News, Entertainment, Enlightenment
Montco Green-lighting Apartment Construction — A little birdie told us that the The Montgomery County Commissioners, this morning (July 25) green-lighted a pile of apartment construction.
Our birdie said there was no consideration of traffic or increased school enrollment
“The suburbs are being converted into city,” our birdie said.
Montco Wrongly Credits Ex And Now Wants Her Home Says Woman — There are two sides to domestic disputes but this is Elaine Mickman’s. And if her ex-husband is earning millions and has cut his child off, shame on him. The government should not even need to be involved for him to help his son. Of course, the truly troubling thing is Ms. Mickman’s claim that Montco officials are seeking her assets because of what she says is a phony overpayment recorded for her ex-husband by a county employee. We will be keeping an eye on it and we doubt the matter is over.
To the Editor
My youngest child’s support was prematurely and illegally terminated December 2018 by Domestic Relations without due process and a required hearing that I “timely” and properly requested in writing.
Montgomery County has been silencing and suppressing my reports of employee corruption when the fraud is anti-family, harms me, endangered my child(ren), and caused the County and state to lose millions of dollars of Federal Title IV-D Matching Funding for many years, begging to wonder what or why would employees do this, and why would public officials ignore complaints and remain complicit other than “currying favors” to receive “personal benefits”.
My 2003 child support case evolved into Domestic Relations employee(s) substituting Montgomery County as a party to my case after the Support Obligor (father/my Ex residing in UK since December 2002) withdrew his Jan. 28, 2019 Petition seeking for me (100 percent physical time custodial/residential caretaker) or our minor autistic son, the child support recipient, to pay father/Ex child support because a county employee entered a $550,000 credit for Ex.
This action violated Federal Regulations/Codes which requires support payments to be sent in to the state automated system and disbursed to the custodial/residential caretaker. The credit created a “phony” overpayment so that my child or myself owes Ex child support!
I received zero divorce settlement and I have a zero-earning capacity by court order. I also was medically approved by Social Security as Permanently Disabled because I have four crushed cervical discs in my neck from domestic abuse, therefore I am dependent upon SSI (Social Security Disability).
I have been a full-time homemaker mom for 37 years without employment history since I was 19 years old.
After I raised Federal Regulation and Code violations in my Answer/Response objecting and refuting Ex’s Jan. 28, 2019 Petition, he withdrew his Petition on Feb. 11, 2019, most likely because he doesn’t want to bring attention since he earns millions of dollars per year and was defeating the entry of large child support orders.
Regardless that Ex withdrew his Petition Feb. 11, 2019, Montgomery County substituted itself as a party to my case by continuing to charge the child support so that I, or my child owe the County child support since Montgomery County has been operating an “asset-forfeiture” scheme to “collect” as much money as possible to “line their own pockets/pensions” while funding a new half- billion dollar judicial “campus”, BUT financially burdening the residents, especially targeting those in family court, with supporting a “sanctuary city”.
FYI, Pennsylvania law 23 Title 4604 prohibits liens on the primary residence public assistance recipients, therefore the County would have to illegally Sheriff my house to seek the “phony” overpayment created by corrupt Montgomery County employees, but the County can also incarcerate a person for non-payment of child support or suspend their Driver’s License.
The County Officials have violated their Oath by “assaulting” and/or abandoning the PA Constitution.
This is not complex or complicated. Corrupt County employees are abusing their positions, power, and authority, for no explainable reason other than receiving “personal benefits”, BUT at the loss of Federal funding for the County and state, and at the suffering and hardship of my child and myself.
I have records as proof, and have a sworn statement documenting what occurred, as well as that of a witness to the proceedings.
(You can’t make this stuff up)
Regards, Elaine Mickman
Dean Malik Hosted Pauline Braccio — Pauline Braccio described her 1990 rape at the hands of Montgomery County Commissioner Ken Lawrence on Friday’s (July 12) Dean Malik Show.
The rape occurred after a friend of Lawrence drugged her, she says.
We’ve written about it but hearing her own words gives it unexpected power.
Yes, we believe her.
A podcast of the show is here. Malik’s other guests included Juanita Broaddrick. Pauline comes on at the 49:40 mark.
The Dean Malik Show airs noon Fridays on WWDB 860 AM.
Considering the behavior among Montco GOP commissioner candidates — yes Joe Gale and Jeff Salvino you are getting blamed for this too — we fear Lawrence will be returned to office.
We have not heard any prominent Republican condemn, attack or even question Lawrence but we’ve certainly heard them go after each other.
The Democrats have circled the wagons around this protege of Josh Shapiro while the Republicans have created a circular firing squad. Call it how to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and let injustice go unpunished.
