NorCo Safety Committee Wanted Crosswalk Enhanced, Not Removed

Two weekends ago, NorCo workers painted over a crosswalk from the courthouse to parking lots located on the other side of the street. This was there to provide some measure of safety to employees and the public.Executive John Brown admitted during a council meeting that he gave the order, but told Ken Kraft he was merely following a recommendation of the Safety Committee. I now have some of the email exchanges and know that the Safety Committee is blameless, and made no such recommendation.  The crosswalk removal is a direct result of a recommendation of the Panto Parking Police, despite Mayor Sal Panto's protests to the contrary. Rather than spend a dime on public and employee safety, Brown has taken steps that will ironically ensure the County is exposed to even more liability if someone is unfortunate enough to be struck by a vehicle in that crosswalk

"We had a recommendation from the Safety Committee" were the exact works used by Brown. "They reviewed the information for several weeks and concluded that, in order to minimize liability for the County and our employees, eliminating that crosswalk would be the most prudent action."

The Safety Committee, incidentally, is a collection of county workers from various departments.It is steered by outside cost control consultant Chris Rothwell of the infamous C3 Group that guarantees to "boost your bottom line."

Though Brown tried to pin this on the Safety Committee, Director of Administration Luis Campos previously had told me this decision was prompted by an email from the Easton Police Department. I asked him for a copy of the email, which he never produced. I asked Easton Mayor Sal Panto for a copy when he came on this blog to cast stones. He never produced it, either.

I spoke with a member of this Safety Committee on Tuesday. Agent 99 and I grilled him until he cracked. He provided me with a copy of the email that Campos and Panto refused to provide. He also told me that the Safety Committee made no recommendation to remove the crosswalk. It does not even take votes. It was actually seeking ways to make the crosswalk safer.

Kinda' like what I'd expect from a Safety Committee.

This all started with an email from Roger Pulcini, a member of the Safety Committee to Lt. Matt Lohenitz of the Panto Parking Police. He is one of the judge, jury and executioner combinations in Easton's "civil" money-grabbing parking ticket scheme that had to be revised after concerns raised by DA John Morganelli. .

Pulcini explained that it is a "very dangerous crosswalk" in which one county worker was struck by a car. She is permanently disabled. "Just last week three employees almost got hit by a fast moving car in this area even with signs up of crosswalk ahead they fly right through the area." Pulcini suggested flashing lights. "I am most concerned of the older residents who visit the Court House for business and cannot jump out of the way quickly."

He was asking for help.

Lt. Lohenitz, who apparently is a traffic engineer and a judge in addition to being a member of the Panto Parking Police, waxed on about the "challenges and requirements of a mid block crosswalk." He then recommended that pedestrians be directed to use the crosswalks at the intersections of 7th and Washington and Union and Washington, with absolutely no regard for the safety of pedestrians that would be forced to cross where Wolf St dumps out onto Washington at a dangerous angle.

The Panto Parking Police advised against continued use of the crosswalk,which he claims is legally unenforceable. He warned that the County would need to comply with ADA requirements and do a traffic study, although in another part of his missive, he states that such a study was done. Then he throws in this kicker. "I would not recommend using that crosswalk sign [in] that area. By placing that sign there, the county, in my opinion then assumes liability for what may happen there since it is not a legal crosswalk."

Lohenitz fails to state when he got his P.E. license or who elected him judge.

But all Brown had to see was some cop's assertion that the County is assuming liability for what happens inside a crosswalk. That was enough to persuade him.

"I have to look at the liability,." he told Lamont McClure, although he was unable to say whether there is any legal representation on the Safety Committee (There is not). Then he complained about cost, stating it would be "quite expensive" to create a compliant crosswalk.

Had Brown bothered to present any of this to a lawyer before he had acted, he would have learned that removing the pedestrian sign and painting over a crosswalk that he knows is being used is negligence per se. Whether the County assumed liability before is a matter of debate, but there is no question now that the County will be held responsible for any injuries that occur in that crosswalk.

Brown has also opened up the door to punitive damages. He made clear at the meeting that his is concerned about cost, not safety. In fact, his so-called Safety Committee is being run by a cost cutting bean counter.

He is being penny wise and pound foolish, a trait that has marked most of his administration. Unfortunately, County Council has no authority to compel Brown to do the right thing. The only place where this kind of incompetence can be remedied is at the polls.

Bethlehem City Council's Communication Problem

"What we've got here is a failure to communicate" is a refrain we all remember from Cool Hand Luke. It could easily describe what is happening as Bethlehem City Council considers controversial zoning changes at the 53-acre Martin Tower Development. Though City Council President Willie Reynolds claims he is really listening to concerns raised by Historic downtown and South side merchants, he and other Council members have certainly given them every reason to believe they are being ignored. Store owners have openly suggested that Reynolds and others on Council are getting their marching orders from Martin Tower owners and developers Lewis Ronca and Norton Herrick, who have yet to appear at a meeting. Reynolds and Bryan Callahan have even attempted to embarrass merchants into silence. They've responded with over 100 write-in votes for "Martin Tower" in last week's election.

Last week, City Council was supposed to have its final vote on zoning changes that would permit as much as 1.3 million sq ft of retail and a third downtown at Martin Tower. Reynolds vowed that Council would later change the law, but had to adopt it first do that the developers would be free to demolish a historic landmark. They had to pass the ordinance so they could change it.

This final vote never happened. Bethlehem Planning Chair Jim Fiorentino, zoning attorney Marc Kaplin and The Bethlehem Press were all quick to recognize the folly of this move. If that occurred, Martin Tower developers would be free to present a plan creating not one, but several publicly subsidized Promenades that would be the death knell for Bethlehem businesses already struggling to compete against restaurants and retail inside Allentown's publicly subsidized Neighborhood Improvement Zone (NIZ).

Martin Tower Part of CRIZ

You see, the Martin Tower development is part of Bethlehem's Community Revitalization Investment Zone (CRIZ), modeled after Allentown's NIZ. This gives a closed club of five developers, including Martin Tower, the right to use state sales and income taxes to subsidize new development, including hotels, destination retail and restaurants. They were anointed behind closed doors, free of public input or scrutiny, in a glaring demonstration that "what we've got here is a failure to communicate."

A developer outside this closed club has little reason to invest in Bethlehem.

According to the Keystone Research Center, a left of center think tank, this creates an uneven playing field in which state tax revenues are diverted to the few at the expense of the many. When those few are campaign contributors who fund large portions of the campaign warchests of City Council members and the Mayor, as is the case here, questions of crony capitalism and pay-to-play arise. This and other media sources have raised these questions, as well as members of the public. They have gone unanswered.

The Keystone Research Center also questions whether tax incentives like the NIZ and the CRIZ help create a state budget deficit. Hotel Bethlehem Managing Partner Bruce Haines has stated that, even if retail at Martin Tower is scaled back to 400,000 sq ft from the original 1.3 million, that will still cost the state $6 million per year in lost sales, income and payroll taxes.

This CRIZ designation makes little sense at Martin Tower, which is more of a sprawling suburb than a struggling downtown, Yet in the CRIZ application submitted to the state, the former Bethlehem Steel HQs was touted as "ideally situated" and "readily marketable" under its existing zoning for office and residential use, with a very limited neighborhood retail component. The iconic 23-story building is identified as the "cornerstone" of the Bethlehem CRIZ, "another example of Bethlehem's efforts to create its future from the vestiges of Bethlehem Steel's past."

Now the City wants to demolish the tower. This is in stark contrast to the approach it has taken to redeveloping the South side, where the old blast furnaces are lit up by multi-colored spotlights and the former steel company stock house has been converted into a Visitor Center.

Lehigh University Political Science professor Al Wurth questions whether Bethlehem has become "a 'steel' city that denies its steel heritage, and the work and dreams of its forbears, in favor of 'incentives' - sweet deals for the new owners who control our future and our past, though they never did or will live here."

