One Week After Election, McClure Skips Gracedale Budget Hearing

At yesterday's budget hearing, Council members were given a glimpse of changes being recommended by Premier Healthcare Resources, Gracedale's newly appointed private manager.  Ron Angle and Mike Dowd, despite losing races for their District Council seats, were there, and participated. But Council member Lamont McClure, who won, was MIA.

For years, I've been nailing McClure for his pitiful attendance at committee meetings. Recently, Morning Call columnist Bill White chastised him as well. McClure's opponent, Matt Connolly, raised it during a LWV debate. Voters elected McClure anyway, at least unofficially.

During the campaign, McClure portrayed himself as the Champion of Gracedale, but was nowhere to be found during a meeting in which its new manager was providing a preview of its recommendations, as well as their cost.

We get the government we deserve.

Bob Freeman's Next Opponent?

I want to put this matter to bed. The Wicked Witch of West Easton, Tricia Mezzacappa, has made some incredible accusations about me. According to her, I am a stalker and pig kicker. The last time I was at her house, on August 26, she supposedly had to call Easton Police because I had done something so horrible she could not describe it. I supposedly "dummied up" an email from her that very night, claiming she had a "nice time."

"Kicking the pig was only one problem. The second, more embarrassing problem came later. Actually, I had to notify the Easton police department, who caught him just as he was waddling out my door, banished from my home for good.
****************************************************
"The police call should be on record. It was placed to the Northampton County non-emergency 330-2200. In fact, O'Hare was so incensed that the cops were waiting outside my house when he left, he returned again moments later to question me."

In response to a Right-to-Know request I filed on November 2, there is no record of any such call. Just as she told lie after lie about West Easton Borough Council Prez Kelly Gross, she's doing it to me. Just as Kelly Gross caught her in her lies, so have I.

Amazingly, this is the person who thinks she can beat State Rep. Bob Freeman next year.

Good luck with that!

She makes kooky Ron Shegda look normal.

Who Will Be the Next NorCo Exec?

In Northampton County, the county executive is the "chief executive and administrative official of the County," vested with broad powers. John Stoffa has nearly finished his sixth year in office. He has kept the County on a sound fiscal footing, instituted a successful, pay-as-you-go open space program, and has worked hard to establish programs that treat criminal offenders like human beings instead of animals. Most importantly, he has restored integrity to his office, refusing to continue the usual pay-to-play games with County employees and vendors. Some of them, who prefer patronage to professionalism, will never forgive him.

Although his campaign to sell Gracedale failed, he accepted the will of the people and brought private management to the County-owned nursing home. More importantly, after decades of neglect, he embarked on a $20 million program of capital improvements at this nursing facility, funding it with energy savings instead of a costly bond.  

In the minds of many people, the last election was a referendum on John Stoffa. His two strongest allies on Council - Ron Angle and Mike Dowd - were both defeated. His strongest critic - Lamont McClure - may have been re-elected.  I don't buy it. Dowd was swept out of office by Panto's mayoral contest. That had nothing to do with Stoffa. Ron was consumed by a perfect storm of negative news articles over the course of a year. Those had nothing to do with Stoffa, either.

Nevertheless, the sharks are circling again. They smell blood. Who will run for County Exec?

Lisa Boscola - the Lemon Shark. Like the Lemon, Lisa is yellow in color, with a bright blond mane that has blinded many of her prey. She's swimming in the Harrisburg aquarium right now, where she has served for two terms in the state house and is in her fourth term as a state senator.

What many people forget is that she got her start in Northampton County, where she served as a Deputy Court Administrator. Running for Exec would enable her to add another pension for her financial planning.

Because she has no real experience as an Executive, and her own behavior in the state legislature has been erratic at times, I believe she'd be a terrible Executive, and would bring back all the pay-to-play practices made famous by Glenn Reibman. But if she does decide to run, game over. She'll win, and I doubt anyone in the Democratic party will challenge her.