Ambler Tranquility Off The Beaten Path
By John W. Gilmore
Since the invention of the internet and better technology, small towns with a lot of activities are the places that offer the best of both worlds — the excitement of the city and the warmth of a small community. Many of the small towns in Montgomery county and other areas, like some of the sections of Philadelphia, are beginning to blossom and offer the type of community people want. The borough of Ambler in Montgomery County, Pa. offers the tranquility of a small town with a lot of activity. It is easy to walk the streets instead of driving, while taking full advantage of the many amenities. There is a building boom taking place. Houses and condos are being built rapidly, or renovated, in this town that has been recognized as the best small town in PA by Thrillist Travel in 2017. The infrastructure that suits the millennial population’s need has developed.
There is no need to drive all the way to the next city or even downtown. You can easily walk or bike. Even so, if you want to drive or are a visitor you can. There are meters in the downtown section. During lunchtime hours, after six, and Sundays they are all free. If you cannot find parking on the street there is a large municipal parking lot right at the center of all of the activity. You can also find parking in the nearby residential areas on the street. No need to drive all the way to the city anymore. You can find the activities right there and not bring the car. You can walk if you’re a resident, or bike, if you would like, to get to the exciting, hot spots.
Just down Main Street you see two coffee shops plus other places that sell coffee, ice cream parlors, Gelato bars, Indian Mexican food restaurants, and even large Yoga studios, dance classes, hardware stores, and pizza shops. On week nights the trees are lit up in a girdle of bright, white lights, along the main street that gives adds to the festive atmosphere. Crowds of people mill around traveling to various places. The crowds are not overwhelming and hard to navigate. There is a feeling of excitement in the air. One can get around easily looking at the various shops. Music is pouring out of some of the restaurants. People are talking — some are eating water ice and others are going in and out of Limon’s Mexican Restaurant. Everything is alive and buzzing.
You hear a band playing at the Lucky Well, right across the street from the Ambler Theater, a Non-Profit 501c3 membership theater that plays both first run and alternative movies. Want live theater? In the same block Act ll theater offers live performances of plays and musical performances. Just at the end of the Main Street you walk into the Sweet Briar Cafe, famous for its many flavors of ice cream and deserts. It serves you a variety of meals. Breakfast lunch and dinner served in a warm setting with friendly waitstaff. Several booths located close together permit the unplanned conversation between residents of the community while dining and relaxing. It is a small town where people know each other.
If you want more you can explore the many other shops and stores off the beaten path, but close to Main Street. You can enjoy many festivals during the summer including a Restaurant Week Festival, The Annual Ambler Bike Race, and just south of the town a trail that is an extension of Wissahickon Park Trail. Very close by in the town of Gwyned, celebrate the coming of autumn by sampling many types of beer at the Oktoberfest. These are just a few things happening that you can take advantage of in this small, but growing, exciting town.
Ken Lawrence Responds To Rape Allegation — Pauline Braccio tells us that Montco Commissioner Kenneth Lawrence has finally got around to responding to her claim that he raped her in 1990. He said at yesterday’s (June 20) Montgomery County Commissioner meeting that the allegation is false and it never happened.
OK, Ken what is false and never happened? That you and Pauline did not attend Montgomery County Community College together in 1990? That you were both in student activities? That you did not attend a school sponsored student-activities retreat together in the Poconos?
In an affidavit and numerous public statements, Pauline says she was pressured into taking a single drink at a party after which she passed out and woke up on a path to her cabin with you penetrating her.
Is that what you are saying didn’t happen?
Hmmm. Pauline says that when she returned to school stories were spread that she got drunk and misbehaved at the retreat, leading to an admonishment by a faculty advisor and general shaming.
Is that what you are saying didn’t happen? Be careful, that’s something that can be corroborated. What also can be corroborated is if Pauline had a history of drunkenness and hard partying. Do you really want to go there?
We think you did something vile in 1990 and truly harmed a person’s life. A one-off statement without addressing the specifics is not going to change our mind.
Stan Casacio Peace Offering — Just heard from the great and influential Stan Casacio, who is seeking to bring peace and unity to Montco after a bitter primary battle for county commissioner.
Stan says he would like to reach out to incumbent Joe Gale who remains angry at the county GOP for dirty deeds done nine days ago.
Gale, as per election-night tallies, was the top Republican vote-getter for the two seats on the Nov. 5 ballot. He ran as a ticket, however, with his brother Sean who finished third behind Fred Conner.
The county GOP claimed it would not make an endorsement but a “green ballot” with a strong resemblance to the official one was distributed at polling places with only Conner’s name. The ballot had been paid for by paid by “Citizens for Conner.”
