400, DCED); and $200 each from Dan O'Donnell (Ass't Solicitor), Dan Keen (Corrections Director), Ryan Durkin (Solicitor), Jim Hunter (Fiscal Affairs Director), David Dalrymple (Sheriff), Dan Trapp (husband of Human Resources Director Amy Trapp) and Public Works Director Stan Rugis.

There is nothing illegal or even unusual about an elected official who accepts campaign contributions from people who work for the county or who serve on county boards. It is only illegal if the payments are made as a condition of keeping the job.

Brown also accepted donations from current and prospective vendors.
- Christopher B Baily is President of Premier Healthcare Resources, which managed the county-owned nursing home. He contributed $970.70.
- Charlie Chrin had connections to Northampton County through his Route 33 TIF and landfill,
- Capital Blue administered the county's health plan, and Sales VP Vicki Doule donated $1,000.
- Thomas Boles works for C3, which had its tentacles throughout Northampton County, and was largely responsible for Brown's decision to cut medical benefits. He donated $1,000 to Brown.

If NorCo Council members John Brown and John Goffredo were seriously interested in campaign finance reform, they would have long ago introduced legislation that limit contributions and impose bans that would prevent vendors from doing any business with the county within a two-year time period after the donation. 

I won't hold my breath. 

Following the Money: Zrinski Spent $86k in Dem NorCo Exec Primary; GOP Giovanni

Northampton County Controller Tara Zrinski was able to beat Amy Cozze for the Democratic nomination as NorCo Exec in the May primary. She garnered 56.78% of the vote, beating Cozze by over 3,000 votes. But she spent a lot of money doing so.  According to her pre- and post-primary reports, she spent $86,273.72, relied on $35,000 in in-kind contributions. She's also over $13,000 in debt.

She enters the general election against Republican Tom Giovanni with just $4,327.15 and a donor base that might very well be tapped out. 

In addition to waging a negative campaign that gave Giovanni lots of ammunition, Amy Cozze forced Zrinski and many of her supporters to spend money they may be unable to provide in the general election. 

Unlike Zrinski, Giovanni had no primary opponent. He was able to coast and has $4,929.21 in his treasury.

UPDATED: Three Candidates Running for Wind Gap Magisterial Seat

Magisterial district judges, sometimes called the peoples' courts, are the frontline of our state's justice system. They handle the lion's share of cases, from neighborhood squabbles to landlord and tenant disputes to parking tickets. A magisterial district judge must be 21 and a state resident who has lived in the magisterial district for at least one year before assuming office. Terms last for six years, and nothing prevents other employment, though that is becoming less common. A minor court jurist can an attorney, but can be a nonlawyer as well, so long as he he can complete the training to be certified by the Administrative Office of Pa. Courts. Salary is $113,713 and is tied to the cost-of-living index, so it goes up each year. This year there is one open magisterial district in Northampton County, and three people are in the hunt. The three candidates running are Ellen Kingsley, an assistant District Attorney; Rob Kemmerer, former Director of Northampton County's Pretrial Services Department (he actually resigned that position to run); and Matt Flower, This district covers Bath, Chapman, Stockertown, Wind Gap, Bushkill Township, Moore Township - Phillips and Eastern Districts and Plainfield Township - Plainfield Church District. The purpose of this post is to describe the three candidates and where they are getting their money. 

Ellen Kingsley. - A 1999 graduate of Widener School of Law, she has primarily practiced family law. She is also an Assistant District Attorney, where she serves as Chief of the Domestic Violence Unit. District Attorney Steve Baratta told County Council last week, "If she is fortunate enough to win, it will be a big loss [to his office]." 

Here's her campaign as she summarizes it herself:

"In order to serve as Magisterial District Judge, you either need to be an attorney and member of the bar of the PA Supreme Court or be "certified" by the Minor Judiciary Education Board. To get certified candidates who aren't lawyers need to attend a 4-week course in Harrisburg. It is not required of attorneys since they have a law degree and, usually, experience. My three-year law degree, 26 years of experience in both civil and criminal law, including litigation in front of MDJs, and in ruling on and handling appeals from the Magisterial Districts make me the most qualified candidate."

Her nomination petition was challenged in court by Flower but he lost. Those two then engaged in an online battle in which neither looks particularly judicial. 

Her campaign finance records reveal that she is largely self-funded. Aside from a $2,500 contribution from Jake Olsson, an employee of ScrbeAmerica, most of the money in her $3,525 Pre-Primary Finance report and 24-hour reporting comes from herself. She appears to have spent $3,286.37 on her campaign. 

