LWV to Nothstein - We Are Nonpartisan

Last week I told you that Lehigh Valley Congressional candidate Marty Nothstein, a Republican, refuses to participate in a primary debate with opponent Dean Browning. He's blowin' oil because the League of Women Voters is a "partisan, liberal organization allied with the interests of the Democratic party." He's particularly irritated at the stance this good government group has taken against the gerrymander. Up until that moment, I thought Nothstein was running a pretty good campaign in which he cast himself as an outsider. But we know now that he's really one of the good ol' boys.

Last week, State Rep. Daryl Committee convened a half-hour hearing on the gerrymander bill with virtually no notice and gutted it. He refused to allow the meeting to be livestreamed and threatened to clear the room when his transparency was challenged.

This divisive and polarizing behavior, we now know, is what to expect from Nothstein.

Beverly Hernandez, Vice President of the Northampton County League of Women Voters, said there is "no partisan agenda. Our purpose is to educate and inform the voter. There ARE Republicans in the League. ... The debates must include both ( or all) parties or we won't hold the debate. Nonpartisan."

In addition to Beverly Hernandez, I'd like to share a comment from Irish Mare:

I am shocked that a campaign manager for Marty Nothstein would allow him to go after an institution like the League of Women Voters. Not only is he hugely misinformed and completely wrong; but he has insulted people who work tirelessly year round to educate, inform and protect the voting rights of all citizens from all parties. And these people (men and women ) have been doing this for years for us, the voting population of the Lehigh Valley from all parties!

Perhaps he should: join the League, attend some meetings, help interview legislators from both parties, organize the Voter's Guides, voter registration efforts, hold candidates forums and debates, research voter reforms and redistricting reforms and help organize the yearly Government Directory that I am sure he has used often. Then I challenge him to make those same claims...

If he wants to go after someone, perhaps he should go after those who were originally responsible for drawing an unconstitutional, partisan gerrymandered map in the first place, in 2011. Who might that be, Mr. Nothstein? I can guarantee it was not the League of Women Voters. This will hurt his campaign going after such a well-respected institution with facts that are erroneous and false. Maybe have a nice long talk with his campaign manager about acting like a grownup and having your facts straight! And maybe he will join the League. He has divulged a side of himself that is very spiteful and nasty and boy oh boy, I believe everyone would agree we don't need anymore of that in Washington, DC! And maybe, just maybe he will be man enough to apologize!

Nothstein Accuses LWV of Meddling, Sez No To Debate

Marty Nothstein is one of two candidates, along with Dean Browning, seeking the Republican nod for Congress here in the Lehigh Valley. He has been avoiding primary debates, which tells me he considers himself the front runner. He has released a statement, along with a Pittsburgh contact number, refusing to participate in the League of Women Voters debate next month. The reason he gives for dodging it tells me that he will be running from behind in the general election. . He has accused this good government group of "meddling in Congressional politics."

He's angry that the League of Women Voters has not just fought against gerrymandering dragon for years, but has managed to slay it. Our state court has ended an undemocratic system in which your legislators pick you, instead of the other way around.

Gerrymandering has been a wrecking ball to good government in Pa. It is both an incumbent insurance program and a magnet for ideologues rather than people who are willing to work together. It is also a two-headed monster. Democrats are just as capable of gerrymandering districts as Republicans. They have done so in other states.

The effort to end this disgraceful system has been bipartisan. Numerous Republicans in the state house and state Senate, including Lisa Boscola, Pat Browne and Mario Scavello, have endorsed an end to a system in which the majority party draws the boundary lines for legislative and Congressional districts.

The League of Women Voters and Common Cause spearheaded the effort here in Pennsylvania. The League of Women Voters exists primarily to make sure that your vote matters. It has historically opposed poll taxes, racial gerrymandering and efforts at voter suppression. It has supported attempts to educate voters, which is why this group always tries to host debates.

Nothstein has derided this group as a "partisan, liberal organization allied with the interests of the Democratic party." If his attack were really true, the League would have lost its tax exempt status decades ago. It's false.

Nothstein is skipping a debate designed to educate you about his positions. Instead of being honest and just admitting that he is in the lead and does not want to give any exposure to Dean Browning, he embraces a system that is wrong and that has actually led to the very partisanship he now decries.

The proof of Nothstein's hypocrisy  is his willingness to participate in a League of Women Voter debate in the general election, where he claims to be "open to an invitation." If he really felt that the League was just a tool of the Democrats, he would boycott them completely.

In one news release, Nothstein has demonstrated that he stands for bad government, is intellectually dishonest and just a tad arrogant. He has just assured his own defeat in the general election.

Dean Browning told me, incidentally, that he is "willing to debate anybody, anytime, anywhere."

John Morganelli told me he is willing to debate Nothstein, too, but draws the line at bicycle races.

The League of Women Voters debate, for all candidates, Democrat and Republican, is on May 2, 7 pm, at Northampton Community College's Alumni Hall.

Nothstein news release:

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LV LWV Voter Guide Contains Serious Error

(You can actually vote for two)

Twice a year, in advance of the primary and general election, the Lehigh Valley League of Women Voters produces a Voter Guide. The latest edition appeared in The Morning Call on October 24. It includes a serious error concerning Northampton County's judicial race.

Three candidates - Abe Kassis, John Morganelli and Vic Scomillio - are vying for one of two open seats. The guide (page 10) mistakenly instructs voters they can only select one of the candidates. Voters actually have two choices.

Although the League of Women Voters does a great service to the Lehigh Valley, I think the organization has an obligation to inform voters of their error, especially on their own website. I am unaware whether The Morning Call has noted and corrected this error. If it has not done so, now would be a good time to remind NorCo voters they can vote for two of the three candidates. 

According to NorCo GOP Chair Lee Snover, several of the down-ballot Republicans received no questionnaires. My guess is this is also the case with several Democrats. "I don't think the League is dependable anymore," she states, and with some justification.

This year, the League failed to host a single candidates' night for county candidates. In fairness, this is a collection of volunteers.