John Callahan - the Blue Shark. Like the Blue, Callahan is an extremely fast swimmer who's hard to track. So at this point, it's really unclear what he's doing, if anything. But don't kid yourself. As Tony Simao can attest, blue sharks can be extremely dangerous and are known for numerous attacks. Their favorite food is squid, served regularly at Mama Nina's.

Ron Heckman - the Prehistoric Shark. Every time an Exec race comes up, Ron's name is mentioned. But he never runs. I'm pretty sure he's extinct.

Rich Grucela - the Nurse Shark. Although his wife may kill him, Grucela recently told The Morning Call, he'd consider running if Gracedale remains an issue with a "horrendous" or "drastic" downturn. Rich originally comes from the ranks of local government. He presided over County Council between 1987 and 1990.


John Cusick, the Dogfish Shark. - He's still lurking in the reefs, ready to strike. Despite his ambitious nature, it's unlikely Cusick would be a very effective candidate. With his slightly poisonous spine, Cusick has been known to stick it to several of his colleagues on Council, usually Republicans, from Peg Ferraro to Ron Angle. Like the Dogfish, Cusick can change colors to blend in with his surroundings, a useful trait for a pol.

Ron Angle, the Megamouth Shark. - Soon after kicking him out of office, it's very likely that Slate Belt voters will recognize they've made a big mistake. But like the Megamouth, it's just as likely that Angle will be elusive.

One of the Gracedale Goons, Clown Shark. - One of them will run if he or she can remain anonymous.

Sal Panto, the Great White. - Of all the candidates mentioned, the only one who has actually been successful as an administrator is Easton Mayor Sal Panto. Unlike Boscola, Callahan or even Grucela, he won't bring in the usual County cronies. He swims alone. Right now, he's busy turning Easton around. But I think I've just heard that music. It's the same music I hear whenever I'm on a toilet.

I think we're gonna' need a bigger boat.

Longenbach In the Garden of Beasts

In Northampton County, the County Solicitor serves at the pleasure of the County Executive. Attorney Karl Longenbach was named by Executive John Stoffa as the County's lawyer six years ago, and has been at Stoffa's side ever since.

When Karl decided to run for Judge and was crushed in the Primary, Stoffa still kept him at his side. When Karl supported Scott Parsons for County Council, Stoffa said nothing, even though he had publicly endorsed Angle. After all, Parsons and Longenbach have been friends and golfing buddies for many years. That probably trumps politics. Stoffa even remained silent when Parsons lobbed a few broadsides his way.

But it's hard to ignore Longenbach's decision to attend a Scott Parsons' Election Night victory party. Part of that celebration was video-taped by the Wicked Witch of West Easton, presumably to show everyone a landmark victory. What I saw instead is a return to Reibman-era politics, the very thing that Stoffa has stood against.

On Election Day, Pennsylvania law requires that a County Solicitor be in the elections office between 7 AM and 10 PM, to handle the thorny legal issues that might arise during the day. Northampton County's regularly assigned lawyer was ill that day, so the duty fell on his boss, Karl, who claims he was "thrown in the breach."

My first problem is to wonder how a lawyer who is supposed to be in the elections office until 10 PM, can make it to Detzi's Tavern, a good 45-minutes away from the courthouse. But that's really minor compared to the others revealed in that video.

Celebrants at that party include people like Jack D'Allesandro, Mary Ann Schmoyer, John Mammana and Mario Martinez, who have at times called for Stoffa's recall as County Executive. Every one of them brought a surcharge action against Stoffa, attempting to wax him personally for funds the County spent on the law firm handling Gracedale's sale. A petition for attorney fees is still pending in Commonwealth Court.

Another party animal is none other than the Otter himself, who represents the people seeking surcharges and attorney fees. This cousin of the weasel, festooned in a "Gracedale Goon" pin, has vowed to go after Stoffa again, as soon as the County's 2011 budget has been audited. He has publicly suggested that Stoffa belongs in jail. He could be seen whispering sweet nothings to Assistant Solicitor Jill Mancini.

