Allentown's Majority Minority Community is Divided

According to Allentown's 2019 census figures, it's 52.5% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% black and 2.9% Asian. It's definitely a majority of minorities. But they are divided. This fissure existed in the municipal primary because many Latnos refused to get behind black Mayoral candidate Ce-Ce Gerlach or black City Council candidate Justin Parker Fields. Things have gone from bad to worse, with the usual tired accusation of "Racist!" being tossed around by Comrade Fields. He labelled me a racist for daring  to point out that he gave Coplay police a fake name when he was stopped for driving with a suspended license. I was a racist for reporting that Mayoral candidate Ce-Ce Gerlach dumped a 16 yo runaway at a tent city.   Now, Allentown's Robespierre is claiming that Victor Martinez, the popular President and CEO of La Mega radio, is a bigot, too. 

Prepare the guillotine!

Victor Martinez, by the way, is the reason Julio Guridy very nearly became Allentown's Mayor. His car parades for Julio and Latin City Council candidates struck me as hokey, even borderline ridiculous. But then again, so did Trump's flag rallies. 

As ridiculous as these campaign styles might appear, they are effective. Malcolm Gladwell notes in The Tipping Point that a few people can, on their own, create a social epidemic. Hush Puppies became popular when a few kids started to wear them because no one else would. They created a social epidemic, in which a few could spread the Hush Puppies virus with the same geometric progression we've seen with Covid-19.

So it is with politics. A few connectors can spread the Trump virus or the Latino candidate virus. 

Victor Martinez was that connector for Julio Guridy and other Latin candidates in Allentown. How else do you explain how a 21 yo Kutztown University student who never made an appearance got elected? She was part of a social virus being spread quite effectively by Martinez.

Julio Guridy walked away with nearly twice the number of votes that everyone had predicted. His tally was far higher than had been predicted just a few weeks earlier in a  Muhlenberg survey. 

Not everyone was happy with Martinez. Bullhorn-toting demagogues like Enid Santiago and Justan Parker Fields wanted to be the center of attention themselves. Instead, Fields and Ce-Ce Gerlach tanked.  

So now Fields is suffering from sour-grape-itis. He's calling Martinez a racist over the radio host's on-air disparagement of a group of African American women who were on a recent flight Martinez made to Puerto Rico to surprise his wife. It was clear, at least to a racist like myself, that Martinez' humor was directed solely at the African American women in his plane. I do agree he could have avoided mentioning their race. He was criticizing people because they were obnoxious, not because they were black. 

Now Fields is trying to persuade sponsors to withdraw their support, while Martinez is threatening to wage a write-in campaign for City Council. 

Is there anyone Fields has not called a racist? 

This is just like the divisions we see among those of us who happen to be white.

I guess we're all human. 

Mail-in Ballots Have Made Sleepy Municipal Races More Interesting

Turnout in municipal races is historically quite low. In 2019, for example, a measly 11.25% of the registered voters showed up at Northampton County's municipal primary. This year, the turnout is 20.52%. This dramatic increase might be explained, in part, by a contested Bethlehem Mayoral primary. But it's also clear that the advent if no-excuse mail-in ballots (MIB) has increased participation and, in the end, has made our government more small "d" democratic.

In  Northampton County, 15,425 voters cast a MIB. More Democrats voted by MIB (11,258) than in person (11,215)  Republicans are still more leery.  Only 2,905 of 19,224 voters opted for this convenience.  Republican turnout was higher. The unofficial results show that 24.46% of Republicans voted, while a slightly less 22.89% of Democrats exercised their franchise. Still, Republicans have handicapped themselves by obstinately refusing to avail themselves of this convenient and secure way to vote. 

On Thursday, I'll update you on the magisterial races and the grand finale in Allentown. I need to get some sleep. 

What I know for now is that (1) Allentown voters appear to have rejected the more divisive candidates, like Gerlach and Justan Parker Fields; (2) The Latin vote has suddenly become real in Allentown; (3) Many of the Lehigh Valley For All picks were rejected: (4) There is going to be a contested Mayoral race in both Allentown and Bethlehem: and (5) the party of Lincoln has chosen a suspected domestic terrorist as its standard bearer in NorCo. 

The Latin Vote Has Finally Arrived in Allentown

Though a majority of Allentown's population is Latin or Hispanic, they have usually stayed home on election day. They have never flexed their muscles at the voting booth, where it matters most. That appears to be changing. The top two candidates in Allentown's Mayoral race are Dominican (Guridy) and Cuban (Tuerk). This Spanish influence has also extended to the City Council races. 

The leaders in this race are Cynthia Mota (2,788), Natalie Santos (1,891), Daryl Hendricks (1,637) and Erik Rodriguez (1,585). Three out of four are Spanish. Business owner Santo Napoli (1,503), incumbent Ed Zucal (1,494) and activist Patrick Palmer (1,485) are within striking distance. This  is because only a small number of an estimated 2,200 mail-in ballots have been counted. Black Lives Matter activist Justan Parker Fields (1,001) and businessman Tino Babayan (822) appear to be out of the hunt. 

Gerlach's Public Safety Nightmare

At a "public safety" news conference conducted by Allentown Mayoral candidate Ce-Ce Gerlach, she asked City Council member Josh Siegel to say a few words. He claimed that the City's residents want to "take money from the Allentown Police Department and invest it in mental health, housing, homelessness and education." 