Why not just take the CRIZ designation away from Martin Tower, and open the card game up to another developer who might actually bring a new business into Bethlehem?  Can't do it, says Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Director Alicia Karner. Under the state's interpretation of the CRIZ legislation, an interpretation that was surely fueled by the lobbyist hired by the closed club of CRIZ developers, any transfer of the CRIZ requires the agreement of the affected developer. The City would have to pay Ronca and Herrick to move the tax incentive to an area in the City where it might actually make sense.

Failure to communicate at "public" hearing 

Against this backdrop, where all the hallmarks of political favoritism are present, and merchants are concerned about their very survival, transparency and open communication between government officials and the public are extremely important. But the City has dropped the ball there, too.

This was evident at the very first "public" hearing conducted on this zoning proposal on October 6. Before a single member of the public could say a word, Planning Director Darlene Heller gave a power point presentation that lasted for two hours and 15 minutes. This was about twice the length of her presentation concerning a completely new zoning ordinance, adopted in 2012. She went on at great length discussing rear and side yard setbacks in what appeared to be an effort to lull over 100 people to sleep.

When she finally had finished, and before the public could say a word, Council members who has already publicly announced their support for these zoning changes used Heller and DCED Director Karner as props to justify the zoning changes. Bryan Callahan actually stated that "no one will be happy with this" so he therefore supports it.

When it was finally time for the public to speak, four who had signed on had already left. But 28 of them remained, and except for Bethlehem Democratic Committee Treasurer Clyde Thomas, all were opposed to the zoning changes.

Failure to Communicate Continues in Subsequent Meetings

This failure to communicate continued during City Council meetings on October 20 and again on November 4, where Council refused to engage in any dialogue with 48 speakers who addressed them during a portion of the meeting called "courtesy of the floor." This is no courtesy. It is a right under Pennsylvania's Sunshine Act. Speakers are limited to five minutes, and are answered with stony silence, even when mild attempts at humor are made. Council members have explained that they are silent because they have no desire to interfere with the public's statutory right to speak. But this lack of dialogue, which is rare in local meetings elsewhere in the Lehigh Valley, contributes to a growing perception that the public is nothing more than a third wheel on the government bicycle heading over a cliff. In an effort to be more inclusive, City Council is unwittingly closing the door on real discussion.

This lack of dialogue frustrated Marc Kaplin, a zoning attorney hired by the merchants to protect their interests. When Council refused to answer his questions, he reminded them that "it is also your duty to justify or respond or tell me I'm wrong."

Council Intimidation

Instead of meaningful dialogue, two Council members have used their positions to intimidate members of the public.Council President Willie Reynolds  has threatened to stop anyone who raises the question of political favoritism as a result of campaign contributions made to him or others by Martin Tower developers. The Appollo Grill's Rod Holt and Bethlehem Brew Works Jeff Fegley have ignored this threat.

But that pales in comparison to what Bryan Callahan has done. After various merchants have spoken and are unable to rebut him, Callahan has ticked off concessions that have been made to them, often erroneously.

At the end of the November 4 meeting, Callahan actually accused one critical merchant who won't be named here of paying all of his Bethlehem employees from an Allentown-based business to be able to take advantage of Allentown tax incentives.

In addition to being untrue, how employees are paid and taxed is confidential information protected by the Local Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Disclosure of that information is unlawful. According to Callahan, he obtained this information from the City's taxing authority, The Keystone Collections Group.He then used this confidential information at a public meeting to intimidate one of the merchants who has been critical of the Martin Tower rezoning..  

What's next?

This lack of communication continues as Council member Eric Evans has introduced a series of five amendments, introduced just prior to the November 4 meeting, designed to reduce the amount of destination retail and prevent a third downtown. Evans was the only Council member to oppose the rezoning of Martin Tower. He is concerned about merchants as well as West Bethlehem residents who have no desire to see a large residential community.

No copies of these zoning amendments were available for pubic inspection. Evans' own explanation of them was tortured and disjointed, prompting Hotel Bethlehem's Bruce Haines to suggest that the whole proposal be scrapped. "It is one thing to be blind-sided by Allentown, but to be  blind-sided by our own administration is beyond my wildest imagination," he argued.

Because these amendments must be reviewed by both the City and Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, Council is unable to vote on the ordinance as amended. Reynolds stated the matter would  be reviewed by the Planning Commission and return to Council for a final vote on December 15.

But the City Planning Commission has already canceled its November meeting, so it's unclear whether the final vote will occur this year.

(Blogger's Note: This story also appears in the November 11 2015 print edition of The Bethlehem Press.)

Hanover Township Introduces 8th Consecutive No Tax Hike Budget

While Bethlehem is considering its second tax hike in as many years and Bethlehem Township is struggling with a 37.6% tax hike that may have cost two incumbent Commissioners their jobs, Hanover Township's Board of Supervisors are poised to adopt their eighth zero tax hike in a row. At their November 10 meeting, Supervisors authorized Solicitor Jim Broughal to advertise a balanced budget that is scheduled for adoption on December 15.

The tax rate will remain steady and "on target," as Supervisors like to joke at 3.9 mills. This means a person in a home assessed at $100,000 can expect to pay $195 in taxes.

The township is debt free, too. Its Community Center and all other debts have been paid off and ahead of schedule. Its fire tax will pay for fire apparatus through the year 2034. It will soon take delivery of a $1.2 million fire truck, for which it will pay cash.

"There will be a point when we have to raise taxes," noted manager Jay Finnigan. But that won't be this year. He explained his fiscal policy in one short sentence."Never burden taxpayers by paying tomorrow what you can pay today."

That would be the biggest difference between Hanover Township and municipalities like Bethlehem and Bethlehem Township. They borrow to pay current operating costs, and that creates a structural imbalance that can only be fixed by more borrowing or a tax hike.

Another major difference is in how employees are paid. Raises are "merit based," stated Finnigan, and can be anywhere from 0 to 4 per cent in a given year. Bethlehem and Bethlehem Township tend to give across-the-board wage hikes to nonunion employees.

Another thing that Hanover does right is to rely on local businesses and the community for improvements. Public Works Director Vince Milite announced that nine dog waste stations have been installed at parks in the Township, where dogs are now permitted. Much of the cost of these stations was covered by local businesses like FreshPet, which specializes in fresh and natural dog and cat food.

Director of Administration and Treasurer Ryan Kish also informed Supervisors that the Township intends to transfer most of its deposits, valued at about $15 million, from National Penn to Embassy Bank. National Penn, which recently merged with megabank BB and T, was at one time headquartered in Hanover Township. It moved into Allentown's Neighborhood Improvement Zone (NIZ). Despite having lower operating costs, it is unable to compete with the rates offered by Embassy, which is headquartered in Hanover Township.

Thank a Vet Today

If you see a veteran today, thank him or her for their service. Also, check out Dr. Steve Thode's tribute to WWII vet Vinnie Vicari, who stood at Brig. Gen. Anthony McAuliffe's side when he issued the now famous "Nuts" in response to German demands that he surrender Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge.

It was in that same battle that my father and another "intelligence" scout named Kurt Vonnegut surrendered when Germans surrounded their foxhole. They didn't say "Nuts." They said "Neine Scheiss," which they thought was "Don't shoot." Germans started laughing instead because they had just been told, "Don't shit."

Chinese Law and Medical Professors Attend Graf Trial

Although the courtroom was packed, mine was not one of the mugs you'd see in the Gregory Graf murder and abuse of corpse prosecution that got underway yesterday. Northampton County DA John Morganelli and defense Attorney Jack McMahon are two of the best courtroom presences in the state, so this would be a great case to watch. But the facts are too much for me. I get squeamish pretty easily, and don't think Judge Baratta would appreciate seeing me hurl in the middle of his courtroom.

While Morganelli and MacMahon were talking about sex toys and dead bodies upstairs, I visited the courthouse cafeteria, one of the best kept secrets in the Lehigh Valley. Not only is the food delicious, but the room - it used to be Judge McFadden's courtroom - is the most cheerful place in the building.

While waiting for my food, I saw Bethlehem City Council Solicitor Jack Spirk sitting at a table with two of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. I mouthed "Bastard!" at him and he smiled.