Matt Flower - On his campaign page, he states he holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and is currently employed by UPS, where he also serves as a Teamsters' union steward. He vows he would approach "each case with impartiality, integrity, and a focus on upholding the rights of all parties involved." On his campaign literature, he claims to have the "full endorsement" of the Republican party. He was endorsed by the county executive committee, not the entire party. Slate Belt Republicans tell me they make no endorsements in contested primaries. 

Flower has a checkered past  with a string of arrests in multiple counties going back to 2002. Everything from harassment to driving without a license. He's also been involved as Plaintiff or Defendant in numerous Protection from Abuse Act matters. He also admits to "peacefully demonstrating" at the capitol insurrection on January 6, when domestic terrorists or freedom-lovers (take your pick)  ransacked the halls of Congress. He denies participating in any violence. and claims he's been "cleared" by the FBI. "I am not afraid of arrest, prison or rogue judges," he adds.

During one 2014 incident in which he allegedly tackled and strangled

Flower in blue shade

his then wife, she was pregnant. A Facebook page, No Way to Matthew L Flower, contains what purports to be text exchanges between Flower and his then wife that are pretty disgusting. He did pay a price for them in court and even he acknowledges his statements were "inappropriate." 

A sample is on the left. 

A judge has to keep his cool. He didn't. 

As a constable candidate, he pledged to refuse to enforce PFA orders. 

More recently, he was caught up in a Republican county committee kerfuffle after members discovered that his current wife was posting videos of their sexual trysts online for profit. 

Campaign finance records show that he has received $3,125, including a $1.225 loan to himself. 

Rob Kemmerer. - A graduate of East Stroudsburg University, Kemmerer has worked as a NorCo probation officer and was Director of its Pretrial Services Division. He resigned to run for this open seat. His department is responsible for making bail recommendations to magisterial district judges when a defendant is preliminarily arraigned. He is highly regarded by both the bench and bar. A prominent criminal defense lawyer told me Friday that Kemmerer could be called day and night for help in setting bail. 

He's been endorsed by the Northampton County Republican Women’s Committee, former State Representative Marcia Hahn, and former Northampton County Council President Peg Ferraro.

Campaign finance records show that he chose to self-fund his campaign instead of forming a committee and seeking contributions. He has spent $11,800.04 for the usual campaign expenses, including a consult.  

UPDATED 5/19/25, 12:30 am Originally published 5/17/25, 6:08 pm

Following the Money: What's Left to Cover

I plan to review the finance reports filed by NorCo's judicial candidates and the only contested magisterial race in NorCo. I had hoped to get it to you today, but I had several other commitments yesterday that made it impossible for me to spend the necessary time demanded to review and write about campaign finance. I will try to get to it over the weekend.  

Following the Money: Who is Behind Reynolds and Smith in Bethlehem's Mayoral Contest?

Bethlehem has two Mayoral candidates seeking the Democratic nomination - incumbent Mayor Willie Reynolds and Council member Grace Crampsie Smith. No Republican has declared, and it's unlikely that either candidate is seeking a write-in nomination from Republicans the way Ed Zucal is doing in Allentown. Both are staunch Democrats, and both made that clear during their debate. So who is backing these candidates? Both filed timely finance reports on Friday. 

Willie Reynolds (see report here) - For some reason, he now refers to himself more formally as J. William Reynolds. But I still like to refer to him as Willie, and not in a pejorative way. It's just how I know him. 

Willie reports a warchest of $123,379.80, including $29,905 raised between the beginning of the year and May 4.  He started the year with $93,384.80 as he obviously was preparing for his re-election. Thus, to give you a better understanding of his supporters, it's necessary to also examine his annual report for 2024. (see report here).

The small donations. - Looking at both reports combined, you can see that his smaller donations ($250 or less) amount to $11,740, about 10% of the total he raised from 1/1/24 to 5/4/25. Of these 71 smaller donations, 63 come from Bethlehem residents, which demonstrates that he has grass roots support. These donations, incidentally, include a $200 donation from Amy Cozze, who is now running for NorCo Exec. 