In other words, defund the police. 

He said "police don't keep us safe," adding they need no "more money or training." He urged Allentonians to vote for Gerlach, as well as Patrick Palmer and Justan Parker Fields "so we can actually pass legislation to get things done." 

In other words, defund the police

Gerlach stated that Siegel's remarks "are what a Ce-Ce Gerlach administration would look like."  

In other words, defund the police.  

Gerlach failed to address her own public safety lapse in exposing a 16 year old boy to two nights of abuse at a tent city. 

Politics, Money and Power: All in the Family for the Harringtons

They are a perfect combination of politics, money and power. It's all in the family for the The Harringtons of the Lehigh Valley. They are certainly a part of the Lehigh's Valley ruling class. Nothing wrong with that, I suppose. You could even say it's the American way. The goal of our founding documents was to rid ourselves of the nobility. We nevertheless still have an aristocracy who periodically impress their wills on their lessers. The Harringtons are intent on replacing our mostly moderate local leaders with woke extremists of dubious character. In the process of ruining our local government, there's money to be made. It's pretty clear that they've engaged in conflicts of interest in violation of the state Ethics Act. 

Who is Tom Harrington?

According to LinkedIn, Tom Harrington is a graduate of Miami University with a B.A. in political science and government. He also holds several certificates that people in the business world often use to pad their resumes. He holds no degrees beyond his B.A, 

After graduating, Harrington spent 34 years for the Boy Scouts, in locations as spread out as Dallas and Kansas. In late 2015, he was selected as President and CEO at Valley Youth House. 

This appointment was controversial. "You've hired a person who upheld discrimination against gay youth," noted Mark Segal, publisher of Philadelphia Gay News. "And now that same person [Harrington] is going to be dealing with gay youth."

In fairness, Harrington stated at the time that he and others were trying to change Boy Scout policy from within. 

Last week, I told you Harrington's 2019 compensation was a whopping $335,036. This is according to the 2019 tax return filed by this nonprofit.  This is 1.18% of Valley Youth House's total revenue of $28 million. His compensation is approved by a Board of Governors, but these boards typically act as rubber stamps for whatever the director at a nonprofit wants.  His salary is excessive. 

In addition to his role at Valley Youth House, Harrington also chairs Allentown's homeless commission. 

He was appointed in July 2020 at the request of Council member Ce-Ce Gerlach. She failed to disclose that she worked at Valley Youth House and Harrington is her boss. 

His appointment comes right around the time that Gerlach, an intake worker at Valley Youth House, dropped a 16 yo runaway boy off at a tent city. He was thereafter abused for two nights until being rescued. Gerlach has admitted dropping this child off at a homeless enclave, but denied knowing his age. "[S]o if people want to beat me up over that, they can,” she told blogger James Whitney. 

That matter is currently under investigation by the Lehigh County District Attorney.   

What is Valley Youth House? 

First established in 1973 as a single shelter, Valley Youth House "was open day and night, ensuring that vulnerable, abused and homeless young people in the community had access to shelter and counseling." Today, it calls itself "the catalyst for youth to achieve their desired future through genuine relationships that support families, ensure safe places, and build community connections."

According to its audited financials, at least two-thirds of its $28 million in revenue comes from money received from the counties as well as state and federal grants. Lehigh County paid $2.2 million to Valley Youth House in 2018 and $2.4 million in 2019. 

At a zoom meeting of the homeless commission last week, Harrington suggested that Valley Youth House could manage a new homeless shelter under consideration at an unspecified location in Allentown. He used his position as Chair to solicit business for his nonprofit. 

Who is Kathy Harrington? 

Kathy Harrington, Tom's wife, is part of the blue wave that followed Donald Trump's election in 2016. She became the First Vice Chair of the Lehigh County Democratic Committee. She also formed a Democratic organization called Lehigh Valley For All, Initially, it may have been an inclusive organization, at least insofar as Democrats are concerned. That's no longer the case. 

At their most recent endorsement meeting, Lehigh Valley For All Some failed to invite incumbent Mayor Ray O'Connell or incumbent City Council members Ed Zucal and Daryl Hendricks, even though they are all proud Democrats. They failed to invite incumbent Democrat Bryan Callahan of Bethlehem, even though he was the sole member of their City Council to vote No to a tax hike in the middle of a pandemic. 

Numerous other Democrats were snubbed as well.  

Lehigh Valley For All Some would then endorse Ce-Ce Gerlach for Allentown Mayor over incumbent Ray O'Connell. Members were never informed that Gerlach is employed by Harrington;s husband. Members were never told that Harrington's husband is trying to squeeze Allentown into letting his outfit manage a new homeless shelter. Members were never told that Gerlach is herself under investigation for her role in dropping a child off at a tent city, after which he was abused. 

They would also go on to endorse Justan Parker Fields and Patrick Palmer for City Council over the snubbed Daryl Hendricks and Ed Zucal, both of whom are retired police officers. Palmer, who literally lives in his mother's basement, has dishonestly portrayed himself as a member of two city boards. Fields was never asked why he and a mob spent months pounding on the doors and windows of City Council meetings, disrupting them just as certainly as the insurrectionists did at the capitol. Fields was never asked to explain his use of a false name when stopped by Coplay police with his minor child in the car. He was never asked why he thought it was OK to drive his child with a suspended license.  

