Berks Democrats

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

Doesn't the Dictator Chairman of Berks County Democratic Party realize you can't censor the internet. It looks like he now has another website to worry about... Berks County Dems

While we are on the subject of suspensions and censorship. I'll bet that then Presidential Candidate Howard Dean would be surprised to learn that he should have been suspended from the party for giving this speech.

Endorsements

My endorsements this fall are shorter than usual.  Because of actions taken against me by local Democratic Party officials I am only endorsing the candidates who expressed their support for me:  you don't support me, I don't support you.  That's the way it goes Kevin.

For County Commissioner:  Tom Gajewski.

Tom has worked tirelessly for the people of Berks County putting in 70 hour work weeks all the while dealing with major family concerns.  Yes, sometimes they spilled over to work because of the enormous stress but he's a man of great integrity and he's accomplished much.  Tom spearheaded the entire Community Corrections process and has coordinated efforts to regionalize police.  For this the FOP refused to endorse him because he happened to be on a much needed vacation when they met and voted.  That vote was a disgrace by the police.

Tom also is partly responsible, with the rest of the Board for the turnaround of Berks Heim.  Instead of costing taxpayer $1-2 million per year the newly open and designed facility is breaking even and on the verge of making money.

Republican financial mismanagement resulted in an $11 million funding shortfall which necessitated a tax increase when Tom first took office.  Let's be very clear about the facts on this tax increase issue:   it was the result of bad decisions and horrible financial management by Mark Scott and Tim Reiver.  Tom inherited their financial mess.  Since then Tom has helped self insure for health coverage and the County reduced employment by 100 workers saving further tax increases.

Christian Leinbach is an extreme, evangelical Christian fringe lunatic.  He chose to attend racist and segragationist Bob Jones University in South Carolina.  The school outlawed interracial dating and marriage.  He is a Santorum Republican who accepted campaign money from the likes of Glen Meakem who believes we shouldn't fund stem cell research.  Why is he against stem cell research?  He thinks people shouldn't want to live longer because they should want to get to heaven as soon as possible.

Leinbach and Scott together, as a majority, will be a racist Board which would give Berks County a huge black eye and prevent companies from wanting to locate here.

For Recorder of Deeds:  Fred Sheeler:

This office has been a disgrace.  Ellie Antoine not only got sued for mismanagement, favoritism and bias toward title agents the Judge ordered her to begin running the office in compliance with the law.  She refused and was found in contempt of court.  Property deeds and mortgages are important legal documents and must be recorded precisely as they come into this office to insure your ownership of real property.  It was taking six months for deeds to be recorded and this actually prevented some people from selling their homes.

If you have more than one mortgage the order with which these are recorded is essential.  Under the law legal priority goes to the order in which they were recorded.  If Antoine's office recorded them out of sequence, which frequently happened, you could be screwed.  Let's take a hypothetical example.  We Snyder, the crook who just closed his local mortgage company, is being sued.  Say you're holding his mortgage or home equity line of credit and someone sues him.  If the Recorder of Deeds office negligently didn't record your lien against him in the order it came into the office you're farther down the line to collect what you are owed than you should be.  Someone else's claim got in ahead of yours even though it was filed after you.

This is why what has happened under Ellie Antoine is important.  Fred Sheeler has been in the mortgage business for years.  He knows the business, knows the industry.  He is an all around good guy who is also a "stand up guy."  I've seen this personally.

John Fielding is a perennial candidate who runs for whatever office he thinks is vulnerable.  He works as a public defender for the County while trashing government.  Why does he keep cashing his government paycheck if he's so against government?  His campaign treasurer, Democrat Liz Ebner, filed paperwork with election services showing Fielding spent several hundred dollars on vehicle repairs, something which is not an allowable expenditure under the law.

Worse, at a trial this summer related to the Scott Wertz police killing Fielding said this in open court:  "So a policeman was killed, Boo Hoo."

This Halloween season give John Fielding your own boo hoo and vote for Fred Sheeler.