The PACs. - His donations from political action committees (PACs) amount to a whopping $26,300 over 2024 and the first four months of this year. The largest, by far, is the $15,500 Reynolds received from the Lehigh Valley Association of Realtors, which has also endorsed Reynolds with this reasoning:

As REALTORS®, it is important to recommend candidates who support private property rights and issues important to the real estate industry. There is a growing list of candidates in this election who are pushing for radical housing policies, like increasing the deed/real estate transfer tax, rent control, rent stabilization, and mandatory annual landlord training programs. Local elections have a huge impact on our industry, and we are excited to support candidates we believe will help infuse common sense into our local governments.

The reference to "common sense," incidentally, is a term that Trump administrators and acolytes regularly use. 

Reynold also received donations from KTMC, a teacher's PAC ($5,000); the Eric Evans PAC (Evans is employed by Reynolds - $500); the Lisa Boscola PAC (Her husband is employed by Reynolds - $500); former Mayor Bob Donchez ($2,500); and Moving Pa Forward ($500). 

The Big Spenders. - In 2024 and the first four months of this year, Willie accumulated $84,600 in donations from what I call the big spenders, i.e. those who give for than $250.

There's a tie for the biggest of these donations. Richard Masters, whose company manufactures picture frames and home decor, donated $5,000. He has been a reliable Democratic contributor. Matthew Bieber, a software consultant, also gave $5000. The remaining contributors of $1,000 or more are Randy Galliostto (owner of Alloy5 architectural firm - $4,500); Jack and Marian Spirk - $3,000 (Spirk is City Solicitor); Murat Guzal - $2,500 (Turkish businessman who is both a philanthropist and Democratic donor); Jim Broughal - $2,000 (Bethlehem lawyer specializing in municipal law); luxury apartment builder Plamenta Ayazou - $2,000 (Monocacy Builders); Diana Morganelli - $2,500 (Judge Morganelli's wife); King Spry - $1,500 (Bethlehem law firm); Borko Milosev - $1,000 (property manager); Kevin Kinross - $1,000 (Democratic strategist and business leader from Pittsburgh); Charles Marcon - $1,000  (construction); Placido Corpora - $1,000 (Bethlehem businessman); Steve Thompson - $1,000 (principal of minority owned Delane Consulting; and Ari Frazil - $1,000 (an engineer) . 

Reynolds also lent $45,000 to his campaign in 2024 but has since paid back $40,000. 

Grace Crampsie Smith (see report here) - Grace reports contributions of $43,350 over the first four months of this year. But she also reports a treasury of $73,945.29 because she started the year with $30.415.29. Like Willie, she started her campaign early. As a result, it is necessary to review her 2024 report (see it here) together with the pre-primary report she timely filed on Friday. 

The small donations. - Looking at both reports combined, you can see that $11,480 of 80 donations of $250 or less amount to about 17% of the total of $66,530 raised. Of these small donations, 50 come from Bethlehem residents. So like Willie, she has grass roots support. Just not as much. These small donations, incidentally, include $75 from Kelly Keegan and $150 from Greg Zebrowski, the Polish Prince. Both are Zrinski supporters. 

The PACs. - Grace relied heavily on PAC contributions. They make up $37,850 (56%) of the $67,160 she raised in 2024 and the first four months of this year. These are mostly from trade unions, with IUOE (Jim Reilly) donating a whopping $20,000 to her Mayoral quest. Other trade union contributions include IBEW ($11,000), Plumbers ($2,500), IUPAT ($2,500) and Laborers' Local ($1,000).

That's a lot of trade union support. This could be because she championed a responsible contractor ordinance for city-owned projects. This ultimately failed because city administrators argued it would increase costs for the city. My brother, an evil Republican who picks his nose and eats it, was highly critical of Grace's "silly argument" in a letter to the editor:

Just because the proposed ordinance doesn’t have the word “union” does not mean that it is not biased toward unions, which it clearly is. At a recent Bethlehem council hearing, over 30, mostly out-of-town union workers attended to support the ordinance.

The Big Spenders. -  Her biggest contributor is Rocco Damato, who gave her $5,000. A NYC transplant, he roasts nuts here in the Lehigh Valley, but not the human nuts. Other $1000-plus donors include commercial lawyer Donald Kaas ($2,000); former congressional candidate Ed O'Brien ($1,500); Frank Boyer, senior VP at Dugan and Marcom construction ($1,000); Kelly Ronalds of Hotel Bethlehem ($1,000); and consultant John Blankstein ($1,500). 

Blogger's Note: I spent most of the day yesterday preparing this story. But as I said in my post concerning the NorCo Exec candidates, I welcome your own analysis. You may see things I have totally missed and that the public needs to know. But I'd appreciate it if you could avoid just making the usual attacks and actually point out what you like or dislike in a campaign finance report. 

