The Lehigh Valley Political Blog

A Perfunctory Mention

2009-11-25T09:39:00.002-05:00

Several days ago Scott Kraus wrote an article about Jake Towne's Campaign. Jake, running as an independent in the 15th Congressional District, is opposing incumbent Charles Dent and Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan. Jake has scheduled a town hall meeting, and Kraus gave the announcement full coverage, including a photograph of Towne. I, as a former independent candidate, took particular notice of this coverage. Several weeks ago Daryl Nerl, former reporter for the Morning Call, stated that if Kraus wrote anything about me in 2005, it must have been only perfunctory. This little post might annoy several people. One blogger says that because Nerl is laid off, I should bear no resentment for any bias shown against me in the past. A columnist for the paper describes Nerl as a good friend. I held a town hall meeting which Daryl attended, but never wrote about, before or after.

I'd like to thank Kraus for the coverage he's providing Mr. Towne's Campaign. Towne as a candidate deserves some recognition, and the voters deserve to be informed of all options available to them. The above photograph is not Mr. Towne, it is Daryl Nerl. Although my photograph, as a candidate, never appeared in the paper in 2005, I thought perhaps I had a perfunctory obligation to include Mr. Nerl's.

Teenagers and alcohol, my last 48 hours

2009-11-22T13:11:00.003-05:00

It is just after one PM and I kissed my 19 year old son goodbye. He got in his "new" 2003 car and headed back to State College. Why does my son have a new car?
After his 11 AM class on Fridays, he drives home every weekend. At 2 PM my cell phone rang. It was the Pennsylvania State police. There had been an accident.

I started crying, without even knowing what had happened, but to get to the end of it, everyone was alright, even if my son's car was totaled.

I saw the car, all I can say is, THANK GOD FOR AIRBAGS. Another driver, a 20 year old, had weaved into my son's lane and caused the accident. The 20 year old had other teens in the car, and they had beer.

I had to drive 90 minutes away and pick my son up, first at the hospital where he was checked out. Then we had to go to the tow yard and clean out everything he had in his car, so I didn't get home until after 11 Friday night.
I spent yesterday morning making sure the boy had no hidden injuries, but we also went looking for an affordable, reliable car. (I am really impressed with Progressive Insurance, they were at the tow yard Friday night, and told me it would all be handled.)
By two in the afternoon we were all done. I won't go into specifics, but I spent less than six thousand, and I will get most of that back from Insurance.

So that is out of the way, and you might think I would sigh in relief.

My teenage daughters are 13 and 17. The 17 year old has a job, and was scheduled to work Friday night until 10. When I got home at 11, she still wasn't in. I was just about to call her cell phone when she came up the driveway around 11:20.

When I asked where she was, she shrugged and said she had lost track of time and worked a few minutes over. I would have let this go, but while I was out looking for a car Saturday, Oldest Daughter took her sister to the library in the morning. Last night youngest was invited to a friends for a sleepover. I told her to have her sister drive her.
She responded that she wanted me to drive her, because her sister's car smells funny, and it made her gag.
I said nothing for a few seconds, but I consented and took her. When I came back, I went to the car in question to see what she meant. As soon as I opened the door I knew exactly what I was smelling, and it was a good thing daughter was out with friends, because I needed a few hours to calm down.

I have rules about the car. One of them is no passengers at all without my consent. I allow her to give a neighbor a ride because they work together, but she has to call me and ask my permission first. Another rule was that if I ever catch her with alcohol in the car she loses driving privileges.

The back seat and floor reeked of beer. I was furious, enraged, not to mention disappointed with her. I waited until 10 o'clock, after she came home and had settled into her room to confront her.

She disappointed me further by trying to lie her way out of it, but in the end she came clean.
She gave several of her co workers rides home, and she had stopped so they could buy beer (one was 21) She knew I was away looking after her brother and didn't think I would be home to know. They were drinking in the back seat while she drove them home. At first she denied having any, but after realizing I was going to call the parents of all involved, she admitted she had tried some, and beer had been spilled in the car while passing it around.

Her driving privileges are gone until school lets out in June. That's final. What the other parents do is their business, but I am judge and jury in my house and there is no appeal.

My Father is retired and he volunteered to take her to work, but I would have to pick her up.
I will do that, and if it embarrasses her, then that is even better.
I thought that was the end of it, but no, she decided to take revenge on her sister for telling on her. This morning around six youngest daughter started screaming. She was screaming because oldest had crept into her bedroom last night and cut the hair on one side of her little sister's head extremely short, up over her ears. Oldest was defiant. My son was laughing at both of them, and I found myself smiling too. I was really angry at her, but I kept thinking what they were doing to each other would make a great story in about twenty years, if they don't kill each other first.

There aren't many hair places open on Sunday, but I found one, and my baby looks cute with a pixie cut. Just to be fair I made oldest get hers done too. That didn't go over well, but she accepted it. My son said he didn't mind having brothers, and that started another round of spats.

It's a good thing he's going back to school for a couple of days, but God help me next weekend, it will likely be one fight after another. My Mom is coming up from the Shore, so her and Dad will likely give the kids something to watch as they continue their love/hate.

I feel better having shared this, I am glad I monitor comments, and I am looking forward to the relevant ones, the others I will bag.

"Is Mike Fleck worth $2 a vote?"

2009-11-21T08:00:00.001-05:00

It sure looks that way, if you are Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski, and you have hired Michael and Alison Fleck of Easton as "consultants" on your reelection campaign. I personally don't think "Fleck-Aid" is worth a penny a vote, but that is my own opinion. I think anyone looking for a consultant on a campaign would be better off buying packets of "Kool-Aid" and serving it to volunteers other than jumping into Mike Fleck's vast black Hole of political wisdom

The "Work" of managing Ed Pawlowski's Mayoral campaign cost him more than $15,000 dollars. In the Campaign finance reporting period of June 9, 2009 to October 19, 2009, the Friends of Ed Pawlowski doled out 9 payments of more than $1500 to Mike Fleck, and 4 payments of $500 to Alison Fleck. That easily exceeds $15,000 paid to the Fleck clan. I am sure there will be a few more payments in the after election reports, and likely a "bonus" for the excellent turnout. (sic)

Lets see, Mayor Pawlowski received 7908 votes, so employing the crack political team of the Flecks cost him about two bucks a vote!
It is not up to me to say that the money was earned, but with Fleck's history, especially out in western Lehigh and Berks county, that point could well be argued.