Mancini, an enthusiastic Parsons' supporter, was so delighted she was giving high fives to Justus James. He just happens to be the AFSCME business agent for a Gracedale bargaining unit, as well as other AFSCME units with County contracts. Mancini is apparently on one of the union negotiation teams.

No conflict of interest there.

In addition to James, Gracedale's AFSCME union prez, Ellen Weiss, was in the house. So was the tattooed dude who serves as a union officer.

Enjoying every moment, clapping his hands in approval, was none other than County Solicitor Karl Longenbach.  Not only was he delighted to see a Stoffa critic elected, but was sharing the moment with a group that has both sued Stoffa and threatened his recall, along with their lawyer. He was also whooping it up with very union that funded the Gracedale referendum campaign.

The one that Karl supposedly opposed in Court.

A County Executive should be able to trust his own lawyer, but how can he when Karl and one of his assistants are yukking it up with the very people who are out to destroy Stoffa?

My concern is that this group, emboldened by this victory, will now become even more arrogant.

History provides an example. When Ambassador Dodd was sent to Germany in the early '30s, he saw the country transform into a Garden of Beasts, especially after a successful referendum on Germany's decision to leave the then League of Nations. There were certainly legitimate problems with Germany's reparations agreement, which was starving the country. But Hitler disingenuously asked Germans to "Vote Yes for Peace." They bought it. Sounded simple. What followed instead were beatings, Himmler, Gestapo, Stormtroopers, Goring, Goebbels, WWII, and the senseless massacre of millions of Jews.

I have no intention or desire to compare the horrors of Nazi Germany with what is slowly happening here, on a local level. But there are some chilling similarities. People of good will can have differing views about Gracedale. But telling people to vote Yes to "Save Gracedale" is just as disingenuous as Hitler's "Vote Yes for Peace."  Just as a group of thugs took over in Nazi Germany, a small group that claims to be "We, the People" has an increasingly long enemies' list. John Stoffa, Barb Thierry, Mike Dowd, Ross Marcus, The Express Times, Wind Gap debate sponsors, Sarah Cassi, Bill White and Bruce Gilbert are all on it, to name a a few.

John Stoffa, a man of integrity, is now regularly called a liar and corrupt. Ron Angle has been literally called Satan. Several times. I have been vilified with some horrible and baseless accusations I decline to repeat here because I'll be dealing with them in another forum. Anybody who even partially agrees with any one of us is immediately castigated.

I am astonished and saddened that Karl Longenbach, one of the finest people I know, would embrace these seriously misguided people and abandon the County Executive. And I am fearful that Northampton County Government is slowly devolving into a Garden of Beasts.

Updated 12:16 PM: I agree that the analogy to The Garden of Beasts is a bit over the top, but am nevertheless deeply disappointed by Karl's behavior. He chose to remain in the company of people who have (1) actively called for Stoffa's ouster; (2) have repeatedly called him a liar and corrupt; and (3) commenced a surcharge action against Stoffa in his personal capacity. In attendance was a lawyer who has publicly stated that Stoffa belongs in jail. Longenbach's assistant was also actively cavorting with the union rep negotiating several county contracts.

While Longenbach may exercise his rights to do what he wants, he knows better than must that actions have consequences. He serves at the pleasure of the Executive, who can exercise his rights, too.

Saucon Valley School Board Race May Have Hurt Kraft & McClure

Seth Vaughn, Ken Kraft

As I told you on Friday, Landside Lamont McClure's margin of victory in his County Council race against Matt Connolly is a mere 114 votes. For whatever reason, McClure always has trouble at election time. His negative campaigns and incessant robocalls may work against him. In addition, there were three contested Commissioners' races in Bethlehem Township, which brought out the Republican. But there's another reason why McClure fared so poorly, and it's the same problem that also hurt Ken Kraft in his first bid for a County Council seat.

I'm referring to the Saucon Valley School Board race, where five seats were being decided. Four candidates were cross-filed, and more or less assured of victory. But one seat was very much in play. On one side was Jeanne Reilly, a former teacher whose husband teaches in the very school district at which she would be a Director. One the other side was tea-party Republican Bryan Eichfeld, who recently asked Northampton County Council members to sign a "limited government" resolution.