Following the Money: Ray Lahoud Sole Source in Successful Challenge to Patti Bruno For NorCo Council

Though she has managed several political contests and should know better, Patti Bruno was removed from the ballot in this year's at-large race for the Democratic nomination to Northampton County Council.  She was removed because she failed to file her Statement of Financial Interests with the Clerk of County Council. Although she's waging a write-in campaign, her chance of success is remote. She needs at least 100 votes and finish in the top five of the five Democrats who already are on the ballot.  Her petition was challenged by former Upper Mount Bethel Tp Manager Ed Nelson but an independent expenditure report filed by Ray Lahoud makes clear that he, and not Nelson, funded the challenge on his own. He also represented Nelson in court.

Why?

Bruno managed Terri Houck's campaign when he ran for re-election as District Attorney. Lahoud was the de facto manager for Steve Baratta, who eventually won. 

That was a nasty race, and Bruno reported disparaged Lahoud several times with slurs aimed at his sexual orientation. So much for the party of tolerance. Lahoud's successful lawsuit removed a hypocrite.

I just hope nobody finds out that I have a thing for parakeets. 

Following The Money: NorCo Exec Race (UPDATED)

Campaign finance reports for 2024 are in. Here's what they tell us about the Northampton County Exec candidates Tara Zrinski (D), Amy Cozze (D) and Tom Giovanni (R). 

Cozze had no active committee prior to announcing her campaign for Executive. Thus, she has no obligation to disclose her finances until May 9, when her pre-primary report is due.  

Zrinski's report (you can see it here) reveals that she is starting 2025 with roughly $5,000. She raised $6700 in 2024, with her largest contributors being former Executive Glenn Reibman ($1,000) and her Solicitor, Steve Goudsouzian ($1,000). She did receive a total of $1,000 form IUOE Local 542 but refunded $500. 

Starting in December, she used campaign finances to pay a small sum for HULU streaming service. It is unclear to me what connection that has to her campaign activities. She explained that this was an error because her paypal account was linked to her campaign account. She has since disconnected this link so that there will be no additional errors. 

Tom Giovanni (you can see his report here) started 2025 with the same $535 he reported in 2024. He neither raised nor spent any money.

UPDATED 11:31 AM

Following the Money: Bethlehem Mayoral Race

Grace Crampsie Smith, a member of Bethlehem City Council, announced last week that she is running for Mayor. I expected a similar announcement from incumbent Willie Reynolds, but he and many other local government officials were dealing with the confusion caused by an OMB freeze on federal spending, which was later rescinded. Though he's made no announcement, I expect him to run. I'm unsure whether any Republicans are up for it, but I expect to see a Democratic primary. Campaign finance reports for last year are in, and they can certainly shed some light on who is backing them and why. 

Reynolds report (you can read it here) reveals that he pulled in $94,400 in campaign contributions last year, although $40,000 of that is a loan to himself. He starts the election year with a $96.951.30 treasury.

Contributions of $1,000 or more came from the following sources: KTMC PAC - $5000 (I believe this is a law firm that specializes in class action lawsuits; Matthew Bieber - $5,000 (software consultant); Richard Master -$5,000 (a business owner who has produced two documentaries about healthcare; Randy Galliotto (owner of Alloy5 architectural firm); Jack and Marian Spirk - $3,000 (Spirk is City Solicitor); Murat Guzal - $2,500 (Turkish businessman who is both a philanthropist and Democratic donor); Bob Donchez - $2,500 (Reynolds' predecessor as Mayor); Jim Broughal - $2,000 (Bethlehem lawyer specializing in municipal law); Plamenta Ayazou - $2,000 (Monocacy Builders); Diana Morganelli - $2,000 (Judge Morganelli's wife); King Spry - $1,500 (Bethlehem law firm); Borko Milosev - $1,000 (property manager); Kevin Kinross - $1,000 (Democratic strategist and business leader from Pittsburgh); Charles Marcon - $1,000  (construction); IBEW - $1,000; and Placido Corpora - $1,000 (Bethlehem businessman). 

Crampsie Smith's report (you can read it here) tells us she has $30,415.29 available and that she raised $23,630 in 2024. Most of this - $16,000 - comes from trade unions IUPAT, IUOE, IBEW: Plumbers; and Laborers Local 1174. She also received $1,000 from Donald Kaas (commercial lawyer).  

Please feel free to review the links to these reports and make any observations you think relevant about these contributors or their interest. This is what I call participatory journalism. 

