Browne Sued, Acknowledges Revenue Error in Faulty Pinsley Tax Certificate

Mark Pinsley wants very much to be a State Senator. He wants it so badly he announced his candidacy before being sworn into office as a South Whitehall Township Commissioner. He may have needed a head start because he's running against Pat Browne. He chairs the Appropriations Committee and is one of the most powerful officials in Harrisburg. A close ally of former Congressman Charlie Dent, Browne is known for his moderate views. Pinsley by contrast is on the fringes of the Democratic party. But a recent Browne flyer attacking Pinsley for unpaid corporate tax liens was a mistake. It was an honest mistake, but it was a mistake.

That flyer hit mailboxes last week. "Mark Pinsley. He'll raise your taxes. But won't pay his own." The flyer includes an excerpt from a Pa. Department of Revenue tax certificate showing that Pinsley is delinquent on taxes owed by one of his companies, DermaMed Solutions, LLC. 

On the day this flyer hit, Pinsley called a news conference and strongly denied that he was behind on any taxes. He called on Senator Browne to retract his accusation, and threatened to sue.

Pinsley made good on that threat on Monday, and sued Browne in Lehigh County court on a defamation/false light theory. He is represented by Allentown Attorney Matthew Mobilio.

A search of the Pa. Corporation Bureau reveals there are eight different DermaMed companies. There's DERMAMED ACQ., LLC, DERMAMED INTERNATIONAL, DERMAMED INTERNATIONAL, INC., DERMAMED SOLUTIONS, LLC, DERMAMED USA (with a Lenni, Pa. address), DERMAMED USA (Allentown address), DERMAMED USA, INC. and DERMAMED, INC.

That's a lot of DermaMed.

All these DermaMeds apparently confused a Revenue employee who prepared the tax lien certificate. As a result, a taxlien ceryificate was erroneously issued,naming Pinsley as a debtor for taxes that have no application to his business.

Last night, the Pat Browne for Senate campaign responded following the issuance of a statement by the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue indicating the department’s error in issuing a tax lien notice against the company owned by Mark Pinsley:

“The Pat Browne for Senate campaign relied on public information regarding tax liens issued against Pennsylvania businesses, which was obtainable through the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue and its authorized personnel responsible for responding to public requests for such information.

“Following the Department of Revenue’s recognition of its error, the Pat Browne for Senate Campaign is taking the proper steps to respond to this acknowledgement accordingly and expeditiously.”

In the course of doing my own research, I saw a taxlien against DermaMedin Delaware County for a small sum, which was satisfied this year. The Pinsley campaign tells me that's the other DermaMed.

There are no DermaMed tax liens filed in Lehigh County, where Pinsley's business is located.

Mark Pinsley In the Ghetto

As the snow flies
On a cold and gray A'town mornin'
Poor little baby Mark is born
In the ghetto
(In the ghetto)

And his mama cries
'Cause if there's one thing that she don't need
It is another hungry mouth to feed
In the ghetto
(In the ghetto)

While I have nothing against Mark Pinsley personally, I am leery of opportunistic politicians who springboard from one office into another. And that's Mark Pinsley. Almost immediately after his election as a South Whitehall Tp Commissioner,he announced he was running for Pat Browne's State Senate seat. He had not even been sworn into one office, but was running for another. After losing to Browne, he immediately ran for Controller and won. He's politicized that office with audits having nothing to do with county finances because he intended to run against Phil Armstrong. But then he dropped that idea to consider a run for Lt. Governor. Then he abandoned those plans to run again Browne again. But redisticting has thrown a monkey wrench into his constant electioneering.  Pinsley might have been drawn out if the district and he's hot about it. So he made the trip to the land of midnight payraises. There he had to make up a reason for being opposed to a plan that makes it impossible for him to run. So he opposed the idea of combining Bethlehem and Allentown because "we don't need a ghetto." 

This story was broken by WFMZ-TV.  It was also covered by Lehigh Valley Live and blogger Michael Molovinsky.  MM sagely adds, "[Pinsley's] promoters, aka Morning Call editorial staff, made sure that the story didn't appear on their pages. Expect the paper to shortly host a damage control editorial by Pinsley."

This is what people mean when they say The Morning Call plays favorites. The paper has been one of Pinsley's biggest fans.  It has been remarkably silent when he does something stupid, like his vapid suggestion for  both a Lehigh County sales tax and an earned income tax on ghetto residents in the middle of a pandemic. It even promoted his actually promoted his inane initiative to bring in blimps to ease LV traffic congestion. 

Wait a second, you might say. You play favorites, too, O'Hare. I do. But I have never pretended to be objective. I've only promised to be honest. The Morning Call is neither.