What's dangerous about this endorsement is that, if Fields and Palmer are elected, City Council will have a majority of members who think public safety can be guaranteed by social workers. Ironically, these social workers refused to leave their homes during the pandemic and were perfectly content to allow police officers do their jobs.  

Who is Dave Harrington?

Dave is the son of Kathy and Tom Harrington. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of Lehigh Valley For All Some. More importantly, he is a Lehigh County Commissioner.. He was elected in 2019. 

His mom (Kathy Harrington) contributed a small amount to David Harrington's campaign..

His Dad (Tom Harrington) was the treasurer for David's campaign committee. 

As already established, Valley Youth House pays Tom Harrington over $330k a year. 

As already established, Valley Youth House gets several million dollars a year from Lehigh County/ 

As Lehigh County Commissioner, David Harrington votes on the budget for Lehigh County. He voted in favor of this year's budget on October 28. It sets aside over two million for Valley Youth House. He failed to recuse himself even though his vote financially benefits his father. 

State Ethics Act 

According to the Pennsylvania Ethics Act, a conflict or conflict of interest exists when a public official uses the authority of her office or any confidential information received through that office for the private pecuniary benefit of herself, a member of her immediate family or a business with which she or a member of her immediate family is associated. A public officer also violates the public trust when he uses his influence as a public officer to advance the cause of that non-profit.  There are several potential violations here. 

1. Tom Harrington is a public officer as a member of the homeless commission, and violated the state Ethics Act when he promoted Valley Youth House as the manager of a new shelter. 

2. Ce-Ce Gerlach possibly violated the state ethics act when she promoted her boss as a member of the homeless commission without disclosing she works for him. 

3. Dave Harrington violated the state ethics act when he voted for a budget that includes several million dollars for his father's non-profit.

May 18: Who I Like and Who Scares the Shite Out of Me

Lots of good people are running for municipal office. The purpose of this post is to identify those I like best and those I consider downright scary. 

Who I Like

Allentown Mayor - Ray O'Connell (Allentown's point guard in the basketball city of Pennsylvania) 

Allentown City Council - Daryl Hendricks, Ed Zucal, Tino Babayan, Santo Napoli (the remaining starters)

Lehigh County Judge - Patricia Fuentes Mulqueen, Maraleen  Shields, Eman Jarrah (In a field of some excellent candidates, these three stand out)

Lehigh County Exec - Phil "Grandpa" Armstrong (He is a YouTube sensation)

Lehigh County Comm'r - Geoff Brace, Antonio Pineda 

Bethlehem Mayor - Dana Grubb, John Kachmar

Bethlehem City Council - Bryan Callahan (the sole Council member to vote against a tax hike,to say NO to the elimination of four firefighters, and NO to a stormwater fee in the middle of a pandemic)

Northampton County Exec - Lamont McClure (his pandemic response got over $10 million to numerous struggling small businesses)

Northampton County Council - Ron Heckman (at times, a Voice of Reason in the County Council wilderness)

Magisterial District Judge (S Bethlehem) - Tony Rybak 

Magisterial District Judge (N Bethlehem) - Will Carpenter

Magisterial District Judge (W Bethlehem, Fountain Hill) - Van Scott (common sense)

Magisterial District Judge (Palmer, Forks) - Susie Hutnik 

Magisterial District Judge (Bethlehem Tp) - Pat Broscius

Hanover Tp Supervisor - Mike Prendeville  (best run township in the county) 

Palmer Tp Supervisor - Dave Colver and Robert Smitty Smith 

Who's Scary 

Northampton County Exec - Steve Lynch (anti-mask, anti-vaccine, vilifies Democrats, obsessed with national instead of county issues, visited by FBI over his role in Jan 6 pandemic)

Northampton County Council - Tara Zrinski, Kristin Lorah Soldridge,  (Zrinski civilly sanctioned for perjury, fear-mongered about PennEast pipeline until rebuked by Bethlehem Tp, promotes issues having nothing to do with county government. Refuses to use microphone). Lorah Soldridge is a Trump extremist)

 Allentown Mayor - Ce-Ce Gerlach (voted against needed police officers, voted No to a no-strings-attached grant for police, has alienated police officers and firefighters, dropped a 16 yo boy off at a tent city, filmed aftermath of a suicide before victim's family was notified)

Allentown City Council - Justan Parker Fields, Patrick Palmer. (Both are divisive. Neither is honest)

Allentown City Council - Cynthas Mota (repeatedly tried to have Council appoint convicted felon Hasshan Batts as Mayor, failed to disclose she works for him)

Magisterial District Judge (Bethlehem Tp) - Andrew Tupone (Filed a frivolous petition challenge, alienates fellow workers)

Magisterial District Judge (W Bethlehem, Fountain Hill) - Amy Zanelli (lied to the public about being fired at two child protection agencies, defended looting as "reparations")

Moore Tp Constable - Matt Flower (wife beater, lengthy criminal record, Jan 6 insurrectionist)

Easton School Director -Susan Hartranft-Bittinger (argumentative, full of herself, actually argued with a judge regarding a petition challenge) 

Feel free to make your own picks here, or to tel me I scare the shite out of you. 