Dellicker Explains Amended Campaign Finance Report

Yesterday, I told you that GOP candidate Kevin Dellicker, who seeks his party's nomination for the Pa. 7 Congressional seat, submitted a report after the last quarter that failed to list $139,011.75 in expenses. What this means is that the $205,692.08 he claims to have available is actually $66,680.33. That's less than half of what opponent Ryan MacKenzie reported and only slightly more than hopeful Maria Montero. What I also found disturbing is that he paid $106k to Consolidated Mailing and Direct Services Mailing to raise $79k in unitimixed donations.

Dellicker has responded to my criticism with the following:

I saw your post this morning about our campaign finance reports. This is not “phantom cash,” and your conclusions are wrong.

 

When I decided to run for Congress last summer, my team and I knew we needed a fundraising infrastructure to compete with Susan Wild’s. She raises millions of dollars each cycle from a network of small donors. My campaign had nothing like that, so we set out to build it, and that’s exactly what we’ve been doing. In just six months, we’ve established our own network of thousands of small donors with a median contribution of less than $50. Neither of my primary opponents has any such infrastructure.

 

As a business owner, I know that sometimes you need to invest money to earn money, and that returns often take time to materialize. My team isn’t just interested in winning the primary. We want to win the general election too. Because of our decision to invest in a small donor operation, I am positioned to compete and win against Susan Wild.

Following the Money: Baratta Campaign Finance Reports Show Need For Limits

Friday night, I posted the post-primary campaign finance reports filed by Steve Baratta and Terry Houck in Northampton County's DA race. (The pre-primary reports are here). These reports enable us to see who is behind each race and how candidates are spending their money. If you include in-kind contributions, over $422,000 has been spent so far in this race. I've learned the following

1. Big Money Has Returned to Local Political Campaigns. - For a few years after disgraced Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski was convicted of bribery, a lot of donors were very hesitant to give money to anyone. It's safe to say big money has returned. They include many of the very same people who once contributed to Fed Ed. They include NZ twins J.B. Reilly and Joe Topper, who gave $10,000 each to Baratta. They include Abe Atiyeh, who gave $5,000 to Houck. If they wanted to contribute to Joe Biden or Donald Trump, they'd be limited to $3,300. But incredibly, there are no limits in local races. This enables a few deep pockets to buy a race.. 

2. Immigration lawyer Ray Lahoud Emerges as Kingmaker. - Out of the blue - or perhaps I should say out of the red because he's a registered Republican - immigration lawyer Ray Lahoud has suddenly emerged as a big spender in political races. In 2022, he gave $3 million to SuperPACs across the country, putting him at #57 nationwide. In this contest, he provided $10,000 in money and spent $62,301 with in-kind contributions for robo calls, TV advertising, polling and digital and social media ads. He alone is responsible for $72,000 of Baratta's spending. He's also been a bundler. That's a person who gets contributions from others like JB Reilly and Joe Topper. 

While Ray makes too much money to want the job as top assistant, and I have no reason to believe he has any nefarious designs, it's pretty clear that he will have unlimited access should Baratta win the general.

Ray told me he plans to continue spending. 

If this spending tells you anything, it's that we need the state legislature to step forward and start to impose limits on spending in local or state races. I do not fault Baratta or Lahoud. They are playing by the rules. I'm sure Houck would only be too happy to allow  someone to spend $72,000 on his behalf. But this dilutes democracy by enabling one person or a special few to buy political races. 

Pennsylvania is one of just 11 states that impose no limits on campaign spending.

Blogger's Note: Friday was the due date for post primary campaign finance reports. I have many of them, but had to leave the courthouse before the quitting bell tolled. I will get the rest on Tuesday, when the courthouse re-opens, and will start telling you about the remaining races then.  

Following the Money: Post-Primary Reports Filed By NorCo DA Candidates Baratta & Houck

Below are  the Post-Primary finance reports filed by incumbent Terry Houck and challenger Steve Baratta in the NorCo District Attorney's race. They report how much money they've raised since they filed their Pre-Primary reports (you can see them here), and how that money has been spent. I've load them in their entirety, redacting only their signatures and phone numbers. Please feel free to share any observation in the comments. This is participatory journalism. Some of you are going to see things I miss.  I'll take your comments and provide an analysis on Tuesday. 