By the way, Pinsley said that his use of the word ghetto was a reference to what Jews endured during WWII in Warsaw. 

He must think we're really stupid.  

The Pinsley-Brown Senate Race

John Micek, who is with the Patriot News of late, has listed the race between incumbent Pat Browne and challenger Mark Pinsley as one of eight state senate contests to which we need to pay attention. Browne has been either a State Representative or State Senator since 1994, and has been a State Senator since 2005. He chairs the Appropriations Committee, making him one of the most powerful persons in the state. Browne is both an attorney and a CPA. Pinsley, a South Whitehall Township Commissioner who was just elected last year, has an MBA from Indiana University and is involved in several businesses.

Though he concedes that Pinsley will have the hardest time of any of the Democratic challengers, Micek points out that Hillary Clinton won Brown's district in 2016 with 50.68% of the vote, and that the Democratic edge is 45-37 per cent.

You can expect Browne, who's had a hand in nearly every major economic development project in the Valley for the last decade, to run heavily on his record and his experience.

He's emerged as a forceful advocate for early childhood education funding; the co-sponsor of an LGBTQ anti-discrimination bill, and the chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. The latter gives him a serious say in the annual debate over the state budget.

On his website, Pinsley describes himself as an advocate "for the people, not the powerful." He supports "healthcare for all;" a $15 minimum wage; "100 percent clean energy," and a proposal he calls "the Anti-Corruption Act."

I expect Browne to kick Pinsley's ass. First, nobody knows who the hell Pinsley is. Second, those who do are turned off by him. This is a guy who announced his challenge before he was even sworn into office. Pinsley also did himself no favors when he attempted to make political hay over the unfortunate shooting death of Joseph Santos by a South Whitehall police officer.

Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley Hosts Political Rally Disguised as Educational Town Hall

Lehigh County Controller Mrk Pinsley has never failed to use his office for political purposes. He did it when he waded into Lehigh County's jail system with misleading information about the money charged for phone calls. He did it again when he and Exec wannabe Josh Siegel suggested a sales and county income tax double whammy to fund the "creative economy," whatever that is. And yet again when, like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, he marched parents into both counties to claim they are victims of wrongful child abuse claims.  He's learned nothing from his misjudgment. Yesterday, he hosted what was supposed to be a town hall at Lehigh County's meeting room to discuss the possible impacts of federal spending cuts, even though no one knows what the hell they are. What was billed as an educational town hall was actually a political rally. That's according to my brother Mike O'Hare, an evil Republican, who happened to attend. I dislike Trump and his policies just about as much as Pinsley, but believe government resources should be used for government, not politics. 

Here's my brother's report: 

Lehigh County controller Mark Pinsley held a "Town Hall" yesterday to discuss the effects of Federal Government budget negotiations on Medicaid-at the County level.

After 45 minutes of Trump/Mackenzie bashing, he publicly admitted that he had no real or concrete information about any budget cuts. 

Mr Pinsley did have some good and interesting information about county operations, but his presentation was more of a campaign rally than a town hall. It was clearly partisan. 

Even worse was the clearly biased presentation by Mr. Dwayne J Heisler from Penn Policy. He spent time talking about the 2017 "tax scam" and handing out flyers about "Trump's giveaway to corporations and the ultra-rich". 

There would certainly be no problem with this event if it was held in a non government location, but this was held on a workday in the public hearing room of the Lehigh County Government Center. Wrong!

There were handouts, room setup/ teardown, and A/V support all provided at county expense. Very Wrong!  Maybe the controller should investigate himself. 

Does the County executive know what's going on in the government center? Seems like he's AWOL. 

Mr. Pinsley, controller, promised more "town halls". If so, he should stop all the partisan rhetoric or move them to a non government location. 

After Ghetto Remark, Pinsley Embraces MLK

On Friday, I told you that Lehigh County Controller and State Senate wannabe basically put his foot in his mouth when he objected to plans to combine much of Allentown and Bethlehem into one state senatorial district. "[W]e don't need a ghetto," he told a redistricting committee. The backlash was fast and furious. Of course, his political opponents took him to task, and this was reported y most of the news outlets. I told you that The Morning Call, which has allowed Pinsely to promote himself on their pages, was strangely silent. But that was wrong. The Morning Call did, in fact, report on Pinsley's ghetto remark. It also noted the instant rebuke he received at the hearing. So Pinsley has been tagged by both dailies, WFMZ-TV69 as well as two local blogs.

I personally have no reason to believe Pinsley is any more bigoted than I. His remark is just another example of the subtle racism or classism ingrained in many of us. But rather than apologize, Pinsley said he was making a comparison to the Warsaw ghettos in which Jews were segregated. I find this explanation more offensive than his original remark. It;s clearly dishonest. 