In order to really dig it in, he called me over to introduce me to his lovely companions, who were a lot prettier than Phil Lauer and Steve Kreglow at my table. They are visiting professors from China. One is a law professor, while the other is a physician who teaches at medical school in China. Jack himself is a criminal justice professor at Northampton Community College. His colleagues are visiting this country to see how our system works.

Now if I were any good as a reporter, I would have written down their names and tried to do a proper interview. But as most of you know, I'm a bottom-feeding blogger and we just make things like that up as we go along.

Spirk had arranged for them to meet with a fellow Chinese, Dr. Zhongxue Hua. He is the forensic pathologist who testified and probably represents everything that is right about our country.

He probably introduced me as an example of what can go wrong.

I will try to get an interview.

Lower Saucon Race Tally Going Against Landfill

Priscilla deLeon

The Bethlehem Landfill, through  IESI, the corporation that controls the Bethlehem Landfill, has poured $125,200 into the Lower Saucon Council race in an effort to get a Council willing to approve zoning changes for an expansion. It used a a "high-stakes public strategy" firm to pound voters with robo calls, flyers and mail. It wanted to get rid of a bi-partisan anti-landfill slate consisting of Priscilla deLeon (incumbent), Dave Willard (incumbent) and Donna Louder.

They were running for three seats on the board against Sandra Yerger, Tom Maxfield (incumbent)and Gary Gorman.

The landfill appears to have succeeded in getting Sandra Yerger elected, at the expense of Dave Willard.

But two members of the anti-landfill slate have been elected, too.

According to a canvass of the votes in Lower Saucon, conducted by the elections office on Monday afternoon, the votes are as follows:

Donna Louder - 1244
Sandra Yerger - 1175
Priscilla deLeon - 1158
Tom Maxfield - 1153
Dave Willard - 1069
Gary Gorman - 776

The unofficial tally on election night only gave deLeon three votes more than pro-landfill incumbent Tom Maxfield. But it now appears she has five votes more, although elections officials said it was four.

The official results will not be certified until the military ballots come in and are counted.

Allentown City Helped Fund Student Walkout

We all know that Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski threatened to cut school resource officers at Allentown schools unless the school district agreed to pick up the tab for crossing guards. But did you know that he also, wittingly or unwittingly, helped fund the student walkout that occurred in Allentown school in late September? That's when Allentown's very own Pied Piper, Michael Frassetto, led high school and even middle students away from their education for Chinese food, McDonald's and limo rides.

According to information provided in response to a Right-to-Know request, Frassetto's "United Youth" received check No. 147120 from the City on September 18, 2015, for $1,400.

The Pied Piper had told me "We are the United Youth - we got our own funding from our previous events" and "The city gave us funding in the past but I don't think anymore."

He made these statements just 11 days after having received $1,400, so his memory must be very bad.

Maybe he should go back to school.

According to the RTK response, the Pied Piper was also given $750 by check No. 144182, dated 4/10/15.

Frassetto did state that the City provided him funding in the past, but the RTK response only lists these payments.

United Youth Party's webpage appears to be hosted by the City as well. This organization is not a registered nonprofit, so I don't know why the City gave it a dime, let alone $2,150.

Breakthrough in State Budget Logjam?

According to the Inky and one of my own sources, a compromise has been reached to break the state budget logjam in the Land of Midnight Payraises. Here's what I hear

1.) Republicans have agreed to a $700 million education increase toward education over two years.

2.) Wolf has agreed to Republican pension bill which will save $10 billion over 30 years.

3.) Wolf has agreed to Republican liquor bill.

4.) This education increase will be paid for by slot machine and gambling revenue (being shifted from property tax relief).

5.) Sales tax will rise from 6%-7.25% to provide $2 billion in property tax relief for everyone. Not expanded to new items. Also a referendum will be included that will empower voters to make the decision on any future property tax increases.

7.) Cigarette tax increases 50 cents a pack, also to roll your own tobacco.

8.) Slot machines in airports and bars, Internet gambling for tax revenue.

9.) This is a 2 year budget.

Updated: Driver Charged in Fatal Hit and Run

Royce Atkins, age 22, has been charged in the hit and run accident that left a 9 year old Hanover Tp boy dead on Friday night. The boy, Darious Condash, along with a 14 year old cousin and 15 year old friend, had just left WaWa.at about 6:30 pm, located about a quarter mile from Condash's home.

Darious dropped some candy while they were crossing Schoenersville Road, which is a six-lane highway in that area. He ran back to get it and was struck by a northbound vehicle thought at that time to be a silver or grey Honda. The vehicle failed to stop and fled the scene.

Colonial Regional Police, Hanover Township EMS and Fire, Bethlehem Township EMS and Fire Police from Hanover Township, Lehigh County, were dispatched to the area, where lifesaving measures were performed on Darious. He was transported to St. Luke's Hospital in Fountain Hill, where he succumbed to his injuries.

After the Friday night tragedy, the roadway was closed for four hours as Pennsylvania State Police recorded the crash scene and collected forensic evidence.

Atkins' Mazda on October 21, from his Facebook page.

Over the weekend, Chief Roy Seiple estimates that Colonial Regional received at least a hundred tips concerning the crash. This kept patrol officers and the Detective Division busy, and even included a trip to New Jersey.

This morning, Detective SGT Mike Melinsky received an anonymous tip implicating Royce Atkins, age 22, of the 4700 block of Kathi Drive in Hanover.Atkins had told the tipster he had hit a deer. Officers visited the residence, and while no one was at home, police did locate a vehicle in the garage. By looking through a window, they saw heavy front end damages that appeared to be consistent with the crash

In the meantime, Detective Gary Hammer located Atkins at Scott Mazda, where he is employed as a certified technician. When Detective Hammer identified himself, Atkins admitted he was the person who had hit the child before being asked a question. He cooperated with police, providing a written statement.He also pulled his vehicle out of the garage for Hammer, who noticed it was the same color as a trim piece found at the scene. It is a 2007 slate blue Mazda.

Atkins has been charged with failure to stop in an accident involving death or personal injury, a second degree felony with a mandatory minimum sentence of three years in prison and mandatory minimum fine of $2,500. He has also been charged with careless driving, a summary offense.

As Chief Seiple was announcing these charges, Atkins was being booked and is currently imprisoned on $50,000 bail, with a 10% release option.

Seiple stated there is no evidence that drugs or alcohol is involved, but their investigation is continuing and additional charges may be filed. Police are seeking a search warrant for the car's "black box," an event data recorder that may shed more light on what happened.

Families of both the defendant and the victim are well respected in Hanover Township. "It is a tragedy for both their families," observed Township Manager Jay Finnigan. The victim's and defendant's homes are just 2.8 miles apart.

Noting that these are "trying circumstances," Colonial Regional Police Commission Chair Glenn Walbert said it is "gratifying to see such professionalism by our police department."

A GoFundMe page for Darious' funeral expenses has collected $10,230 in just two days.

(Story originally published at 7:12 pm). 

Murray Won Judicial Race In Bethlehem

Joe Welsh (left) and Judge-elect Sam Murray

Political consultant and civil rights attorney Joe Welsh is being touted as the mastermind between Sam Murray's election as Northampton County's newest judge last week. But Welsh is having none of it. "It wasn't about politics, it was about Sam," he said, noting that Murray had a small army of 160 election workers at the polls for him on election day. Some were the parents of players on teams he coached, leading one of them to the doorstep of the Little League World Series. Others were clients or life long friends. "They were there for Sam."

Unofficial results give Murray, an Easton attorney who lives in Hanover Township, a 19,959 to 18,115 edge over Bethlehem attorney Vic Scomillio, who resides in Palmer Township. That's what appears to be an unassailable lead of 1,844 votes. The elections office began its own canvass of the votes on Friday, and should complete its work in about a week, after receiving what it predicts will be a handful of military ballots.

