The Bethlehem Controller race is winding down.
Here is the latest:
1. Maureen Holland-Schaeffer, Meg Holland's daughter, has posted a comment on a previous post, which I feel deserves some attention. Her comment is her mother's response to a letter to the editor which was published in the Express-Times on November 3, 2007. The letter questions Holland's mailer which states the budget in the City is $121 million. The writer states the correct amount is $58 million. Holland's explanation is as follows:
"In Mr. Horwath’s letter to the editor on November 3, 2007 he stated that the city budget of $121 million as reported in my campaign mailers was off by $63 million. The City of Bethlehem budget is $121 million, which I detail below.
Operating Budget (in millions)
General Fund 58.523
Water 18.000
Sewer 11.931
Golf 1.400
911 1.898
Total Operating Budget 91.752
Capital Budget (in millions)
Non-utility 13.650
Water 4.392
Sewer 3.211
Community 6.930
Liquid Fuels 1.417
Total Capital Budget 29.600
Total City Budget = $121.352
Unfortunately Mr. Horwath was only informed of the General Fund budget. The Controller’s job is the “watchdog” of all city accounts, therefore, only considering the General Fund budget would be incorrect.
Meg Holland CPA/ABV, CIA, CVA, CFE"
Fortunately, for the people of the City of Bethlehem someone with an expertise in accounting and the knowledge of the City's budget is running for Controller. The choice is clear, Meg Holland is the best candidate for City controller.
2. I saw this article on the Bethlehem Daily Start blog on The Morning Call website. Instead of raising taxes, Mayor Callahan tapped into the Sewer Hook Up fee payment that Bethworks/Sands paid early. It is $1.7 million. He moved the money to the General Fund to cover payroll, medical expenses and worker's compensation. The fee, which was instituted by Callahan 2 years, is paid by developers. So the City is using money that was paid early and is not needed now, and will be repaid before it is needed.
Dave DiGiacinto's, the Democratic candidate for controller, endorser Republican Alan Blair, the interim Controller, does not think it is legal and says it is a bad idea.
Apparently Blair would rather layoff workers and raise taxes, than have the City borrow from itself and pay itself back with interest after the beginning of the year.
I think there may be a better way to take care of the City's year end cash flow problem but do not think layoffs and raising taxes is the answer and until a better solution comes around borrowing from itself is the best solution.
An interesting discussion on the Controller race follows the Daily Star article in the reader comments.
I hope the City residents do the right thing tomorrow and elect Meg Holland to be City Controller. She is the only candidate who is ethically bound to be impartial because she is the only candidate who is a CPA.
Showing posts with label DiGiacinto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DiGiacinto. Show all posts
Monday, November 5, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Will Bethlehem Voter's Make a Mistake on Election Day?
On Tuesday, November 6, 2007 Bethlehem voters will elect a new City Controller...and they are going to make a mistake.
In Bethlehem, Democrats have a registration advantage of around 2 to 3. It increases when you look at likely voters. Democrats rarely face real challenges from Republicans in general elections in Bethlehem, the real races happen in the Democratic primary.
This year is different, at least in the race for Bethlehem Controller.
The Democratic nominee is David DiGiacinto (and he is going to win).
The Republican nominee is Meg Holland (and she is going to lose).
The real losers will be the people of the City of Bethlehem. The voters will be making a huge mistake by electing David DiGiacinto.
If DiGiacinto is elected, the City will be subjected to turmoil and controversy. If you have read my blog you already know that DiGiacinto is part of the Schweder-Rooney faction of the Democratic party. There is a fear that DiGiacinto will hold personal grudges against Mayor Callahan and will go out of his way to cause trouble for him. This is something that the City cannot afford to go through with the impending development of the Steel land and BethWorks.
DiGiacinto has already shown that he will spare no expense to get elected to the $42,000.00 per year job. The Morning Call reports that he has raised over $30,000.00 (mostly from out of town) and has given $20,000.00 of his own money. And he is scheduled to have another fundraiser in New York City with his CEO buddies.
My question is why spend this much money for this position, unless you have ulterior motives.
The good news is that today is October 30th, and the voters did not vote yet.
