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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Can Northampton County Council Be Saved?

Northampton County's nine-member County Council, widely considered the most dysfunctional legislative branch in the Lehigh Valley, is certainly the worst I've ever seen. The problems actually started four years ago, when John Stoffa, Charles Dertinger and Diane Neiper were first elected.

Stoffa, once elected Executive, immediately got off the sofa and named veteran Council members Michael Corriere, a Democrat, and Mary Ensslin, a Republican, to his cabinet. Corriere was Council's quiet voice of reason, a Democratic Mike Dowd. Nobody could know how deeply his loss would be felt.

In the meantime, newcomers Charles Dertinger and Diane Neiper took office certain they could hit the ground running. They had no idea that, once elections are over, Council has traditionally been nonpartisan, more interested in doing the right thing than pleasing partisans. Dertinger and Neiper changed that dynamic.

As a result of back room meetings with party bosses like Joe Long, they decided to stack Council with Democrats Tony Branco and Lamont McClure, upsetting Republicans. With a 6-3 majority, they then started shooting down any Repulican Stoffa named to his cabinet. When Stoffa resisted their demands for more Democratic appointments, they actively began working against him. Charles Dertinger, who claims to be an open space champion, actually tried to kill Stoffa's "pay as you go" open space plan. At the same time, these partisans encouraged union members to make ridiculous demands in negotiations, encouraged grievances and even attempted to have the Human Resources Director fired during a meeting attended by a lynch mob of unionized county workers. Council member McClure even unilaterally fired the Solicitor, consulting no one, hoping he could install a partisan.

In the midst of all this turmoil, Wayne Grube's health was failing. He had hoped to serve out his term, but it was not to be. This gruff-speaking, but big-hearted, Council member passed away, leaving a gaping vacancy that will take a long time to fill.

Council meetings have often deteriorated into shouting matches and taunts, often involving Dertinger, McClure or Angle. Jerry Seyfried's appointment has been a moderating influence, but he'll be gone in December.

This election is important. Will Council stop being a partisan group of grandstanders? Or will it return to the reflective and classy style I remember in the early days, when council chambers often felt like a church?

It's up to you. You can select up to five from the Democratic (Charles Dertinger, Walt Garvin, Bill Wallace, Deb Hunter and Lorraine Pasquali) and Republican (Peg Ferraro, John Cusick, Bruce Gilbert, Barb Thierry & Tom Dietrich) buffet. Let me give you my take, for what it's worth.

1) Dump Dertinger. - Whatever you do, don't give this faithless politician another four years. He's done enough damage.

2) Vote for Peg Ferraro and John Cusick. - Peg, who has only been on this dysfunctional Council for two years, remembers how that body operated in times past, where she would readily accept advice from Democrats Jerry Seyfried or Carol Cuomo. She is a voice of decency. The same is true of John Cusick, Council's hardest-working member.

3) Lorraine Pasquali and Tom Dietrich are lightweights. - Pasquali is an unemployed political consultant who has attached herself to Dertinger and merely nods agreement to whatever he says. She's never attended a Council meeting and it showed during the slate belt debate, wehre she spent most of the night looking like a deer caught in the headlights. Dietrich is running for the second time. I thought this time around, he'd gain some understanding of county government. He still does not get it, and let's face it, this is not exactly rocket science. He's not going to get it. We should let this stay-at-home dad stay at home.

4) Bruce Gilbert is just too lazy. - Sure, on paper, he's the most qualified of all candidates. In fact, he's the smartest of all council members. But I wonder how many committee hearings he'll just miss. He's the first black person I can remember who ever sought a Council seat, but he failed to show up at the NAACP banquet for candidates. He amazingly has no response to the LWV questionnaire. He was a no show at Pen Argyl's parade. Is he really all that interested?

5) Deb Hunter is independent. - So much so, that Charles Dertinger hates her. That's good enough for me.

6) Bill Wallace will listen. - "I listen to voters. I think that's an important issue that I need to make clear. It isn't a home team, visitor team. We're all on the same team."

7) Walt Garvin, third wheel on the McClure-Dertinger bicycle. - Garvin is closely allied to Bossman Joe Long. His election will result in a perpetuation of the circus we've seen for the last four years.

8) Barb Thierry, Not Ready for Prime Time Player. - I like Barb, who did attend meetings and tried to familiarize with county issues. I am unhappy she allowed herself to be used in a mailer that excluded Peg Ferraro. I doubt she'll make that mistake again.