Notwithstanding his ghetto remark, Pinsley embraced MLK in an email message today. 

"It is because of citizens like Dr. King that I am running for Pennsylvania State Senate," he tells his followers."

Pinsley, the People's Controller, Wants UN Observers at Election

Lehigh County's Mark Pinsley, who calls himself the People's Controller, is at it again. In addition to wanting to impose a sales and earned income tax on Lehigh County's working poor, he now wants UN observers to monitor the November 3 election. He's fired off a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stating they are necessary. He knows this because he was an Army reservist. ... And he has a Master's degree.

Wha?

In a bizarre explanation on Facebook, he states the UN is a "trusted ally to the US since WWII, 75 years ago." England is an ally. France is an ally. The UN is an international organization in which the United States is a member nation, not an ally.

Donald Trump has been taken to task, and rightly so, for exaggerating the danger of mail-in voting. Pinsley is just as bad. His suggestion undermines public confidence in the integrity of our elections.

One of the biggest defenders of this proposal on Pinsley's Facebook page is Joshua Siegel, who happens to work for him.

Siegel wants to be Allentown Mayor and Pinsley wants to be Lehigh County Exec. They are the Laurel and Hardy of the Lehigh Valley.

If either of them bothered to read the Elections Code, something they obviously failed to do, they'd know that each political party can designate up to three poll watchers at each precinct. They'd know that each candidate can name two watchers per polling place. They are allowed inside the polling place and can approach within 10' of the polling table. They can challenge voters. But, and this is an important but, they must be residents of the county they are watching. Not Belgium. Moreover, a judge is always on standby for problems that might arise when the polls are open.

We got this.

Pinsley's suggestion is both uninformed and irresponsible.

Having said that, I think we should ask Wakanda.

Morning Call Fails Its Readers Again

On Friday, blogger Michael Molovinsky made some interesting observations about The Morning Call. This is the hedge fund owned daily that suppressed an important story about child abuse that was embarrassing to both Gerlach and Valley Youth House, the publicly funded nonprofit where Gerlach was employed. The paper knew she had flat out admitted to dropping off an underage runaway at a tent city, and refused to tell its readers. Even after it knew that she was under investigation by the Lehigh County District Attorney, it remained silent. Only after charges were filed did it finally run a story.Its editor offered some hollow excuses for its failure to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. To me, that itself was an admission of its failure. 

Mark Pinsley, Lehigh County's Controller, was running for the State Senate before he was even sworn in as a South Whitehall Tp Comm'r. No sooner did he lose the Senate race to Pat Browne that he was off and running again. This time he was running for Controller. After he was elected, he played the patronage game to install Josh "Dox" Siegel as some sort of assistant. He did so despite Siegel's complete lack of  knowledge of accounting. 

Together, both Pinsley and Siegel came up with the idiotic idea of increasing the sales tax in Lehigh County as well as a county earned income tax. That's right. These rocket scientists wanted ti impose two regressive taxes on the citizens who could least afford to pay them. This proposal thankfully went nowhere, although it did have support from back-room politicians like Alan Jennings. 

Now Pinsley is running for the State  Senate again. He formally announced on Saturday, but anyone who takes even the slightest interest in local politics has known about this for several weeks. 

So last week, The Morning Call gave Pinsely a bit of free advertising. It ran an opinion piece from Pinsley. It was Pinsley's second one in a month. The Morning Call  failed to warn its readers that Pinsley was going to be announcing his second state senate bid. 

At the same time, the paper has still failed to explain why it took Valley Youth House so long to investigate and terminate Gerlaqch. It has failed to tell its readers that magisterial candidate Amy Zanelli is misrepresenting herself as some sort of super child abuse investigator when in fact she was fired ... twice.   It has failed to warn readers that the GOP candidate for NorCo County Exec is asn anti-vaxer who has hinted at violence when he loses the race. 

Covid-19 Solution: Lehigh County Politicians Want A Sales Tax AND Earned Income Tax

Much of the misery resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic is a direct result of bad government on both a federal and state level. As if things aren't bad enough, two local politicians want to make them worse. Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley and Allentown City Council member Joshua Siegel want to impose two new taxes, a sales tax and earned income tax, to help keep Allentown afloat and prop up the "creative economy." Just when you think government officials couldn't be any more stupid, they prove me wrong.

Now I have no idea why a Controller is injecting himself into policy considerations, but Pinsley is that kind of guy. No sooner was he elected Comm'r in South Whitehall that he began running for the State Senate. Having failed in that race, he was swept into office in Lehigh County as part of a blue wave.

Siegel impressed me as a former Allentown Mayoral candidate. But as a new member of Allentown City Council, he's been a disappointment.

