Last evening the City Finance Committee approved by a 2-1, to send Council President Michael Schweder's plan how to spend the casino host fee to full Council at their December 4th meeting. The finance committee consists of Joseph F. Leeson, Jr., Chairman, Jean Belinksi and Robert J. Donchez.
The Morning Call has an account here, and Express Times here.
Schweder's plan includes using 0ne-half the host fee of 8.7 million to cut property taxes, the other half would be used to hire 20 police officers, 10 firemen, 6 paramedics and 2 inspectors. The remaining money, estimated by Schweder at around 2 million, would be placed in a restricted fund only to be spent as authorized by Council.
The problems with Schweder's plan:
1. The City will not get the money until after the casino opens, estimated to be July, 2009, so how can he decide how to spend it now.
2. Schweder's numbers were not based on anything but his own imagination. He never spoke with the Department heads and never conducted a study. He arbitrarily chose the number of police, fire, paramedics and inspectors.
3. It is foolish for a City that is admittedly in debt and has to borrow from itself to pay bills, to cut property taxes. That is just asking for trouble down the road.
The real story:
Schweder is trying get his plan through council while he still has the votes to get it passed. Currently, Schweder has the four votes needed to pass the bill with Szabo, Leeson and Belinski. In January, William Reynolds joins council and voiced concerns over spending the money prematurely and using to cut taxes. He urged a wait and see approach that was similar to what Mowrer and Donchez said. They are not against cutting taxes but those decisions can not be made now.
As someone posted on the mcall.com forums, if Schweder is successful in getting his legislation passed, which he probably will be, he will force Callahan to veto it. Schweder does not have enough votes to override the veto, and by that time Reynolds will be on Council, so Schweder will not even have the votes to get the legislation passed again.
Then if Schweder decides to run for Mayor, he can attack Callahan for vetoing a tax cut resolution.
This whole mess is just some Dem on Dem Politics, and gets J. Michael Schweder into the DINO Club!
Showing posts with label Schweder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Schweder. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
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, July 11, 2007
Quick Hits for Wednesday
Back from a few days at the beach with a few quick hits for Wednesday.
1. The July 5th Morning Call tells us Council quietly enacted the new recreation fee at the July 3rd meeting.
2. The July 5th Morning Call also tells us that Council President Schweder and Councilman Leeson criticized Mayor Callahan for swapping his older Chevy Impala for the a new one that was approved in the budget, but was designated for the city inspector. The problem, according to Leeson, was that City Council did not authorize the Mayor to get a new car.
My view: City Council authorized a new car, after that it is up to the director of public property to decide who gets it. Who knows who needs a new car better than the man in charge of the cars. This is just overly critical of Leeson and Schweder.
3. District Attorney John Morganelli prematurely announced his intention to run for Attorney General, again.
My view: He is running for Attorney General, again. Move over Lou Barletta, Morganelli will be running on the immigration reform platform.
4. I hate getting into school board business, but the Bethlehem Area SD School Board has decided to continue a policy of not allowing students at Freedom and Liberty receive credit for volunteering at Musikfest.
My View: This stinks. The whole idea of mandatory community service stinks. Bethlehem needs to reevaluate the whole program and establish better definitions, according to Director Charlene Koch. I agree. I also think that volunteering at a community festival that brings lots to the city is community service.
5. Councilman Leeson already has a plan to spend the new recreation fee money. He wants to keep one of the City's pools open year round. I like the idea, but think the money should first be used to modernize and clean up the parks and pools in the city currently. This idea coming from the fiscally conservative Leeson surprises me, I guess someone in the Leeson household likes to swim.
6. Finally, new Morning Call Blog, Bethlehem Daily Star, informs us today that Councilman Robert Donchez has retired from the Allentown School District and is working in State Rep. Steve Samuelson's office, alongside council candidate J. William Reynolds. Word on the street is that Donchez is actually working in State Rep. Joe Brennan's southside office.
UPDATE: The article has been corrected to state that Donchez is working for Brennan and not Samuelson.
My view: Donchez is a good public servant and his working for one of the State Reps can only help Bethlehem and the surrounding communities.