Welsh's strategy was to win big in Bethlehem, Easton and traditional Democratic boroughs, and to "keep it close" in the municipalities around  Bethlehem's urban core. He believed Murray would win in a very close election if at least 35,800 people voted. But with the "added benefit" of 72 degree weather, 38,082 people voted in the judicial race.

Murray won big in Bethlehem. He captured every precinct and 66% of the 5,213 votes cast, far beyond his county-wide percentage of 52%. Though Easton is much smaller than Bethlehem, he got 72% of the 2,258 votes cast in the judicial race.

He also did well in what Welsh calls the cap communities around Bethlehem and Easton. He won in Bethlehem Township (1832-1472), a Republican Township that has suddenly turned blue by electing two Democratic Commissioners. Scomillio lost Palmer Township (1543-1483), where he lives, and Murray won a close victory on his home turf in Hanover Township (1130-1093). Murray even won in Williams Township (561-454), which is considered a Republican stronghold.

Murray also won in Freemansburg (139-64), Glendon (24-6), Hellertown (417-258), Lower Mt. Bethel (226-162), Nazareth (427-345), Northampton (617-445), Stockertown (98-78), West Easton (117-58), and Wilson Boro (434-198).

Scomillio won in Allen (331-323) Bangor (295-247), Bath (150-115), Bushkill (640-410), Chapman (20-9), E Allen (400-321), E Bangor (75-38), Forks (1052-973), Lehigh (826-575), Lower Nazareth (488-427), Lower Saucon (1237-922), Moore (908-662), N. Catty (224-204), Pen Argyl (310-204), Plainfield (652-436), Portland (48-24), Roseto (175-105), Tatamy (110-66), Upper Mt Bethel (617-395), Upper Nazareth (398-370), Walnutport (94-86), Washington (364-268) and Wind Gap (170-160).

Bethlehem gave Murray a 1,649 edge. Since he won by 1,844 votes, he clearly won this race in the Christmas City, where he once took Lehigh Little League to the World Series. .

Research: 

Scomillio wins Allen (331-323) Bangor (295-247), Bath (150-115), Bushkill (640-410), Chapman (20-9), E Allen (400-321), E Bangor (75-38), Forks (1052-973), Lehigh (826-575), Lower Nazareth (488-427), Lower Saucon (1237-922), Moore (908-662), N. Catty (224-204), Pen Argyl (310-204), Plainfield (652-436), Portland (48-24), Roseto (175-105), Tatamy (110-66), Upper Mt Bethel (617-395), Upper Nazareth (398-370), Walnutport (94-86), Washington (364-268), Wind Gap (170-160)

Scomillio loses Bethlehem Township: 1-1 181-165; 1-2 156-224; 1-3 80-81; 2-1 78-162; 2-2 82-155; 2-3 71-102; 3-1 128-155; 3-2 99-94; 3-3 44-63; 3-4 106-131; 4-1 192-198; 4-2 155-169; 4-3 100-133.
1472 to 1832 in favor of Murray. Vote total 3304. Murray percentage of victory. - 55.4%

Murray win in Bethlehem 1 (73-20), 1S (50-19), 2 (56-13), 3 (46-13), 4 (69-15), 5 (91-27), 6 (136-64), 7 (180-50), 8 (133-45), 9-1 (65-18), 9-2 (38-19), 9-3 (175-65), 14-1 (198-118), 14-2 (280-234), 14-3 (233-166), 14-4 (152-98), 14-5 (204-110), 14-6 (209-129), 14-7 (198-177), 14-8 (174-82), 15-1 (171-71), 15-2 (246-131), 15-3 (133-38), 16 (71-51), 17-2 (34-5), 17-1 (16-4) 3431 to 1,782 in favor of Murray. 5,213 votes. Murray percentage of victory. - 66%

Murray win in Easton.  2 (74-29), 3-2 (271-157), 3-3 (56-28), 3-4 (156-62), 4 (98-46), 5 (60-9), 6 (73-16), 7 (75-23), 8E (88-18), 8W (87-56), 9 (242-62), 10E (53-21), 10W (100-48), 11 (121-39), 12 (69-21) 1,623 to 635 in support of Murray. 2258 votes total. Murray percentage of victory -  72%

Murray wins Freemansburg (139-64), Glendon (24-6), Hanover (1130-1093), Hellertown (417-258), Lower Mt. Bethel (226-162), Nazareth (427-345), Northampton (617-445), Palmer Tp (1543-1483), Stockertown (98-78), West Easton (117-58), Williams (561-454), Wilson Boro (434-198).

The Workhorse Who Failed to Work

Scott Parsons is the hardest working member on Northampton County Council. In 2014, his attendance record at Council and Committee meetings was a whopping 97%, more than anyone else on Council. He was able to do that while working a blue collar job at a slate quarry. He brought the perspective of a working class guy. But as dedicated as he was on Council, he was a reluctant campaigner in the Republican Northern Tier, which he represents. So unfortunately for all of us, he came up short in a bid by Republican Matt Dietz to replace him last week.

By way of background, the northern tier view may be economically depressed, but is the most beautiful part of the Lehigh Valley. Their turnout in this election cycle was very high. County-wide, turnout was 21.08%, far better than expected. But in places like Upper Mount Bethel, it was 31% in one precinct.

Also, a heavy Italian contingent seemed to help Scomillio in the Slate Belt. Murray may be half Italian, but has an Irish last name. It appears that Scomillio's Italian ancestry helped him win in places like Bangor and Roseto, where he really should have lost.

Matt Dietz, the Council victor in the northern tier, ran a very good campaign. He had a lot of grass roots support and was everywhere. His ten point margin of victory is an electoral landslide. But Parsons could have beaten him. Instead of running against Dietz and his tea party tendencies, Parsons should have run against Executive John Brown, who shackled taxpayers with consultant contracts to make himself look good, tried to stick the county with improper expense vouchers, gave illegal raises to his cronies and wanted to borrow money to balance the budget. Dietz, a fly boy who is the darling of the business elite, could have been painted as more of the same.

* He needed to work the boroughs harder. They are Democratic strongholds. Yet he barely won in Pen Argyl and Roseto, where he should have crushed. He actually lost in Bath, Portland, East Bangor and Walnutport.

*  He needed to work the open space townships. Parsons is perhaps Council's biggest open space advocate and chairs its committee. He has successfully pushed for projects in Lower Mount Bethel, Upper Mount Bethel, Moore, Plainfield and Bushkill. I am sure he could have attracted some of these environmentalists.

*  The Gracedale crowd was completely MIA. Parsons failed to win in Upper Nazareth, where Gracedale is located. Four years ago, he won there convincingly.

Northern Tier District Results

Community	Parsons	Dietz	Murray	Scomillio	Barron	Phillips
Bangor	317	220	247	295	255	245
Bath	108	149	115	150	109	153
Chapman	11	18	9	20	13	15
E Bangor	56	61	38	75	42	68
Lehigh	517	782	575	826	562	791
L Mt Bethel	183	177	226	162	166	182
Moore	616	898	662	908	649	886
Pen Argyl	267	261	204	310	194	275
Portland	34	41	24	48	22	47
Roseto	134	114	105	175	121	114
U Mt Bethel	431	574	395	617	353	596
U Nazareth	368	380	370	398	359	379
Walnutport	84	91	86	94	84	90
Washngtn	328	304	268	364	269	334
Wind Gap	191	157	160	170	146	150
Bushkill	363	686	410	640	362	654
Plainfield	522	593	436	652	437	575
Total	4530	5506	4330	5904	4143	5554

"Martin Tower" Makes Political Debut in Bethlehem

"Martin Tower" has made his political debut in Bethlehem. Though Willie Reynolds was nearly elected Bethlehem Mayor, many believe he is working for the CRIZ developers, not the voters. Twenty-eight per cent of his campaign funding comes from CRIZ developers and their related businesses. Willie made an unusual appearance at July's Planning Commission, when Martin Tower zoning changes were first considered at Martin Tower. He argued then that the City needs to find a way to start saying "Yes" to development, just as he says Yes to CRIZ campaign contributions. He publicly advocated these changes before hearing a word from the first public hearing. Though he claims to support changes designed to reduce the amount of residential retail and prevent a publicly subsidized third downtown, he is still trying very hard to have zoning changes enacted by the end of the year.