While there are times when taxes must be raised, this is not one of them. We are going onto a recession and possibly a depression.

You can read their new tax proposal here.

In a Lehigh Valley full of tax handouts with names like KOZ and KRIZ, Pinsley and Siegel propose a RPD, a Regional Prosperity District. They would fund it with $105 million annually. A quarter of the money would go to the "creative economy." Another quarter would go to Lehigh County. The remainder would be distributed to "a municipal stabilization fund that will award municipalities money based on an equation to determine local fiscal distress." In other words, the money will go to Allentown.

Because the Lehigh Valley has no money trees, the next question is the source of this $105 million annual beneficence? Bill Gates? No. Mega Millions? No. The source is you, the taxpayer. What Pinsley and Siegel want are two brand new taxes. First, they would create a one percent addition to a regressive sales tax that already disproportionately impacts the working poor. Their excuse for this is that items like food would be exempt. Their second new tax is a 0.5% earned income tax. "Its minor rate is minuscule," they argue.

At a time when 21,000 in the Lehigh Valley have already filed for unemployment, this proposal is simply insane. Instead of imposing new taxes, I would think dedicated local officials would be demanding the state to start paying out the unemployment claims for the economic catastrophe it has declared is for our own good. As things stand, there will be no sales or income on which any tax can be imposed.

They note that 16% of Allentown's workforce is employed in what they call "high risk" industries. So they want to funnel money to artists and musicians because you know those jobs are solid. Really?

At a time when many Lehigh Valley residents are understandably worried about putting food on the table, I am simply astonished that these local officials would propose two new taxes. This is a gimmick under which the entire county will be forced to subsidize Allentown's government even though they have no role in electing the officials in the Queen City. It will also create a $25 million slush fund under which local officials can award money to their pals in the "creative economy," whatever that is. As blogger Michael Molivinsky observes in a related post, "best connected, best served."

Updated 10:10 am with information from a source within Lehigh County - "Joshua Siegel is an employee of the Controller’s Office,i.e. Pinsley. Siegel arrived in Lehigh County government as some sort of public information officer for Phillips Armstrong. He quickly demonstrated that he is clueless.I don’t know what his function is in the Controller’s office or what qualifications he has, if any, but he is on the roster. That may explain in part the connection between the two political opportunists and their advocacy for new taxes – which also offers an explanation for their mutual stupidity and tone deafness !"

I was under the misimpression that Siegel still worked as some sort of public information officer. I even mentioned this in my telephone conversation with this duo. They never corrected me. Perhaps they did not hear me.

LC Comm'r Ron Beitler Seeks Good Executive Candidates in Lehigh

Lehigh County Exec Phil "Grandpa'" Armstrong is hanging it up after his term expires at the end of next year. That's unfortunate because he has been a good and bipartisan Exec who has worked with both parties to get things done. What's really sad is that the only announced candidate to succeed him is the opposite. 

That would be Josh Siegel, a former Allentown City Council member now serving as a State Rep. in what should be a Latino district. A New Jersey transplant, Siegel is an opportunist.

As a member of Allentown City Council, Siegel voted No to grants for the Allentown police department. He voted No to filling the depleted ranks of police officers. He participated in marches with felons like Hashann Batts, where "F--- the Police1" was the battle cry. He doxed then Mayor Ray O'Connell by handing out the Mayor's phone number to angry protestors. O'Connell thereafter received threats and calls for days. 

Wait, there's more. He and Controller  Mark Pinsley a fellow opportunist, promoted foisting two new taxes on the already impoverished citizens of Allentown. First, he wanted to enact a 1% increase in Lehigh County's sales tax. Any economist could tell you that a sales tax is regressive tax and is disproportionately felt by those with limited means. 

In addition to this sales tax hike, he and Pinsley wanted to enact a county-wide income tax to create districts that promote the arts. Yes, people who are already struggling in Allentown to put food on the table would have to work harder to help fund the artsy-fartsys.  

Like Pinsley, Josh has a track record of jumping between positions. Pinsley frequently focuses his attention on things that only tangentially if at all had anything to do with the duties of the office of the controller, as he did when he paraded a coterie of parents accused of child abuse before Northampton County Council . He did so to draw attention to himself and an ill-fated bid for State Senate. In some cases things that were outside the scope of what the county is responsible for. Most local politicians do have an interest in serving the common good. But there is also a type of politician constantly thinking about the next jump and looks to garner headlines accordingly. Josh and Pinsley are those types. 

Through the grapevine, I hear Siegel pushed LC Comm'r and Chair Geoff Brace out of the race with threats of leveraging his six-figure campaign war chest. Brace is well liked across the aisle for his ethical leadership, common sense pragmatism and bipartisan cooperation. These are qualities that NorCo Council Pres Lori Vargo Heffner tries to embrace, but she pays a price among more partisan Democrats. 