Baratta

During the period between January 4 and May 1, Baratta raised $131,875 as well as in-kind contributions of $49,501.69. He spent $115,433.37 

Between May 2 and June 5, Baratta raised an additional $44,817.94, as well as in-kind contributions of $29.020.84. He spent $69,718.48, and is left with $849.06.

In total, Baratta raised $255,215.47, and spent $185,151.84. 

Houck

During the period between January 4 and May 1, Houck raised $64,026. Adding that to cash on hand from his previous race, Houck had $99,363.39 as well as in-kind contributions of $2,478.36. He spent $87,760.82..

For the period between May 2 and June 5, Houck raised $39,252.00 and received  in-kind contributions of $10,513.64. He spent 449,395.24, and is left with $1,459.33.

In total, Houck raised $116,270 and spent $137.156.06

Baratta outraised Houck more than two to one, and was able to outspend Houck by nearly $48,000. 

Baratta Post Primary Campaign Finance Report by BernieOHare on Scribd

Houck Post Primary Campaign Finance Report by BernieOHare on Scribd

U.S. Congress - The Highest Paid Telemarketers in the Country

When I think of a member of Congress, I'd like to imagine a person who spends most of her time considering and adopting legislation or someone who is a lifeline for constituents in need. But that's far from the truth. The reality is that they are pretty much nothing more than glorified telemarketers expected to spend 20-30 hours a week at a call center dialing for dollars with scripts provided by party operatives. They do this during business hours, when you'd expect them to be working for you. 

The American Anti-Corruption Act would ban Congressmen from fundraising during business hours, when they should be working for you. 

Last year, Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips (Dem) and Wisconsin Congressman Mike Gallagher (GOP) introduced the On the Clock Act, which would prohibit members of Congress from directly soliciting contributions whenever Congress is in session. “Instead of listening to constituents and solving problems, too many of my colleagues are dialing for dollars and attending fancy lunches and dinners," said Phillips. "In fact, our entire congressional schedules are arranged to make it easier for members to raise money throughout the day. The On the Clock Act won’t fix everything about our broken campaign finance system, but it will force members to spend more time working and less time lining their campaign coffers.”

The bill failed to attract a single supporter from either party.

They were probably on the phone. 

Baratta Backer Ray Lahoud Gave $3 Million to SuperPACs in 2022

According to Open Secrets, Norris McLaughlin lawyer Ray Lahoud gave $3 million to SuperPACS in 2022. He ranks #57  nationwide among individual donors. Lahoud is a registered Republican, yet was Steve Baratta's biggest donor in part one of the DA's race. He tells me he cares about the person, not his or her party. 

Coming in at #11 is Bethlehem's Walter W Buckley, Jr., of Buckley Muething Capital Management. He donated $11,800,000 to conservative causes.

I thought I'd be somewhere in there. They must have missed me. 

Blogger's Note: A reader made me aware of this in a comment yesterday. That's called participatory journalism, which I think we all really appreciate.

Bad Optics at McClure Fundraiser

Last night, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure conduced his annual fundraiser at Bethlehem's swanky Edge Restaurant. Despite what they may tell you, few contributors write out $500 plus checks because they believe in good government. Unions, contractors, engineers and lawyers and county employees go to these things because they want something. It could be as simple as a paycheck or a major contract. Even when there is no quid pro quo, it is still a legalized form of bribery. Unfortunately, it's also an ugly necessity. Most public officials lack the personal resources to wage an effective campaign and have their message heard. Unless you want a government of oligarchs, you have to trust that candidates will do the right thing, which they usually do. Besides, after the election fiasco on November 5, McClure will almost certainly face opposition when he seeks re-election. He may even have a primary opponent. So it's understandable, as ugly as it is. But the bad optics of dunning county employees and vendors for money was made worse by two other things over which McClure has no control.

1) Municipal Vehicle Illegally Parked at McClure Fundraiser

Parked outside The Edge at an expired meter was the municipal vehicle you see above. It's not just any municipal vehicle, but hs been identified by my secret agent as a police car. He knows this because he happens to be a police officer himself. Is it a county or city car? My guess is Bethlehem City, and a top-ranking officer. It's too nice to belong to the County. The license plate number is MG0745L.

I understand it was cold and a little windy last night, but that's no excuse for acting as though you are above the law you should be enforcing. What's more, this public resource was being perverted for partisan political activity.  Actions like this lead to politicians like Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski.

It is my hope that Executive McClure and Mayor Bob Donchez both identify the person who was misusing this public resource and discipline that person.