Thanks to changes in procedure that were recommended by Karen Dolan before she resigned in disgrace, City Council never responds to the public during courtesy of the floor. The ostensible reason for this is a desire to make sure everyone is heard. But its practical effect is to create a stone wall between the public and elected officials. That was very apparent on Wednesday, when 26 public speakers at City Council were answered with silence. Even when a member of the public tried to crack a joke, Council would sit there and refuse to crack a smile or acknowledge the person in any way.

But when all members are done and no longer have an opportunity to speak, two individual Council members begin taking shots at them. When they cry out in protest, Reynolds gavels them down. The two biggest offenders have been Reynolds and Bryan Callahan.. This approach actually stifles public participation in government.

People don''t like what is going on, and that is evident in the election results on Tuesday. Even though none of the candidates had opposition in this one-party town,  Reynolds has already lost his position at top vote getter.. Moreover, 122 write-in votes were cast in the Northampton County portion of Bethlehem (I am unable to check Lehigh, and about 100 of these went to Martin Tower

Willie has been replaced as top vote getter by Olga Negron (LC 1866, NC 3416 = 5,282), who has never held elected elected office. From what I've seen of her on the Planning Commission, she is naive. But she refused to take a dime from developers.

Reynolds (LC 1816, NC 3294 = 5110) came in second. Now he can argue that he is really still the top vote getter because he was running for a four-year seat while Negron was running for a two-year seat. But that's a delusion in an uncontested race that really is nothing more than a popularity contest.  Voters were clearly sending Willie a message.

Newcomer Michael Colon  (LC 1831, NC 3253 = 5,084) finished only 26 votes behind Reynolds, and beat him in West Bethlehem. Like Negron, he took no money from CRIZ developers.

Shawn Martell (LC 1823, NC 3216 = 5,069) finished at the bottom. He is bright and his family has done many good things in Bethlehem. But like Willie, he took a lot of money from CRIZ developers.

Colon, Negron and Martell were at a NAACP candidates' forum on pre-election Tuesday. Reynolds was absent. I missed that event because I was tied up at a similar forum for the Council candidates.  But I have been told by people who were there that pay-to-play was a topic discussed.

Opinions Online, 11/7/15

Blogger's Note: Opinions Online is a regular Saturday feature. If you'd like to express your opinion on any topic, click on the Opinions Online button on my left sidebar. You can also call 385-325-2564. In addition to these submissions, I am taking some comments from throughout the week and re-publishing them here.

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Bernie, have you considered Twitter? I follow you via a news feed app, but it would be cool to have more immediacy on your readers' and your comments. I'm no spring chicken but I know a younger demographic is Twitter-centric and it may invite a wider audience to get information here. There ought to be a way to link the blog so to avoid doing twice the work? Don't know. Just a thought from a loyal reader with a usually dissenting opinion. Love the Dat and slice of life posts. Thanks for this blog.
(Blogger's Reply: I have toyed with Twitter, and will consider your recommendation.)

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Now that the election is over it's time to consider some new rules regarding campaign signage. Right now there are signs everywhere for both the winners and loser, but since the election is over they might as well be considered garbage. Now we're going to have to look at the signs for MONTHS. I wish there were some rules saying candidates had 10 days to remove any of their signs from public property or they would be fined. Alternatively we could require a 10% tax on any sign related costs that is used to assist in the cleanup effort. I was sick of seeing the signs before the election and now that it's over I'm even more fed up.

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After the way Easton played against Nazareth, anyone still want to say Easton will kick NDGP butt? Let's see Easton step up to the plate and put NDGP on their schedule after the Turkey Day Game. Everyone knows that their season is over after T-Day, their not going anywhere.

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look out South Whitehall Township. Everyones favorite Drug and Alcohol rehab guy Abe Atiyeh is coming to your town and the old West End Raquet Club on Crackersport Road!

the zoning notice is on the South Whitehall website

lets see how much of a backbone SWT has.

Lower Saucon Council Race Results Up in Air

Does money buy elections? Stay tuned. IESI, the corporation that controls the Bethlehem Landfill, wants zoning changes that will permit it to expand in Lower Saucon Township. That needs approval by Township Council, which has dragged its feet. So the landfill corporation has poured $125,200 in an effort to remove landfill opponents with a more compliant council. It used "high-stakes public strategy" firm Mercury, LLC to oppose a bi-partisan anti-landfill slate consisting of Priscilla deLeon, Dave Willard and Donna Louder.

They were running for three seats on the board against Sandra Yerger, Tom Maxfield and Gary Gorman.

This strategy may have both failed and succeeded. The landfill'e most vocal opponent, Louder, was the top vote getter in last week's election, with 1,244 votes. But Sandra Yerger, who has claimed that the loss of landfill income "would create a significant tax increase for township residents," also won a seat, with 1,176 votes.

The third seat went to incumbent Pricilla deLeon with 1,157 votes, but this unofficial tally only gives her three votes more than pro-landfill incumbent Tom Maxfield. It could easily change.

"I'm hanging on by my fingernails," said deLeon. "I should have waited for a manicure."

Northampton County's election office began what it calls its canvassing of the vote on Friday. This is the official count, and it starts with the cities. The process takes several days. As of press time, it is still unclear whether deLeon or Maxfield has won the third seat on Lower Saucon Township Council.

NorCo Council Approves $50 Million Emergency Loan For Human Services

Budget Administrator Doran Hamann and
Fiscal Director Jim Hunter

As a result of a record state budget impasse, Northampton County has been paying human services providers out of its own pocket, but its running out of money fast. Last night, Council adopted an emergency ordinance by a 6 to 3 vote that will enable the County to borrow up to $50 million to cover human services costs through march of next year.

Under the County's Home Rule Charter, Council has the power to adopt an ordinance the night it is introduced "[t]o meet a public emergency affecting life, health, property or the public peace."  But a super majority of six votes are needed.

Fiscal Affairs Director Jim Hunter had previously reported that the County has enough money to ensure that services are provided until the end of the year.

"What has changed?" asked Scott Parsons.

"Nothing has changed," replied Hunter.

"Well, then it's not an emergency," concluded Parsons, who would have preferred waiting until later in the year before seeking a $50 million loan.

Hunter, Budget Administrator Doran Hamann and Executive John Brown nevertheless insisted that now would be the time to take out a loan. According to Hamann, the County's fund balance has dwindled down to $19 million, compared to $62 million at this time last year. Once the fund balance drops to $5 million, the County will incur penalties for early redemption, making it cheaper and more fiscally prudent to borrow.

Hunter reported that he has been in discussions with five different banks, and can get interest rates in the vicinity of two per cent. There will be no loan origination fee, Hunter assured Ken Kraft.

"The earlier we can get this approval, the easier it is," stated Brown.

Lamont McClure asked whether the $19 million fund balance reported by Hamann includes the County's $10 million rainy day fund. Hamann replied it does not. An incredulous McClure asked why on earth the rainy day fund can't be used when the County claims it is raining. Hamann answered that it would cost too much money to get at the money.

Voting against the ordinance were Scott Parsons, Ken Kraft and Lamont McClure. "It doesn't support the definition of emergency," said Parsons.

Sheriff Dalrymple to Tighten NorCo Security

Sheriff David Dalrymple announced at last night's meeting of Northampton County Council that he is putting the finishing touches on tightened security. Those who lack a County-issued ID will be required to undergo screening. Those who have an ID and forget it will go through screening  The IDs will be issued to courthouse workers and regular courthouse users, including members of the bar, some vendors and title searchers. Those seeking an access card will undergo background checks.  

Brown Ordered Removal of Pedestrian Crosswalk at Courthouse

Yesterday, I told you about the strange disappearance of a crosswalk at the Northampton County Courthouse. First installed when the courthouse expansion got underway, it has enabled and members of the public to cross the street to and from a few adjoining lots. But in its infinite wisdom, the County decided to paint over the crosswalk and direct workers to take their chances by crossing at 7th and Washington, and then take their lives into their hands as they try to make it across Butler Street.