There is still a chance to stop DiGiacinto, Schweder and their New York CEO buddies.
Vote for Meg Holland for Bethlehem City Controller.
Meg's campaign has touted that she is qualified and her opponent is not. The truth is they both are qualified. Meg should be touting that she is good at what she does and she has more experience doing it than her opponent. Read this post on the Morning Call's Bethlehem Daily Star Blog about her experience at Bethlehem Steel.
Bethlehem will be lucky to have this experienced professional as its Controller.
Meg will not be a rubber stamp for the Callahan administration, she will make sure the money is spent on what it is supposed to be spent on, will conduct audits and institute fraud prevention controls. However, she will not use personal grudges to cause unnecessary problems and needlessly waste taxpayer money.
On Tuesday November 6th, this Democrat will be voting for the best person for the job-Meg Holland.
In Bethlehem, Democrats have a registration advantage of around 2 to 3. It increases when you look at likely voters. Democrats rarely face real challenges from Republicans in general elections in Bethlehem, the real races happen in the Democratic primary.
This year is different, at least in the race for Bethlehem Controller.
The Democratic nominee is David DiGiacinto (and he is going to win).
The Republican nominee is Meg Holland (and she is going to lose).
The real losers will be the people of the City of Bethlehem. The voters will be making a huge mistake by electing David DiGiacinto.
If DiGiacinto is elected, the City will be subjected to turmoil and controversy. If you have read my blog you already know that DiGiacinto is part of the Schweder-Rooney faction of the Democratic party. There is a fear that DiGiacinto will hold personal grudges against Mayor Callahan and will go out of his way to cause trouble for him. This is something that the City cannot afford to go through with the impending development of the Steel land and BethWorks.
DiGiacinto has already shown that he will spare no expense to get elected to the $42,000.00 per year job. The Morning Call reports that he has raised over $30,000.00 (mostly from out of town) and has given $20,000.00 of his own money. And he is scheduled to have another fundraiser in New York City with his CEO buddies.
My question is why spend this much money for this position, unless you have ulterior motives.
The good news is that today is October 30th, and the voters did not vote yet.
There is still a chance to stop DiGiacinto, Schweder and their New York CEO buddies.
Vote for Meg Holland for Bethlehem City Controller.
Meg's campaign has touted that she is qualified and her opponent is not. The truth is they both are qualified. Meg should be touting that she is good at what she does and she has more experience doing it than her opponent. Read this post on the Morning Call's Bethlehem Daily Star Blog about her experience at Bethlehem Steel.
Bethlehem will be lucky to have this experienced professional as its Controller.
Meg will not be a rubber stamp for the Callahan administration, she will make sure the money is spent on what it is supposed to be spent on, will conduct audits and institute fraud prevention controls. However, she will not use personal grudges to cause unnecessary problems and needlessly waste taxpayer money.
On Tuesday November 6th, this Democrat will be voting for the best person for the job-Meg Holland.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Controller Race Update
The race to be Bethlehem's next Controller is on fire.
Meg Holland struck early with some press conferences and some attacks on her opponent's perceived lack of accounting experience.
Now, David DiGiacinto is fighting back.
First, the Morning Call ran a nice article highlighting his career and his background, and allowed him and Holland to trade some jabs about his accounting experience.
Second, DiGiacinto started off the campaign mailer season in Bethlehem with a nicely done mailer highlighting his career, his Bethlehem roots and his experience in business.
Third, DiGiacinto has launched his campaign website. http://digiacintoforcontroller.com/home/
In a year when most thought the races in Bethlehem would lack excitement, the race for Controller appears to have changed that.
Campaign finance reports are due by Friday. It will be interesting to follow the money in this race.
Meg Holland struck early with some press conferences and some attacks on her opponent's perceived lack of accounting experience.
Now, David DiGiacinto is fighting back.
First, the Morning Call ran a nice article highlighting his career and his background, and allowed him and Holland to trade some jabs about his accounting experience.
Second, DiGiacinto started off the campaign mailer season in Bethlehem with a nicely done mailer highlighting his career, his Bethlehem roots and his experience in business.