Interesting things these campaign finance reports, you find out things like who owned the building the Mayor rented office space for his campaign from, and who gave an in kind donation of several thousand dollars worth of office furniture.

But what I was looking for was the phone bill. In this case, it was Verizon wireless. You see, I got a tip that I would find some very enlightening phone calls to numbers outside the state on that bill, during a certain period of time.
I can tell you that in that period of June to October, The Friends of Ed Pawlowski paid Verizon $1200+ for services. I can't imagine that was for just the Internet, you know?

Now because this was a campaign expense, the wireless bills and the numbers they called that are listed on it can be requested for examination. You know, I just want to be sure that the reelection campaign wasn't calling strip clubs or anything improper, because I am curious that way. I am especially curious about any long distance calls that might have been made, like you know, to other parts of the country.

But then, on the other hand,,,,,,

You know, for $15,000 dollars, you might think that someone would buy a shredder and not throw campaign bills out in the regular trash where anyone can find them and share them with people . That is how identity theft happens a lot I hear! (Like anyone would want to be Mike Fleck!)

But I might have a question or two for Mr Fleck, and I can wait to get an answer.

Because when I ask the question, I will already know the answer, and in this game of not so high stakes political poker, I will be ready to go all in. More to come..............

P.S> I should mention that I am in the process of finding out how to get a look at the entire collection of phone records from the Mayor's campaign. I am told that they are legally in play by a credible source, but we could be wrong. If they are accessible, I will ask for them. I think it important to see them as a whole, not just bits and pieces.

Why President Obama is really coming to Allentown

2009-11-19T19:00:00.001-05:00

(Satire warning! Think Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal!)

Well, isn't this nice? The Leader of the free world is coming to Allentown to start a "listening tour." I am not even from the Valley, and I want to shoot Billy Joel for writing that damn song.
My President, yes Barack Obama is my President, is coming to the Queen city. I think that is a great thing.

But I have a little secret.

He's not coming on a listening tour. President Obama is actually coming here to negotiate a peace treaty In Allentown's' version of the Gaza Strip down on Linden Street.

That's right, He's here to negotiate giving certain minorities that live in the area self government, and allowing them to secede from the city and create their own city within a city. (With financial assistance from our Federal Government, of course.)

There are a few wrinkles to be worked out, like who will be responsible for the indoctrination centers (schools) or converting the protection forces (gang) into a trained and disciplined police force. The bottom line here is this really is Mayor Ed Pawlowski's best bet to balance the City budget. If it works in Allentown, it might work in other big cities.

The only real hurdle left is deciding whether the State or Feds should pay for the perimeter guards at these gated communities, you know controlling who is allowed in or out. (Anybody can get in, not everybody can get out) I personally wonder whether the new thirty foot walls that will be built surrounding these new independently governed enclaves to separate the unwanted from the greater community at large will be seen as a way of giving the independent residents of these new cities privacy..... or keeping them out of sight of those who don't want to look at them.

These new sub cities will be electing their own government, from their own people. Of course, their leaders will be called Council people and mayors or such.
But from the outside looking in, I would have a different word for them. Trustees.

What are we teaching the kids?

2009-11-17T06:00:00.001-05:00

I wonder sometimes what we are teaching children when they see us willingly bend the rules to achieve an end. Sometimes that end isn't exactly worthwhile.

I don't care for union bashing, but let's face it, some union leaders act like idiots. The case in point is the President of the Allentown chapter of the Service Employees Union complaining about a boy scout who worked in a park.

All other issues aside, is it really good public relations to attack the boy scouts? The union President just gave fodder to all the extremist crazies at both ends of the political spectrum.

My point here is that it seems to me that every disagreement in recent time is being pared down to one group hating on another, and claiming that what their particular group values is under attack.

One groups' family values is another groups' hate target, be it unions, gays, or now even the Boy scouts.

I would like it if someone called a timeout and sent all participants to neutral corners to consider how their actions will reflect on the next generation. It is a generation that is being taught that the only way to settle conflict is to hate the people you disagree with more than they hate you.

I don't think anybody is going to win a disagreement that is discussed (or screamed) like that.

Does Mayor Pawlowski condone acts of hatred on his behalf by bloggers? It sure looks that way to me

2009-11-15T14:00:00.003-05:00

Think Mayor Pawlowski in the middle, with his Blogger Crazy team flanking him.

Bloggers Note: This is a guest post from "Third Baseman," author of the Send in the Clowns blog listed on the sidebar. I edited this for continuity and clarity, and Third Baseman approved the final draft. -Chris Casey

For whatever reason, my neighbors here in Allentown reelected Ed Pawlowski as mayor on November third. Hey, majority rules, I have to live with it, at least until I hit the lottery in UK or Ireland, or Swaziland, right?

What's pissing me off now is all the trash talking that is being done, and was done, and is still coming from people who support him. And two of these people (Bill and Angie Villa) are doing it while claiming it is their right of free speech. These two people are holding themselves up as some kind of pillars of virtue. Like they, and only they, have a right to speak.

They are two of the most vocal supporters of our Mayor on the Internet, and in the Blog world in particular. They repeatedly post a picture of Angie Villa with the mayor, to show how much they are in favor with the Mayor.

It is only a photograph, but the way they use it, it conveys that they have the full support of the Mayor in their actions. I want you to think about what the Villas are doing on blogs, and decide for yourselves if what these CLOWNS are doing is so sanctimonious. I want people to decide if they think these two blog clowns are doing the Mayor Clown's bidding.

For starters:

Posting THOUSANDS of Comments on every local blog, mostly off topic, condemning a Valley resident (Blogger Bernie O'Hare) for a mistake he made almost 25 years ago. It has nothing to do with the death of the Villa's daughter, I think it has everything to do with O'Hare's criticism of Mayor Pawlowski on his blog. They keep asserting he hasn't been rehabilitated. If anybody needs rehabilitation, I think those two should try it. I can't read a single local blog that hasn't had to go to some kind of blocking to stop them. That is rude that they do that.

Then there is the Hammering and slamming of a sitting City Councilman (Michael Donovan) for standing up to their hate attacks. They even mocked him over his posting about a daughter of his who died. (As if they are the only people allowed to grieve for a daughter who died young?) I think, again, that it is all about trashing Donovan because he stands up to the mayor, and I think they do it on the mayor's behalf. They swear they have the power to keep him from being reelected. I hope not.