Eichfeld managed to beat Reilly by a few hundred votes.

This race likely hurt McClure in Lower Saucon, where he lost by 81 votes. And it had to hurt Kraft in Hellertown. It may be home to many retired steel workers, but Vaugn managed to grab 319 votes to 276 for Kraft.

That was the only surprise in the Kraft race. In Democratic Bethlehem, Ken clobbered Seth. In one district, the votes were 7 to 1. Although Kraft did lose 3 Bethlehem precincts, his final tally in the Christmas City was 2820 votes to 2159 for Vaughn. In Republican Hanover Township, Seth won every polling place, with a final tally of 857 to Kraft's 655.

Since both candidates support keeping Gracedale in County hands, as well as the eventual funding of a Bi-County health department, it is likely those issues played no role in this race.

Voter Machine Malfunction Appears to Be Nonissue in McClure Race

On Friday, I told you that a voting machine issue has cast a dark shadow on Lamont McClure's slim, 114-vote, margin of victory. Although the voter has authorized me to identify him, I will decline doing so because he is a private citizen and because I have since determined this to be a nonissue.

A citizen voted at SeWyCo in Lower Saucon around noon on Election Day. No matter how often he pushed the Connolly button, the name refused to light up. He spent time pressing it over and over before moving on to cast his vote. Because the second press cancels the vote, he is unsure whether his vote for Connolly was actually ever cast.

Bothered, he returned to the polling station about an hour later. At first, election officials were skeptical, but then one of them tried it and agreed it was a problem, so the machine was taken out of operation until a new light could be located and installed.

Why is this a nonissue? Because Connolly won in that precinct, and the margin of victory appears to be the same as another polling station at SeWyCo.

Here's how the 2 precincts at SeWyCo tallied.

Lower Saucon 7

Connolly 97
McClure 66
There was a 184-voter turnout, and 163 voted in the Council race.

Lower Saucon 8

Connolly 102
McClure 87
In this precinct, 216 people voted, and 189 cast ballots in the Council race.

If one of the machines was defective for any length of time, I would expect to see a wider disparity in the undervote, as well as more narrow margin of victory in one of these precincts. So it appears, at least to me, that this problem did not interfere in any meaningful way with the result.

But I'm still concerned about the "special" machine set up for me in Nazareth (pictured above). Something's wrong with that one.

Dent: Let's Remember Our Veterans

WWII Combat Vet Jack Leh

Veterans Day is a time for all Americans to pay tribute to the many courageous men and women who risked their lives defending our nation as members of the U.S. Armed Forces. Since officially recognized as a national holiday in 1938, Veterans Day has presented a unique opportunity for our entire nation to come together and display our thanks for the dedication and sacrifice of those who served.

As I have stated in the past, I firmly believe one of my greatest responsibilities as Representative of the 15th District of Pennsylvania is to ensure veterans and their families have access to the resources and care they need and have earned. With my support, funding for veterans’ health programs has increased by more than 60% in recent years.

At the beginning of the 112th Congress, I was selected to serve on the House Committee on Appropriations, which is responsible for determining annual funding levels for the federal government’s many departments and agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This year, my colleagues on the Committee and I developed legislation (H.R. 2055, the Fiscal Year 2012 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act) that provides $127.8 billion for the VA to fully fund veterans’ compensation and benefits, education benefits, vocational rehabilitation, and housing loan programs. The bill also included $45.8 million in funding for the Arlington National Cemetery to address years of mismanagement that led to hundreds of cases of misidentified or misplaced remains.

Recognizing the importance and value of educating veterans returning from conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, Congress passed the Post-9/11 GI Bill in 2008 with my strong support. This new educational opportunity is currently helping countless veterans begin civilian careers with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. Unfortunately, today’s challenging economy has made the transition to civilian life for many veterans more difficult than Congress anticipated when passing the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

To further support veterans in our area looking to enhance their careers, I will be hosting a Veterans Career Resource Day at Northampton Community College (NCC) on Friday, December 16, 2011. This important event will connect veterans of all ages with resources designed to ensure their success in today’s job market. I have invited employers from across our region to participate, and representatives from the VA’s Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and CareerLink® Lehigh Valley will be conducting helpful workshops for attendees. To learn more, please visit my website.