Lehigh Valley's Cure for Insomnia: League of Women Voters

Have trouble sleeping late at night?

Then you need to attend a debate sponsored by the Lehigh Valley League of Women Voters. Although past experience tells me these candidates' nights are total disasters, I made the mistake of going anyway. As is usual here on the east end of Route 33, political mischief is afoot in two county council races. Republicans enraged over campaign chicanery have even scheduled a courthouse news conference at 1 PM tomorrow. Things are hot. I expected to see some Branco bustin' and Maher mashing.

I bumped into Bill White on my way to last night's forum. We both walked into the wrong church. You see, Nazareth actually has two St. John's churches, and both are located at different corners of Broad and Prospect Streets. It's very confusing. Bill, slightly ahead of me, disappeared behind some side door. I heard a lot of shrieking, and Bill stumbled out about three seconds later with a beet-red face. I can't be sure, but think he interrupted a lamaze class.

Once we got to the right place, I noticed quite a few politicos. Bossman Long shadowed me, making a point of sitting right behind me in both debates, even when we had to move to different rooms. Allentown Democratic committeeman George Speros Maniatty, Jr, also insisted on sitting right next to me.

Must be true love. I asked George for a date, but he's a little bashful.

Bossman and George had no reason to worry about what questions I might pose. I couldn't pose any. True to form, last night's LWV debate was absolutely horrible, thanks to a lousy format and officious moderators who are obviously Tempo cast rejects.

Donna Reemsnyder, moderator of the first debate between Tony Branco and Peg Ferraro, was so important she was wearing not one, but two, name tags. She even had a black whistle around her neck. When she spoke, I thought she was giving us acting lessons. But very few of her questions had anything to do with county government. What the hell can a county council about widening Route 22 or regulating traffic on state and township roads? After she had droned on for about forty minutes, she blew her whistle and woke us up. We were then given an opportunity to submit questions, in writing, on little index cards. My question, which asked Branco about his lousy attendance record, was bounced. Too negative. But Reemslider continued to ask a few mindless questions of her own. Several people committed suicide.

Finally, in her very last question, Reemsnyder asked about negative campaigning coming from the Branco camp. Tony, of course, opposes negative campaigning. "I have not authorized or paid for any kind of negative campaign." But he hasn't tried to stop it, either.

After the first debate was over, we were separated into groups for different council races. I woke up Bossman Long and George, and most of us went into the next room to listen to Lamont McClure, Mark Schwartz and John Maher. Ron Angle was stuck at a meeting in Upper Mount Bethel Township, and that gave Maher an opportunity to take a few free shots.

The second moderator was slightly better than the first, but candidates can't question each other and the audience can pose no questions directly. And she just repeated the same, basically irrelevant, questions used in the first debate.

Maher insists, in response to the question about negative mailers and robo calls, "I am running a very positive campaign. Someone else in the district has taken up the banner. It's not part of my campaign." But Maher also unloaded on an absent Angle with this: "He's like a child if he doesn't get his way. He stands up and stamps his feet." I'm pretty sure that's not running a positive campaign.

Unfortunately, most of the audience was asleep when he made that remark.

There is one thing worse than anonymous robo calls or a negative smear campaign. It's a League of Women Voters Debate.

The Morning Call's Joe Nixon was somehow able to stay awake during last night's debate and has a well-written and objective account.

LWV: How To Run For Public Office Handbook

From my friends at the Lehigh Valley League of Women Voters:

Thinking of running for local office this year? Circulating a petition to get on the ballot begins this Tuesday, February 19. To many, running for local office can be a daunting task.

In order to assist candidates through this complex process, the League of Women Voters of Lehigh and Northampton Counties has created a Running for Local Office Handbook. It is designed to give someone thinking of running for local office, or working on a friend’s campaign, an understanding of how to qualify for local office and how to manage the campaign.

This “How To” handbook contains essential information designed specifically for candidates in local elections in Lehigh and Northampton Counties, including:

1. Instructions for Circulating Nomination Petitions
2. Local Elected Office Job Descriptions
3. Important Election Dates to Remember
4. Signature Requirements & Filing Fees
5. Sample Financial Interests, Petition, Political Committee Registration, and Campaign Finance Statement forms
6. Campaign Planning, Tactics, Organization, Finance, and Tips
7. Working with the Media

The cost of the Running for Local Office Handbook is $35.00; it can be obtained by contacting Ann Bartholomew at (610) 967-3653 or lwvlvehigh@yahoo.com .

Lehigh Valley offices up for election in 2013 are:

County Offices
Mayor, City / Borough
City Council
Borough Council
Township Supervisor
Township Commissioner
School Director
Magisterial District Judge

LV Health Forum in Bangor Tonight!

RenewLV and the League of Women Voters (Northampton County) will host a community forum tonight in an effort to build public support for the controversial Lehigh Valley Health Department and the benefits of public health services. It should be one helluva' show because Northampton County Bulldog, a bitter opponent of this proposal, plans to attend. I'm sure he'll have lots of questions and even more opinions. I'll be there, too. I hope the ambulances are on standby.

Who: Session Panel:

· Alberto Cardelle, PhD, MPH - East Stroudsburg University

· John Reinhart, M.Ed. - Bangor Area School District, Superintendent, Member of the Lehigh Valley Board of Health

· David Lyon, MD, MPH - Easton Hospital, Chair, Lehigh Valley Board of Health

· Gerald Barron, MPH - Center for Public Health Practice at University of Pittsburgh, Public Health Consultant to the Lehigh Valley Board of Health

What: Informal forum, free and open to the public, to promote discourse and consideration of a Lehigh Valley Health Department. Brief presentations from each of the panelists will be followed by plenty of time for questions and discussion. Topic discussed will include discussion on how the H1N1 situation has highlighted the need for a regional public health department. Light refreshments will be provided.

When: Tuesday, December 8th, 2009, 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Where: Washington Elementary School, 381 Washington Blvd. (Rt. 191), Bangor, PA

LWV to Host "Running For Local Office Workshop" in February

Thinking of running for local office this year? Circulating a petition to get on the ballot begins Tuesday, February 17. 