They also regularly engage in Belittling and mocking a community activist (Mike Molovinsky) who stands up for what he believes in. He is another guy who questions what the Mayor is doing, and so is another target of the Villas nasty sniping and misrepresentation.

And then there are my Army Veteran friends, like Chris Casey and The Volvo driving Soccer Mom. The Villas accuse them of unsubstantiated crimes like "Viewing their blog" and "disagreeing with them. They posted photos that portrayed Chris and Carrie as humongous fat people, to try and provoke them. I got news for the Villas, all it did was make us all laugh.

All those pictures and slams the Villas posted did was show just what petty and small minded morons they are. And Damn, what is the point of the blog if they don't want people reading it?

Maybe They don't want the wrong people, you know, people who don't agree with them, to read their blog, is that what it is? That would make sense!

The Villas are not acting like very nice people. I could list other targets of their hatred, like a Lynn Township attorney Dave Najarian, Allentown Activist Alfonso Todd, who Villa labeled an "uncle Tom" and even our District Attorney Jim Martin, who has been the target of Villas wrath because he didn't take the drunk driver who was responsible for the death of Sheena Villa and summarily execute him in public.

Chris Casey told me the reason he won't help the Villas in their crusade is because Bill Villa does not want justice, he wants vengeance. I read their blog, and I saw the ten million word litany of hate directed against individuals employed at the daily paper, and if I were an editor or reporter at the paper, I wouldn't meet with somebody who posted my picture on the Internet and called me a liar either.

I almost forgot, they even trashed a young man studying to be a priest because he defended some of these people, and made fun of his religious faith, they still post his picture and label him a "cuckoo cleric." But I bet the Bill and Angie Villa go batwhacky for me pointing out what they are doing. How dare I call them crazy! The right to trash people is theirs, and theirs alone! Only they can call people crap, don't do it to them, or they will go all "pity us, our daughter died" mode.

That is over with. The death of a loved one is no excuse to practice what Bill and Angie Villa are doing.

I think Mayor Pawlowski is using Bill Villa's thirst for vengeance as a weapon against his local political opponents. including the paper. I don't pretend to know all about Villa or the Mayor, or Jim Martin, or Bernie O'Hare, but I do know what I see in front of me. Every one of Bill Villa's targets have one thing in common, they all have challenged Ed Pawlowski in some way.

Mr. Mayor, I have a question, an excellent question as your blog pal and the person you gave an exclusive interview to would say.

ARE YOU ENCOURAGING THE ACTIONS OF BILL AND ANGIE VILLA AS THEY CYBER BULLY ALL YOUR PERCEIVED POLITICAL ENEMIES?

You seem to benefit from their Blog bullying. Mr. Mayor, and you have remained pretty quiet while they launch attack after attack that you benefit from.

Don't you think you owe it to the people you govern to stand up and condemn these attacks?

You have a degree from a bible college, right? Is this the kind of behavior they teach you to accept there? I would like to know what you would tell your two kids about what the Villas are doing Mr. Mayor, and how you would explain to them that you can say nothing while people are being intimidated by someone who hints they have your support.

I have the blog moderator's word that she will not edit a response from your office in any way, and post it exactly as you write it. We would like to hear from you Mr. Mayor. Please tell me that you do not support the actions of the Villas, because your silence while they attack your opposition on your behalf with lies and insults says you do.

Valley Of The Dolls

2009-11-14T15:36:00.007-05:00

In the mid 1960's, Valley of the Dolls was a controversial best seller. Jacqueline Susann wrote about the abuse of prescription drugs, and the rumor was that the characters portrayed may actually be real Hollywood celebrities. The other night I saw a clip of someone on a talk show saying that she awoke from a drug stupor having sex with her father, another celebrity. Makes one wonder about about the progression of controversy in the last fifty years. Have we become more degenerate, or just more public about our flaws? Have we become more tolerant, or more demanding in wanting to hear the juicy stuff? Can you be a celebrity now without talking about rehab?

Please understand that Liberace could never say that he was gay, and still have a career forty years ago. We certainly appear to be much more tolerant now, at least about our entertainers, if not our politicians.

Dear State Rep Doug Reichley: Are you still best buddies with John Perzel?

2009-11-13T05:00:00.002-05:00

Way back in 2006, the last time Doug Reichley even had a name on the ballot against him, one of his main campaign claims was that he was best buds with then Speaker of the PA house John Perzel of Philadelphia.

Today it was revealed, after a lengthy investigation, that old Johnny Boy Perzel was busy using about ten million dollars of tax dollars to help himself and possibly other Republicans keep getting reelected.

To read the newspaper story, CLICK HERE.

John Perzel used a taxpayer funded database to help push Republican candidates. John Perzel is to the Pennsylvania Republicans what Mike Veon of Beaver County was to Pennsylvania Democrats.

I keep telling people that no political party has a monopoly on corruption, they are all doing it. Pennsylvania politicians for the most part do resemble pigs feeding at a trough, the good ones are few and far between.

Representative Reichley was proud of his role as a Perzel protege way back when. I wonder if he will stand by his man now? Oh wait, there he is standing with presumed gubernatorial wannabee Tom Corbett. A guy who investigated the opposition for two years before getting busy on the corruption in his own back yard.

For me personally, I think there are only two men running for governor who are competent to do the job. Republican Congressman and former State Senator Jim Gerlach, and present State Auditor Jack Wagner. But that is another post, another day.

Doug Reichley is hoping voters forget his past. HE DID ACCEPT THE INFAMOUS 2005 PAY RAISE. HE HAD TO BE SHAMED INTO PAYING IT BACK. He is hoping voters will suffer selective amnesia on that, but during a taping of WFMZ's "Business Matters" the host asked him to explain that. I have a CD of that, but I'm not sure about the proprietary rights, so I won't post it here. He clearly admitted what he did.

But it is 4 years later. We shouldn't be so forgetful, or we get the representation we deserve, not what we need.

Doug Reichley accepts obscene amounts of money from Insurance company PACS. Go to the PA State website and check it out. If I can get that link to work, I will add it here.

Thank you Daddy

2009-11-11T05:31:00.003-05:00

My Daddy came home, and so did my Uncle.