This Veterans Day, I encourage all Americans to join me in thanking our veterans and current members of the Armed Forces for their service to our nation.

Landside Lamont's "Victory" In Question

I first saw Lamont McClure the day he announced his County Council candidacy at a Courthouse news conference, way back in 2001. I was a bit surprised to hear him repeatedly bash me, of all people, over my opposition to a $111 million bond. I wasn't running for anything. After he had finished braying, I walked over and introduced myself.

Lamont never made it past the primary.

He did a little better when he tried again in 2005, but still finished 9th out of 10 candidates in the general election.

Something about him turns voters off.

After two losses, McClure was one of two Democrats appointed to Council vacancies in a back-room deal. Those were created when Executive John Stoffa named Republican Mary Ensslin and Democrat Michael Corriere to his cabinet. Instead of appointing one Democrat and one Republican, a partisan power play stacked the deck.

In 2007, McClure had to face the voters again. He raised and spent all kinds of money, most of which came from other asbestos lawyers and unions, to smear Democratic challenger Will Power. In one mailer, McMud claimed that Power had assaulted his own disabled brother. Dead, Will's brother was in no position to refute these accusations. But in a sad news conference, Will re-played a years-old video in which his brother denied there had ever been an assault.

Will had no power and went down in flames, but McMud obviously left a bad taste in voters' mouths. They don't like incessant smears and robo calls. So in the general election against little-known Mark Schwartz, McClure won by just 91 votes against a person who ran no campaign and spent no money.

Landslide Lamont.

In this election, Lamont repeated the same mistakes he made in 2007. He flooded telephone lines with incessant robocalls, painting himself as the Savior of Gracedale. He also smeared Connolly over real estate taxes owed by two businesses in which he is a partner.

Right before the election, Lamont also circulated a last-minute flyer that smears Connolly again, and with a picture that makes Matt look more like Satan than a race car driver. Democrats were so turned off that they started giving these mailers to Connolly, telling him that McClure had lost their vote.

Once again, McClure has spent a lot of money to barely defeat a candidate with practically no money to spend or time to campaign, although Connolly tells me he did knock on 1,200 doors. According to the unofficial results on the County web page, McClure has defeated Matt by a scant 114 votes out of 8,052 votes cast. A 0.014% victory.

Landslide Lamont.

That victory is anything but certain at this point. When the official count takes place, that number could go up. Or down. On top of that, there are reports of problems with a voting machine in one of the precincts, which refused to light up for voters who wanted to vote for Connolly.

According to one voter (I do not have his permission to identify him at this point),

"[M]ost voters trying to vote for Matt would push his button more than once when his light didn’t light trying to get his light to come on. And the same machine worked perfectly if you voted for his opponent and the marker next to his name lit up. And according to the poll worker I reported the problem to that is exactly how you cancel a candidate selection when you change your mind or make a mistake. You can be almost sure he lost some votes because of this problem.

"And when I reported the problem they were skeptical that there was a problem. I offered to show them but he said anytime they reset the machine it will count as a vote if we test pushed buttons. Another poll worker overheard the conversation and offered to vote in the same booth. We then verified the problem was happening and they said they were taking that machine out of service, but I left the polls and can’t be certain they did. And at no time did he mention to me that it would count the vote whether the light was lit or not."

Obviously, this problem is being investigated. If the machine was failing to record Connolly votes, probably all votes cast on that machine should be invalidated.

A look at the results in that District reveals that McClure's position as Defender of Gracedale meant little to voters. He lost in the Townships and won in the boroughs.

Allen Township: Connolly, 297 to 253. (Voters here killed an open space referendum, and this issue likely increased turnout.)

Bath: Connolly, 101 to 91.

Bethlehem Township: Connolly, 1462 to 1410. (Three disputed Commissioner seats, especially the Atiyeh-Nolan race, probably increased Republican turnout).