It's sheer lunacy.

Three county officials with whom I spoke pointed their fingers at Easton and the Panto Parking Police, who apparently sent an email instructing them all on what is wrong. Director of Administration Luis Campos said they were still studying their options.

In an angry comment published here, Easton Mayor Sal Panto insisted that "the city has and will continue to ignore the crosswalk issue for the sake of safety."

Who's being honest and who is shading the truth? In this instance, it appears that Panto is being honest and that Northampton County officials were shading the truth. At last night's meeting of Northampton County Council, Executive John Brown admitted to Ken Kraft that he made the call, at the recommendation of the County's mysterious safety committee.

Amazingly, he decided to remove the sidewalk, not out of safety concerns, but "to minimize liability."

So we apparently have a "safety committee" more interested in protecting the county from lawsuits than the safety of its people.

According to Brown, Northampton County "assumes liability for whatever happens in that crosswalk." I've got news for him. If he thinks painting over it shields him, he's nutz. The imprints are still quite visible, as can be seen in the above photograph. I would think the County will be exposed to even more liability now. Failure to use any kind of warning signs or pedestrian traffic control device on a crosswalk the County knows is being used, appears to be negligence per se, at least to me.

In addition, workers and members of the public forced to cross Butler Street will rightly be able to assert liability against the County for any injuries suffered as a result of an auto accident.

Lamont McClure asked Brown if this unnamed safety committee even has a lawyer or sought any legal advice.

Brown does not know.

In an effort to avoid a lawsuit, Northampton County has just managed to make one more likely next time there's a pedestrian accident. What is worse, he's done nothing to protect the safety of members of the public and his own workers.

And this guy wants to be state auditor general.

Northampton County Removes Pedestrian Crossing For Workers, Public

Crosswalk from Milides Building to courthouse

Although Deputy Sheriffs have been spotted providing valet service to a few judges who have their very own private entrance to the courthouse, Northampton County is displaying appalling disregard for their own employees and the public. Agent 99 has reported to me that a pedestrian crossing, which is supposed to help the public and employees cross the street on their way to the courthouse, has suddenly disappeared. I learned yesterday that she's right.

Butler and Washington

There is a parking deck next to the courthouse, but it fills up pretty quickly. Parts of it are regularly blocked off because, now and then, parts of the roof have been known to collapse onto cars or change their colors. Most employees and members of the public park in a lot at the Milides Building which is across the street from the courthouse, or in the lot below.

At the Milides building, there's a pedestrian crossing for people to cross busy Washington Street. It has been there since courthouse construction started in around 2002. A sign was placed there to warn oncoming traffic, but two people have still been stuck by cars. One person, a County employee, was seriously injured.

Last weekend, the County, in its infinite wisdom, removed the pedestrian crossing sign. It also sent some painters out to paint over the crosswalk, although as you can see, it is still very visible.

What prompted this action?

Apparently, the County knuckled under to a demand from the Panto Parking Police that they immediately close the pedestrian crossing and remove all signs.

Employees and the public are required to cross the street at Union and Washington Street, located 43 miles from the courthouse, or at 7th and Washington. Of course anyone who crosses at 7th and Washington to get to the Milides lot will have to walk across the intersection of Butler and Washington, which is extremely dangerous and has no crosswalk.

Though there are numerous crosswalks just like the one scattered throughout Easton, in the middle of City blocks, the County was nevertheless instructed to get rid of its crossing or Panto will be around with his tow truck.

Instead of fighting this ridiculous and probably illegal command, the County just knuckled under, just like it did in its challenge of Easton's commuter tax.

Exec John Brown and Deputy Administrator Cathy Allen have there own reserved paring spots, so what do they care?  

When I asked Administrator Luis Campos why the County is not fighting this ridiculous order, he told me the County is looking into it and mentioned concerns about liability. When I pointed out that there could be liability to a person who gets smacked by traffic while trying to cross  Butler Street, Campos said, "I don't disagree."

Planning Chair Warns City Council About Martin Tower

In this week's edition of The Bethlehem Press, Bethlehem Planning Chair Jim Fiorentino warns  City Council that adopting Martin Tower zoning changes now will enable developers Lewis Ronca and Norton Herrick to step forward with a plan to create a third downtown, and no one will be able to stop them.

Another message was sent to Council Prez Willie Reynolds at the Historic District polling location and Lehigh area. A write-in campaign was wagedon behalf of "Martin Tower." Willie Reynolds dropped to 3 out of 4 in total votes. This put him nearly 10% below Olga Negron and only 11 votes from being in dead last place.

Maybe Willie needs to apologize again.

Democracy Still Dead in Allentown

Aside from a few bright spots, it appears that democracy is still very much a thing of the past in Allentown. Those bright spots would be Bib Smith's re-election to the school board and Roger MacLean;s convincing victory in the Allentown City Council race. Lou Hershman, my favorite, came in fourth in a battle for three seats.

Hartzell Sole Dem to Win Seat on Lehigh County Board of Comm'rs

Though Vic Mazziotti may have lost, Wayne Woodman's establishment team is alive and well in Lehigh County. With the exception of Dan Hartzell, Republicans swept.

Dietz Defeats Parsons in Landslide

Despite a bizarre endorsement from Mat Benol, a Republican Council member who lives in Palmer Tp, Scott Parsons was crushed by Matt Dietz in his bid for re-election as the norther tier's representative on NorCo Council. Parsons lost by ten percentage points.

He was running against a Republican in a Republican district. But what really hurt Parsons is that he refused to campaign while Dietz was everywhere. Parsons even took a vacation when he should have been knocking on doors.

Ironically, Scott is the hardest working member of Northampton County Council, and has tried to govern in a nonpartisan manner. His absence will hurt.

The Colonel Comes Up Short

Republican Hayden Phillips is so admired by even his Democratic colleagues on Northampton County Council that they call him "the Colonel" in honor of his service as a Marine. But I am glad he lost his attempt to take the Controller's seat from Steve Barron. Smart an independent, Phillips has been a force for good government. If he defeated Barron, his replacement would be a pale imitation. On top of that, Barron has matured and is no longer the partisan he was when he first took office. He has been an effective check on Executive John Brown and abuses that have extended from charging improper expenses to illegal raises.

Barron's razor thin victory (532 votes), however should serve as notice that taxpayers are unwilling to tolerate any more instances of immaturity.

Emil's Loss is NorCo's Win

Though Emil Giordano is going to come up short in his quest for the Superior Court, that;'s good news for Northampton County because he will remain on the bench here, making a difference in people's lives. I know few people with more class or personal dignity who are still so down-to-earth.

Bethlehem Township Turns Blue

In recent weeks, Bethlehem Township Board of Commissioner meetings have been anti-climatic. The real show is in the weekly budget hearings. Those are usually held in a small conference room. But they have been moved into the regular meeting hall because of a public outcry over a 37.6% tax increase being pondered by Commissioners

On Election Eve, as campaign signs began to dot the municipal complex, Commissioners conducted a brief meeting..Residents like Roy Roth told Commissioners it is "time to cut the fat," but at the same time, demanded to know when Brodhead Road would be re-paved. He told Commissioner Tom Nolan to "wash your ears out so you can hear a little better."

As soon as the meeting was over, he was taking palm cards from Malissa Davis for the election.

It was a bad sign for three incumbent Commissioners seeking re-election.

The next day, according to unofficial results, two of the incumbents were rejected by voters. Though Tom Nolan survived a write-in challenge, Marty Zawarski was handily defeated by Davis, 1,867 to 1,421. Phil Barnard lost out to Kim Jenkins by a scant eight votes, 400 to 392.

Zawarski and Barnard are Republican, while Davis and Jenkins are Democrats.

Davis flew under the "Save Green Pond" banner. A regular at Commissioner meetings, she has been a vocal opponent of the Traditions of America senior housing development planned at Green Pond. She has also been an advocate for more open government.

