Tony Sortino & Jackie Taschner, Two Class Acts

When Gay Elwell first ran for magistrate in downtown Easton, Skip Fairchild gave her a run for her money. This time, he and his wife actually signed Gay's nomination petition. This obviously speaks highly of Judge Elwell's performance on the bench. But it also tells us something about her former opponent, an obvious class act.

We don't hear or read much about the class acts in government, but they're out there. We see it in the race for Northampton County judge. To be honest, each candidate would be an outstanding addition to the bench. The same is true for the magisterial district that includes Palmer Township, Tatamy and Forks.

There are only two candidates in that race - Easton title agent Tony Sortino and Assistant District Attorney Jackie Taschner. Now I support Tony. I've known him twenty-two years and see him every day. I've never seen him lose his cool, even when dealing with a miserable bastard like me. I've seen his common sense and innate judicial temperament in action. He deflates tense situations with the best sense of humor in the Lehigh Valley.

I also know Jackie. She's a very knowledgeable attorney who has spent years helping victims of domestic violence. Can she be fair? A few weeks ago, when I was talking to her about one of her cases, she answered that question. "I'm a prosecutor, not a persecutor."

These candidates, when they found out they were running against each other, sat down and had lunch. They both speak so highly of each other that I'd swear they'd put up each other's signs.

Two class acts. You can't go wrong.

You can read more about these candidates, including answers to some specific questions, in the Express Times Voter Guide.