East Allen: Connolly, 350 to 270

Freemansburg: McClure, 106 to 42.

Lower Nazareth: Connolly, 320 to 271. (Why did the Champion of Gracedale lose in the Township right next to it?)

Lower Saucon: Connolly, 703 to 622. (Another open space referendum here probably increased turnout).

Nazareth: McClure, 380 to 276. (McClure got 1.3 votes to every vote garnered by Connolly in a community where many Gracedale workers live. Shouldn't the Savior of Gracedale do better?)

Northampton: McClure, 510 to 307. (Heavy Democratic edge).

North Catty: McClure 259 to 116. (That's right next to Catty in Lehigh County, where McClure convinced Council members to give $10,000 to its YMCA. With your money).

I'm not certain Landside Lamont has even won this race. But I am certain that, in contrast to the claims made by earnest Express Times' columnist Tony Rhodin, this race had nothing to do with Gracedale.

Perhaps Landside Lamont should think twice or even three times before bombarding people with robocalls and sending out vicious smears.

Malware Warning

Most of you have received a malware warning about this site. I got one myself. I have removed a link to another blog that might be acting as an intermediary for unwanted spyware, and have asked for a review of this site. If it fails, I will take the site down temporarily to protect my readers.

Updated 6:15 PM: Malware Problem Fixed! - Thanks to the many people who emailed me and called about the malware notice for this blog. Fortunately, my site passed when the autobots came by today, and the warning has been removed.

Angle's Race, By The Numbers

As I indicate in a post below, only 18.34% of Northampton County's registered voters showed up for Tuesday's election. According to a theory I am in the process of checking, it includes a disproportionately large number of Democrats. But that's not the only explanation for Angle's loss. Angle was the poster boy for the Sell Gracedale movement. The Will case definitely hurt him. I heard several voters complain about that in Upper Nazareth, where I greeted voters. On top of that, Parsons is popular in Wind Gap, where he serves on Borough Council, and in Pen Argyl, where he lived.

Here's how it went down.

Bangor: Parsons, 290 to 167. (Angle never does well here).

Bushkill: Parsons, 486 to 450 (Angle needed to win big here).

Chapman:  Angle, 14 to 11.

East Bangor: Angle, 55 to 50.

Lehigh: Angle, 671 to 562. (Angle needed a larger win here)

Lower Mount Bethel: Parsons, 230 to 182. (Angle has tangled the past few years with Supervisors over land use ordinances)

Moore: Parsons, 786 to 600. (Angle traditionally wins here)

Pen Argyl: Parsons, 136 to 101. (Expected. Parsons works here and did live here).

Plainfield: Angle, 527 to 516. (Angle needed a bigger win here).

Portland:  Angle, 45 to 37.

Roseto: Parsons, 129 to 108. (Angle was booed in May at an event in Roseto, over his Gracedale stand. He got some of them back, but not enough).

Upper Mount Bethel: Parsons, 646 to 591. (Angle alienated voters in his home district with his stand on GEO and his reluctance to spend County money to preserve environmentally sensitive land).

Upper Nazareth: Parsons, 323 to 208. (Angle usually loses here, but the margin is probably the result of his Gracedale stand).

Walnutport: Parsons, 92 to 90.

Washington: Parsons, 333 to 259.

Wind Gap: Parsons, 215 to 141. (Parson's home town).

Mike Krill Destroyed Dowd's Election Chances

Dowd would like to get his hands on Krill

Ed Koren is a Lehigh County Republican's best friend.

His challenge to DA Jim Martin probably increased GOP turnout in Lehigh County, which certainly helped lead to a Republican sweep in the Commissioners' race.

In Northampton County, the spoiler was Mike Krill. His challenge to Mayor Sal Panto energized a campaign machine, run by young Easton Democrats. They are so effective they're downright scary.

In my post below, I suggest that GOP turnout is historically low in Northampton County in municipal races. But Mike Dowd would have probably survived Bob Werner's challenge if there had been no challenge to Sal.

