Democrats Have No Good Choice in Race For Auditor General

Philadelphian Malcolm Kenyatta and South Whitehall Tp resident Mark Pinsley are the two candidates seeking their party's nomination in the race for auditor general. Republican incumbent Tim DeFoor is unopposed. I've already accidentally voted for Kenyatta (yes, I'm an idiot) but should have voted for neither candidate. In the general election, I will vote for Republican DeFoor. 

Why I dislike Pinsley: He's a blatant opportunist. No sooner was he elected South Whitehall Tp Commissioner than he announced he was running against Pat Browne in a State Senate race. Undaunted after losing, he took on Lehigh County Controller Glenn Eckhart in the next election cycle and knocked him off. As Controller, he proposed both an increase in sales tax in Lehigh County as well as an income tax that would hurt low-income families that work multiple jobs just to put food on the table. He called for UN observers in the 2020 presidential election, He also revealed his true feelings about Allentown and Bethlehem when he objected to them being combined as part of redistricting. "We don't need another ghetto," he said. Well, we don't need Pinsley. While running for re-election as Lehigh County Controller, he told donors he was running for state auditor general. Now he tells donors he wants to run for the US Senate. 

The most offensive thing about him was his use of families accused of child abuse as political props. He paraded them before both Northampton County Council and Lehigh County's Board of Comm's with unproven claims of misdiagnoses of child abuse. His claims were completely contrary to the philosophy of the human services departments in both counties, which will only separate children from their family as a last resort, and with due process. 

Why I dislike Kenyatta: He's a state representative who is running for re-election while simultaneously running for auditor general. This is becoming quite the trend, ad a bad one. I've already noted that AG candidate Jared Solomon and state treasurer candidate Ryan Bizzarro are doing the same thing. 

This practice discourages new blood from seeking office against an entrenched incumbent. Also, if the candidate is successful, there will have to be an expensive special election to fill the vacancy. A ban has been proposed in the state house, but its sponsor is a legislator who just ran for two offices in the same election himself. 

Finally, I believe in divided government. In a Democratic administration, a Republican auditor general is more likely to be independent. 

Brown Raises $68K in Auditor General Race

Brown with Trump cutout

Northampton County Executive John Brown, who has challenged incumbent Eugene DePasquale for state auditor general, has stepped up his fundraising. In his 6th Tuesday pre-election report, which covers the period between May 17 and September 19, he reports $35,970.40 in contributions. This is slightly more than the $32,477.20 he raised between January 1 and May 16.

Brown's report, which is due today, is unavailable on the state website. But he is required to file in his county of residence as well as with Harrisburg. He filed a report with the Northampton County elections office yesterday.

In addition to the cash, Brown reports $2,744.31 in in-kind contributions from the state Republican party. This is on top of nearly $14,000 in in-kind contributions already received, and is being used for campaign literature.

Brown reports 20 contributions of $1,000 or more, including $2,000 from the Republican Caucus of County Commissioners and yet another $2000 from a PAC calling itself the Northeast Leadership Fund, which is based in Wilkes-Barre.

This Northeast Leadership Fund is funded by attorneys, developers and engineers who are obviously looking for "leaders" who will do as they're told. Louis DeNaples (you may have heard of him) kicked in $5000 to this PAC, but Matt Cartwright kicked in $1000, too. It appears to be a PAC interested in money and developers, not ideology.

State Senator Pat Browne gave $1,400 to this PAC. Two of Brown's cronies, Matt Deibert and Glenn Geissinger also kicked in $2,000 each.

Glenn Geissinger is a member of Northampton County Council, which is supposed to be a check and balance on the Executive. But Geissinger has been Brown's biggest cheerleader.

In addition to contributing $2,000 to a PAC that gave Brown $2,000, Geissinger reached into his pocket and gave Brown another $1,000.

Another troubling contribution to Brown is $1,000 from Lehigh County DA Jim Martin.

In April, Northampton County's Gaming Authority awarded $407,000 to Martin's pet project, the Regional Intelligence and Investigative Center (RIIC), which is also called a Regional Crime Center. Brown's Sheriff, Dave Dalrymple, lobbied hard for the project. Martin's $1,000 contribution came in September, well after the award, but it does raise eyebrows.

Like Brown, DePasquale's 6th Tuesday report is still not online. But even without his most recent report, he has raised far more money than Brown. Up until May 17, he reported having raised $258,726 and was sitting on a $353,518.70 warchest. Brown has $8,600.

Other $1000 donors include GT Commonwealth PAC, David Master, Devlendra Amin, John McGeehan, David Lobach, Edwin Coranzo, Dhruv Acharya, Lou Pektor, Anthony Salvaggio, Curtiss Barnette, Charles Diacont, Dave Jaindl, Cynthia DiRenzo, Christine Toretti and Marcus Lemon.

Brown also owes $46,840.05.

Candidate's Forum Set in State Auditor General Race

A candidates' forum for the state auditor general race will be held Wednesday, October 5, at Northampton Community College, College Center Building, Room 220. The forum, starting at 7 pm, will be preceded by a 6:30 pm Meet 'n Greet.

The four candidates include Democrat Eugene DePasquale (incumbent), Republican John Brown (NorCo County Exec), Green Party John Sweeney (Wyoming County) and Libertarian Roy Minet.

Candidates Forum_Auditor General by BernieOHare on Scribd

Brown and Christie Share a Tender Moment

... and then they kissed.

John Brown: NorCo's MIA Exec Aboard the Trump Train

How Brown has expanded services

I had to laugh when Northampton County Executive John Brown discussed absenteeism at Gracedale during the last County Council meeting. He piously condemned underpaid bastards who "abuse the system." That's precisely what he's doing himself.  Our full-time, $85,000 per year, Exec is playing hookie while he runs for state auditor general against incumbent Eugene DePasquale. Your real estate tax dollars are paying him to traipse all over the state, as his Facebook page reveals.

But don't worry. While he's out looking for another job, he's placed the County in the capable hands of a high school graduate with no education, no experience but plenty of tax liens and a foreclosure. You have no reason to worry.

In Rome Township,136 miles away from the courthouse, he bragged that he's fixed Northampton County  and has actually expanded services, and without raising taxes. I wonder how big his nose grew as he spoke. County services are at an all-time low, thanks to his refusal to fill vacancies. In his first year in office, his Republican-led Council raised taxes a mill. Just a month ago, he unsuccessfully lobbied Council to impose a $5 hike on vehicle registrations.

Brown brags that he's a creature of "corporate America," but has never named any of the companies he turned around in the private sector, if they exist at all.

That's none of your business, like Trump's tax returns.

It's little wonder that Brown has announced from his Facebook page (which has only about 300 "likes" statewide) that he endorses Trump. "We need to make both America and Pennsylvania great again!"

I'd like to make Northampton County great again, and the best way to do that is by getting rid of John Brown. 

Even Republicans have tired of his corporate babble and insistence on "government by consultant," as Lamont McClure liked to say. 

The Colonel, as Council member Hayden Phillips is called, is reportedly considering a run. Even more ominously, so is State Rep. Joe Emrick.