1. The July 5th Morning Call tells us Council quietly enacted the new recreation fee at the July 3rd meeting.
2. The July 5th Morning Call also tells us that Council President Schweder and Councilman Leeson criticized Mayor Callahan for swapping his older Chevy Impala for the a new one that was approved in the budget, but was designated for the city inspector. The problem, according to Leeson, was that City Council did not authorize the Mayor to get a new car.
My view: City Council authorized a new car, after that it is up to the director of public property to decide who gets it. Who knows who needs a new car better than the man in charge of the cars. This is just overly critical of Leeson and Schweder.
3. District Attorney John Morganelli prematurely announced his intention to run for Attorney General, again.
My view: He is running for Attorney General, again. Move over Lou Barletta, Morganelli will be running on the immigration reform platform.
4. I hate getting into school board business, but the Bethlehem Area SD School Board has decided to continue a policy of not allowing students at Freedom and Liberty receive credit for volunteering at Musikfest.
My View: This stinks. The whole idea of mandatory community service stinks. Bethlehem needs to reevaluate the whole program and establish better definitions, according to Director Charlene Koch. I agree. I also think that volunteering at a community festival that brings lots to the city is community service.
5. Councilman Leeson already has a plan to spend the new recreation fee money. He wants to keep one of the City's pools open year round. I like the idea, but think the money should first be used to modernize and clean up the parks and pools in the city currently. This idea coming from the fiscally conservative Leeson surprises me, I guess someone in the Leeson household likes to swim.
6. Finally, new Morning Call Blog, Bethlehem Daily Star, informs us today that Councilman Robert Donchez has retired from the Allentown School District and is working in State Rep. Steve Samuelson's office, alongside council candidate J. William Reynolds. Word on the street is that Donchez is actually working in State Rep. Joe Brennan's southside office.
UPDATE: The article has been corrected to state that Donchez is working for Brennan and not Samuelson.
My view: Donchez is a good public servant and his working for one of the State Reps can only help Bethlehem and the surrounding communities.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
First Look: 2009 Mayoral Race
Is it ever too early to look ahead to the 2009 Bethlehem Mayoral Election? I did not think so.
Yes, believe it or not, Mayor John Callahan is able to run for another term as mayor of Bethlehem. Callahan was elected in a special election to serve the remainder of Don Cunningham's 2nd term, and was later elected to serve his first term, the current term of his adminsitration.
This blogger believes that Callahan will seek re-election and will face a challenge in the primary.
Here are the list of potential primary challengers:
J. Michael Schweder- rumor has it that he will be retiring from his post at AT&T soon, and is looking at a 2009 run. Schweder is the current council president and one of the strongest critics of the Callahan administration. Mr. Schweder could receive the backing of some very influential Democrats like TJ Rooney.
Joseph Leeson, Esquire- current member of City Council, local attorney and puppet of Schweder. If Schweder does not run, expect that Leeson will, with Schweder's strong support. Leeson was the top vote getter as a candidate for council in 2005 and could a tough opponent for Callahan.
Dana Grubb- former city employee and candidate for city council. Frequent critic of the current administration. Probably does not have the support to win, but may run just to cause trouble for Callahan. Probabaly would not run if Schweder or Leeson ran.
Anthony Rybak, Esq.- local attorney and former mayoral candidate. He does not like Callahan and that may be motivation enough for him to run, again.
There it is folks, my short list of challengers to Callahan in the 2009 Mayoral Election.
Yes, believe it or not, Mayor John Callahan is able to run for another term as mayor of Bethlehem. Callahan was elected in a special election to serve the remainder of Don Cunningham's 2nd term, and was later elected to serve his first term, the current term of his adminsitration.
This blogger believes that Callahan will seek re-election and will face a challenge in the primary.
Here are the list of potential primary challengers:
J. Michael Schweder- rumor has it that he will be retiring from his post at AT&T soon, and is looking at a 2009 run. Schweder is the current council president and one of the strongest critics of the Callahan administration. Mr. Schweder could receive the backing of some very influential Democrats like TJ Rooney.
Joseph Leeson, Esquire- current member of City Council, local attorney and puppet of Schweder. If Schweder does not run, expect that Leeson will, with Schweder's strong support. Leeson was the top vote getter as a candidate for council in 2005 and could a tough opponent for Callahan.