My endorsements for state judicial candidates are posted at my parent blog The Pennsylvania Progressive.  Here are links:

Seamus McCaffery

Debra Todd

Chrsitine Donohue

John Milton Younge

Judge John Musmanno (retention)

Tom Herman's Malicious Action

These are two letters Tom Herman, omnipotent potentate of all things Democratic in Berks County sent me today.  The first is a cease and desist order and the second is notification that he has invoked his supreme power as both Chair and Committee man to suspend me.

The letters will be formally responded to in the form of a federal civil rights lawsuit so I won't comment further, I'll leave that up to you, the readers.  Have at it!  You can download pdf files of them that are easier to read here:  http://pennsylvaniaprogressive.typepad.com/berks_democrats/hermans-letters.html

 

Questions For The Candidates

The final two weeks of the fall campaign is underway and Thursday evening the Kutztown Area Democratic Club will host their semi-annual candidates night.  The usual format provides for questions from the floor and sometimes allows each candidate to ask a question of another.  I have a few suggestions.

For Christian Leinbach:  Why did you choose to attend racist, segragationist and anti-gay Bob Jones University?

Do you support privatizing Berks Heim as Mark Scott has advocated?

For John Fielding:  Do you continue protesting outside the Planned Parenthood clinic with John Dunkel?
Why did you use campaign funds for auto repairs when that is not allowed by law?  Has V. Kurt Bellman sued you for that infraction as yet?

For Mark Baldwin:  Why have some of your employees sued you for your conduct as District Attorney?
Why are all the Judges, lawyers and cops so determined to vote you out of office?

For Ron Stanko:  Explain why you were caught trying to cheat your ex wife from her share of $25,000 community property during your divorce case? 
Why did a judge in another legal case admonish you for not knowing the law?

For Mark Scott:  Is it proper for your executive assistant to disappear with you for several hours at a time when she's being paid by the County taxpayers?
What effect would having two avowed racists as Commissioners have on economic development?

For Eric Weaknecht?  Explain why you put your girlfriend on the payroll?

Why Is the Democratic Committee Supporting Schmehl?

Judge Jeffrey Schmehl is up for retention this year.  He is an avid and ardent Republican.  If anyone had any doubt to that recall his time sitting on the Board of Elections for a reminder.  I am not supporting him for retention and neither should the Berks County Democratic Committee.  Why then are his sings available at 434 Walnut Street, headquarters?  You can waltz in there and ask Boyd for one.

Then there are the Schmehl signs being put up by one of our Democratic candidates and the rumor the Judge is helping fund the election night party at The Riveredge (provided it's still open for business).  That isn't "water over the dam," so to say.  It's a flood of support for a partisan Republican candidate at the very same time I'm being reprimanded and disciplined, not for supporting a Republican, but for criticizing our County Democratic officials for malfeasance.

Double standard?

To make matters worse Tom Herman, in his obsessive vendetta against me is trying to drag a cancer victim into the affair so I can't say this is arbitrary and capricious?  Who drags a chemo patient into a disciplinary hearing, what kind of heartless bastard does something like that just so he can cover his ass?

Tom Herman Is Guilty Himself

Since Democratic County Chair Tom Herman has decreed that he has omnipotent power as Chair to discipline and suspend anyone who criticizes Tom Caltagirone another Democrat I wonder when he will proceed to suspend himself for this email he sent last December about Traitor Tom?  I could also publish numerous emails he's sent criticizing and slandering me but those will be part of my lawsuit against him and the County Committee.  By the way he hasn't even had the cojones to notify me of his action.  I found out from numerous cell phone calls on my way back from covering events Saturday.

From: Berks County Democratic Committee <info@berksdems.org>

Date: December 31, 2006 3:44:18 PM EST

Subject: Urgent Message from PA Democratic Party Chairman T.J. Rooney

Reply-To: info@berksdems.org

The below message is sent from our State Democratic Party Chairman. As you know may know, State Representative Thomas Caltagirone (D) 127th has announced his decision to vote for Philadelphia  Republican John Perzel to retain Pennsylvania Speaker of the House.  Representative Caltagirone announced the decision by sending a letter to all Democratic Legislators and by an article in the ReadingEagle published Saturday, December 30, 2006.  Such an action against the Democratic Party is an affront to all the years of hard work all of us, including Tom Caltagirone have spent to make the PA House have a Democratic majority. The PA House now has a Democratic majority by just one.