To many, running for local office can be a daunting task. In order to assist the candidate through this complex process, the League of Women Voters of Lehigh and Northampton Counties will be conducting their 8^th biennial “Running for Local Office Workshop”.

It is scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2015, from 8 AM to 12:30 PM at the Gates Center, Alumni Hall Building, at Northampton Community College, 3835 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

This workshop is designed to give someone thinking of running for local office, or working on a campaign, an understanding of how to qualify and run. Lehigh Valley Offices up for election in 2015 are:

·         County Office

·         Mayor (Easton and Whitehall)

·         City Council

·         Borough Council

·         Township Supervisor

·         Township Commissioner

·         School Director

·         Magisterial District Judge

This “How To” workshop will give individuals an opportunity to learn:

·         How to Start, organize, and manage a campaign

·         How to Do the legal paperwork

·         How to Work with a committee

·         How to Work with the press

·         What techniques have worked successfully for others

·         A whole lot more.

Come take advantage of our experts, and this unique opportunity to start your campaign off on the right foot.

Essential information, designed specifically for candidates in the Lehigh Valley, will be included in a workbook that you will take home with you. A fee of $45 will be charged to cover the cost of materials.

The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan, non-profit organization whose purpose is to promote political responsibility through active and informed participation of citizens.

Additional information and the application form are included on the Workshop flier attached, and can be obtained at the League website http://www.lwvlv.org/, or by contacting Ken Mohr at 610-282-1921 or KMohr@MohrMR.com.

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'.

LV's Tea Party: Democracy Too Dangerous To Be Left to the People

"The whole reason that there is so much impetus to get a third party candidate on the ballot is because many people don't believe the Republican Party is running principled candidates. ... If the Republican Party was running, supporting and endorsing principled candidates, there would be no need for a third party."

Call me crazy, but that sure reads like an indictment of Republicans. If those words were published in the Lehigh Valley, they would be a stinging rebuke of all local Republicans, including Congressman Charlie Dent. They would also be a tacit endorsement of the candidacy of independent Jake Towne.

It just so happens that those words were published locally, in Saturday's Morning Call. The person quoted is Kim Schmidtner, identified in the account as the Lehigh Valley's 9/12 Tea Party leader.

Dean Browning, a Republican who chairs Lehigh County's Board of Commissioners, certainly believes that Schmidtner's remarks are a slam at Dent and endorsement of Towne. "Kim's comments in Saturday's article gave no indication that there is any separation between any of Towne's views and those of [the LV Tea party]. On the contrary, one of Kim's quotes gave the distinct impression that Towne was 'principled' and that his third party candidacy was a necessary response to Congressman Dent's decision to seek re-election."

All this got me thinking. Just who the hell is Kim Schmidtner, anyway? Every time the local tea party is mentioned, her name pops up as their "leader." She's also identified on their web page as their organizer. But who is she? How did she become their leader and local spokesperson? Should she be panning Republicans and endorsing third-party candidates when her group is supposedly a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) corporation?

Kim Schmidtner, Queen of the Tea Party

Schmidtner is no Lehigh Valley native. She's actually from Pittsburgh, and only moved here from Pipersville in 2002. She quickly became angry when I asked her about her LV roots yesterday.

"This is personal. What difference does that make? Should I organize in Pittsburgh?"

I explained it does make a difference to readers, who would be interested in the background of the LV's Tea Party Leader.

Then I got even more personal.

"You're a Republican, aren't you?"

After getting another blast, I explained to Kim that her voter registration is a matter of public record. When she moved into the Lehigh Valley in 2002, she registered here as a Republican. She fessed up, and admitted her interest in politics was sparked by the 9/11/01 suicide attacks on the U.S.

That sounds very noble, but it must have been a slow-burning flame. Kim failed to vote at all in 2002, 2003 or 2005. In 2004 and 2006, she did vote, but only in the general elections. Kim explains that primaries were somewhat meaningless at that time in her life, but now she knows better. For the last three years, she's voted in every election.

I'm sure the 9/11 tragedy had an impact on Kim, as it did on us all, but an $83,000 federal tax lien filed against her in 2003 probably got her attention, too. Little things like that would make a Communist wish for more limited government. That lien, incidentally, was just satisfied.

So how did Kim, who has no LV roots, end up in command of an 1127-member group? I reviewed the minutes of all their monthly meetings to answer that question. They did vote to follow Robert's Rules of Order, but never conducted elections. All of the people who hold themselves out as Tea Party leaders, from Kim Schmidtner to Joe Hilliard, are self-anointed royalty.

How ironic that a group interested in restoring democracy and "We, the People," could never be bothered to conduct one election.

LV Tea Party Violates IRS Ban on Political Activity by 501(c)(3) Nonprofits.

Schmidtner told me yesterday that her group incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in January.
Nonprofits are barred from endorsing or panning candidates, whether done explicitly or implicitly, or from participating in political campaigns. But that's exactly what they've been doing all along.

In addition to her implicit Towne endorsement, Schmidtner has organized a tea party protest to President Obama's LV visit and has promoted independents over major political party candidates.

The local tea party has sent out an exhaustive questionnaire top candidates and elected official. One of the questions, at least initially, was "Do you believe Barack Obama is a U.S. citizen?" If this group has no political agenda, then why ask candidates and incumbents to answer 28 pages of questions?

"So we can rate them, just like the League of Women Voters," answered Schmidtner. No LWV does that anywhere.

But the best examples of political activity come from their meeting minutes:

"Scott Ott. Is running in Lehigh County Executive. ScottOtt.org. Scott’s message is 'Government should be limited, effective, frugal and totally focused on the customer.' We are a strong 'Constitutional Republic.' People in communities are coming together. We need to take things off the books to get back our Liberties. 9/12 Tea Parties are making things happen. Defeat them with 'We the People'."