The official tally is under way and should be completed this week. If it holds, Bethlehem Township will have a Democratic majority. Jenkins, Davis and incumbent Commissioner Michael Hudak, who was not up for election this cycle, are all Democrats. According to Hudak's Facebook page, this is the first time that Bethlehem Township has had a majority Democratic Board. It is also the first time that a woman has been elected to its Board.

Congrats to Judge Sam Murray

Both Vic Scomillio and Sam Murray supporters could agree on at least one thing - this was going to be a close race.But I am gratified to see that the people of Northampton County have chosen Sam Murray for a seat on Northampton County's bench by a comfortable margin of 1,700 votes. They have answered the question whether experience matters. Though Vic was hit hard on his ties to Executive John Brown, I think he lost this race because people can still do math.Sam had twice as much experience.

In the upcoming days, I will do an analysis to see where Sam won this race.

Though Vic came up short, he should be congratulated on handling himself with integrity. Though I think Samwas a better choice, I do believe Vic would make an excellent judge. ... Just not now.  

Make Your Last Minute Election Pitches Here

I am going to be unavailable all day today.You see, I'm a judge. I just picked up my black robe, too. I'll be working the polls today in Hanover Township, and it is very difficult to go online from my polling place. So you will be spared my last minute pitches. Please feel free to make your arguments for or against any of the candidates seeking election today. Let us know where you voted and what turnout is like. If you see anything out of the ordinary, post it here.I will be back in action very late tonight.

1:55. Voters and even poll workers were locked out of a school in Easton as of 7:11 am.

Tonya Trotter Claims Possible Voter Suppression, Irregularities, in Center City Allentown

Tonya Trotter was unsuccessful in her bid for a spot on the ballot in the Allentown Center City Magisterial District judge race. She is still waging a write-in campaign against incumbent Pat Engler, telling me she wants to demonstrate to her children that they should never quit, no matter how stacked the odds are against you. Hers is one of the many races I failed to cover. But Trotter still reached out to me yesterday to warn about possible voter suppression and Pat Engler's use of her own judicial offices as a polling place, in violation of the Election Code.

It was too late in the day for me to get Voting Registrar Tim Benyo's side of the story, and I will do that in the next few days. But Trotter's story is so compelling that I think I owe it to her to publish excerpts of her email to me.

Since you are a whistle blower with a wide audience, I was hoping you could help me with getting the word out about two things going on in Allentown involving the election.

First thing is voter suppression. The polling location for the 10th Ward, 1st District in Center City Allentown has been changed. Voters were not made aware of this and Election Day is tomorrow. I live in this district and I wasn't notified and neither were at least five other neighbors on my block. This leads me to believe that the notices were not sent out on purpose. This district has a high Latino and African American population.

The second thing is a polling location that was supposed to be changed because it's in violation of the PA Election Code, was not. I appeared in court on May 15, 2015, four days before the primary, opposite Tim Benyo, Chief Clerk of Lehigh County Board of Elections and John Ashcraft, Assistant County Solicitor.

The election code states, “No election shall be held in the office, building or residence of a candidate or publicly elected official.” The location at 1201 Sumner Ave., is the courthouse of District Judge Patricia Engler. Judge Engler was and still is a candidate on the ballot and is a publicly elected official. This location is Judge Engler’s highest supported.

My attorney, Sam Stretton, contacted the Lehigh County Board of Elections, who responded through Lehigh County Assistant Solicitor John Ashcraft. An agreement was reached between Lehigh County Board of Elections and me, that Judge Engler’s name would be covered on the courthouse only for the primary because I didn’t want to disenfranchise any voters.

The BOE was supposed to find a new location for the November election and all future elections. They didn't. They lied to shut me up with no intention of ever changing the location. The judge who is benefiting from this illegal location has done nothing to urge the election board to change the location either.

Now they are engaging in voter suppression in neighborhoods of color. Ward 8-7 is suburban and primarily Caucasian.

Voter suppression is serious. Election Code violations are serious. They are happening in Allentown tomorrow.

Can you please let your readers know.

In a subsequent email, Trotter tells me this.

I've attached some of my campaign cards as well as the agreement between myself and Board of Elections, and the letter I sent to solicitor Ashcraft last week. Neither Mr. Ashcraft for Benyo replied to my letter. Surprisingly enough, I went out this weekend to hand out cards for my write-in campaign. Tim Benyo sent me an letter about that this morning, informing me that I might be in violation of campaign finance law.

Funny how people who are violating the election code and committing voter suppression, are worried about the $150 bucks I spent out of pocket, on palm cards.

The Catcher's Mitt

Blogger's Note: This is the second installment of my Growing Up In America series. The first story was "Mr. Matz." For now, I must keep the identity of the author of these marvelous stories a secret.

The neighborhood in which I lived had everything within a two to three block area. It was complete with a market, church on one corner, and a bar on the other. The hallmark of it all was the department store. Most of the people who lived there worked in the steel mill two blocks north, the battery factory two blocks south, or the textile mill in the middle.

Saturdays were special, dad didn’t work. Typically, the day started at noon at the corner bar. Everyone’s dad went to the bar and the children went, There were bar rules for children. I don’t remember ever being taught them in specific but you knew them: Be seen and not heard, sit at a table,  never at a stool at the bar, if you’re good you’ll get a soda and a bag of potato chips. When dad went to the bathroom, you ran up to his pile of money on the bar and lifted a couple of dimes for the pinball machine.

On one particular Saturday my best friend Jeff and I were at the bar with our dads. As the day progressed we went to the department store next door to check any new items that may be on display. It was the mid 70’s and spring baseball had just kicked in. Department stores back then were a one stop shopping for anything from clothing and furniture to garden equipment and school supplies. As we went into the sporting goods section of the store, Jeff and I saw a gleaming new black leather baseball glove, a catcher’s mitt. It was magnificent. A Franklin brand priced at $19.99, a small fortune. After fingering it up for a short time, we put it back on the rack and returned to our table at the bar.

Jeff and I talked about the catcher’s mitt, jazzed at how awesome it was. Unbeknown to us, a steel worker who had been in the bar since his shift ended at 7 am was listening to us. You know, he was the typical greasy guy with the steel dust covered overalls and striped engineer hat with a short brim to allow the welding facemask to drop down over the top. He stood up, took his hat off and walked up and down the row of men seated at the bar. From each pile of booze money he lifted a dollar bill and placed it into his hat. He walked over to Jeff and I, and throwing his hat on the table said to me “Go get that mitt, kid.”

Jeff and I didn’t hesitate; we grabbed the hat and money and ran out the door to the department store. We sprinted down the long walkway to the sporting good section. Ha, like anyone else could come up with twenty bucks in thirty minutes to buy a baseball glove. It was still there. Smiling, Jeff and I put the mitt on the counter with the money and in moments we were back to the bar -  proud owners of the best baseball glove in the neighborhood.

Once inside, the bar patron who benefited us grabbed the mitt for inspection. Up and down the bar he went, slapping the mitt and showing the donors the product they had just purchased for the neighborhood kids. With his reveling was finished, he placed that mitt on table in front us, smiled and returned to his stool and his drink.

I played baseball throughout high school and, ironically, played catcher. I used that mitt often and still have it today. Every now and then I come across it in the attic of my home when I’m searching for something else. I remember the kindness of a working man, for kids in a working neighborhood. Thank you Sir, I have not forgotten.

Allentown Budget Includes Wage Tax Hike

Though Allentown's Budget for next year is still being kept from the public, it will include a wage tax hike. Allentown's current local income tax is 1.35%, in addition to a $52 annual assessment for municipal services. The increase in wage tax may be in the vicinity of as much as 0.35%, though I am unable to confirm an exact figure.

You can read more about this in The Morning Call, after you've voted.

The paper is doing its part to help the cause of crony capitalism.

Updated 9:20 pm: Morning Call finally discloses tax hike. - The Morning Call is finally disclosing the reality of the tax hike, something that was disclosed both here and on Facebook last Tuesday. The paper made sure to delay just long enough to prevent many from learning about it until after they vote. If you think my assessment is harsh, consider that I knew about this hike a week ago, was told about it within earshot of a reporter, and yet nothing was published. That's shitty journalism from a paper that has just defended its coverage of Allentown as thorough and fair.