2) Judge Morganelli Attends Partisan Fundraiser

After noting the illegally parked police car, my spy slipped into the fundraiser to see what was happening.  He was unaware that there was a fundraiser, but knew some sort of event was going on. He noticed several people ponied up at the bar. They included Chief Public Defender Nuria DiLuzio and District Attorney John Morganelli.

Now it's no crime to stop at a bar and hoist a few. But Morganelli is more than the County's District Attoney. He is a judge-elect, and as such, should not have been within 10 miles of a political and partisan fundraiser

Morganelli did more than sit at the bar. He actually attended the event, though he made no contribution.

According to Morganelli, he is neither a judge nor a candidate. He tells me he has sought an ethics opinion, and that Judge Edward Reibman has written one under which Morganelli can continue to raise money and make contributions until he is sworn in.

That sounds nice, but is contrary to Canon 7 of the Code of Judicial Ethics, which provides,

"Judges holding an office filled by public election between competing candidates, or a candidate for such office, may, only insofar as permitted by law, attend political gatherings, speak to such gatherings on their own behalf when they are a candidate for election or reelection, or speak on behalf of any judicial candidate for the same office, identify themselves as a member of a political party, and contribute to a political party or organization."

It also provides, "Judges should not engage in any other political activity except on behalf of measures to improve the law, the legal system, or the administration of justice."

The notion that Morganelli is free from the Canons simply because he is waiting to be sworn in is simply ridiculous. If a judge-elect is permitted to engage in partisan political activity, this undermines public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.

He should have stayed away.

In Off Election Year, McClure Raises $57,700

Incumbency helps. Lamont McClure was elected Northampton County Executive in 2017. In 2018, there were no county races. He nevertheless raised $57,700 last year. His vanquished foe, former Executive John Brown, raised no money. In fact,he had to lend his campaign $6,500 so he could pay a $6,632 bill still owed to his political consultant, Communications Concepts.

The lion's share of McClure's money comes from the trade unions. This is no surprise. Historically, they have always been his biggest supporter. He has always supported them, too. One of the first times I saw him, he was handing out flyers for one of them.   

The one troublesome aspect of McClure's warchest is that it includes a large number of $500 donations from people who work for him. McClure assures me that no one is forced to give him money. Of course not. That would be macing, and is criminal. It's still something that was largely absent under former Executives John Stoffa and John Brown. It still looks like pay-to-play.

You might think that these kinds of donations should be illegal. Such a law, however, would almost certainly be considered an infringement of the First Amendment  Also, it would make it very difficult for someone like  McClure, who took a major paycut to become Executive, to get his message out to the public.

The one and only contribution that really bothers me is $500 from lobbyist Jennifer Mann. I saw her in the courthouse halls a few weeks ago, headed to public works. She's up to something.

The only other NorCo pol who went out of his way to raise money in a nonelection year is Bethlehem City Councilman Bryan Callahan. He raised $20,800 last year, including money from the controversial Benner family as well as Westgate Mall owner Mark Pepitone.

Personally, I'd like someone to give him money to just shut up at Council meetings. His incessant monologues alienate everyone eventually.

Bethlehem City Councilman Willie Reynolds, who can raise money as well as anyone, made no effort to do so last year. Nor did incumbent Bethlehem Mayor Bob Donchez, who is sitting on $130,298.92 .

Easton Mayor Sal Panto, running for his 638th term this year, raised no money last year. 

Nor did Bethlehem City Council member Michael Colon, who reports a whopping warchest of $168.84.

Good on them.

A Tale of Three Mayors and Their Campaign Finances

If you want to see what someone's really like, you need to follow the money. Daily newspapers have abdicated their roles as government watchdogs, but many of these reports are now available online. I have looked at the year-end campaign finance reports filed by the three Mayors. Here's what I learned. First, and this is no surprise, Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski actively tries to keep the public and the feds in the dark. Second, Bethlehem Mayor Bob Donchez remains all too willing to allow special interests to fund his campaigns. Third, and this was a surprise to me, I actually saw flashes of integrity in the campaign finance report filed by Easton Mayor Sal Panto.

Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski $75,000 Transfer Is Illegal. - Fed Ed's year-end report demonstrates an utter disregard for the people he supposedly represents. He's diverted money he received to run for the US Senate and Governor to pay off lawyers representing him and possibly his wife in a federal political corruption investigation. He has also formed a new campaign committee to avoid disclosing contributions until election eve.