Today we remember the Daddy's, sons, and yes, Sisters and daughters who did not in the past, and especially the present.

What an Honor!

2009-11-07T16:01:00.005-05:00

I attended the PA Right to Work luncheon on Friday. And I received the "Ronald Reagan Award"!!! What a great honor.

And the room full of people was quite an impressive group of legislators (who are actual LEADERS - not merely politicians) and other leaders in the limited government movement. It was all overwhelming.

But as I said during my comments, I have not done enough and would accept the award as a "downpayment" for my increased efforts with other groups and individuals in 2010!!! We have so much to do and so many plans to implement...

This seems appropriate to me

2009-11-06T00:08:00.000-05:00

Goldman Sachs, Citigroup get Swine Flu Vacine

When I read the article on Yahoo, I immediately thought,

Well, they are pigs, and more susceptible to it.

One election is over, and the next one begins.....

2009-11-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

I received this beautiful tidbit from Tom Knox's campaign for governor in my email box this morning:

Dear Supporter,
We all know Harrisburg is broken and sending another career politician there isn't going to change a thing. We need new leadership and someone willing to take on a corrupt and broken system and make it work for families again.
This campaign is your chance to stop politics as usual and bring real change to Harrisburg. That's why we are announcing today a bold plan to reform Harrisburg and make our government work for people, not politicians. Our aggressive reform plan will transform our state government -- open it up so it is transparent and accountable. It will give power back to the people and eliminate the patronage politics that corrodes our democracy.
Please click here to watch my first TV ad announcing a bold plan and then join me for an online chat at noon today:
http://www.knoxforgovernor.com/chat
We aren't going to just talk about change. If you help elect me your Governor, on day one, I will immediately call for a Special Session of the legislature to focus exclusively on Government Reform. Among the new policy we'll propose:
Enact state political campaign contribution limitations.
Prohibit "gifts" and "free meals" to state officials, and eliminate Secret Legislative Spending Accounts or "WAMs".
Eliminate the practice of "pay-to-play" in state and local contracting.
Require Public Officials to Resign Prior to Campaigning for Higher Office.
Implement "performance audits" to ensure government programs actually work.
End the "Revolving Door" of State Regulators.
Mandate "Ethics Training" for all legislative and public employees, and create an Ethics Reporting Hotline.
Please click here to read our bold plan to take back Harrisburg for the people and join me at noon today for an online chat about our new proposals:
http://www.knoxforgovernor.com/chat
Taking power away from the big money and the special interests won't be easy. But, if we join together and demand real change, we can transform Harrisburg and bring trust and cooperation back into our state government.
But it all starts with you. Thanks for everything.
-Tom Knox

Well, so much for getting a respite from campaigning, what, we only had a one day break? I guess that is one more than we probably deserve. That's what we get for being so apathetic on Tuesday.

Dennis Lieb got creamed

2009-11-04T10:41:00.002-05:00

I have a soft spot for people willing to do write in campaigns. I took a look at the West ward precincts results for Easton a few minutes ago, and Dennis managed to get close to 3o votes in one, but Mike Fleck pretty much won overwhelmingly.

That is the bad news.

The good news is maybe he won't have time to fleece as many Lehigh County politicians as he would have if he had lost.

If you weren't on the ballot in a "Poverty Magnet" It was a bad day to be a Democrat

2009-11-04T07:00:00.002-05:00

The Allentown City Democrats were having a grand old time at the Allentown Brew Works last night, but around the rest of the county, and especially over in Northampton County, Democrats were drowning their sorrows.

Allentown's elections went the way everyone pretty much expected. It wasn't so much a matter of who would win, but by how big a margin.

Mayor Pawlowski crushed challenger Tony Phillips by about a three to one margin.

In Lehigh County overall, the general consensus for County Executive was that Don Cunningham would roll over Scott Ott.

That was WAYYYYYY WRONG!

As of Wednesday Morning, it appears Cunningham squeaked out a victory of with a margin of just over 800 votes out of 41,000 that were cast. (That is barely 20% turnout of registered voters, by the way.)

There is something to be said for taking the electorate for granted. In this game of High stakes political poker, Don Cunningham went all in, and barely escaped to stay in the game. The Democratic candidates he sponsored for commissioner both went down in flames.

I don't think either deserved such an ignominious fate, I thought they were two of the better candidates ever put up by Democrats. We will never know if they could have made a better race of it on their own, because in hindsight it is obvious that both were tainted in the voters' eyes by their affiliation with the incumbent County Executive. I believe that both candidates made a fatal mistake in accepting his financial support at such a high level.

Don was trying to stack the deck, and instead now finds it stacked against him for another four years. Don made a tactical error politically that most of us never thought he would make.

He mocked the power of the pulpit.

The Devoutly religious are just as dependable about voting as they are attending services, likewise, the less religious are more apathetic about voting. I can't help but think that in six months, when the turnout statistics become available, we will see that turnout among registered Republicans in the Lehigh Valley will be around 25%, and that of Registered Democrats will be under 15%. That is exactly what skewers projected turnouts, and why what works in theory never works in practice. That is why Glenn Eckhart keeps winning his Commissioner's district, because his voters show up, and the opponents are at Starbucks having a double Latte.

That is why registration advantages don't mean crap. All that matters is who turns out, and who actually votes.

I will write more on this later, but the final word for now is that local Democrats have been sitting on their rears since last November taking things for granted. Now they have a wake up call. Just because there are more of you doesn't mean you will win, you have to execute the mission and do your job. Showing up doesn't guarantee victory, and that attitude is why we now have a nutcase Ideologue like Joan Orie Melvin on the Supreme Court.

Thanks. So much for redistricting getting done without political overtones.

Blogosphere and the Election

2009-11-04T03:40:00.004-05:00

When I started blogging, Bernie O'Hare and Chris Casey were referred to as the Pope and Buddha of Blogging, respectively. They appeared together on Channel 69 Business Matters, representing the new media. One thing they still have in common is their support of Don Cunningham. Bernie published a trillion press releases for Donny. Casey predicted a 70/30 bloodbath. The big story of this election is that Scott Ott almost succeeded in wiping that iconic smile off Donny's face. I suspect that only the Democratic straight lever pulling in Allentown saved Donny, despite his wheel barrel of campaign funds. Although no Republican may ever succeed again in Allentown, look for a strong candidate in 2013 for County Executive.