Allentown City Council: Don't Syrians Finally Deserve a Voice?

Local 302 Allentown International Association of Firefighters have made their picks in Allentown's municipal election, which will be held one week from today. These are the guys who keep you safe. They put their lives on the line for you every day. So what they think about who's best equipped to keep you alive matters. They've endorsed persons of color running for the Court of Common Pleas (Maraleen Shields), Commonwealth Court (Judge Lori Dumas) and Superior Court (Judge Timika Lane). They endorsed five women, including Patricia Fuentes Mulqueen for Lehigh County Courts. Their picks for Allentown City offices make sense as well. 

Mayor Ray O'Connell has weathered several public safety storms during his years in office, and has ensured that finally, the fire department has the equipment it needs. Daryl Hendricks and Ed Zucal are both retired police officers who know more than a bit about public safety. Zucal routinely tossed me from Allen basketball games, which likely saved countless lives.  

Tino Babayan is representative of a segment of the community that has been overlooked for far too long. Allentown is home to what may very well be the largest Syrian community in the United States. It has never had representation on City Council. Tino is a Syrian immigrant who has prospered in this country, and he has taken an active interest in city government for many years. 

Santo Napoli, son of Sicilian immigrants, is a small business owner who has had two urban wear shops on Hamilton Street. He also rents out a few properties. He understands the plight of mom-and -pop shops and is naturally concerned about public safety. 

Convicted felon Hasshan Batts, who led a mob with cries of "Fuck the Police!" last summer, is perturbed that firefighters failed to pick any of the persons of color who are running. That's because they're lousy candidates. 

Justan Parker Fields, who led a mob that banged on the doors and windows of City Council during meetings last summer, is currently on ARD for having made false reports. Patrick Palmer has falsely proclaimed he belongs on several city boards. Cynthia Mota failed to disclose that she worked for Batts when repeatedly trying to get him appointed as Mayor.  Erik Rodriguez, Natalie Santos and Justan Parker Fields have all failed to file pre-primary campaign finance reports, which are required by law unless there is a waiver. 

Gerlach, who dropped a minor at a tent city, is in no position to claim she cares about public safety. She also Voted No to needed police officers and to grants for the police department. 

Blogger's Update, 8:08 am: The version of the mailer above is a draft. I have been sent the actual mailer, which also endorses Zac Cohen and Patricia Fuentes Mulqueen for Judge. I am having some technical difficulty uploading the actual mailer.  

(Originally published 12:00 am)

Lehigh County DA Investigating Ce-Ce Gerlach Allegations

Ce-Ce Gerlach

Last week, this blog published an investigative report concerning Ce-Ce Gerlach, aka Cecelia E. Gerlach. She is a member of Allentown City Council and a Mayoral candidate. She is also employed by Valley Youth House.  Gerlach met up with a 16 yo boy who had run away from home. Instead of taking this child to Valley Youth's own shelter or even the police department, Gerlach dumped him off at a tent city. The boy was allegedly abused for two nights straight until he was rescued by a community activist. When confronted, Gerlach admitted she dropped this boy off at a homeless enclave, although she denied she knew the boy was a minor. "[S]o if people want to beat me up over that, they can,” she told blogger James Whitney. She refused to say more, and Valley Youth House actually hung up on Whitney when he called them for their side of the story. Perhaps the Lehigh County District Attorney's office will have more success. Prosecutors are looking into this matter. I know this because a county detective contacted me about it on Friday. 

Gerlach is running for public office under a cloud of suspicion, very much like former Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski. That cloud keeps getting darker, thanks to Allentown bullhorn blower Justan Parker Fields. He attempted to blow his bullhorn for her last week, but it blew up in his face. 

Gerlach Defender Justan (not Justin) Parker Fields 

Justan Parker Fields

Remember Justan Parker Fields? Last summer, he was the bullhorn-toting demagogue who jumped to the wrong conclusion when Allentown police were forced to deal with a puking and staggering drug addict and drunk outside Sacred Heart St. Luke's in July. A video shot by a passerby was blown out of proportion by Parker and other loudmouths. Parker Fields organized a mob that began banging on the doors and windows of Allentown City Council, interrupting their meetings.  They were local insurrectionists. He is at the front of the "Defund the Police" movement, and has participated in, if not led, chants of "Fuck the Police" and "Get Down or Lay Down."

Justan Parker Fields is also a criminal Defendant. In March 2020, he was driving with his son in the car with him as a passenger. Parker was stopped by police and gave a false name in a lame effort to fool them about his license being suspended. He failed, and was cited for both driving under suspension and false reports. 

Of course, Parker has an explanation  "Yes, I drove with a suspended license to pick up my son for our first weekend visit, post covid, in months. Yes, I provided another name to the officer who pulled me over (you guessed it, because I was afraid) I wouldn't expect you to understand or relate to that last part."

I understand completely. Parker was never scared. He lied about his identity to avoid being charged with driving under suspension. Now he is lying to all of us about being scared. He wants to lie his way into public office. He's been placed on ARD and now is running for City Council. He's been endorsed by all the woke groups because he tosses out words like "colorism" and "BIPOC."

No newspaper or radio station has dared mention the criminal case against him for lying to police. If they told you the truth, they might be called racists, too.  