51 comments:

Lighthouse said...

I agree with your assessment of the 10...unfortunately that leaves us with four decent "vote fors" and one "who do I settle for" vote. I guess smart but lazy is less damaging than the alternatives...but am too cynical to think Charles! won't probably be re-elected (but would be curious to see how much he spent to do so in the end)....maybe we could lock Charles! and Ron in a cage for a Norco Ultimate Fight night and sell tickets in lieu of a council meeting sometime.

Anonymous said...

Right on target Bernie...perfect analysis of this motley
crew.Voters should consider Cusick.Ferraro.Hunter.Wallace and Gilbert

Anonymous said...

Cusick will be voted out. No loss.

Anonymous said...

Anyone who has heard Bruce Gilbert speak on finance would know that the county NEEDS his financial mind. He knows this stuff and has risen to VP of investment banking becasue he is so good at financial management. Can we afford to NOT elect a distinguiched MBA in these hardpressed financial times?

Anonymous said...

If you call THierry a lightweight what is Wallace? He has never done anything but teach ART! THierry has been on muncipal boards, and run small businesses and worked in the world of labor negotiation.

Garvin was kicked off the election board for being too partisan and obstructionist.

Deb hunter voted to keep paying a Nazareth School director his salary after he did not showup for 2 years!

Four teachers on County Council? WOW that is scary Ferraro, Cusick are incumbents who have done a good job, the other two teachers Wallace and Hunter leave some quesitons about qualifications and intent.

Anonymous said...

Dertinger will finish in the top three. I'll tell you where to send my pizza..Tom

Anonymous said...

Very accurate...It's sad that I don't have five I want to vote for out of ten.

Anonymous said...

Gilbert was endorsed by the tea party. He earned their highest score.
You support the fringe right lunatics Bernie?

Anonymous said...

PS Why would someone hate or have any problem with teachers? Anyone who is willing to serve the public in this job, and anyone who is willing to teach our future leaders, is noble.
Both jobs are thankless and a teacher touches many lives and should not be discriminated against.

Anonymous said...

Please explain Dertinger voting against open space. Charles, if you are here, can you address this??? I'd like to vote for you 2day but that's real important.

Your Concious said...

You forgot to mention that Anna McHale hates Deb Hunter too. She was the only Dem candidate she didn't give a contribution too. Yet another reason to vote for Deb!

Anonymous said...

Charles! is lucky for Two! reasons. One, he is First! on the ballot and two, There! are a lot of blue Haired! Dems that vote straight Dem! ticket without knowing what Is! going on. He'll probably squeak by as part of some age old curse the Lenapis put on us as we drove them out.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"You support the fringe right lunatics Bernie?"

Gilbert on paper is more qualified than anyone on council or running. He's no lunatic, nor is the tea party movement, although it does attract some nasty people.

Gilbert is also lazy. There are really only 4 I like.

Anonymous said...

I have two "vote fors" and three "settle fors." That is still better than our current Council whom I consider to be made up of two "vote fors," three "settle fors," and four "MAKE IT STOPs."

Bernie O'Hare said...

"If you call THierry a lightweight what is Wallace?"

I don't call her a lightweight. I call her not ready, and your comment is deceptive. She got appointed recenty to some township board and has never run for office. her business experience consists of her hair salon and managing homes that she and her husband owned.

Thierry, instead of attaching herself to Ferraro, abandoned her and went off on her own w. that goofy and divisive flyer.

I think she just needs more seasoning and should run again.

Wallace has run before, and he ran a clean campaign when everyone else was slinging mud. He is well-informed about the county and I believe him when he says he will listen.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Dertinger will finish in the top three. I'll tell you where to send my pizza..Tom"

That's our bet. I have not forgotten. I like pepperoni.

Anonymous said...

"I like pepperoni."

ha ha ha. Go figure.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Please explain Dertinger voting against open space."

Despite the claims to the contrary, Dertinger actually voted AGAINST John Stoffa's "Pay as you go" open space plan. Check NC Council minutes for 12/14/06.

Anonymous said...

Express Times Endorsements

Anonymous said...

Teachers are dangerous. They poison the Valley's children with stories about evolution and the Earth being round.

Anonymous said...