"Guest Speaker: Jake Towne Spoke on sound money and our economic future. Jake is running for Congress as an independent for the 15th District against Charles Dent. Learn about Jake at TowneForCongress.com"

"Mat Benol Announces he is stepping down as an Executive Board Member as he is running for Congress in the 15th District against Charles Dent in the Republican Primary. It’s not about Repubs or Dems. It’s about right and wrong, not politics and let’s get back to The Constitution."

"Introducing Joe Hilliard who speaks on our Precinct plan, stating it’s most effective starting at the local level. Building and informing from the bottom up, one person at a time. We are organizing and developing people to campaign in their precincts. It takes 10 signatures to get put on the ballot to run for committee person. Counties are broken down into municipalities. Precincts are the smallest voting neighborhood entities that vote at the same voting place. We are organizing and developing people to campaign in their precincts. . You must be a registered party member to run for committee person in your precient.[sic] Party leaders make decisions on who they indorse [sic] and put on the ballot. School taxes up 30% in the near future. We are making great strides across the country. In Fla. The State Chairman was asked to step down as he did. The higher up in government you get the less they care about the little guy."

That sure sounds like political activity to me. Self-anointed leader Hilliard even has them organizing in precincts, building the tea party movement from the bottom up.

There's even advice on how to deal with snoops like me.

"Supply no target to the opposition. No leaders. No group names. No money exchanging. No meeting minutes. Share ID information with no one. Learn the art of effective communication.."

Name, rank and serial number, eh? Too late!

I've been highly critical of my party because I believe our current party chair was illegally elected. But that's better than no election at all. So if you're a local tea party member, you're being led around the nose by people you never elected. You are being organized, from the bottom up, as their personal political machine. You are no nonpartisan group, despite all the protests to the contrary.

We the people? Bullshit.

Norco Council Candidates' Night On Election Eve

A few days before the election - October 29 - 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. Controller hopefuls Steve Barron and John Schimmel have received no invitation, but the LWV has a very full plate with the council candidates alone.

County Council is the legislative branch of Northampton County Government. It consists of nine elected members. Four represent specific districts, and five are elected at-large throughout the entire County. In this election cycle, only one at-large seat is in contention.

Tony Branco, an unknown outside Hellertown, is in serious trouble. His record as a council appointee is undistinguished, and opponent Peg Ferraro is very formidable. In my opinion, he lost his first debate. His likely defeat will be a setback to machine Democrats on council - Charles Dertinger, Lamont McClure and Diane Neiper.

Here's the evening's ambitious agenda.

7 – 7:45 p.m.
Room 1, at-large candidates Anthony Branco and Peg Ferraro

8 – 9:30 p.m. District Candidates
Room 1:
District 1 - Ann McHale and Tom Dietrich
District 2 – William E. Wallace and J. Michael Dowd

Room 2:
District 3 – Lamont G. McClure and Mark H. Schwartz
District 4 – John F. Maher and Ron Angle

Candidates will answer questions from the League of Women Voters and the Green Valley Coalition, a special interest group promoting farmland preservation. They will also submit a few written questions from the audience.
(Photo of Peg Ferraro and Tony Branco at Pen Argyl debate, courtesy of Windgapper)

Voters Rage Against NorCo Dem Machine

I'm pretty sure last night's party for county machine Dems must have been a real dud. Besides Branco and Maher going down the tubes, McClure is in serious trouble. The two Dems who managed to win county seats, McHale and Barron, refused to participate in smear campaigns. Let me lay out the big losers and the winners.

Losers

Lehigh Valley League of Women Voters. It's time this group drop its stifling debate format, in which candidates become bobbleheads and voters learn nothing.

Tony "the crony" Branco. Unable to run a positive campaign on a nonexistent record, he instead rolled around in the mud, hiding behind the skirts of dirty dealer Tom Severson. The Morning Call's Glenn Kranzley last night told WDIY this kind of politics is "always disappointing to see ... suppresses the vote ... turns people off." Maybe Tony should have answered that LWV questionnaire.

John Maher. He disingenuously claimed to be running a positive campaign while simultaneously bad-mouthing his opponent in debates and at county council. His monstrous anonymous robo-calls and sleaze mailings infuriated most of the slate belt.

Tom Severson. The Darth Vader of Sleaze Politics, this political consultant is learning the hard way that sleaze no longer works. Of the four county candidates he worked for, he lost three races. The fourth? This brings me to . . .

Lamont McClure. All the King's Horses. All the King's men. Even Severson. Yet Lamont clings to an 88 vote lead over an underfunded unknown who had no time to campaign. Can you say recount?

Charles Dertinger. He was hoping to add a few votes to his Axis of Weasel, but may have lost two members. Oopsie!

John Morganelli. He's hand-picked two judges. Now, he's stacking county council. First, he plugs in McClure, whose wife works for him. Now, he tapes robocalls falsely claiming that Tony "the Crony" Branco is helping him fight crime. Voters aren't buying it. Unless Morganelli straightens out his act, they won't be buying him much longer, either.

Joe "the Bossman" Long. Against the advice of respected leaders like State Rep. Rich Grucela, he insisted that the party endorse candidates in the primary, only to see two of them go down in flames in the general election. He has constantly inserted himself in the political process, making himself and his own machine style an issue. An embarrassment to local Dems, Bossman Long should step down as party chair.

Winners

Debate at the State. The Express Times and State Theatre performed a terrific public service with its "Debate at the State," featuring Easton mayoral candidates. Its format enabled voters to see the sea of difference between Sal Panto and Gary Bertsch.

Pen Argyl Area Concerned Citizens. Tough but fair questions, candidate exchanges and direct encounters with the public make this the best forum in which to draw out the real differences between candidates.

Meg Holland. Against all odds, this diminutive Republican CPA stood against Bethlehem's old-guard Dems. Outspent three to one, she pulled off a stunning upset. Maybe DiGiacinto should have debated her after all.

Ron Angle. He actually took the high road! Go figure! When Maher called him an "antagonistic life long politician with a record of shenanigans," Ron just shrugged his shoulders and smiled! Must be drugs. When I called him late last night, he said "I'm going to Disneyworld!"