Parker's Gerlach Defense Backfires

Victor Martinez

Last week, he invited Victor Martinez, a recently appointed Valley Youth House board member, for a Facebook Live interview. Victor is also the President and CEO of the popular LaMega radio station. 

Fields took umbrage at the Gerlach blog article, not for inaccuracy, but because "it targeted the only BIPOC female candidate running for mayor of Allentown." He went on to accuse me of running a "racist blog." I guess he expected Martinez to back him up. 

The opposite happened. 

They did agree on one thing - I really am a racist. Thanks a lot, Victor, lol.  But "the story is still the story," said Martinez.  

"Everything changed for me when the people from the blog reached out to Ce-Ce and asked her if she dropped off the child - a minor - on tent city and she said, 'Yes.' That's when everything changed and that's why this becomes important because now we have an admission of something she did."

Martinez stated that, in addition to being a "talking head on the radio," he is also an experienced journalist who understands what makes a story a story. What makes this a story is Gerlach's own admission. 

"I don't care if you're 16 or 30, where is it OK to drop any human being that needs help at tent city? We all know what's going on out there. The drugs, the alcohol, the people with mental issues. ... I've been to tent city."

Martinez adds that Gerlach did this as a paid worker of Valley Youth House. "She's still employed by Youth House."

Parker then went on to suggest Allentown is a City of second, third and fourth chances and people should be entitled to "redemption."  Martinez agreed but added there must also be consequences, and there have been none for Gerlach. 

Parker asked why Valley Youth House is not being held accountable.  Martinez said he has reached out, and by email. "As a board member, I expect them to investigate and I expect them to put out a statement and do their due diligence because this damage affects the image of Youth House."

He said if you take politics out of the equation, any employee who did what Ce-Ce did "needed to be fired on the spot, right away." He wonders how Gerlach has retained her job. "Everybody knew about this, and nobody did a damn thing."

Parker then tried playing the race card and the fact that Gerlach is a female. "This has nothing to do with her being a woman. This has nothing to do with her being bi-racial. This has to do with a minor that was left for two days ..."

Parker then claimed that Gerlach, the only "bi-POC" woman in the race, is "being silenced."

"How is she being silenced?" asked Martinez, and then Parker began interrupting him repeatedly, trying to silence him. Once allowed to speak, Martinez pointed out that Gerlach "lit up the fire" herself when she admitted what she had done. 

Parker pointed out this incident occurred last summer but only broke two weeks before the election, suggesting a political motive. This  story was broken as soon as the facts were known. Had I known about it sooner, I can assure you it would have broken sooner. Parker knew about it last summer, and said nothing about it. He covered for Ce-Ce at the expense of an abused child. 

Nice guy. 

But very woke. 

He fails to explain his own silence.

Parker ultimately switched the subject. 

What bullhorn-blowers like Parker needs to do is care a little less about using woke expressions or the Ce-Ce Gerlach campaign. He needs to care a little more about children (many of them are "BIPOC") being cast aside by an uncaring system. 

Not all that long ago, a little girl named Grace Packer was raped, murdered and dismembered by the very people charged with protecting her. I covered that story, and still have nightmares about it. 

This should never happen again. This has EVERYTHING to do with child abuse and NOTHING to do with a frickin' election.

Updated 5/10/21, 12:01 am: Justan Parker Fields Claims Bringing Up His Past is Racist - On his Facebook page Justan Parker Fields has responded to this post. "I am an open book and ... bringing up anything in my past is just a means to discredit me and criminalize my skin color," he states. I agree that his recent use of a false name certainly does discredit him. I disagree that there's been any attempt to criminalize his skin color. His dishonesty has nothing to do with the color of his skin and everything to do with basic character. Being black entitles neither Ce-Ce Gerlach nor Justan with immunity from criticism. You can't claim out of one side of your mouth that you're an open book while simultaneously maintaining that all criticism is racist. 

I'll respond to Justan Parker Fields more specific complaints below. 

Yes, I am a Racist

Most people get quite upset if they are accused of being racist. I don't. I know it's true. I'm racist, anti-Semitic and a bit homophobic. So when Justan Parker Fields and the people from inside his very small bubble of like-minded individuals want to call me any of those things, I'll be the first to agree. You got me.

My parents are innocent. You could blame my father, but he hated everyone equally. My mother was way ahead of her times when it comes to tolerance. She had to put up with my father. Worse yet, she had to deal with me. But Hellertown in the '50s was pretty much an all-white enclave in which I was an Irish minority in a sea of Slovaks with a sprinkling of Pa. Dutch and an Italian here and there. It was common to disparage just about everyone who was different from us. Blacks smelled funny in the summer. That's why they were banned from the pool. Jews had big noses and were notoriously cheap. Puerto Ricans were dirty. The Catholic nuns in grade school taught me that even Protestants were all doomed to hell. 

There was nothing to rebut these grotesque stereotypes because there was no diversity.   

During one grade school recess, I remember joking that one of the nuns had a nose as big as a Jew.  Having never met a Jew, I was in no position to make a comparison, but did so anyway. One of the girls dimed me. The sister I disparaged beat the shit out of me. Was she was not knocking me around for being anti-Semitic? Nope. "My nose is not as big as a Jew's," she yelled between whacks. 