Lehigh County's own Antichrist, and a few predictions

2009-11-03T07:00:00.001-05:00

On the left is our incumbent Count executive, Don Cunningham. Is the guy on his right his REAL boss? In the land of you can't make this stuff up, yesterday it was revealed on Bernie O'Hare's Lehigh Valley Ramblings blog that a local Christian school sent a letter out to parents urging them to vote, lest they be burdened with four more years of a sinner!

I guess that part of the Bible where Jesus taught "let thee who is without sin cast the first stone" is another of those optional suggestions, kind of like the ten commandments. Some people only follow rules when it suits their purpose. "Judge not lest thee be judged," maybe?

Here is a portion of the text:

"Tuesday is also Election Day. Even though it is an off year, there are some very important local elections happening. I urge every one of you to get out and vote, particularly those of you in Lehigh County who can affect the outcome of the race for County Executive, where there is the potential for a very godly man to replace the incumbent and make a real difference in our county! VOTE!"

The Founders knew what they were doing in dividing church and state. I am always wary of those who would combine it. Where will they draw the line?

Ask the women who live in countries that practice Islamic law about their rights, and you will see my point.

Yesterday I made light of the knowledge of the electorate, and the lack of education by voters on candidates and the issues. I don't believe for a minute we should mandate testing, I was only observing the state of the electorate, as consisting of far too many sheep willing to follow any shepherd who says the right buzzwords.

This country has a sad history of using lack of education, as well as the color of a person's skin to keep them from voting. I would never want anything like that. Stupid people have a right to vote, and some of them even have college degrees. Some of the smartest people I know never went to college. So how do you decide who is stupid?

Forrest Gump said that "stupid is as stupid does."

Lets just leave it at that.

How about some predictions!

To recap: Pawlowski over Phillips by at least 62 to 38 %

Cunningham over Ott by at least 68 to 32% (This could be much higher, over 70)

On City Council, it goes like this:

Schlossberg, D'Amore, O'Connell, and my upset special, Brudnak.

For MDJ, I think Walter Felton gets some coattails from the Sheep of Mayor Pawlowski. 54 to 46% over Manescu.

For County Commissioner, I have no doubt that David Jones will hold the seat he was appointed to, and that Dan McCarthy will stroll to reelection as well. Percy Dougherty will likely get 65% of the vote in his district over Marc Basist.

But then we get to where Don Cunningham has invested at least $70,000 in political capital, and maybe six figures when the reports are all done.

Glenn Eckhart Vs Hillary Kwiatek. I originally thought Glenn would hang on with 51 to 54% of the vote. I still think he wins, but with just over 50%. This could be a recount.

My reasoning here is simple. I have perused voting records for that area going back to the Reagan presidency, and those folks vote conservatively. The registration is D leaning, but R's keep winning there. Why?

First, Republican registration turnout is always 3 to 5 % higher than registered Democrats.

Second, While Republicans are 92% + loyal to their party candidate, Democrats are only 82 to 85% loyal to their party.

That highly touted advantage in registration that has Dems believing they should win is negated by actual turnout.

Like a lot of theories, it looks great on paper, but in practice, it doesn't fly.

There is also one more variable to consider. That area has not seen the huge influx of liberal Dem's from Ny/NJ that other parts of the county has. In fact, if you look at Saucon Valley, which has grown, that area is has a good percentage of high income Republicans. That helps Glenn Eckhart.

Finally I get to the race for retiring Commissioner Sterling Raber's seat.

Yesterday Jeanne McNeill hit Tom Creighton with a nuclear bomb of a mailer, calling him a pay to play politician. Fair or not, it is too late for Creighton to effectively respond.

This district contains a large influx of out of state transplants and newer, more liberal residents. The demographic has shifted, and I think McNeill has a chance here to give Don Cunningham the majority he wants on the Commissioners board.

I think she wins 52 to 48%.

That's all I got, and it is just the opinion of a County resident who pays attention.

Chivalry Is not Dead. Don Cunningham pays for a "hit" mailer on Tom Creighton

2009-11-02T19:00:00.000-05:00

This has got to be one of the dirtiest political deeds I have ever seen. It is paid for by the PA state Democratic Party and if you have been following along the past few weeks, you know the money to pay for it very likely came from Don Cunningham's old Governor campaign fund.

I have popped off an email to Jeanne McNeill, asking if she was aware of it, or had approved of the content. For the record, I received it in my mailbox this afternoon. But my neighbor saw it in my hand walking up the driveway, and told me she got hers on Saturday.

I am reading from emails forwarded me by Chris Casey that the accusation is not what it seems, and the comments of a reporter that were taken out of context.

I never thought I would see something this nasty at the County level. I thought the one Cunningham sent out with Scott Ott's head too big for his body pretty funny, even if it was mean.

If I get an answer from Jeanne McNeill I will post it tomorrow. In the meantime, don't forget to vote!

When Idiots Vote

2009-11-02T07:00:00.001-05:00

I have an older brother whose wisdom concerning the competence of elected officials bears sharing. The reason we get the government that we do, he once told me, is because we allow WWF fans to vote.

It is bad enough that we allow any idiot to run for office, but we have a terrible propensity of then voting them into it. That is how I explain the way Township Supervisors get elected, Supervisors who then take full time jobs at the Township and then work a full time job in the real world as well. We won't mention any names, but Lehigh County has quite a few examples to pick from.

But Allentown is a special case. What analogy is the best to use? Sheep being fleeced? Lambs being lead to slaughter? Pick one, or make one up of your own. It is pretty much a given at this point that Ed Pawlowski will get a second term, the only betting is how big a margin he will win by, I am thinking it will be at least 24%. (62 to 38, likely higher than lower) In the Lehigh County Executive Race, I will not be surprised if Don Cunningham gets 70% of the vote when the counting is done.

Though I don't count Don Cunningham or Ed Pawloski as idiots, they are two of the most politically savvy animals in the Lehigh County Jungle. I sometimes wonder what will happen on that fateful day that they might finally turn on each other. I don't think that scenario likely, but it sure would be entertaining.

But back to the idiots who vote. I am dumbfounded by the number of people who can't tell me a good reason why they are voting for someone. At the Allentown farmers market Friday, I was asking employees who they favored, and I couldn't stop shaking my head.

ME: who are you voting for?

Them: so and so

Me: why so and so?