For twelve years we have endured Republican control and the Republicans have set the agenda for all legislation. We have endured attacks on every aspect of our middle class values. We have seen Workers Compensation reforms make it harder for injured workers to receive benefits. We have seen insurance companies dictate how much we pay for health care insurance. Under Republican control, we have seen our standard of living decline while the PA rich grow richer, at our expense. Now we have opportunity to have Democratic control so that we can set the agenda and try to repair twelve years of our eroded way of Democratic life. Tom Caltagirione in an argument over policy (not law), in which he was not successful with Democratic House leadership, would vote to side with Republicans against his own Party.

We cannot sit by idle and simply let this happen. As Democrats, we need to speak as one voice. We need to be able to have the chance to repair the damage done over the last decade by having the ability to control the flow of legislation. No one expects to be able to repair all the damage done in the last twelve years but, not to even have the chance when the Democrats are the majority is reprehensible.

As you can see from the below message, we are being asked to do our part. I know that Monday is New Year's Day but, if you can at all spare a little time from your schedule to attend this important demostration of Democratic unity -- please do. We all worked to hard to get here just to let it slip away.

Best Regards,

Tom Herman, Chairman

Berks County Democratic Party

An URGENT Message from Chairman T.J. Rooney
BREAKING NEWS --- URGENT ACTION REQUIRED

Yesterday Democratic Representative Tom Caltagirone of Berks County announced his intention to support Republican John Perzel for the position of Speaker of the House.   

Make no mistake – this is an act of political treason!

On November 7th. The voters of Pennsylvania sent a clear message - they want change in Harrisburg.  Caltagirone wants to single-handily thwart the will of the voters.   

On Tuesday the House will begin the new session and elect a Speaker. Democrats have nominated Representative Bill DeWeese.  Democrats hold a ONE vote majority in the State House.  We can’t let one power-hungry politician feather his own nest by selling out the party he has called home for over 30 years that he has spent in Harrisburg.

Here’s what I’m asking you to do:

1.    Call Caltagirone at (610) 371-9940 and demand he re-think his despicable decision or resign his seat.

2.    E-mail Caltagirone at tcaltagi@pahouse.net and demand he vote to elect Democrat Bill DeWeese Speaker of the House.

3.    Attend either the rally in front of Caltagirone’s district office on Monday at 3 p.m. at 645 Penn St. in Reading, or the rally Tuesday at 10am in the Capitol Rotunda

Caltagirone must be stopped.  This blatant sell-out must not occur.  Too many Democrats, for too many years, have worked too hard to let this one devious, power-hungry politician abuse the voters of Pennsylvania!!!

Please do your part!!!   

 

Lawsuit Time

It has been reported to me that Tom Herman suspended me as a Democratic Committee man at today's meeting.  He seems to have done this under some, as yet, unexplained authority.  What right he has to do so to an elected official will be challenged in court.  I intend now to sue both him and the Berks County Democratic Committee.  All he's done is keep giving me more and more grounds to do so and I see no other recourse to stop him from his obsession with destroying me.

Tom, the first rule when you find yourself in a hole is to stop digging.  Grabbing the controls to a front end loader when you're already knee deep is just stupid.

Was Tom Caltagirone suspended for giving $500 to Tom Corbett?  Was Anne Perrige suspended for giving to several Republicans?  No.  If the standard for unilaterally suspending Democrats is because they said something critical about one there won't be any of us left quite soon.  Or is this really only directed at me?

If you're a Democratic Committee person how do you feel now that your Chair is getting you sued?  What are you prepared to do about it?  Did anyone initiate an immediate call to impeach the Chair after he made this announcement?  I thought not.  That was your out.