Siegel’s approach would bring divisiveness, similar to what we've seen out of the Lehigh County Controller’s office.

On the Republican side, there really are no viable candidates. Ss much as I like Glenn Eckhart or Dean Browning, they are retreads at a time when fresh faces are needed. Justin Simmons' name has been mentioned, but I'm unsure his record (or lack thereof) in the state house would help him. 

Sheriff Joe Hanna would be excellent but is committed to his role as Sheriff, where he’s widely respected statewide. Comm'r Ron Betler is another new face but is only in his first term and has a new business demanding his full time attention. 

Interestingly, Beitler has appealed for Exec candidates online, and I thought I'd share what he has to say: 

𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱: 𝗟𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀

County government is often overlooked. As 1 of 9 Commissioners, we work with the Executive to manage the county. We pass budgets, ordinances and resolutions. We typically deal with non-partisan areas like health and human services, the jail, courts, farmland preservation, Cedarbrook, emergency services and county parks.

Our current group has largely avoided political squabbling and gridlock common in other government levels. In my time on the board, we’ve only had a few fundamentally ideological disagreements. Current Commissioners under the bi-partisan leadership team of Chair Geoff Brace and Vice Chair Jeffrey Dutt and Executive Phil Armstrong have mostly worked together effectively. With Phil term-limited, a new Executive will be elected next year.

The Executive oversees administration of services, drafts a (LARGE) budget, supervises departments, appoints officials, and holds the power to veto.

Currently, there’s only 1 announced candidate with a less than impressive resume. We deserve more options. We need several more qualified folks to step forward so voters have choices.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲?

An Executive should excel in budgeting while recognizing taxpayers aren’t an unlimited funding source. They need to make data-driven decisions, oversee diverse departments and be strong communicators. They must collaborate with local, state and federal officials. (Phil excels at this!) Most importantly, they must build consensus while remaining transparent.

Often, the best Executives come with a business background, bringing skills like strategic planning, efficiency and financial planning. Leadership, problem-solving, and negotiation skills are crucial. Career politicians often have not cultivated these real world skillsets.

This role should be largely free from partisanship, as there isn’t a Republican or Democrat way to for example: administer programs or preserve farmland. 𝗔 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗻.

𝗡𝘂𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗼𝗹𝘁𝘀:

This is a full-time, paid position with salary and county benefits. Terms are 4 years. Unlike many political positions, the Executive is expected to be a WORKING administrator.

Want to make a difference? Do you care about people, particularly our most vulnerable? Do you have business experience? It doesn’t matter if you’re a Republican, Democrat or Independent. We need several more qualified candidates for this position.

As Executive, you’ll have the chance to shape policies and manage our community. This is a unique opportunity to lead and work with dedicated professionals and residents. If you’re interested in this challenge, I and others want to hear from you!

You can reach Ron at ronbeitler@gmail.com

Pinsley Predicts Double Digit Win

State senatorial candidate Mark Pinsley, who is running against incumbent Pat Browne, is predicting a double digit victory. His basis for this boast is a push poll conducted by SEA.

Pinsley's campaign manager, Hillary Kleinz, claims the poll is proof "[v]oters want a Senator who reflects their values and will hold extremists in Harrisburg accountable. Pinsley is ready to take on the special interests and has refused to accept corporate PAC funding. Legislators like Pat Browne have pushed an agenda that only benefits lobbyists and special interests, raising taxes on the rest of us to pay for it.”

Pat Browne chairs the powerful Appropriations Committee and is widely known as a moderate.

My experience with polling is that they are proprietary. Candidates are reluctant to share them. Push polls are used for political purposes, as Pinsley has done.

Pinsley Joins Increasingly Crowded Pa. 7 Congressional Race

According to several news outlets, Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley has announced his intention to seek the Democratic nomination in the Pa.-7 Congressional race. His Statement of Candidacy was filed with the FEC on July 30. 

He's got company, including NorCo County Exec Lamont McClure, Susan Wild puppet Carol Obando-Derstine, and Republican-turned Democrat Ryan Croswell, who resided in D.C. until he was urged to run. 

Pinsley is a poster boy for what is wrong with Democrats. 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. He did and he lost  Then he started telling donors he wanted to run for the US Senate, but appears to have put that off for a seat in the House.  

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.  His actions solved nothing, but he did get a $50,000 campaign donation from the lawyer who filed a class action on behalf of families claiming they were wrongly accused of child abuse. Both LehiCo and NorCo have been dismissed as Defendants in that matter. 