Dana Grubb- former city employee and candidate for city council. Frequent critic of the current administration. Probably does not have the support to win, but may run just to cause trouble for Callahan. Probabaly would not run if Schweder or Leeson ran.
Anthony Rybak, Esq.- local attorney and former mayoral candidate. He does not like Callahan and that may be motivation enough for him to run, again.
There it is folks, my short list of challengers to Callahan in the 2009 Mayoral Election.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Bethlehem's Political Landscape
The City of Bethlehem's poltical landscape is interesting, to say the least. All elected officials in the city goverment are Democrats. That would make one think that the city government runs smoothly and politics in the city is boring. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
The City Council is comprised of Jean Belinski, Karen D. Dolan, Robert J. Donchez, Joseph F. Leeson, Jr., Esq, Gordon B. Mowrer, J. Michael Schweder and Magdalena F. Szabo. Mr. Schweder is the President of City Council. Ms. Szabo recently lost a bid for re-election, and will be replaced on City Council by J. William Reynolds in January 2008. (Blogger's Note: Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Donchez and Mr. Mowrer will have to run against Esther Lee, a republican, in November 2007. However this blogger feels that Ms. Lee has no chance, due to the registration edge that the Dems hold in the city.)
The Mayor is John Callahan.
There are two factions among the elected Democrats, those who side with Mayor Callahan and those who side with Mr. Schweder. Ms. Belinski and Mr. Leeson have consistently sided with Mr. Schweder on key issues. Ms. Dolan has consistently been supportive of the Mayor's agenda. Mr. Donchez and Mr. Mowrer have also been supportive of the Mayor's agenda but have been independant on some key issues. Ms. Szabo has supported Mr. Schweder's agenda, but was very supportive of the BethWorks project and the casino gaming.
The last election showcases this division. Mr. Callahan supported Mr. Donchez, Mr. Mowrer and Ron Heckman in the election. Mr. Schweder supported Ms. Szabo, Mr. Donchez and Dana Grubb. The other candidates were Mr. Reynolds and Ismael Arcelay. The order of finish was Mr. Donchez, Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Mowrer, Mr. Grubb, Ms. Szabo, Mr. Heckman and Mr. Arcelay.
It is unknown where Mr. Reynolds, an aide to State Rep. Steve Samuelson, stands. He seems to be in the middle, with a slight lean to the Callahan faction.
Who needs Republicans with Democrats like this?
The City Council is comprised of Jean Belinski, Karen D. Dolan, Robert J. Donchez, Joseph F. Leeson, Jr., Esq, Gordon B. Mowrer, J. Michael Schweder and Magdalena F. Szabo. Mr. Schweder is the President of City Council. Ms. Szabo recently lost a bid for re-election, and will be replaced on City Council by J. William Reynolds in January 2008. (Blogger's Note: Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Donchez and Mr. Mowrer will have to run against Esther Lee, a republican, in November 2007. However this blogger feels that Ms. Lee has no chance, due to the registration edge that the Dems hold in the city.)
The Mayor is John Callahan.
There are two factions among the elected Democrats, those who side with Mayor Callahan and those who side with Mr. Schweder. Ms. Belinski and Mr. Leeson have consistently sided with Mr. Schweder on key issues. Ms. Dolan has consistently been supportive of the Mayor's agenda. Mr. Donchez and Mr. Mowrer have also been supportive of the Mayor's agenda but have been independant on some key issues. Ms. Szabo has supported Mr. Schweder's agenda, but was very supportive of the BethWorks project and the casino gaming.
The last election showcases this division. Mr. Callahan supported Mr. Donchez, Mr. Mowrer and Ron Heckman in the election. Mr. Schweder supported Ms. Szabo, Mr. Donchez and Dana Grubb. The other candidates were Mr. Reynolds and Ismael Arcelay. The order of finish was Mr. Donchez, Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Mowrer, Mr. Grubb, Ms. Szabo, Mr. Heckman and Mr. Arcelay.
It is unknown where Mr. Reynolds, an aide to State Rep. Steve Samuelson, stands. He seems to be in the middle, with a slight lean to the Callahan faction.
Who needs Republicans with Democrats like this?
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