Steve Barron. He ran a very smart and positive campaign with limited resources against an entrenched incumbent, and pulled off an upset.

Easton. After years of poor leadership, Sal Panto is at the helm!

John Stoffa. An antipolitician, machine Dems tried to stack county council with cronies interested in partisan politics, not good government. Stoffa said long ago, "There's nothing wrong with government. But sometimes, the wrong people are in government." The voters listened.

Norco Council, LWV, Take Aim at Gerrymandering

Jeffrey Fox

The Bethlehem Press recently ran a series about gerrymandering and the bipartisan redistricting reform bills sponsored by State Senator Lisa Boscola and State Rep. David Parker. One long-time advocate of this kind of reform is NorCo Council member Peg Ferraro, a Republican. She was in the audience at a recent forum concerning the gerrymander at Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethlehem. She and Democrat Ken Kraft agreed to cosponsor a resolution calling on the state legislature to enact changes in the redistricting process that will prevent legislators from picking their voters.

Resolutions supporting the Boscola-Parker proposal have already been approved in Pittsburgh, Cumberland County, West Hanover Township, ​East Pennsboro Township, Upper Allen Township, Lower Paxton Township, Highspire Borough Council and Capital Region Council of Governments.

Northampton County will consider this resolution, thanks to a request from Slate Belt resident Jeffrey Fox reside. "Northampton County has always been a leader," he said. "You can be a leader in this effort as well by passing a resolution ... that puts the redistricting process back in the hands of the citizens."

In the meantime, the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania has asked all candidates to state whether they support redistricting reform:

Pennsylvania is home to some of the most gerrymandered districts in the US. Unfairly drawn districts disenfranchise voters and make it more difficult for legislators to effectively represent all of their constituents. Would you support redistricting reform through removing elected officials from the process and instituting an independent citizens’ commission to draw the maps, changing where prisoners are counted, and/or implementing stricter methods of statistical verification? Please explain your answer.

Locally, most Lehigh Valley legislatros champion gerrymanding reform. All three state senators who represent the Lehigh Valley are on board, including newly elected Mario Scavello. The only state legislators who have failed to cosponsor gerrymander reform are Joe Emrick, Marcia Hahn, lame duck Julie Harhart, Gary Day and Ryan MacKenzie. Hahn has ignored several emails from at least two people on this topic. That's because she thinks she can pick the voters and not the other way around.

So far she has been right.

Molovinsky Shines in State House Debate (Updated)

This past Saturday morning, while most of you were doing your weekend chores and a lucky few got to sleep in, three candidates for the 183rd state house seat - a statewide office - were at a largely empty middle school in South Whitehall Township, debating before a small group of camp followers. It's a gerrymandered distict that includes municipalities like parts of South Whitehall and North Catty, which have little in common, in two different counties. This is the only chance voters had to see long-time incumbent Julie Harhart, a Republican who has been in office since 1995, defend her record against Democrat Terri Powell, a title agent hoping to ride gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf's coattails into office. It was the only opportunity for Independent Michael Molovinsky, a long-time community activist, to tell Powell and Harhart that both of their messages are wrong. Did they waste their time? In a democracy, the answer has to be No. And in this case, the candidates are lucky because, though the debate itself was sparsely attended, there was quite a bit of media coverage. The Morning Call, the weekly Press papers and hyper-local South Whitehall Observer were all present, along with yours truly. It was a fast hour.

Before telling you about the debate itself, I have to acknowledge the dedication of the Lehigh Valley League of Women Voters, I love to make fun of them, but without people like Beverly Hernandez or Joan Dean, there'd be no attempt to inform the voters at all. Newspapers are so concerned about being "objective" that they run from elections, only to return after it's all over to tell everyone how shitty their choices were. This lack of scrutiny is how we end up with people like Karen Dolan. It's also why people who have no ties to special interests, and who are unwilling or unable to spend the fortune required to tell their story, will never get elected.

It's why Michael Molovinsky has no shot. He has refused to curry favor with either of the major parties. He won't spend the money for the seven mailers he'd need to expect to have any hope at all. But to anyone who attended the debate, Michael Molovinsky was head and shoulders the best of the bunch.

He's by no means the nicest. That honor would have to go to the incumbent, Julie Harhart, whose basic decency stood out.during the debate. It's no mystery why she's been in office for ten terms.

Nor was he the best prepared. That distinction goes to Terri Powell, a powerful and confident candidate who came with reams of talking points and papers and recited bill numbers with the certainty of a Bingo caller. By contrast, Molovinsky even forgot his reading glasses.

But Molovinsky, combining his laconic style with a biting wit, was the best orator. His brief "Harriisburg is broken" opening, in which he states that no amount of money is "ever enough for Harrisburg", was still resonating after the other two gave longer openings that largely said nothing.

Charter Schools

Powell is neither for or against them, but stated they should be held to the same standard as public schools. Harhart stated that reform legislation has recently been enacted that will improve them. Molovinsky said they result in de facto segregation, especially in larger cities, and scoffed at schools financed by real estate developers who hire public relations experts to ram them through.

Special Interests, Transparency

Harhart points to Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law, stating there are "no secrets". Powell pledged to decline large contributions from corporations. Molovinsky stated term limits would discourage a legislator from developing a rapport with special interests. He noted Harhart had pledged to seek only two or three terms, and now is on her tenth. He added she gets a lot of money from the medical industry. "That's because I chair the professional licensure committee," Harhart later explained. "I don't find that answer very reassuring," responded Molovisnky.

Crumbling Infrastructure

Powell noted Pennsylvania's infrastructure is ranked 49th in the nation, and she'd fix that problem by imposing a tax on Marcellus Shale and closing the Delaware loophole. Harhart stated that the recently enacted Transportation Bill, which she conceded she voted against, would bring in seven billion dollars for infrastructure improvements over the next five years. Molovinsky claimed this is a "political football" brought about by mismanagement by both parties. "One need only look at the Turnpike Commission" he observed, wondering what exactly they do.