"Despite the claims to the contrary, Dertinger actually voted AGAINST John Stoffa's "Pay as you go" open space plan. Check NC Council minutes for 12/14/06."

I will. But was there some other open space plan he voted for, or is he against open space, as I read it here?

Anonymous said...

Anyone, is there a website to follow the election results as they are reported tonight?

Anonymous said...

"Teachers are dangerous. They poison the Valley's children with stories about evolution and the Earth being round."

hehe... teachers are evil. 4 of them educated caring giving nobles on council will surely be the end. Thank god there are no doctors or nurses to further pollute the council. Academia schmacademia.

Anonymous said...

Tea Party/Fox News endorsement of Gilbert awarding him their highest score

http://www.the912project-pa.org/the-lehigh-valley-9-12-group-blog/summary-evaluation-of-the-nothampton-lehigh-county-candidates

Bernie O'Hare said...

You can follow the race on Channel 69, at www.wfmz.com. You can also track things at The Morning call, www.mcall.com.

Bernie O'Hare said...

" was there some other open space plan he voted for, or is he against open space, as I read it here?"

The only open space plan the county voted on was Stoffa's. There was no alternative under consideration as an amendment. Dertinger voted against it. I wrote a story about it here.

Anonymous said...

The highlight of my voting day was when a man handed me and my friend a Michael Koury nail file in the shape of a gavel but he was handing them upside down with the hammer part down and the stick part up and my friend exclaimed to the man, "What is this supposed to be? A penis?" It might be an inside joke, you have to see the nail file.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I was handed one of those in nazareth. Did not quite know what to make of it.

Anonymous said...

Dertinger is not against open space. There was more going on there re funding amounts, sources, etc.
When did it become wrong to disagree with the executive. The charter made sure to give rights to both branches and disagreement is not a bad thing. Should Council just approve everything Stoffa proposes, no questions asked? Give me a break. Get real.

Bernie O'Hare said...

The simple reality is that when Dertinger had an opportunity to vote for open space, he said No. He did so bc he does not want a half mill tax increase to blemish his record. Open space is fine so long as we don't have to pay for it.

Anonymous said...

Express Times did not endorse Dirtinger. Kiss of death. He'll be retained.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your opinion Bernie, but you know the ole line about opinions!

There like ass holes, everyone has one and they all stink!

Bernie O'Hare said...

True.

Anonymous said...

Youleave off some impt facts. Interesting how you mentioned that Thierry was on that mailer (which happened to be a pro-life mailer), but failed to mention that Cusick was aslo on it. Also, interesting how you expect a Black conservative to pander to the NAACP (prejudice much?) - also intersting how you pick the 2 most liberal groups:the LWV and the NAACP and mention that Gilbert is 'lazy' in reference to those groups, but failed to mention the several other Lehigh Valley group meetings he DID attend - the Pen Argyl Concerned Citizens, the 912 project, the Bath Parade, Northampton Parade, etc.
I think you really let your true colors show here, Bernie. We all know who the moderates and who the conservates are - and you have clearly aligned with the moderates,here (Interstingly, so did the Express- hmmmm)
You sure had me fooled!

Bernie O'Hare said...

I have written about that flyer several times and made it very clear that ALL R candidates except peg were included in that divisive flyer. It was an idiotic thing to do, but Peg still had the class to ask voters to vote for Gilbert.

I'm just calling it the way it is and I don't give a damn what ideological label you want to attach to it. That's your problem. The simple truth is that Gilbert WAS a lazy candidate who did nothing before the primary and next to nothing before the general election. Are you telling me he snubbed the NAACP? And yes, I do expect the first black cndidate for county office in Northampton County to attend their banquet, not for their sake, but for his.

I ended up voting for Gilbert only bc he is supremely qualified. But if he is elected and approaches his duties the same way he approached this campaign, he'll be a lousy member of council.

I also ended up voting for Cusick, despite the flyer, only because he is such a hard worker and has some good iseas.

Dietrich, quite frankly, is a lightweight. I thought he would grow into understanding county issues, but that has not happened. Moreover, his decision to refuse to releae information until the moment it is legally required tells me all I need to know about his transparency.

Barb can run again.

I'm very surprised to learn that the LWV is a "liberal" group. That's rich. It's about as nonpartisan as it gets. But why don't you make a complete idiot out of yourself and start boycotting them, too?

Anonymous said...