Berks Democratic Party Suspends Me

The Chair of the Berks County Democratic Committee used his "inherent" authority to suspend me as a committee man today from reports I've received.  His basis seems to be because I've written things critical of fellow Democrats.  Watch out bloggers, the Democratic Behavioral Police are on the attack.  I suspect he's forgotten I'm an elected official and all this does is insure that I'm going to sue him and the Committee.  He cited legal advice he got from the Pennsylvania Democratic Party so, if that's the case (I'll check it on Monday with TJ), that also involves them in this legal morass.

Tom Caltagirone, also a County Committee person, gave $500 to Republican Tom Corbett but wasn't suspended.  Another county and state committee woman has given to several GOP candidates and not been suspended.  Another one so sabotaged one of our County Commissioners it took me a week to keep the candidate from withdrawing from the election.  But I'm the one Tom Herman suspended.  Any lawyers out there want a slam dunk case?

Update:  To clarify things a bit, people have to remember that Tom Herman is Tom Caltagirone's sock puppet.  Everything he says and does goes through John Ryan, Caltagirone's Legal Counsel for the Judiciary Committee.  Ryan is the person who stopped all discussion on the issue at the meeting.  This is Caltagirone's way of killing any criticism of him, especially during the primary.

What these fools haven't realized yet is that every time they do something against me I'm increasing my criticism of Democrats.  It's a direct reaction to their comments left on the blog, statements to State Party officials, emails, etc.

I spoke with TJ Rooney last evening, he's the Chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, and asked him if they had provided the legal advice Tom Herman cited at the meeting.  He said NO.  Tom Herman lied.  Want to bet where he got that legal advice?  Who admitted at the meeting he'd spoken to Herman about this?

Update on Meeting Today

Because of the enormous amount of stress inflicted upon me the last two months I was up all night.  As such I'm going to sleep rather than this morning's meeting.  I have an event to cover in Montgomery County at 1:30 and, since Democrats there actually want me covering their campaigns and candidates, I'll get my rest and go there instead.

I think I made some final decisions though as what I'm going to do.

Treasurer Reports

The last County Committee meeting witnessed a vote of confidence for our Treasurer Boyd Winegardner.  John Ryan presented the motion.  Let's take a look at some of the fine work done in the past by our Treasurer.  These are two consecutive Treasurer reports submitted and approved with no debate or discussion regarding their contents.  I was astonished when the first one was approved.  Not being a Committee member at the time I had no standing to question this abomination.

Let's review the prior meeting, held on February 17, 2006.  Bill Evans resigned as County Chair at that meeting and Tom Herman succeeded him.  Meetings are held every two months and only on the third Saturdays for some mysterious reason (there's nothing in the bylaws requiring this).  Why did Boyd omit the entire period from February 18 through March 24 from his report?  It covers all of about three weeks instead of eight or nine.

One reason was to hide his own income from the Committee.  The fact we were paying him $700/month was some big secret and this was their way of hiding it in the financial report.   He hid it in the line item called "allowance."  If you compare consecutive reports, for example this one and the one below, you'll notice the year to date number jumps by $1,400  from one to the next.   Boyd's reports were created to hide half that amount however.  As such, his numbers didn't add up.  He carried a $2800 "allowance" total from the April 15th report to the next one on June 3rd, and adds another $700 in his line item but comes up with a year to date total of $4200.  Adding $700 to $2800 doesn't equal $4200.  He conveniently neglected his other $700 payment.

Boyd did this routinely to hide the fact he's been bleeding funds from the Committee which could have been used for winning elections.  We were paying him to work for the Committee.  However he also used this time to conduct his duties as Treasurer for numerous other clubs and organizations and for various campaigns.  Under the law all income we paid him for that time should have reported as in kind contributions to those groups and campaigns.  They weren't and, as such, we violated the law.

This doesn't even begin to address the issues of workman's compensation, unemployment insurance, etc.  He doesn't qualify as an independent contractor under IRS rules.  If he got hurt at the office and sued the Committee we'd all be liable for his medical bills and disability.  For this we handed him a vote of confidence for his work as Treasurer.