At the end of 2015, Fed Ed had about $100,000 in federal campaign funds as well as $83,000 in his state campaign treasury. At that time, he had already paid $80,000 to lawyers representing him in the criminal probe. This year, he spent another $170,425.45 for his criminal defense. To do this, he had to transfer $75,000 from his federal fund to his state fund. He also had to borrow $35,000.

Fed Ed has already spent $250,000 for criminal lawyers, and this is before he's even been indicted.

He clearly used the $75k transfer to his mayoral campaign to pay legal fees. This transfer was made on January 20, 2016. Four days before that, he wrote a massive check out (on January 16, 2016, which, coincidentally, is a Saturday) to Jack McMahon. And, the day before (Jan. 19th) and the day of (Jan 20th) the transfer, he writes checks for tens of thousands of dollars more.

He transferred this money from his federal to his state treasury because it is likely that the Federal Election Commission (FEC) would have prohibited the use of these funds to pay criminal lawyers.

Federal law prohibits the use of federal campaign funds for "personal use." This includes payment to criminal lawyers, although the FEC is willing to review a transfer on a case-by-case basis.

Rather than undergoing this review, Fed Ed  transferred the money to his state account, where he can pretty much do what he wants. In doing so, he appears to have violated federal law.

If he's unable to use federal funds for personal expenses,and then transfers these funds to a state account so he can pay off personal expenses, he is breaking the law. Upon complaint, the FEC could impose an administrative fine that doubles his illegal $75,000 transfer.

Bethlehem Mayor Bob Donchez.-  Bob started off 2016 with $120,000, more than enough money to wage a Mayoral campaign against several challengers. Yet he still raised $39,000 in an off-election year. More than half of this money came from people who are already beneficiaries of the City's largesse, or are making money through the CRIZ or various other programs.

I know Bob is a man of integrity. I watched him dip his hands into his own pockets to feed a meter at events where he could easily have maintained he was on official business. He initiated a gift ban among city employees. He could set an example  for others to follow by refusing to raise money in an off-election year,or declining money from people who obviously want something, like Majestic developer Ed Roski. This was a missed opportunity.

John Stoffa, when he ran for re-election, refused to take money from anyone. Jim Hemstreet, when he ran for re-election, capped contributions at $35.

Easton Mayor Sal Panto.- I've been critical of Panto and tagged him for using sock puppets to discuss a host of issues on LehighValleyLive. In fact, one family has sued him for defaming them. But I was impressed by his year-end campaign finance report. Though he is an incumbent mayor with a procession of fawning sycophants and could easily have raised lots of money like his counterpart in Bethlehem, he resisted the temptation. He started off 2016 with $14,000 and raised no money. And what he spent mostly went to worthwhile causes like Notre Dame Green Pond. When he attended the National League of Cities, he would have been justified in charging the city for his attendance. But he instead used his campaign funds for what really was a governmental function.

Panto's campaign finance report does set an example for others to follow.Unfortunately, our dailies no longer follow the money until someone is under investigation. If they did a better job of scrutinizing campaignf finance, as they once did, there just might be fewer investigations.

State Reps Emrick and Hahn Need More Transparency

Pennsylvania's Election Code (25 P.S. Section 3251) requires candidates for statewide office to file their campaign finance reports both with the State Bureau of Elections and in the elections office in the county where they reside. Thus, it was no surprise yesterday to see pre-primary reports filed by State Reps. Steve Samuelson ($0 in contributions), Bob Freeman ($0 in contributions) and Julie Harhart.($0 in contributions). Cindy Miller, who is running in the 183rd legislative district  to succeed Harhart, did file a copy of her campaign finance report in Northampton County, too. Though these are often called "courtesy" copies, they must be filed in the County where candidates live.

Zach Mako, who is running against Miler in the 183rd, failed to file a courtesy copy in Northampton County, where he happens to live.

Since he's a newbie and he did file electronically with the state, his rookie error is understandable. The public is still able to follow the money.

That's not the case with State Reps. Marcia Hahn and Joe Emrick, both of whom live in this County. Neither bothered filing electronic reports because they don't want you to know what they're doing .... like backing Mako. They were banking on you finding out after the election.

But guess what? They also failed to file copies of the report in the County office, completely thumbing their noses at the transparency required by The Elections Code.

The only way you could see their reports is by travelling to Harrisburg.

I realize these back benchers are in Harrisburg primarily to build their pensions at collect their per diems, but they should follow the law.

The elections office has been notified of this attempt to keep the public in the dark, and has notified the offending state representatives to start following the laws they impose on everyone else.