Them: I saw his sign.

Well that's a good reason! You saw his/her sign!

My other favorite answer was this:

"Because he's running."

We get the government we deserve because far too many people walk in and vote with no idea who or why they are voting for someone.

Sometimes I think the public is better served by lower turnout. I would rather have informed, knowledgeable people vote than uninformed robots, but we get what we get in a democracy.

Idiots are allowed to run for office, and idiots are allowed to vote for them. And when you think about it, Idiots deserve to be represented as well.

The problem is, we are letting them run everything. Is that what the Founding Fathers intended?

Dear SANTA:

2009-11-02T06:45:00.001-05:00

Could you please bring us a CLOSER?

- Thanks, Phillies Fans

Scott Ott's Mailers: Real Change?

2009-11-01T15:30:00.001-05:00

I am just amazed at the Bull Sh*T that candidates pass off as fact in their campaign mailers. I have noted County Executive Don Cunningham's passive ignorance toward future property tax increases, but today I am writing about Scott Ott's laughable approach

What will Scott Ott Cut? "Everything I legally can," is his campaign statement. Scott has already regaled us with his brilliant proposal to refuse all $300+ million of the federal and state pass through money, ignoring the fact that the services that money provides for is MANDATED BY LAW!

Ah, that Scott Ott, what a funny guy! So his first comedy act (mailer) claims Don Cunningham will raise our taxes by 15% next year. Isn't that kind of prediction more along the lines of something from the Psychic friends network? How about just stating the obvious? We all know that it is coming, but how does he know how much? Scott Ott is fooling no one. If Scott was going to spend the money on these mailers, couldn't he have at least offered some solutions, instead of only accusations and estimates?

The second mailer continues on his first theme, telling county residents a vote for him is a vote for change. And like all of his statements, he is short on details. That "everything I legally can" line is about as vague as you can get as a politician.

Scott has all the great buzzwords in his mailings, touting his "Common Sense" plan, but without any details, it is more of a "Makes no sense plan."

Both mailings were paid for by the candidates' personal campaign, Vote Scott Ott Lehigh County Executive.

On a side note, I received a robo call from Mrs Ott Yesterday, extolling her husband's virtues as a family man. that was nice, and if I was looking for a father figure I would consider voting him for that. But I am not. We are deciding on County Executive, not who should run the summer camp.

The final analysis is that Scott Ott had no idea what he was doing or what the job of County Executive entailed. His campaign will be fodder for local political comedians for awhile.

More fun with County Executive.campaign Mailers

2009-10-31T21:00:00.001-04:00

Today I opened my mailbox to find 4 freaking Mailers! Two from Incumbent Don Cunningham, and two from Scott Ott, his Republican Challenger.

Now the first Don Cunningham Mailer is brutal, and mocks Scott Ott. It transposes Scott's head on a male cheerleader? in a tee shirt, making fun of his Camp? Overall the tone and content is demeaning of Ott.
What it doesn't say is that Don Cunningham is sending a message to all the Republicans at the County level, telling them, "this is how I treat minor league candidates with the gall to make cracks about my personal life, and compare themselves as holier than thou."

Scott Ott showed some cojones getting in Don Cunningham's face, but now he has to face the wrath. Welcome to the big leagues, Scotty!

Now Don Cunningham's second mailer he tells you that you have a job to do on Tuesday, VOTE! But that is one side.

On the Flip side of it is a picture of Don with District 5 Commissioner Candidate Marc Basist.

The first and only campaign piece I have seen from Marc Basist so far, and it came less than 4 days before the election. It had a short and to the point message

Marc Basist will help Don Cunningham get the job done for us.

This mail piece also has a phone number and website soliciting Election day volunteers.

This piece doesn't mention Cunningham's opponent Scott Ott, nor does it mention District 5 incumbent Percy Dougherty, whom Marc Basist is trying to unseat. It is a nice piece, positive and to the point.
But the bottom of it had a line that made me wonder:

You can make the difference in this close election -

I don't know about this election being all that close in my particular district, but I think it Districts 1 and 2, it could matter.

I will write about Scott Ott's two mailers tomorrow

Daryl N-E-R-L FORMER TMC reporter, calls me out.

2009-10-31T07:57:00.003-04:00

All three teenagers are still in bed, last night was a doozy, but I am up, coffee in hand, sitting at my desk browsing the giant tubes that comprise the Internet.

OH? What is this in my inbox? From former Morning Call reporter, DARYL NERL!

Volvo Driving Soccer Mom,

I would suggest you get to know me and Michael better before you pre-judge the situation, as you have on your posts. Keep an open mind rather than circle the blogger wagons and defend yourselves against MSM interlopers. I meant you (the LV community of bloggers) no harm or disrespect.

I showed a bit of anger in the O'Hare posts. I regret some of that. But I was being attacked from three sides out of four. Can you blame me, entirely?

My side of the story is that I covered that 2005 mayor's race quite professionally. Michael, obviously doesn't see it this way, but would you believe he might have some axes to grind?

However, if you come into this hating or resenting all mainstream media and those associated with it, then I am wasting my time.

By the way, my name is Nerl. N-E-R-L. No Ys in the last name. First rule of good journalism: spell the names right.

Daryl Nerl

I think I have to respond to that first rule of journalism snark before going any further.

What about the journalistic responsibility to be an unbiased observer? Your recent comments are evidence that you did not respect the object of the possible story, and you not only ignored him, but now you have admitted that you had contempt for him. Where is that covered in the rules of journalism, under the "make up the ones you want to use as you go" addendum in the back?

As for spelling names right, oooooh, you got me there. but I misspelled it in a comment, not a post, and even if I did, I would go back and fix it if I could, and tell everybody that I did.
I won't pretend we are any great bastion of journalism here at the Poliblog, because all the contributors here agree that we are not.

But with our local papers MCall, Parkland Press, etc, either slanting the news or not covering it at all, people are stuck with enduring an admitted lower standard technically.

Quality wise, why don't you tell me how the MCall can so easily slam Jeanne McNeill but write little criticizing our boob of a Township Supervisor, Tom Creighton?

Mr. N-E-R-L, please don't tell me that reporters don't let their own opinions and agendas creep into their reporting, or that you didn't, because you have admitted as much in your comments.

In my off and on blogging since 2006, I have learned to understand that it isn't about what is news that is published, but about what will drive sales and bring in revenue.