I began to awaken in high school, where I was taught by a different order of nuns and brothers who were actually educated. My personal evolution continued throughout high school, college, law school, in the army and beyond. I am by no means perfect. My subconscious still sends me negative messages at times, so I consider myself a work in progress.  

I am very hopeful for our future. Practically none of the prejudice ingrained in me during my youth exists today. Moreover, there is more diversity here in the Lehigh Valley.  

While I certainly am a racist, my criticism of Allentown City Council candidate Jonathan Parker and Mayoral candidate Ce-Ce Gerlach is based on facts, not color. There is no racism, either overt or implied. I am pretty much an equal opportunity offender when it comes to pointing out the shortcomings of a political candidate. When I criticize a woman, I am called a sexist. When I attack a Republican, I am a Communist. When I attack a Democrat, I am a tea party member.  Though I certainly have shortcomings as a person, my criticism of political candidates and elected officials is always based in fact. 

Justan Parker Fields states any criticism of his past is an attempt to criminalize his skin color. He has also suggested that Ce-Ce Gerlach should be immune from criticism because she is the only woman of color running for office. We all should reject these arguments. The color of someone's skin should never be a basis for refusing to report on a person's shortcomings.  They are relevant when someone runs for office. Refusing to report these shortcomings because someone is a person of color is itself racist

Fields has made some other, more specific, claims of racism on my part. 

He notes I called him a thug. That term is entirely appropriate for the domestic terrorists who invaded the Halls of Congress on January 6. I called them thugs, too. They were mostly white. That term is also entirely appropriate for the mob who pounded on the doors and windows of Allentown City Council for weeks in an attempt to disrupt them. It applies to the members of the Allentown mob who chanted "Fuck the Police."  It applies to convicted felon Hasshan Batts, who led the mob with this chant. This word "thug" has nothing to do with the color of someone's skin and everything to do with the actions of a mostly white mob. 

Fields complains that I accused him of prancing around with a bullhorn in an attempt to demean his sexual orientation. He identified himself as gay. Frankly,I had no idea what his sexual orientation was and never gave the matter much thought. Since he had children, I assumed he was a heterosexual. Although I was demeaning his demagoguery, I would never demean his sexual orientation. 

Finally, Fields states I called him a bad father. What I said is that he displayed very poor judgment by driving with his son in the car as a passenger when his own license is suspended. I stand by that criticism. That has nothing to do with his race. 

The people within Justan's echo chamber have suggested protesting outside my estate in an attempt to silence me. That will only embolden me. 

Yes, I am a racist and have a host of prejudices that I work on daily. What Justan Parker Fields and the people within his echo chamber need to consider is that they themselves are overt racists. 

Blacks can be bigots, too.

The Ugly Mob Wants to Rule in Allentown

On January 6, seven busloads of phony patriots traveled from the Lehigh Valley to the nation's capitol to disrupt the Congress of the United States as they counted the electoral votes to declare Joe Biden the President of the United States. Spurred on by Donald Trump, a violent mob stormed Congress. Among those who accompanied this mob was NorCo's GOP Exec candidate Steve Lynch. "It's goin' down!" he shouted, festooned in a bulletproof vest.  These thugs did patriotic things like erecting a gallows to hang the Vice President, looted offices and smeared shit along the walls. Most of us would agree this was an attempted coup or insurrection.  I'm sure that a progressive organization like LV4All would agree with this assessment. Yet this organization endorsed a slate of candidates who were part of an ugly mob doing very much the same thing in Allentown last summer. 

Based on a misinterpretation of a brief video clip of an Allentown police officer who was actually trying to help a staggering and puking drug addict, an angry mob erupted. For months, Allentown City Council had to conduct meetings while these goons banged on the doors and windows. Convicted felons like Hasshan Batts led them in chants of "Fuck the Police." Ce-Ce Gerlach, now a candidate for Mayor, marched with a mobs shouting this and other epithets. Justan Parker Fields, who has finally started using his real name, stirred the flames with his bullhorn.  As tensions grew, Batts began to suggest the mob would start breaking the law and wanted lawyers and bail funds set up. Ashley Swift was one of the ringleaders attempting to disrupt Allentown City Council.

Amazingly, L4All has endorsed these demagogues in Allentown. Ce-Ce Gerlach, Justan Parker Fields and Patrick Palmer are very much part of Allentown's problem, not a solution. 

No Surprises in LV4All Endorsements

Lehigh Valley For All holds itself out as a political organization that promotes "healthy discourse between everyone in the Lehigh Valley so we can get a fuller understanding of each other and our political system." That's a lie. The truth is that it is a left-leaning Democratic organization whose definition of  "everyone" is limited to those who share its "progressive" views. It has been completely intolerant of voices of moderation within the Democratic party. This is revealed by its latest round of endorsements in this year's municipal races. 

Most of these are good picks. Candidates like McClure or Armstrong have no far-left opponents, so they're safe. But the Allentown picks are disgusting. Transplant Ce-Ce Gerlach, whose only real skill is campaigning, was picked as Allentown Mayor over Ray O'Connell, Matt Tuerk and Julio Guridy? Ce-Ce gerlach actually voted against accepting a grant because it was going to the police department. And for City Council, it's Justan Parker Fields and Patrick Palmer. Fields just got around to using his actual name,while Palmer lists no job. But they are both accomplished demagogues.   