Taxes on Seniors

Powell stated property taxes continue to rise because Republicans cut education funding, a point sharply disputed by Harhart. "We never cut education funding," she insisted, noting that schools did receive two years of stimulus funding from the federal government and were warned not to spend it on programs. Molovinsky continued to insist there are already enough taxes and revenue. He noted there are 73,000 state employees, and if they have the time to be sending porn emails to each other, perhaps there are too many of them.

Fracking Tax

Harhart supports an impact fee that goes to the municipalities that are impacted by fracking. Powel supports an 11% tax, the same as imposed in every other state that allows fracking. She noted that would raise $1 billion in revenue every year. "We are leaving billions of dollars on the table," she complained. Molovinsky, who supports a tax, noted impact fees only bring in $225 million per year, calling that a "drop in the bucket." He complained that a pipeline coming through the Lehigh Valley is going to degrade this area and we need a revenue tax to protect us from companies that "have more or less gone wild." He also is wary of the DEP and its ability to actually protect the community.

Clean Air, Water

Noting Allentown's recently abandoned plans to convert refuse into energy, Molovinsky noted the project had the blessing of the DEP. "What a Frankenstein mix!" he lamented, "So much for the DEP watching over fracking or anything else. We need to improve the process." He believes more oversight is needed. Powell agreed we have a right to clean air and water, as well as tourism and farming.

Harhart noted that the DEP has received funding to hire more people to provide oversight. She also pointed to recent studies showing that fracking has caused no water pollution.

Municipal bans on guns

Powell went off on a question about municipal bans on guns by stating there should be better checks on mentally unstable people. Noting the state legislation that prevents municipalities from banning guns in parks, she complained that even the KKK will be able to sue.

Harhart brought the argument back to earth, noting that the state law preempts municipalities from most gun issues/. This is because differing municipalities could contradict each other. They could , make the same conduct that is innocent in one municipality,criminal in the next.

Molovinsky stated these are "wedge" issues designed to appeal to panderers and emotion, and faulted both the NRA and gun control advocates for sensationalizing the issue.

Affordable Higher Education

Powell complained she is still paying her student loans and that the "system is a mess" and "we need to do something." Harhart noted there are numerous loans and grants available, "I don't have much interest in the question," noted Molovisnky, who pointed out that people who take these loans agree to pay them. He later noted that paying off a loan itself is educational.

Illegal Immigration

"We need reform," announced Powell, but Harhart noted this is really a federal issue. Molovinsky added that the last time he checked, Pa. is not a border state and wonders what people really mean. "Are we talking about immigration or expressing prejudice?" he asked.

Minimum Wage

All candidates support a hike in the minimum wage, but Harhart would do it incrementally. "You have to be very careful or it could be detrimental to the people you're trying to help," she warned.

When it was all over, LWV member Joan Dean gave this warning: "Your vote is your ticket that brings you to the table; because if you're not at the table, you're probably on the menu."  

Blogger's Note: Michael Molovinsky and I are friends ... I think.  He is also a fellow blogger. I am obviously rooting for him, and wish I could vote for him. Having said that, I do think the other two candidates should be proud of their performances and each had their strong points.

Updated 9:05 pm: The Morning Call's account of the debate notes Molovinsky's strong performance as well.

Samuelson Seeks End to Gerrymandering

HARRISBURG, May 7 – State Rep. Steve Samuelson, D-Northampton/Lehigh, today introduced new redistricting reform legislation that would create a more fair and open process for legislative reapportionment.

House Bill 2420, which was developed with the assistance of the Pennsylvania League of Women Voters and Common Cause of Pennsylvania, is co-sponsored by 90 state representatives, 50 Democrats and 40 Republicans.

Of the Lehigh Valley's ten state house members, sponsors include Karen Beyer, Jenn Mann, Joe Brennan, Steve Samuelson, Bob Freeman, Rich Grucela, Craig Dally, Julie Harhart and Carl Mantz. Only Doug Reichley's name is missing

“Our goal is to take the politics out of the redistricting process,” Samuelson said. “Changing the way districts are drawn in Pennsylvania to an open and nonpartisan process is a long-term reform that has lasting impact on our democracy. Our current process could be described as gerrymandering. We need fundamental change. We need to open up the process and put redistricting in the hands of a non-partisan entity.”

Under this bill, Samuelson said transparency and openness will be the hallmarks of the redistricting process with data available online and opportunities for public input.

“Under our current method of redistricting, townships are traded, districts take on unimaginable shapes and communities are split up,” Samuelson said. “Politics is at the center of the current process and the people need to take it back.”

The bill would require that redistricting of Pennsylvania’s Legislative and Congressional Districts be conducted by the Legislative Reference Bureau. The preliminary plan developed by the LRB would be open for public comment at a series of five public hearings around the state. The hearings would be conducted by a bipartisan redistricting commission, the function of which is advisory only. Based upon the public input that is received, the LRB would develop a revised plan, which would go to the General Assembly for a vote. If the revised plan is rejected by either the House or the Senate, the LRB would develop a final plan and re-submit it to the legislature for a vote. The plans would not be amendable by the legislature.

“The Legislative Reference Bureau has a reputation for fairness and nonpartisanship,” Samuelson said. “The proposed three-step process would provide for meaningful public input, and also guarantees that the ultimate redistricting plan will be the work product of a nonpartisan body rather than party leaders in the House and Senate.”

Samuelson said this reform movement has been gaining strength over the years, and that this new legislation combines the best of the past several proposals put before the House.

“In 2002, a similar bill had 25 co-sponsors,” Samuelson said. “In 2006, another bill had 38 co-sponsors. We have 90 co-sponsors on this bill. It is time this legislation moves forward, and I’m confident it has the momentum to do so.

“The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania has made redistricting reform its top legislative priority, and I am encouraged by grassroots interest in changing the system,” Samuelson said. “A forum last Saturday in Monroe County drew 75 citizens for a discussion of redistricting reform.”

House Bill 2420 has been referred to the House State Government Committee.

My Election Picks: Who Gets My Kiss of Death?

