This blog did not take any overt positions on the recent primary election. Instead of profiling any candidate, I reprinted my piece on Emma Tropiano, The People's Candidate. I believe that Emma has a kindred spirit in Ce-Ce Gerlach. Now, I understand that a lot of people will take exception to my comparison, maybe even Ce-Ce herself.
Because of inaccurate media reports, Emma was falsely portrayed as bigoted. Her memory now unjustly bears that misconception. Most people today who repeat that slander never knew her. Emma was immensely popular, and easily won reelection to city council, election after election. Ce-Ce Gerlach was the top vote getter this primary, receiving almost double the votes of her fellow candidates.
As someone who knew both women, there are many similarities... Both being extremely accessible, down to earth, and making people comfortable.
Emma was energized to work hard for Allentown, as is Ce-Ce. Emma was passionate about the issues she championed, so is Ce-Ce.
I sat in diners having coffee with both of them, many years apart. I think that they would have understood and liked each other.
photo/The Morning Call
Really Mike? Enjoyed each other? Who cares? Ce-Ce getting the most votes on the D side tells us more about what's wrong with Allentown than it does about Ce-Ce. Her vote tallies are just more evidence A-Town is the epicenter of stupid. Any other municipality would have shown her the door after her performance on the school board.Expect her to blunder her way through her time on city council, spouting her ill informed Marxist ideas, identity politics, inclusive zoning...none of which will do anything but dig the hole deeper for the city.
ReplyDeleteI am becoming a believer in "victimization", in Allentown people with brains who bother to care are the victims of the many who clearly don't.
Scott, you also didn't care for Emma. Although you deny being motivated by partisanship, I doubt that there is a local Democrat who you are on the record as supporting. I also oppose inclusionary zoning. However, I do not question Ce-Ce's devotion to Allentown.
ReplyDeleteI opposed Emma because she was herself a slumlord and opposed rental inspections. I supported Democrats who supported rental inspections. I would support any Democrat who would government alleAllen wisely, can you name one? Crickets! By the way, your insinuation that I am motivated by partisanship is upside down. I am motivated to be partisan by the complete and utter failure of local Democrats to goven the city wisely and scared partisan by the dangerous radicalization, intolerant, hateful, and throughly corrupt nature of the national Democratic Party.
ReplyDeleteMs. Gerlach completed her political internship on The Allentown School Board. From what I read the A.S.D. is on the verge of collapse.Just maybe Ms. Gerlach can change her ways on Allentown Council.
ReplyDeleteHas she learned anything? That's an interesting question to ponder but not as interesting as why people would support her now based either on her past record or what she is advocating in her run for council. I have to imagine much of it is a red flag to those outside the city would might consider moving in.
ReplyDeleteEmma and Ce-Ce Gerlach may both be women, and may both have had coffee with you, but I think that’s where the similarities end.
ReplyDeleteEmma went to school with my mom, and I had the pleasure of meeting her a few times when she came to our home to visit.
Thinking back to Ms. Gerlach’s efforts to help lower-income families purchase school uniforms, Emma would have done something similar behind-the-scenes to achieve the same goal. But she would have cringed at the blatant self-promotion behind Gerlach’s efforts.
Emma was devoted to making ALL of Allentown better. She wouldn’t support policies which favored one group over another, and was often more critical of people in her own community than ‘outsiders’ were. Emma saw Allentown RESIDENTS as individual PEOPLE, not members of different groups or tribes. She expected individual effort from all, and she would never have voted for any of the agenda that Gerlach espouses.
Emma had experience in business and NEVER forgot that it was the taxpayers who paid the bill. She would not have approved the over-spending and borrowing to cover operating expenses that Ms. Gerlach blindly approved during her time as a member of the Allentown School Board.
While Emma certainly would have enjoyed sitting down with Ms. Gerlach, she would have given Gerlach an earful about the issues. Unlike today’s partisan popularity contests, in Emma’s time you had to actually have positions on issues that made sense. Once again, Ms. Gerlach doesn’t come anywhere close to Emma in that regard.
By the way Mike, I have encouraged Democrat friends of mine, who could government wisely,to run for office. They are not interested, they see how ensconced the incompetent and corruption is and don't have the stomach to challenge it, even as a D.
ReplyDeleteMay-be Ms. Gerlach will prove me wrong and not get a full time position with the Allentown School District
ReplyDeleteWhile we are on the issue of Ce-Ce I think many will agree that whether Ce-Ce is "passionate" about Allentown, or passionate about making a good living as a politician is debatable.
ReplyDeleteThe name Emma Tropiano, she of the acid tongue, still makes me cringe even 20 years latwr.
ReplyDeleteShe sent me a death threat, not kidding. I was on good terms with the local magistrate and showed it to him. He just shook his head and said something along the lines of that's Emma. He assured me it was likely just words.At that point I was relatively new to the city and wanted an informed opinion. I dropped it, and clearly she never followed through.
ReplyDelete