NORTHAMPTON COUNTY

COUNTY EXECUTIVE

Lamont McClure

COUNTY COUNCIL

Patti Bruno

Ron Heckman

Lori Vargo-Heffner

Bill McGee

Tara Zrinski

BETHLEHEM MAYOR

William Reynolds

BETHLEHEM CITY COUNCIL

Grace Crampsie Smith

Hillary Kwiatek

Rachael Leon

Kiera Wilhelm

BETHLEHEM SCHOOL BOARD

Silagh White

Michael Faccinetto

BETHLEHEM TOWNSHIP WARD 2 COMMISSIONER

Jan Beatty

EASTON CITY COUNCIL

Sandi Vulcano

MAGISTERIAL COURT 03-2-01

Will Carpenter

MAGISTERIAL COURT 03-2-10

Jordan Knisley

HANOVER TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR

Jean Versteeg

LEHIGH COUNTY

COUNTY EXECUTIVE

Phil Armstrong

COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

DISTRICT 1- Luke Svage

DISTRICT 2- Mark Fedorov

DISTRICT 3- Zach Cole-Borghi

DISTRICT 4- Geoff Brace

DISTRICT 5- Omar Ray

COMMON PLEAS JUDGE

Zac Cohen

Maraleen Shields

Eman Jarrah

ALLENTOWN MAYOR

CeCe Gerlach

ALLENTOWN CITY COUNCIL

Patrick Palmer

Justan Fields

Cynthia Mota

Natalie Santos

ALLENTOWN SCHOOL BOARD

Latarsha Brown

EAST PENN SCHOOL BOARD

Bill Whitney

Naomi Winch

SOUTHERN LEHIGH SCHOOL BOARD

Kathie Parsons

MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT 31-1-01

Linda Vega

MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT 31-1-06

Amy Zanelli

F*&k the Police? Think Again

Over the summer, convicted felon Hasshan (call me Doctor) Batts gleefully led an Allentown mob with chants of "Fuck the Police." A short video clip appeared to show a police officer kneeling on the neck of a drunk and addict staggering and puking outside of St. Luke's Hospital. Rather than wait until the facts were known, pretend social justice warriors were all-too-willing to assume the worst. Opportunists like City Council member Joshua Siegel was happy to dox Mayor Ray O'Connell, leading to multiple harassing calls and threats to burn his home down. Justan Parker, who himself was facing charges for giving false identification to police and led mobs that pounded on the doors and windows of City Council, is now running for that positions. Siegel and Ce-Ce Gerlach, another City Council member, both voted against federal grants to the Allentown police. And now Ce-Ce Gerlach, who has alienated both police and firefighters, is running for Mayor. So what are Allentown police doing? Beating heads? Kneeling on necks? No, as the attached photo reveals, they are saving lives.  

These are the public servants Gerlach wants to defund.    

Extremists Seek Mayor and Council Seats in Allentown

Ce-Ce Gerlach

Though the dust has yet to settle on last week's Presidential election, it's pretty clear that Pennsylvania voters delivered a sharp rebuke to both President Donald Trump and Governor Tom Wolf. Trump minimized a serious pandemic that has spiraled out of control, while Wolf's draconian business shutdown was driven by politicos, not epidemiologists. Wolf has a pediatrician at the tiller of Pennsylvania's pandemic, while Trump has tapped a neuroradiologist for the coronavirus crisis. Voters are sick of the extremes within both parties. So voters said No to four more years of chaos with Trump, but also rejected Democrats in two of the three state row offices up for grabs. The House Minority leader went down in flames, and Dems may even lose ground in the state House. It is against this backdrop that political extremists have decided to seek office in Allentown. 

Matt Tuerk announced his Mayoral candidacy a month ago, but no one noticed because we were heavily focused on the presidential race. He's promising jobs, just like Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski did when he first ran. Tuerk's campaign manager is Charlie Thiel, whose name was mentioned repeatedly during Fed Ed's trial. I'm sure there will be a job for him ... or a juicy contract.   

Next we've got Joshua Siegel, who likes to call himself a visionary and has called himself "a candidate of conviction." His convictions led him in July to provide Mayor Ray O'Connell's personal cell phone number to an already angry mob. Mayor O'Connell was deluged with numerous calls over a period of several days. He was exposed to potential violence. One unidentified person told him, “I know where you live and I like flames. ”

Siegel has a "comprehensive policy platform unlike any in the City's history." Yeah, it's a regressive increase in sales tax as well a county-wide earned income tax to shovel money into the "creative economy," i.e. the foo-foos. 

He needs to go back to Jersey, where they love taxes. 

But he does have the support of his fellow Northampton County extremist, Tara Zrinski. 

Justan Parker (Fields)

Next up is Ce-Ce Gerlach, who had to delay her announcement because Josh stole her thunder. She has no job and no real familiarity with the Lehigh Valley. She's a DC transplant who voted NO to 11 new police officers (along with Siegel), voted NO to grants for the police (along with Siegel) and earned the wrath of fellow protesters when she Facebook-lived the aftermath of a suicide before the family knew what had happened. 

In addition to these goofs, LV BLM Head Activist Justan "not Justin" Parker has announced he's running for City Council. He's the dude  who organized all kinds of protests in Allentown, and had people pounding on the doors and windows outside City Council while he pranced around with a bullhorn.  