He's never shied away from using his public office to play politics. Most recently, he did that with a thinly disguised political rally disguised as a "town hall" to discuss planned federal cuts to Medicaid on a county level. 

I still believe that of all candidates on the left or the right, the person best suited for Congress was John Morganelli, a true centrist. He's unfortunately done with politics. Lamont McClure has been his protege. 

Voters Have Two Poor Choices to Succeed Browne in Pa. Senate 16

 

Above you can see the map for the newly configured Pa. Senate District 16, which is currently represented by Senator Pat Browne. He won't be in office much longer. He was ousted by fellow Republicans in the primary. I suspect his alcohol abuse played a huge role in his defeat. His role in the Allentown State Hospital fiasco (in which the state spent $15.5 million to sell for $5.5 million) probably had some people scratching their heads. But I think the main reason he lost is because voters were simply tired of him. He's held public office since 2005. He clearly in out of touch with his district, and perhaps reality itself. It's time to give someone else a chance. But of all the people in that district, you'd think there'd be better alternatives than Republican Jarrett Coleman and Democrat Marc Pinsley. They both represent the extremes of their party. No matter who wins this race, the constituents are going to suffer. 

In the Democratic corner, Mark Pinsley is perhaps the most blatant opportunist I've seen since I began blogging. No sooner was he elected South Whitehall Tp Commissioner than he announced he was running against Pat Browne. Undaunted after losing that race, 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. 

In the Republican corner sits airline pilot Jarrett Coleman. I saw him at Dr. Oz's fundraiser, He made no effort to socialize with anyone. He has no fear of COVID, but must be worried that he could be infected with a liberal or centrist idea. He was recently elected to the Parkland School Board on an anti-mask and anti-CRT platform. But just like Pinsley, he has used that position to springboard himself into the state senate race. He is backed heavily by the LV Tea Party, which is trying to rid the party of what it calls RINOs to replace them with "true conservatives."

Both of these are lousy choices. 

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. 

35 Nomination Petition Challenges Filed Statewide

Pennsylvania's Commonwealth Court is going to be busy over the next few days. Yesterday was the final day in which challenges could be filed for the various nomination petitions for state and federal office. Yesterday, the Court logged 35 complaints. 

These include petition challenges to candidates for the state house (24); Delegate to the GOP Convention (3); US Congress (4); US Senate (1); and Pa. Senate (3). 

None of these challenges are against state house candidate Taiba Sultana (state house) or Mark Pinsley (state auditor). Sultana's nomination petition included the forged signature of a state senator, while Pinsley's submission contained the forged signature of a Chester County judge. 

Falsus in uno, Falsus in omnibus is a common law principle under which a witness' entire testimony can be disregarded if it is determined that at least part of his testimony is fabricated. That  maxim is inapplicable in election law. If a signature is forged, only that signature may be stricken, not all of them. So both Sultana and Pinsley will be on the primary ballot.

Mark Pinsley Running For Yet Another Office

Before the ink was dry on the election results that would make Mark Pinsley a South Whitehall Township Commissioner, he was running for another office. He challenged incumbent State Senator Pat Browne before he even took the oath in South Whitehall. After losing that race, he's now decided to take on Glenn Eckhart for Controller in Lehigh County. 

The Controller, established under Lehigh County's Home Rule Charter, exists primarily to follow the money. Is it being spent properly?

In the past, I have tormented Eckhart for his poor spelling and grammar. But he knows how to count, has been an effective Controller and is highly regarded by his contemporaries.

Pinsley, quite obviously, is an opportunist.

What's Going on in Pinsley Brown Tax Lien Dispute?

Senator Pat Browne has sent flyers claiming that his opponent, Mark Pinsley, had tax liens from his DemaMed business. Pinsley contends this is false and is threatening to sue. I am still gathering information, and hope to have a report for you on Tuesday.

McClure Leads Dems in Early Poll For Pa. 7 Congressional District

So far, four Democrats are seeking their party's nomination for next year's Pa.-7 congressional battle against incumbent Ryan Mackenzie. Lamont McClure was the first out of the gate. He even dropped plans to seek a third term as Exec, which means NorCo taxpayers will be spared from paying his salary as he runs for another office. Lehigh County taxpayers will be less lucky. Controller Mark Pinsley, who's always running for something, will continue to collect his salary as he spends his days on the campaign trail. There's also Carol Obando-Derstine, recruited to run by Sue Wild.  Ms. Wild was beaten by Mackenzie in last year's race. She apparently thinks that she, and not voters, decides the next Democratic nominee. Finally, there's Republican-recently turned-Democrat Ryan Croswell, a carpetbagger who just moved into the Lehigh Valley a month or so ago. Some goofy DC elitists, who think they know everything, put him up to it because they know what's best for us. Of these four announced candidates, only McClure has stood up for everyday Americans. Only McClure has consistently been a voice for organized labor. So it should come as no surprise that McClure leads in an early poll of the four candidates who've announced, and one who is still mulling it over. 