It's not even accurate. The story states the hike will be from 0.83% to 1.15% and goes on to call it "a more then 35% tax increase." Actually, 1.15% minus 0.83% = 0.32%. Exactly. Math must not be the reporter's strong suit.

It also appears that Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski violated the Allentown Home Rule Charter. His budget was due today. He presented it to City Council after regular business hours. It would seem, therefore, that the budget was not presented until 59 days before the end of the year.

The Morning Call correctly observes that citizen watchdogs like Lou Hershman and Rich Fegley, who may soon be City Council members, have accused Fed Ed of deliberately keeping the budget from the voters. But the paper is less forthcoming about its own role in this charade. It knew about the tax hike and decided itself to keep it out of the public eye.

This was once a great nation, and that is because people were informed. That is no longer so. Now, reporters have no incentive to write real news. At some papers, they get paid bonuses depending on how many online clicks their stories receive. That gives them little incentive to write about things like budgets and elections.

Allentown Budget Due Today

Allentown's Home Rule Charter, Section 802, requires Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski to present City Council with a balanced budget and budget message at least 60 days prior to the end of the fiscal year. That means his budget is due today. When it arrives, it will include a tax hike, possibly as high as two mills. The Home Rule Charter requires that he present it to City Council, not the voting public. The plan is to keep them in the dark until after the election.

I learned and reported about the tax hike last week. Council member Julio Guridy confirmed that there will be one, but was unsure just how high it would be.

The reason this tax hike is being kept under wraps is because it might hurt incumbents Jeff Glazier and Mary Ellen Koval, both of whom are running for re-election to City Council and Controller.

Last week's Budget and Finance Committee was suddenly canceled by Chairman Glazier. He never returned my call asking why, and asking about the tax hike.

My fear is that the citizens of Allentown will get the word on Wednesday, the day after the election, after it's too late for some of them to change their votes.

The Lehigh County Republican Establishment Team

My blogging intern, Michael Molovinsky, touched on the hypocrisy of whatever Team the Republican Commissioner candidates are running as on Tuesday. He made his points well, but I think no point is fully made until it is driven home with a sledge hammer. They may call themselves the Reform Team or the Results Team. What they really are is the Establishment Team. For from being a grass roots effort, they are a toy being played by gazillionaires Wayne Woodman and Lisa Schiller. When they get tired enough, they'll move back to California.

Their original Messiah, Scott Ott, has already fled the Lehigh Valley. He left town after losing the Exec race twice  - once to to pagan Don Cunningham, and later, to infidel Tom Muller. Huckster that Ott is, he's established a GoFundMe account so that he and his family can spend a week this summer in Costa Rica, pretending to love Jebus. He's looking for 8 large.

The Establishment Team

While waiting for the Second Coming of Scrappleface, the remaining Establishment Republicans needed someone to replace Ott on the Board and selected Amanda Holt, a home-schooled piano teacher who lives with her mommy and daddy. Amazingly, she's running for election.

So is Brad Osborne, who ran as a moderate four years ago but now is one of the Establishment Republicans. Here's what Vic Mazziotti, another Establishment Republican, said about Osborne when he failed to inform fellow Republicans that then Exec Bill Hansell was going to veto a Budget they had just approved. "Osborne claimed he was fiercely independent," said Mazziotti. "What I've found is that he is fiercely indecisive, and that is one of his better points." Osborne quickly flocked to the Establishment Republican banner and became a Benedict Arnold to the rest. He voted to appoint Amanda Holt as Ott's successor after promising others he'd never support one of the Establishment Republicans. He is now a Wayne Woodman toadie.

Lisa Scheller, Wayne's wife, decided against seeking re-election. She's actually an attractive woman and a good, albeit conservative, Commissioner. Her loss is a shame. He husband, Wayne Woodman, recruited Olympian Marty Nothstein to replace her on the ballot. Now Marty knows all about recovery drinks and bicycles, but doesn't know a damn thing about county government. But because he's an Olympian who can blow thunderbolts out his ass, he'll probably be top vote getter.

The fourth member of this team, Vic Mazziotti, is a man I deeply respect and admire. Though I consider him one of the most intelligent people I know, he's under Wayne Woodman's spell. He only wanted to serve one term, but was persuaded to run again to keep Dean Browning, the man they all love to hate, off the ballot.

The Establishment Team's Money

In a story published in The Morning Call, Woodman insists he's an outsider who simply helps little guys who would never stand a chance but for his beneficence. What seems to have slipped his mind is that he was the frickin' at the time he financed most of these campaigns. He is the Establishment, right down to his elephant underpants.

Crony capitalists like Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski and J.B. Reilly have been pigs in the way they've bought Democratic candidates in Allentown. But on the County level, campaign spending has grown exponentially in large part because of the husband and wife team of Wayne Woodman and Lidsa Scheller. Over the past four years, they've spent $211,450 to get control of five Commissioner seats and the County Executive's office.

This year, they've kicked in $42,000 for the election of their Establishment Team.

2015 Election Spending by Woodman, Scheller



They can say "free speech," but this is the kind of speech that drowns out every other voice.

The Establishment Team's Hypocrisy

While they are perfectly willing to accept the free speech of Wayne Woodman and Lisa Scheller, they have circulated flyers  hypocritically condemning Democratic Commissioner candidates for doing what they are doing. They are attempting to muddy them up over Fed Ed and Miked Fleck. Michael Molovinsky rejects that argument convincingly. "While the ethics of Pawlowski are certainly fair game for a discussion of City Council and school board candidates, whose decisions interact with the city, those questions are not relevant to the election of county commissioners."

Molovinsky is endorsing Dan Hartzell, a Democrat and The Morning Call's former Road Warrior. I will endorse Hartzell, Joanne Jackson, and Vic Mazziotti, who courageously took aim at pay-to-play with Joanne Eichenwald.

Troutman and Everett at Saucon Valley County Club

Financially struggling Lehigh Northampton Airport Authority, headed by Marc Troutman and Executive Director Charles Everett, met at the very swanky and very private Saucon Valley Country Club last week. "Just don't tell them we're Jews," Troutman instructed Everett.

Bulls Fall to Cavs in SCBL 'Ship

Despite shooting streaks that kept the game close at times, the Bulls fell to the more consistent Cavs in the Select Competition Basketball League Championship today at Swain School. I neglected to get the final score, but the Cavs put the game out of reach in the second half.

(This is the only action shot I got. CCHS's Dat Lambert guarded by Cameron Hoffman. Those two have known each other and played with and against each other since about fourth grade. They are all gifted athletes.) 

SCBL is fall basketball for LV high school students who are not playing in other fall sports. It gets them tuned up for the season. There are usually no more than two or three ballers from the same high school on a given team.

The CAVS, Coach: Darnell Braswell. Team consists of Zay Jennings, Cam Hoffman, Shack Dezonie, Will Baar, Tyler German, Nick Hulbert, Daryn Lewis, Blake Jones, Scott Kuna, TJ Shaffer and Matt Shiffer.

The BULLS, Coach: Shahad Abdur-Rahkman. Team consists of Justin Paz, Dat Lambert, AJ Dana, Hector Morales, Jordan McChristian, Nicholas Drosnock, Garrett Duh, David Martinez, Christian Simmons, Ryan Young and Chase Orecchio.

NorCo Exec John Brown To Run For Auditor General

I've been informed by several highly placed Republicans that Northampton County Executive John Brown is running for Auditor General. This has not been confirmed by Brown, who pretty much ignores media inquiries. Whatever we may think of him, the bluebloods in control of the GOP in Harrisburg just love the guy. I will update this post at midnight.

A Milion Reasons To Say No To Slonaker

Don't know where he got his education, but he should ask for a refund.

He certainly has demonstarted his expience. Gootta' love this in a piece that essentially claims that Glenn Eckhart is dumb.