Below are my picks for candidates I consider best suited to the job. Who wins is a different matter. I am often reminded of my fallibility after elections, and this year will be no exception. I'm no Buddy Christ. I just think I am.

You can read more about some of these races in my campaign pages, on the left sidebar, and at the Lehigh Valley League of Women Voters. .

Northampton County Council District Three

John Cusick (R candidate)

✓ Mickey Thompson (R candidate)

Though Cusick has County experience, Thompson's knowledge of nursing homes could prove invaluable in turning Gracedale around. Cusick and Executive John Brown, whose leadership has been a disaster, were overheard disparaging Thompson. That's why I would recommend Mickey over John.

Northampton County Council District Four

✓Lorin Bradley (Republican)

Matthew Dietz (Republican)

Bradley;'s specialty is human relations, an area in which Executive John Brown has failed miserably. So despite his ridiculous support for a public paid public relations consultant, I believe he could help turn around poor morale. I also admire his transparency. Dietz impressed me as well, despite his appearance on tea party radio.But it's hardto dispute Bradley's impressive credentials.

Northampton County Judge

Abe Kassis

✓Sam Murray

Vic Scomillio

Sam Murray has the most experience of the three, has served as a Master and a Juvenile Hearing Officer for the courts, and is the only man in recent history I know to march a little known Little League team from Bethlehem right into the World Series. I think Abe tried too hard, and as a result became deceptive in his mailers and with his support base. Scomillio has been tainted by his association with Executive John Brown, and i especially don't like the idea that he fured someone just before Christmas, while driving somewhere.

Bethlehem City Council four year seats (three)

✓ Mike Recchiuti (i)

✓Willie Reynolds (i)

Michael Colon

✓Shawn Martell

Bethlehem City Council two year seat (one)

✓Jeff Kocsis (two year)

Matt McKernan  (two year)

Olga Negron (two year)

While I think there should be term limits on Bethlehem City Council seats to keep developers from pouring money down their throats, I believe Reynolds and Recchuiti have been effective on Council, and have worked with Mayor Bob Donchez. Martell impressed me just a little more than Colon. For the two year seat, I had a very difficult time between Kocsis and McKernan. I went with Kocsis only because I've heard that McKernan intends to run again in two years if he loses. He should. I even ended up being favorably impressed by Negron's refusal to take money from developers, but not by her ties to Allentown Mayor Edwin Pawlowski.

1st Ward

✓Tom Nolan, an engineer at Lehigh Heavy Forge, is a voice of reason in an often unreasonable Board. Yet he has two Republican opponents. One of them is former Commissioner Art Murphy, who works for Selvaggio and Son. The other, Wayne Buller, is definitely a tea party and RAT favorite. Regulars like Ben Hedrick, Andy Azan and Melissa Miller (significant other of NorCo Council member Seth Vaughn) are behind this campaign. At a debate, Murphy slammed Housenick Park Committee, and often spoke out against funding the library.

3rd Ward

✓ Phil Barnard, Manager at Bay Insulation, has been another moderating influence on the Board. Well-spoken and thoughtful, he really listens to residents and tries very hard to be transparent. He's precisely the kind of guy who Republicans should be embracing and grooming for higher office. I could see him as County Executive or in the State Senate.

Phil two opponents, Republican Fran Blatz and Democrat Kim Jenkins. Blatz, whom I believe to be the tea-party candidate, is listed as the Pro-life leader at Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Jenkins is the Secretary of the Bethlehem Township Athletic Association, which Barnard has steadfastly supported during his four years as a Commissioner. .

Phil deserves re-election.

At Large

✓ Incumbent Marty Zawarski is being challenged by two former Republican. They include Paul Weiss and the tea party sponsored candidate, Bob Birk.

To his credit, Zawarski is running hard. That, or unopposed, is the only way to go. Weiss, a good man, is running out of bitterness and not for the right reasons. Birk, whose ethics statement lists his occupation as "unemployed" and has posted yard signs calling the office "comissioner," would make the Township Board a laughing stock.

Zawarski is clearly the best choice among the three Republicans.

Lehigh County Commissioner. - On the R side, the only two candidates worthy of any support are ✓ Dean Browning and ✓Vic Mazziotti. Though they despise each other, they both have commanding knowledge of public finance and both are men of conscience. They'd do better working with each other than against each other. The other candidates include a Commissioner with no backbone (Brad Osborne), a home-schooled music teacher who lives with her mommy and daddy (Amanda Holt) and an arrogant bicyclist who wears bug suits (Marty Nothstein).

There are also four Democrats who are unopposed in their primary.

Whitehall Mayor. - If you believe in democracy, ✓ Ed Hozza, Jr. should be your choice. If you believe in an urban growth regime in which only the monied are heard and are willing to cede over control to Allentown, just write in Pawlowski. Or megalomaniac. Same thing.

Bethlehem Township Mini-Judge. - Three Assistant DAs are seeking the seat being vacated by Magisterial District Judge Joe Barner. Though all three are well-suited, my first choice is ✓ Pat Broscius. As an Assistant District Attorney, she was a powerful voice for children who are sadly neglected and abused, often in the most horrendous ways. It is easy for a person who sees those tragedies every day become bitter, but that never happened to Pat. Like Magisterial District Judge Jackie Taschner one said to me when she was still a DA, "I'm a prosecutor, not a persecutor." It is very possible that Sandy McClure will prevail on the Democratic side. Bill Blake is another very capable person.

Hellertown-Lower Saucon Mini-Judge. - I expect to see ✓ David Tidd easily re-elected on both sides of the ballot. He is simply the best candidate. Repyneck ran an ugly campaign, and made too many wild and reckless allegations to be taken seriously. Amanda Kurecian acted with honor and should be commended.

Bethlehem Mini-Judge. - ✓ Roy Manwaring has spent next to no money for re-election, and most of it comes from his own pocket. Her deserves another term. I never really understood why paul Bender challenged him.

Supreme Court. - My two top picks are Democrat ✓Kevin Dougherty and Republican ✓Corry Stevens.

Superior Court. - Lehigh Valley favorite son ✓ Emil Giordano.