Third, DiGiacinto has launched his campaign website. http://digiacintoforcontroller.com/home/
In a year when most thought the races in Bethlehem would lack excitement, the race for Controller appears to have changed that.
Campaign finance reports are due by Friday. It will be interesting to follow the money in this race.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Who is David T. DiGiacinto?
David T. DiGiacinto is the Democratic Candidate for Controller in the City of Bethlehem. He is a 1975 graduate of United States Military Academy at West Point.
He spent 6 years as a Captain in the U.S Air Force as a Pilot-In Command, resigning his commission in 1981. After which he spent 18 years with Pfizer in various positions including Sales, Marketing, Business Development and General Management in the Chemical/Food Science and Consumer Health Care Groups.
He joined Spencer Trask Specialty Group LLC, a leading private equity firm which helps start-up companies develop their products, in 2000 and is currently a Senior Managing Director.
He serves on the Board of Directors of several companies, including Minrad International, Inc., a pain management company that focuses on anesthesia and analgesia, where he is an Independent Director, Member of Compensation Committee, Member of Nominating Committee and Director of Minrad Inc; and Vyteris, the maker of a drug delivery patch, where he is Secretary, Director, Chairman of Audit Committee, Member of Compensation Committee and Member of Nominating Committee
He is also the owner of BETHNY Enterprise, Inc., which I have no idea what it does.
He expressed his interest to fill the vacancy on City Council created by John Callahan's election to the office of mayor in 2004. He was nominated to be a finalist by Councilman Schweder. The appointment eventually went to Joseph Leeson.
He was a member of the Bethlehem Authority, at one point he was the vice-chairman of the authority, which is the oversight committee for the City's water department and the watershed. He was not renominated to the board earlier this year by Mayor Callahan.
As you can see, Mr. DiGiacinto has a very impressive business background. His experience at Pfizer and in his current positions with Spencer Trask and serving on the board of directors of publicly traded companies make him qualified to be the City Controller.
The politics behind this election are quite interesting. The following account is mostly hearsay and has not been verified, however from the facts I stated above I believe it is true.
DiGiacinto was supportive of James Delgrosso in the 2003 special election for Mayor. Delgrosso was the candidate backed by Schweder and TJ Rooney. DiGiacinto, as I mentioned above, was nominated by Schweder to fill Callahan's seat on Council. Just connect the dots.
DiGiacinto's political donations also support his allegiances.
( Note: The politics going on in Bethlehem politics at this time were crazy, to say the least. There were secret meetings, back room deals and unreturned phone calls. For those of who do not know the whole story, please read this May 30, 2004 article from the Morning Call, which is reprinted here. It is a great article that explains the different factions in the Democratic party in Bethlehem.)
When DiGiacinto's term on the Authority was up, Callahan did not re-nominate him due to his allegiance to Schweder and Rooney.
Now DiGiacinto is the Democratic nominee for City Controller.
How will Callahan deal with DiGiacinto? Will he support the Republican Candidate Meg Holland? Rumors have it he may already be supporting Holland.
He spent 6 years as a Captain in the U.S Air Force as a Pilot-In Command, resigning his commission in 1981. After which he spent 18 years with Pfizer in various positions including Sales, Marketing, Business Development and General Management in the Chemical/Food Science and Consumer Health Care Groups.
He joined Spencer Trask Specialty Group LLC, a leading private equity firm which helps start-up companies develop their products, in 2000 and is currently a Senior Managing Director.
He serves on the Board of Directors of several companies, including Minrad International, Inc., a pain management company that focuses on anesthesia and analgesia, where he is an Independent Director, Member of Compensation Committee, Member of Nominating Committee and Director of Minrad Inc; and Vyteris, the maker of a drug delivery patch, where he is Secretary, Director, Chairman of Audit Committee, Member of Compensation Committee and Member of Nominating Committee
He is also the owner of BETHNY Enterprise, Inc., which I have no idea what it does.
He expressed his interest to fill the vacancy on City Council created by John Callahan's election to the office of mayor in 2004. He was nominated to be a finalist by Councilman Schweder. The appointment eventually went to Joseph Leeson.