As it turns out, he was clobbered in Easton. Werner pulled in 1939 votes to Dowd's 930.

In the rest of his District, Dowd was the clear winner. He grabbed 3478 votes to Werner's 2596.

So Gracedale really played no role in Dowd's loss. Werner rode into office on Panto's back.

Mike Krill destroyed Dowd's chances.

Do Fewer Republicans Vote in Norco Municipal Races?

Why did Ron Angle and Mike Dowd lose? According to columnist Tony Rhodin, it's all about Gracedale. Those sentiments are echoed by The Morning Call's Bill White, as well. I believe they're both wrong.

While I'll certainly agree that Gracedale played a role, it had to be a small one. I say this because Lamont McClure, Gracedale's biggest champion on Council, was nearly defeated himself. The final (and still unofficial) tally gives him a lead of just 113 votes over a candidate who had no money to send a single mailer, and spent no time knocking on any doors. If it really was all about Gracedale, McClure should have cleaned up.

Tuesday night, I speculated that it might have been an anti-incumbent bias, especially with a dysfunctional County Council that has historically been unwilling to work with County Executive John Stoffa. But that makes no sense either because Angle and Dowd are two of Stoffa's biggest allies. That theory might even be more ridiculous than blaming Gracedale.

Yesterday, I had a conversation with a veteran of Northampton County politics who gave me the most plausible reason I've heard so far. What he tells me is that, in most Northampton County municipal elections, Republicans stay home. I guess they're saving themselves for bigger and better things, even though these local races have a bigger impact on their daily lives than anything else. Whatever the reason, a proportionately larger percentage of Republicans avoid municipal elections, at least in Northampton County. And this gives Democrats and the issues they care about an advantage.

Does this theory hold up with the numbers? I can tell you that total turnout on Tuesday was just 18.34%, but have no idea what percentage of registered Democrats and Republicans are in that total, even after a visit to the Elections Office. That information will be available in a few days, and I'll share it with you then.

But from what information exists right now, this theory seems more and more plausible. There were 35,998 voters on Election Day. John Morganelli, a Democrat, received 23,390 votes. It's likely he received some Republican votes, and there are probably some Democrats who hate him. But most of his votes, I would think, come from Democrats. If that is true, that would indicate that only 12,608 Republicans showed up on Election Day, accounting for only 35% of the votes cast.

Now this is just a theory, and the hard numbers will come out in a few days, and I'll tell you then what I've learned.

Don't get me wrong. I think there are other factors in this loss, too. But to suggest it is all about Gracedale is just too simplistic.

Allen Township Voters Say No to Open Space Tax Hike

On Tuesday, Allen Township voters shot down a referendum asking them to support a 0.25% EIT increase for open space funding. The final vote was 335 to 258.

This makes sense. Most of us do not want to see taxes go up when the economy is still teetering.

But at least this was an honest question. In the Gracedale referendum, voters were never told that keeping the nursing home would result in tax hikes.

What Message Does This Election Send?

Democrats swept Northampton County Council, but Republicans swept Lehigh County's Board of Commissioners. Dems kept their stranglehold on Bethlehem, but Republicans dominated in Bethlehem Township. In a nasty West Easton Borough Council race, a Republican candidate who spread lies about her opponent was easily rebuffed. But in Bethlehem, a smear campaign against Tony Simao worked.

Of course, I'm disappointed to see Ron Angle, Steve Salvesen and Mike Dowd lose. I'll have more to say about those losses later. Right now, I'm having trouble finding a theme. I do not see this as a Democratic or Republican victory. I do not think Gracedale played a big role. But I'm operating on four hours sleep.

So how do you explain the election?

Dem Sweep or Rejection of Northampton County Council

On the surface, the four County Council District seats are a Democratic sweep. According to the unofficial tally on the County web page, it's Democrats Ken Kraft (52.56%), Bob Werner (50.76%), Lamont McClure (50.66%) and Scott Parsons (53.56%). But it appears to me that voters are sending another message,

Sure, voters rejected Ron Angle. He had a terrible year last year, not only because of his bombastic style, but because of various court rulings that went against him. On top of that, his own Republican colleagues on Council deposed him as Council President. And yes, his pro-sale position with Gracedale definitely hurt.