I like Mr M, I don't think we could be allies politically, but I think the evidence shows that back in 2005 you made a snap judgment not to take him seriously and kept to it.
The MCall editors went along, because in their view, Mr M was not enough of a return on Investment. Mike was, I hate to say it, a pretty boring candidate. He didn't tell outrageous lies or make outrageous claims, he pointed out what Al Gore would have called "Inconvenient truths."

Nobody wanted to read about politically incorrect ideas concerning poverty magnets, so Mr M was ignored. Mr. M had two big strikes against him, talking about topics nobody wanted to discuss, and he lacked a persona that made people want to listen to what he had to say.

So, Mr N-E-R-L, that is what I think. By the tone of your email, you have prejudged me as a "circle the wagon" blogger, while asking that I not prejudge you.

Why don't you practice what you preach? I really don't bare you any ill will, and maybe I don't mean to insult you either, but I do know sarcasm when I read it. I have three teenagers, Mr. N-E-R-L, and my B.S. Detector is finely tuned.

I can't help but wonder if some former reporters are resentful of bloggers, as more and more papers make use of the free content. But that is just my humble, circle the wagons, blogger's opinion. God forgive me for expressing it, and injuring your poor ego, Mr. N-E-R-L.

Oh, and BTW, the spell check flagged your name, and offered NEEL, MEEL, and MERL, among options. In the future, I will use any of those if you would like.

Is Dennis Lieb a long shot as a write in for Easton's West Ward?

2009-10-29T18:00:00.000-04:00

I just spent about twenty minutes perusing the blogosphere, and after reading the naysaying comments that Mr. Lieb has no chance, I decided to do a little research on recent Write in campaigns.

There was some controversy in the summer of 2007 concerning the Macungie police department, and people felt the incumbents were not listening. The Incumbents were Republicans Lin Walker and Greg Hutchinson. They were running unopposed for reelection in the primary, and had no Democratic Challenger. In fact, one seat had no one trying for it at all.

Then the residents got mad about the Council getting rid of the borough police dog, of all things.

Three candidates ran write in campaigns, and lo and behold, if you see the results below, you will see all three Write in candidates won. They each received more than 235 votes, and defeated the incumbents, who received 220 and 201 votes respectively. They did this because they stood at the polls and asked for votes, and their friends did as well.

Isn't that what Dennis Lieb's friends and neighbors are doing?

I offer this caveat to Mike Fleck's few vocal supporters: Never underestimate the power of a disgruntled electorate. Go ahead, take the election for granted, you do so at your own peril.

Borough of Macungie
154 of 154 Districts Reported (100%)
Name
Party
Term
Districts

Total Votes
Council - 4 year term - Vote for not more than 4
Walker, Linn
Rep
4
Districts
16%
201
Hutchison, Gregory A.
Rep
4
Districts
17%
220
Bogert, Robert
W/I
4
Districts
Write-in
22%
285
Kociuba, Dorothy
W/I
4
Districts
Write-in
18%
235
Ramsey, Guy
W/I
4
Districts
Write-in
20%
255
Yerman, John
W/I
4
Districts
Write-in
6%
78

Total: 1,274

Jeannie McNeill answers me (and her critics)

2009-10-29T06:00:00.002-04:00

The campaign for retiring district one County Commissioner has turned nasty. republican Tom Creighton has no accomplishments as a Township Supervisor to run on, so he is running slams against Jeannie McNeill.
Earlier this week I opined that I did not think either candidate all that worthy of my vote. Jeanne McNeill reached out to me by email, and I offered a chance for her to respond.

So here it is:

Just got in after work, meetings and events. Will give you a background on who I am, what I believe in, and why I think I would do a good job as Lehigh County Commissioner. First of all, over the years the Board of Commissioners has been a diverse group. Sadly, not enough women, but hopefully the future will change that. There have been some educated to the max, some with a little education and some with only a high school diploma. They come from all walks of life, and careers. This is good for the board, because we dont want a rubber stamp group that all thinks and acts the same. Granted, party politics come into play at times, but overall, most are there for the good of the county. Right now, there is an attorney, two nurses, a guy who works for a pesticide company, a farmer, and some business men. They all bring something to the table. I am someone who works with businesses and special needs children.

I have been involved in my community for over 20 years, serving on various boards, as co-president, treasurer, board member, organising many major fundraising events. In fact, if you are interested in my latest fundraising event, I have obtained Taylor Swift concert tickets and am raising money for a family in my township that tragically lost their father last week and they are in major financial difficulty. And no, I am not doing this because I am running for office. I do this a lot. If someone in the community is in need, I am the one to organize the troops to help them. I have organized a block party for a neighbor family whose mother was dying of breast cancer, spaghetti dinners for the church, I organised a fire shower for a family I did not know who lost everything in a fire and had lapsed insurance due to Dad losing his job. I have organised Thanksgiving dinners for those that were alone, not necessarily broke, and even a fundraiser last year for my employer, Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit to help pay for kids to go to camp, among other things. I could go on. I act on situations. I don't sit back and wait. People have come to me over the years, or send people to me for help, or direction, whether its governmental, personal, or just need someone to talk to. They always say, ask Jeanne, she can probably help you. And I do.

I work for the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21, teaching high school students job skills. We partner with businesses in the Lehigh Valley to make sure these students learn job skills and possibly can be employed . Part of my job description is to contact the business and maintain a working relationship with them . We set goals for these students and work with them to help them attain them.

As far as my being a puppet, or rubber stamp, you don't have to be concerned. I am my own person, strong willed and opinionated. If elected, I will do what I feel is best for the County and its residents, not to help anyone politically or for any other gain. I live here, I work here, I pay taxes also, and I will watch the bottom line. I consider myself to be very thrifty. I waste no money, and I will fight to make sure the county does the same, no matter who the Executive is.

Yes, my husband works for Lehigh County. He is one of approx 2000 employees. He is not the head of a dept, and he does not have any employees under him. He is just a regular employee. If my opponent is worried about a conflict, I have no idea why. Even during the whole budget hearings, what he does or his name, or job did not even come up. It shouldn't, there is no reason for it.

I, like you have two daughters, and I will always want to be able to look them in the face and know that what I do reflects on them as young ladies. Know that I will always do the right thing.