Public Policy Polling conducted a survey of 518 likely Dem voters on July 29-30 and included Bob Brooks. He's a retired Bethlehem firefighter who tells everyone he's running even though he has actually endorsed McClure. You can see it below. 

McClure leads all candidates with 23%, compared to 7% for Obando-Derstine and Pinsley, and just 3% for Croswell and Brooks. It's an early poll, with 58% undecided, but McClure has a strong lead among those who have made up their minds. 

Nearly a third (31%) of likely voters view McClure favorably, compared to just 16% for Pinsley, 11% for Obando-Derstine and a scant 6% for carpetbagger Croswell and Brooks. 

His lead is strongest in Northampton County, where he polls at 40%. 

Public Policy Polling Gives McClure Lead in Pa. 7 Race by BernieOHare on Scribd

Counties Released From Class Action Lawsuit Alleging False Claims of Child Abuse

About 18 months ago, Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley was parading families before both Lehigh County's Board of Commissioners and Northampton County Council. Though Pinsley has no medical degrees, he nevertheless maintained that numerous Lehigh Valley families were the victims of unfounded claims of child abuse. At the very least, he insisted that county child protection agencies should seek second opinions before attempting to separate a child from his family. He even alleged that he, too, was a victim of threatened staffing cuts over a report he was releasing. 

At the time, Pinsley was running for state auditor general. Once he lost that race, his concerns about misdiagnosed child abuse mysteriously vanished. 

While he may have ridden off into the sunset, looking for the next issue he can find to propel himself into higher office, the families he once championed filed a class action lawsuit against Lehigh Valley Health Network ... in Philadelphia County. The grass there may not be greener, but the jury verdicts are. 

Lehigh Valley Health Network, in turn, has attempted to join the Children and Youth Agencies of Montgomery, Lackawanna, Monroe, Lehigh, Pike and Northampton Counties. After an importunate five tries, the Court has said, "Enough Already!" (I'm paraphrasing). Judge Gwen Bright has dismissed the attempted joinder with prejudice, meaning no more swings will be permitted.

Judge Bright issued no opinion, but the counties argued they are immune. 

The class action suit against Lehigh Valley Health Network and a cavalcade of doctors continues, with no end in sight. 

How Much Are Pa. 7's Congressional Candidates Worth?

As I told you yesterday, six Democrats want to be their party's candidate to take on Ryan Mackenzie in November's Pa.7 Congressional election. Candidates who intend to raise or spend more than $5,000 must file a financial disclosure with the Clerk of the US House within 30 days of raising or spending that amount. These disclosures are unrelated to the funds raised or spent on a campaign. They instead identify the assets and income. 

At this point, the "qualified" candidates on the Dem side are Robert Brooks, Ryan Crosswell, Lamont McClure, Carol Obando-Derstine and Mark Pinsley. All of these candidates have filed financial disclosure reports, although Pinsley was late with his required report and will be fined. 

What the reports reveal is that all of the candidates, with the exception of Crosswell, participate in mutual funds.

Robert Brooks. -  reports assets and unearned income of at least $963,000. This includes a residential rental property valued at between $250,000 and $500,000 and the stocks in multiple mutual funds.  He reports salaries of $20,000 from Bethlehem and $50,000 from the Pa Professional Firefighter's Ass'n, as well as business income of $15,000 from his lawn care business. 

He reports debt of between $380,000 and $850,000 based on a residential mortgage, an investment property mortgage, and outstanding debt to Darrell and Linda Crook. He failed to list a $130,000 judgment owed to Carol Wiley, his former mother-in-law, since 2022. 

A title search of Northampton County records reveal that Brooks owns no real estate under his own name, nor is there any recorded mortgage in which he is listed. 

Something is very fishy about Brooks' disclosure.

Ryan Croswell. - reports having no assets or unearned income. He apparently participates in no mutual funds or the stock market. He reports a salary of $47,104.62 before he resigned from the Department of Justice. He also has received $13,542.12 from the Department of Defense and has received 1099s from the Singleton Schreiber law firm for $4,394.50. That law firm has no offices in this part of the country. He also lists the Antonin Scalia School of Law as a potential source of wages.  

Crosswell owes between $10,000-50,000 for a car loan. 

Lamont McClure. - reports assets and unearned income of at least $343,000 through his participation in various mutual funds. His income was his $85,000 salary as NorCo Exec. He also lists his wife's salary and pension. 