LWV is extremely Liberal. Just look at their website and you'll see all the liberal talking points. Do a simple search - they support the healthcare bill - including the Public Option!! they support NARAL,the National Organization for Women,Planned Parenthood, global warming legislation,

"The Indiana Court of Appeals has struck down
the state's voter ID law, saying it violates the state
Constitution....The League of Women Voters challenged the law on state
constitutional grounds after the U.S. Supreme Court had upheld it."

I could keep finding sources, but this should be enough...

Anonymous said...

Bernie voted for the Stoffa rubberstamps. It is not hard to figure that out.

Anonymous said...

Bernie, It's a Velvet Revolution! The Republicans are taking over Council! Dertinger is being exiled to Elba?

God said...

The REpublicans have taken over Council Bernie! Finally, Roe v Wade will be overturned!

Tom Foolery said...

Wow..What the hell happened.. Do I owe you a Pizza or what? I thought Dertinger would be the top Dem and I was right. However, never thought in a million years that the top Dem would get knocked out by a Republican sweep...Amazing..Tell me where to send the pizza..Looks like the teabag heads joined with the Republicans!!

Anonymous said...

Does anyone have some empty cardboard boxes they can loan CHARLES! ? He has some packing to do.

Anonymous said...

Yea, I guess those brilliant Dems should have put John Stoffa on the mailer they sent out instead of Judge Panella? The only honorable thing for Joe Long to do now is commit Hari-Kari. Or commit himself! Heh, heh

Anonymous said...

Joe Long looked like he was about to cry when 69 interviewed him. I can't wait to see who the next successful candidates he backs will be....his losers could fill my yearbook.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Tom Foolery,

The terms of our bet require that the winner gets the pizza at the next council meeting, but I will let you off the hook. I'm as stunned as you.

Anonymous said...

I'm not surprised...I don't think it represents a larger movement, I think it was a local phenomenon. Times are tough, money is scarce and people don't want the shenanigans and immaturity and crazy McHale/Long/Dertinger/McClure BS...maybe in good times you can have hte kids from the short bus running things for kicks but when times get tough even the Dems want adults at the steering wheel.

Anonymous said...

hehe - exactly what Rush said you would say (minus the short bus)

Lighthouse said...

Back in June, after the primary, when I was thinking analytically, rather than subjectively, I had posted the following on this blog...it played itself out, other than I had underestimated the Republican results. It ended up being good strategy not to run an Executive opponent against Stoffa.


"The overall voter turnout in the primary was a 60/40 % D to R, which is roughly equal to voter registration, if not mistaken.

However,...

17,389 Dems voted in the primary, and were allowed to vote for 5 Council candidates should equal 86,945 votes cast, yet only a total of 32,516 were cast for all six. In other words, statistically only 37.39% of the voting Dems even bothered to vote for Council members.

11,538 Reps voted, and were allowed to vote for 5 Council candidates should equal 57,690 votes cast, yet only a total of 26,381 were cast for all six. In other words, statistically 45.72% of Republicans bothered to vote for Council.

Look at the primary. There really was nothing to draw Republicans to vote, other than sheer civic duty. Yet, they turned out equal to registration. However, the Democrats had the whole Stoffa/McHale race to draw some interest, without a bump in voter turnout, and voted in lower percentages for Council which shows many were unfamiliar with the candidates.

In a general election, without an Executive race to raise some concentrated interest, no, I do not think there will be as high of voter turnout as otherwise would have been. So, yes, I do think if the Republicans actually made more than a half-hearted effort it could make the difference....

Meanwhile, what other races are there in the Dem numerical strongholds of the cities of Bethlehem or Easton to generate any interest (aka, turnout)?? Callahan is unopposed. Panto isn't up. Many local offices are uncontested....

Yes, I do think without a contested Executive race the Republicans would have a chance if they wanted to fight for it, especially with the Democratic in-fighting."

Anonymous said...

Right. In other words....the people that voted preferred the five Republican candidates to the five Democratic candidates and voted for them. I get it now.

Anonymous said...

Betcha Barb would stay true to herself and do the same mailer without Peg all over again.

Anonymous said...

Barb is true to herself, and her supporters.

Anonymous said...

Now if only our Federal Gov could get 71% the same party...The repubs had a chance now the dems should.

The so-called obstructionist factor is gone from council at least.

The dems had a chance, now its the repubs turn.

We should expect great things.