If you live in my distict, I am sure you are getting the nasty negative mailers my opponent is sending. I approached him many weeks ago and introduced myself . I wished him luck in the election and told him that I would be running a clean campaign and I hoped he would do the same. He did not even respond to my request. His mailers are proving that. I am not a wolf in sheep's clothing. He says I refused to take his no tax increase pledge. I was never asked to. He says I refuse to go up against the union bosses. How am I supposed to go up against them if I am not in office. I am not a tax and spend liberal. In fact, my husband calls me cheap. I will say my family does not do without because of my thriftiness. And yes, I know running a household budget is nothing compared to a county budget.

As I told you, I go to many businesses with my students, have been for many years. Doing this, you get to know the employees at these places. They talk to you and look forward to you and the students coming each day. A lot of these people at these sites are the working poor. They work hard, and sometimes 2 or 3 jobs just to make ends meet and still don't have much. They are not the ones sitting home collecting welfare. They are the ones that are proud and will do whatever they have to just to stay afloat. These are some of the people that I care about, the ones struggling with the special needs children. None of them are looking for a government handout. They just want our government to be careful with spending and keep our taxes affordable. The economy is at its worst in a long time. Everyone needs to take a step back and do what they have to, too make ends meet. This includes all forms of government.

Its getting late, and I am starting to see sideways, and I think I have said more than enough. I apologise for the long email, but I am trying to show you who I am, and what I believe in. And if you ask anyone that knows me, this isn't for show, or the election, it is who I am and who I will always be.
I thank you for the chance to speak to you.

Jeanne McNeill

I thank Jeanne McNeill for responding to my post, and offering a heartfelt explanation of who she is and what she stands for.

Okay, Tom Creighton, as one of my Township Supervisors, has over and over again acted in the best interests of his golf course/retirement home development friends. He has mailed a vicious smear against Mrs McNeill to my home, yet I have no idea what he truly stands for, because what he says on his mailer and what he does as a Township Supervisor are not the same.

I would hope Mr Creighton might respond, but I doubt he will, because I doubt he has the requisite computer skills required to understand the Internet. He wasn't all that thrilled to put the minutes from Township meetings on line for citizens to read. He reminds me of that former Senator from Alaska who described the Internet as a "bunch of tubes."

I look at Tom Creighton as another Donald Christ in training, and have no doubt the State Ethics commission will one day have a file as thick on Tom Creighton as it does Mr. Christ. I hope enough people see through his facade, and realize that he is only running for County Commissioner because he thinks his time put in as a Township Supervisor makes him the heir apparent for it.

But that is just my biased view.

My oldest daughter challenged me to use the word "opine" in a post. I did, so now she has to do the laundry without complaint for all November!

Commissioner "Specter", Lehigh Valley's Desert, and Spending Every Penny

2009-10-28T21:20:00.007-04:00

I wasn't going to blog till after the election. I "rock the boat" enough. However, I saw more of the insanity of irresponsible politicians of both parties and more GOP hypocrisy tonight at the Lehigh County Commissioner's meeting.

It seems that locally we have Commissioner "Specter" - Sterling Raber - who doesn't mind being the lone Republican vote to pass another bi-partisan deficit spending budget. I always assumed Sterling was a common sense farmer who held common sense values such as: You don't spend more money than you have.

But, no. While the other four GOP Commissioners voted "no" to this budget with a $20 million operating deficit (though Browning, Dougherty and Roman supported earlier irresponsible budgets with smaller deficits) Sterling Raber pulled a Specter/Olympia Snowe sellout of the Republican Party and made a mockery of any claims that the party is unified around principles of fiscal responsibility.

I keep hearing much about reunifying the party around principles that we can all agree to. Shouldn't one of those first principles be "spend equal to or less" than we suck up from taxpayers? More on this in the next two months...

Instead this vote allows the claim of "bi-partisanship" and "fiscal responsibility" since the GOP offered very little substantive budget reforms - when they hold the MAJORITY! Cutting the paper clip budget is not enough, this budget needs fundamental STRUCTURAL reforms. And, when GOP candidates throw the campaign slogans around about fiscal responsibility independents, moderate Democrats and conservatives can chuckle about the hypocrisy.

The infamous "tree grants" came up again. Apparently, Harrisburg thinks it is a great idea to give "free" money to counties to give to municipalities to plant more trees. Funny, but I don't see vast, arid tracts of desert around the county. And Pennsylvania is a Latin derivative for "Penn's Woods". Shouldn't this be a very low priority for a state government with a $3 billion deficit last year? Of course, we heard the same politician's universal answer from Commissioner Dougherty, "If we don't take it someone else will get the money." Why don't the Commissioners pass a resolution to our state legislators urging them to stop spending frivolous money, or apply it to human services? Isn't an abused child a bit of a higher priority than stuffing more trees into our tree lined neighborhoods? Shouldn't our lower level representatives speak for us and "push back" against the irresponsibility of the higher levels of government? Nope, see that rocks the boat. Our system is a "top down" system. We need to begin to change that in 2010...

But what really shocked me was the mention that the "Stabilization Fund" - the only fund not thoroughly depleted by the Bipartisan, Big Spending Commissioners - had a beginning balance of $20 million and an ending balance of $20 million. I simply asked, "Isn't this fund invested and earning interest?"

Commissioner Dougherty replied that it was.

I then asked, "And how is the interest money allocated? Does it go to debt relief or do you spend it?"

The obvious answer from Big Spending politicians? "We spend it."

Unbelievable. How about letting it build up a little bit and pay down debt or provide tax relief - even if it is only temporary? Nope. Why not? Because Big Government Politicians, even the Republicans, cannot find enough money to spend so they suck up every penny possible.

We need to change the rules of the game. But more on that in the VERY NEAR future as we continue to organize and plan out 2010. But I am encouraged as more and more citizens realize that the "game" isn't about some individual candidates and six month campaign cycles. The new "game" must be about daily scrutiny from citizens and accountability from all of our elected officials at every level of government. What is in the works will sweep aside a bunch of self appointed "leaders", hypocritical politicians and really change the rules... for the benefit of the citizens. It doesn't matter if you are Republican, Democrat or Independent. If you believe in REAL fiscal responsibility and accountable/transparent government, get involved. We have to end the sports team mentality - R's PERFECT, D's EVIL or vice versa thinking - and reshape government to benefit the CITIZENS based on our founding principles. GET INVOLVED!