But Gracedale's most avid defender on Council, Lamont McClure, has a scant, 108-vote, lead. If Gracedale is what dominated the minds of voters, I'd expect him to do much better than that, especially against an opponent who spent no real money.

Then there's Mike Dowd, who has very likely been Council's most liberal member, as well as its voice of reason. He went down by 138 votes, if unofficial results hold up.

What do Angle, McClure and Dowd have in common? They are all incumbents on a Council known for its divisiveness, but no so much for getting anything done. It has been a Council that more or less has ignored, and at times, has been downright disrespectful to County Executive John Stoffa.

Charles Dertinger, a Democrat who incessantly threw monkey wrenches in Stoffa's way, went down two years ago. Now Angle, Dowd, and perhaps, McClure. Incumbents all.

This vote has little to do with Gracedale, and is by no means the exaltation of one party over the other. I might be mistaken in speculating that people are upset with the way Council has treated Stoffa, but the vote clearly is a repudiation of the incumbents.    

Eckhart Only Surprise in Lehigh County

Northampton County is full of surprises, but Lehigh County has been predictable. With the exception of 53-47% lead by Glenn Eckhart in the Controller race (which might have been a surprise only to me), all the other races are going as expected. All four Republican candidates appear to be sweeping the Commissioners' race, Sheriff Ron Rossi is staving off a challenge by Andy Roman, Reichley has a comfortable lead in the judicial race, and DA Jim Martin is absolutely crushing Ed Koren, with a 66% to 34% lead.

Koren's challenge likely increased the Republican turnout, making defeat inevitable in all the other County-wide races, save for Sheriff. 

As convincing as Republicans may be County-wide, Democrats are in control in the Queen City. Amazingly, a 91 year-old Democrat is several hundred votes ahead of the nearest Republican in the City Council race. And despite his knowledge of finance and, more importantly, his independence, Lou Hershman is fading in a Controller race against a Pawlowski puppet. 

NorCo Voters Express Displeasure With County Council

All three incumbents are in trouble. It is all but certain that Ron Angle has lost his bid for a fourth term. With 88% of the precincts in, Angle is down by 420 votes. It appears unlikely he will be able to make up that margin.

Before you claim that Gracedale and Angle's in-your-face style made this inevitable, take a look at the Council race being run by his arch-opponent on Council, Lamont McClure. With 76% of the precincts in, McClure is trailing his opponent, Matt Connolly, by 87 votes, even though Connolly spent next to no money.

Mike Dowd, known as Council's voice of reason, is also trailing Bob Werner by a scant 8 votes.

Is this a repudiation of Ron Angle? Actually, I think it's a repudiation of the entire Council, both those eho supported and opposed selling Gracedale, both those who support and oppose tax hikes.

One person who has remained popular, even through all the Gracedale hysteria, is County Executive John Stoffa. Perhaps voters think Council should spend a little less time playing games and a little more time listening to the Exec.

Source: 69 News Election Central

Atiyeh's Negative Campaign Backfires

Despite ten negative mailers and an avalanche of signs, Nimita Atiyeh has failed to unseat Tom Nolan as a Bethlehem Township Commissioner.

In contrast to all the money spent by Atiyeh (no report appears to have been filed), Nolan spent nothing. He brought out about ten or fifteen signs that appears to have recycled from previous races, and won a convincing, 72% to 28%, victory.

Ding, Dong! The Witch Is Dead!

The Wicked Witch of West Easton, Tricia Mezzacappa, has learned the hard way that people are turned off by a campaign based on smears and lies. Kelly Gross, the object of her venom, appears to be the top vote getter. And Mezzacappa has been defeated.

ET Catches Me Two-Timing Angle

Yes, Joe Owens caught me being nice to Scott Parsons. But that's only because Ron Angle is giving me lessons in civility. Poor Scott should realize his wallet is missing soon.