He wants to hold police accountable and defund them, etc.  Except he's not so accountable himself. 

You see, Justan Parker is actually Justan Fields, and is currently being prosecuted for false reports to police. 

Family Learns of Suicide From Ce-Ce Gerlach Video

Allentown City Council member Ce-Ce Gerlach, who would like to be Mayor C-Ce Gerlach, walks the streets of Allentown more often than a hooker. I guess they both aim to please. Nearly every hour, she's shooting a video about this or that injustice. But she's in hot water over one of her latest video productions. It was the sad aftermath of a suicide by a man who jumped from atop the PPL parking garage. She rushed over and began using this incident to support one of her numerous rants about a lack of city services. In her rush to draw attention to herself, she never stopped to think that the family of this jumper would learn about his death by seeing her video. She's been getting slammed, and rightly so, by her own Black Lives Matter base.

Local activist Rodney Be dropped his "Fuck the Police" bullhorn long enough to trash her. "Yall will do anything for clout #FcknSleazeBalls Someone just lost there [sic] life & yall tryna build a following #FcknSleazeBalls."

Gerlach eventually deleted her video and explained:

I'll take this head on and respond since this isnin reference to my live video from tonight. I apologize. I am sorry. A man from the ATC texted me about someone we knew who had jumped from the parking garage. I arrived about 2 hours later. My intentions were not to exploit but to bring awareness of the lack of services in the city. Having people watch a live video on fb isn't clout to me. The purpose of going live was to talk about the systemic problems and the value of each human life. In retrospect I see how the timing of me doing so was not good. I didn't know that me going live would be breaking news for anyone and for that I am deeply sorry. I intentionally did not mention the name or identifying factors out of respect but clearly this wasn't enough. I'm not sure what else to say other than I am sorry.

Some people accepted what she said, but not the family of the suicide victim.

my family wasnt notified and you went live how dare you.  A 17 yr old child had to see it on live.  And has to go claim his father's body and you decided for your satisfaction to go live.  I lost all respect and will never forgive you.  But your days are numbered in office I promise you that..

Justan Parker, King of LV Black Lives Matter, dropped his bullhorn to say. "Super sad and disgusting." He later added, "Election season coming up and we're starting to see true colors."

I hope they're black.

Another big mouth, Hasshan Batts lackey Positive Kyle Lassiter, said, "I can't not [sic] believe what I saw today ppl Using a bad situation to gain exposure."

Maybe she should call herself Me-Me instead of Ce-Ce.

BLM LV Demands McClure to Veto "Offensive" Referendum Banning Discrimination

Last week, by a 7-1 vote, Northampton County Council agreed to ask voters to make a change to the county's Home Rule Charter. This is the county's constitution, and it does specifically ban discrimination in county employment. But the language used is antiquated and could be construed in a way that allows it to refuse employment on the basis of sexual orientation or identity. Council wants the Charter to reflect that we are a tolerant community and has faith that the voters will see it this way, too. There is a small minority of homophobes who will oppose this, but this is a country that recently had an openly gay Presidential candidate and a state that has numerous openly gay elected officials. Like Council, there is no doubt in my mind that a vast majority of NorCo voters will support this measure. It's time. Amazingly, this is opposed by Tara Zrinski, who distrusts the good will of the people of the Lehigh Valley. She has corralled two LGBTQ groups to pressure Executive Lamont McClure to veto what really is nothing more than a housekeeping measure. But what really takes the cake is the pressure brought by demagogue Justan Parker, who claims to lead Black Lives Matter Lehigh Valley.

Parker is the bullhorn-toting screamer who jumped to the wrong conclusion when Allentown police were forced to deal with a puking and staggering drug addict and drunk outside Sacred Heart St. Luke's in July. He had ingested seven bags of heroin along with some cocaine and was an immediate danger to himself and others. In the course of putting a spit mask on this fellow so he could be treated by medical personnel, an officer had his knee on this gentleman's head for a few seconds. There was no brutality. Officers were actually trying to help this guy. But a video shot by a passerby was blown out of proportion by Parker and other loudmouths. He organized a mob that has been banging on the doors and windows of Allentown City Council. He is at the front of the "Defund the Police" movement, and has participated in, if not led, chants of "Fuck the Police" and "Get Down or Lay Down."

In an August 26 letter to Executive Lamont McClure, Parker wants a veto.

Black Lives Matter Lehigh Valley is calling on you to veto the recently passed Voter referendum that would put LGBT civil rights on the ballot.

This issue is important to our organization as systemic racism and oppression negatively affect black and brown members of the LGBT community.

In this day and age, a majority population of non LGBT citizens should not have the opportunity to vote on protections and legal rights of a minority population of LGBT citizens.

In this current climate, we should be working together on ways to build our community with an emphasis around solidarity and love. Not a voter referendum that will only prove to LGBT residents that they are not supported by their neighbors.

Black Lives Matter is asking you to VETO this disturbing, offensive, and unnecessary voter referendum.

Do any of you think that Black Lives Matter LV had a meeting and actually voted on this matter? Of course not. I have to laugh when someone shouts "Fuck the Police" yet talks about "solidarity and love."

Parker is the mob. He is no different than a Maximilien de Robespierre, who led a Reign of Terror in the French Revolution.

McClure can follow the mob if he wants. Or he can trust the people who put him in office.