Commonwealth Court. - Coalcracker ✓ Todd Eagen.

LWV Debate

L to far R: Greg Edwards, Rick Dougherty and Dean Browning

The Lehigh Valley League of Women Voters last night hosted what I think was the final debate for Congressional candidates seeking the seat being vacated by Charlie Dent. It was attended by all six Democratic candidates as well as Republican Dean Browning. The other Republican, Marty Nothstein, boycotted the event primarily because the League filed a lawsuit that ended the gerrymander for Congressional districts. It was standing room only for about 130 people who listened to softballs thrown by Lafayette College's Dr. John Kincaid as well as PBS39's Monica Evans. Because candidates only had 60 seconds to answer each question, there was little time for more than platitudes. I've already provided in-depth coverage of several debates. There's no reason to do that again. What I can do is tell you I've learned from attending numerous debates and then writing about them here. What I've learned is that we are more than a nation divided, but are fractured within this congressional district as well.

People at the NextGen America debate in downtown Allentown were darker, younger and much poorer than the mostly white, mostly middle class people at the Republican debate in suburban Palmer Tp. If these groups have anything in common, it's anger. And they are angry with each other.

I see it here and on Facebook, too. People at one time loved posting here anonymously because they knew they could cheap shot someone and no one could blame them. Now they do it on Facebook even though everyone knows who they are. Civility is out the window.

Last night, when Dean Browning argued his conservative views, the audience moaned and gasped, while some Democratic candidates cringed.

This intolerance exists on the left and the right. Until it ends, nothing will get done.

John Morganelli likes to quote from John F Kennedy, and did so again last night. "Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future."

I agree. This is why I supported Charlie Dent. This is why I support John Morganelli.

Four Forums Remain for LV Congressional Candidates.

The three Congressional candidates for Pa-7 (Lehigh Valley) are Republican Marty Nothstein, Democrat Susan Wild and Libertarian Tim Silfies. I have seen them together at WDIY and a CACLV luncheon. There are four forums left.

Today: WFMZ's Business Matters Program
Coordinate Health, 3435 Winchester Rd., Allentown, PA 18104
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
This is a closed taping, but the program will air Oct 15th and Oct 22, 7:30 PM

Thursday, Oct 18: Lehigh Valley Economic Development Forum
Coca-Cola Park (club level) 1050 Iron Pigs Way, Allentown, PA 18109
4 - 5:30 PM
Live, tickets may be reserved
https://lehighvalley.org/events/congressional-forum-on-economic-development/

Tuesday, Oct. 23rd: PBS 39 Debate
Northampton Community College (Lipkin theater), 3835 Green Pond Rd, Bethlehem, PA 18020
7 - 8 PM
Live, tickets may be reserved
https://www.wlvt.org/television/pennsylvania-7th-congressional-district-debate/

Thursday, Oct. 25th: League of Women Voters Debate
Gracedale Senior Living Facility (Chapel), 2 Gracedale Ave, Nazareth, PA 18064
6:30-8 PM
No reserved seating

How Much Is Public Health Worth?

Despite warnings of bad weather ahead, about twenty-five people took their chances and attended last night's LV Health Department community forum at Bangor's Washington Elementary School. RenewLV and the League of Women Voters (Northampton County) hosted a panel who spoke in mostly general terms about the benefits of public health. State taxes collected from LV residents, estimated at somewhere between $4 and $5 million, are funding health departments elsewhere. Apparently, that's still not enough money to fund a LV Health Department. Dr. David Lyon, who chairs the Board of Health, conceded last night that it's going to cost money, and at a time when both counties are already facing tax increases. He wants to have the Health Department up and running by July or August.

This was billed as an "[i]nformal forum, free and open to the public, to promote discourse and consideration of a Lehigh Valley Health Department. Brief presentations from each of the panelists will be followed by plenty of time for questions and discussion." That's not how it worked out.

What is up with the LWV and those damn index cards? Instead of just asking our questions, we have to write them on index cards and then they decide whether the question is appropriate. If there were 500 people in this crowd, I could see the need. But 25 people?

The Northampton County Bulldog, Ron Angle, refused to fill out any cards, but insisted on asking questions about the disparity in services that would be offered to downtown Allentown and slate belt residents. Dr. Lyon indicated services would be different because the needs are different. "That's a wonderful play on words," snapped Angle. "Are the needs for flu shots different?"

Angle then noted the small, mostly nonlocal crowd, and asked, "If the masses wanted this, why isn't this place packed?"

That brought several geriatrics, including former LWV President Ida Belle Hahn, to their feet. They demanded that Angle shut up. One very nice old lady was ready to brain Angle with her cane, Ida Belle gave Ron hell, and one older gentleman began to yell until his false teeth nearly fell out. John Reinhart, a board member who was once principal at Washington Elementary, finally gave Ron a detention.

RenewLV's Steve Bliss made sure Angle was able to ask his questions, and an interesting dialogue ensued. Reinhart noted that, as Superintendent of the Bangor School District, he was given 4000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine to distribute. He had to find a place to store it, and then had to scramble to find people who could administer it. What if this were a serious epidemic, he asked. "We are at risk in the Lehigh Valley because we don't have the organizational structure to make it happen. ... It's up to us. No one is going to help us."

Last night's meeting was attended by Northampton County Council members Peg Ferraro and Mike Dowd, in addition to Angle. Mary Ensslin, who proposed this idea as a member of Council, was there, too. Human Services Director Ross Marcus was also in the house.

RenewLV 's Steve Bliss and Beata Bujalska really deserve some recognition for their efforts. Whether you support or oppose public health or rail, I have found both of them more than willing to engage in the give and take of public debate. Bliss indicated that, as the plan becomes more refined, there will be more meetings. At this juncture, I doubt the votes are there.

But how much is a child's life worth? There are statistics showing that infant mortality rates are higher here than in other areas of the state. So are the death rates for diseases like melanoma. According to these dedicated professionals, public health will change that dynamic. If this is true, it will be worth every penny we spend.