McClure's debt is between $90,000 and $215,000 for his mortgage, a loan to replace his roof, a third loan to fix his fireplace so Santa could come down and an auto loan. 

Carol Obando-Derstine. - reports assets and unearned income of at least $500,000 through her participation in mutual funds. Her income was a $44,410 salary from PPL. Like McClure, she also lists her spouse's salary. She lists no debts to anyone. 

Mark Pinsley. - His report was just filed on January 5, and though he lists his participation in numerous mutual funds and stocks, I have been unable to do the math at this point. He lists a salary of $79,000 as Lehigh County's Controller. He also lists his wife's salary. 

His debt is between $325,000 and $665,000 for a business loan and lines of credit from three credit card companies. 

What about incumbent Republican Ryan Mackenzie? I have a report from him for 2025 and am looking to see if there is something more recent. 

Anti-Gerrymander Bill Clears Senate, Despite Hissy Fit by "Good" Government Groups

Those of us following along at home knows that time is of the essence for legislation to end the currently flawed system under which legislative and congressional districts are created. It has to clear both the Senate and House for two years in a row before it can go to the voters. Next year will be too late. FairDistrictPa, the League of Women Voters, Committee of Seventy and other good government groups should be ecstatic that the Senate voted yesterday to approve an anti-gerrymander bill that will call on an independent commission to set these boundaries. Instead, they are furious. They are taking their marbles and going home. In doing so, they have diminished themselves and betray a partisanship they tried to deny.

About two summers ago, on a hot Friday night inside a crowded Bethlehem church, I received an education concerning the fundamental threat to democracy posed by gerrymandering. Thanks to advances in technology, a system has arisen in Pennsylvania in which your legislators pick you, and not the other way around. The change proposed was the creation of an independent election commission, which would establish fair boundaries instead of an incumbent insurance program.

I am proud to say that the Gerrymander Slayers in the Pa Senate have been our own State Senators, Lisa Boscola and Mario Scavello. In the House, the driving force was Bethlehem's Steve Samuelson.

Partisan Republicans were afraid of this reform. Backbenchers Marcia Hahn, Joe Emrick, Ryan MacKenzie and Zach Mako put on their blinders and ran from reform, while GOP apparatchiks adopted the short-sighted view that they could use this to water down Democratic votes.

That thinking changed when a Democratic Supreme Court struck down the unconstitutional gerrymander, and imposed a congressional map of their own when state Republicans refused to act. A light bulb went off in the small minds of at least some of these partisans, who realized they had gone too far and given a Democratic Supreme Court just the excuse it needed to negate decades of gerrymandering.

Worried that Democrats could do what they've been doing, they suddenly developed an interest in correcting a flawed redistricting process.

A Senate Committee decided to endorse the gerrymander bill after watering it down a little. Then on Tuesday, State Sen. Ryan Aument added a new wrinkle - the creation of judicial districts for the election of appellate judges. You'd think the sky has fallen. All the supposed good government groups withdrew their support of the gerrymander bill, and all but two Democrats joined them in voting No on a bill that would finally end the gerrymander.

Boscola, who still voted for the Senate bill, explained that she would have preferred a more "pristine version," but even with these amendments, the bill is a "vast improvement" over the current system

Like Boscola, I would have preferred to see a separate bill to create judicial districts. But I actually like the Aument amendment. Currently, he vast majority of appellate judges are from Pittsburgh (conservative) and Philly (liberal). It is extremely difficult fora qualified judge from he Lehigh Valley to get elected. Sure, it happens, but is rare. Most people will just pull a lever. With judicial districts, voters will have a much better chance to learn about the candidates. They in turn will not have to spend $10 million to be heard. This way of selecting judges is much more democratic than the current statewide system.

The reason these good government groups are so opposed is because it could mean that more conservative judges will be elected. Too bad. The price of democracy is that the people, and not some reform group, makes the call.

It's probably true that some of the inspiration for this legislation is anger at the Supreme Court over its gerrymander decision. That's OK by me because it means that the gerrymander bill will attract more Republican support in the House, where it is badly needed.

The fact that these so-called reform groups are blowin' oil over a measure that will actually allow voters to make informed choices tells me these groups are more partisan than they pretend.

On cue, Democratic State Senate candidate Mark Pinsley - who announced his candidacy before he was even sworn into office in South Whitehall - proclaimed that the "anti-democratic movement is at it again." How? By enabling people to vote for people they actually know. He slams Pat Browne "because when it matters, he gets in line and votes for whatever his party wants, not his constituents." The reality is that Pinsley is standing in line, screaming what his party wants him to scream, while real Democrats like Lisa Boscola are trying to govern.

By the way, Pinsley wants you to send him money so he can end corruption.

Like Fed Ed.