He was a member of the Bethlehem Authority, at one point he was the vice-chairman of the authority, which is the oversight committee for the City's water department and the watershed. He was not renominated to the board earlier this year by Mayor Callahan.
As you can see, Mr. DiGiacinto has a very impressive business background. His experience at Pfizer and in his current positions with Spencer Trask and serving on the board of directors of publicly traded companies make him qualified to be the City Controller.
The politics behind this election are quite interesting. The following account is mostly hearsay and has not been verified, however from the facts I stated above I believe it is true.
DiGiacinto was supportive of James Delgrosso in the 2003 special election for Mayor. Delgrosso was the candidate backed by Schweder and TJ Rooney. DiGiacinto, as I mentioned above, was nominated by Schweder to fill Callahan's seat on Council. Just connect the dots.
DiGiacinto's political donations also support his allegiances.
( Note: The politics going on in Bethlehem politics at this time were crazy, to say the least. There were secret meetings, back room deals and unreturned phone calls. For those of who do not know the whole story, please read this May 30, 2004 article from the Morning Call, which is reprinted here. It is a great article that explains the different factions in the Democratic party in Bethlehem.)
When DiGiacinto's term on the Authority was up, Callahan did not re-nominate him due to his allegiance to Schweder and Rooney.
Now DiGiacinto is the Democratic nominee for City Controller.
How will Callahan deal with DiGiacinto? Will he support the Republican Candidate Meg Holland? Rumors have it he may already be supporting Holland.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
City Controller Candidate Comes Out Swinging
A few weeks ago I previewed the contested elections in the city. The City Controller race was one in which I knew little about about each candidate. Well thanks Republican Candidate Meg Holland, that has changed.
Holland held a news conference in front of her business on Broad St. yesterday. You can read the Morning Call's coverage here and the Express Times coverage here.
Among the issues Holland discussed, were the casino host fee and development of the Steel land. She feels that money that these projects will bring in are too important to leave the controller job to someone with no accounting experience. She wants to make the sure the host fee is spent on what it is supposed to be spent on.
Holland's opponent is Democrat David DiGiacinto. He is currently a manager at Spencer Trask Group in New York City and was a former member of the Bethlehem Authority. He tells the Morning Call that he has financial oversight experience and there is no requirement that the Controller be a CPA.
DiGiacinto also feels that the Controller position is more than just oversight and that the immediate goals should be to manage the City's cash flow and pay the City's debts.
This is the first time since 1964 that the City will elect a new controller. The $47,000.00 year job is considered part-time. Holland said she plans to devote 10-20 hours per week if elected.
Well I did want to know more about each candidate and now I do. I feel that this race will be very interesting. Democrats have a registration advantage in Bethlehem, so DiGiacinto clearly has an advantage. Holland is very qualified and makes compelling reasons to be elected. I am just not convinced that enough Republicans will vote in this election and enough Democrats will vote for her.
Holland held a news conference in front of her business on Broad St. yesterday. You can read the Morning Call's coverage here and the Express Times coverage here.
Among the issues Holland discussed, were the casino host fee and development of the Steel land. She feels that money that these projects will bring in are too important to leave the controller job to someone with no accounting experience. She wants to make the sure the host fee is spent on what it is supposed to be spent on.
Holland's opponent is Democrat David DiGiacinto. He is currently a manager at Spencer Trask Group in New York City and was a former member of the Bethlehem Authority. He tells the Morning Call that he has financial oversight experience and there is no requirement that the Controller be a CPA.
DiGiacinto also feels that the Controller position is more than just oversight and that the immediate goals should be to manage the City's cash flow and pay the City's debts.
This is the first time since 1964 that the City will elect a new controller. The $47,000.00 year job is considered part-time. Holland said she plans to devote 10-20 hours per week if elected.
Well I did want to know more about each candidate and now I do. I feel that this race will be very interesting. Democrats have a registration advantage in Bethlehem, so DiGiacinto clearly has an advantage. Holland is very qualified and makes compelling reasons to be elected. I am just not convinced that enough Republicans will vote in this election and enough Democrats will vote for her.
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