The Gales think that’s what led to Conner’s victory over Sean.
Stan, who had nothing to do with the ballot and holds no official position with the county party other than committeeman, notes that politics are dirty.
“Jeff (Salvino) is upset because he didn’t think of it first,” Stan says regarding the Gales’ hard-nosed campaign manager.
The three-person board now controlled by Democrats Valerie A. Arkoosh and Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr. is mandated to have one member be of the minority party.
It is a fear that Gale and Conner factions will “bullet-vote” rather than work as a team and go for all the marbles.
“A certain part of the deal has to be trust,” says Stan.
Stan is running for county controller with the party endorsement.
Stan, like Joe, is a proven corruption fighter. Stan took on the Republican establishment at much aggravation and cost to himself when it wasn’t cool to do so. He was instrumental in starting Joe’s campaign four years ago.
Stan says he will back Joe for board chairman and even further, which will become a very real possibility as Joe will get much of the credit if the GOP flips the county.
The Democrat incumbents are beatable. Stan says rank and file members of that party are telling him they are very unhappy with Arkoosh and will not be voting for her, while Lawrence is being dogged by allegations of having committed rape. Yes, we believe Pauline.
Joe Gale Smears Show Establishment Fears — Maybe the greatest service provided Donald Trump is exposing the mind-blowing political corruption that has been impoverishing us for decades and the extent of which we have been blissfully unaware.
The corruption is the same regardless of the party in power.
Montgomery County residents have been getting flyers attacking incumbent county Commissioner Joe Gale as the Republican Party primary approaches May 21.
Gale is accused of of such vile deeds as “Voting With Democrats 96 Percent Of The Time”.
Really? Montco is run by three commissioners, one of whom is required by law to be of the minority party.
The vast majority of votes concern mundane matters such as filling county jobs, allocating funds, and honoring community groups.
Joe can either be a partisan jerk and nay every vote turning himself into a joke, or he can save his ammunition for the important stuff.
Joe, a true corruption fighter, wisely chooses the latter, and does so with great effect. A case in point is the Montco Justice Center scandal.
That the team he plays for is the citizen taxpayer and not the Montgomery County Republican Committee has caused fear and panic among the party leadership.
The flyers, we understand, are being produced by something called Hometown Freedom Action Network, a political action committee dwelling deep in the Washington swamp. What’s up with that?
Also a little birdy told us that some of the trash being thrown at Joe is being fed to the GOP swampers by fellow commissioner Ken Lawrence.
Montco Commissioner Faces Rape Accusation From 1990 — A Montgomery County woman is accusing county commissioner Vice Chairman Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr. and another man, of drugging and raping her in 1990, while they were students at Montgomery County Community College. Pauline Braccio of Towamencin Township says the rape occurred while they were on a student government retreat in Pike County in the Poconos.
Lawrence would have been 18 at the time.
She accused Lawrence to his face at the Sept. 9 Montco Commissioners meeting, video below.
Ms. Braccio signed an affidavit, published below, notarized by Joseph Ronald Ceccola on Oct. 10.
We have redacted the last name and home town of the other man as he is a private citizen, has not been charged with anything, and was not mentioned in Ms. Braccio’s public comments.
Ms. Braccio says she was inspired to come forth by the MeToo Movement.
She says she reported the matter to State Police in Pike County last June 25, speaking to Trooper Cabets. She also said she was interviewed by the FBI on Nov. 2. She said the FBI and Pike County District Attorney Raymond J. Tonkin told her the matter couldn’t be prosecuted because the statute of limitations had passed.
She says she plans on attending these meetings until Lawrence resigns.
“I will go to every meeting because I want him to look at my face,” she said.
As of 3 p.m., Lawrence did not respond to a morning email for a comment.
Here is Ms. Braccio’s affidavit:
Here is Ms. Braccio’s appearance before the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 9.
Montco Leaders Obsessed With Defeating Joe Gale — The Montgomery County Republican Party and other suburban swamp factions have recruited three candidates in hopes of taking out Joe Gale and his running-mate, Sean Gale, in the May 21 primary. In the process, the Gales are being subjected to vicious social media attacks by the flunky class and one former failed leader.
This is strange because Joe Gale is a very popular incumbent Republican county commissioner.
Montco has three commissioners, one of whom must always be a member of the minority party.
Incumbents are rarely the target for party bosses, who prefer to minimize boat rocking.
Of course, when the incumbent is a boat rocker himself and is threatening to capsize the whole sweet uni-party deal, the establishment cannot help themselves.
Joe is running for reelection with his brother Sean. If both are the Republican nominees on the general election ballot this would give Republicans the best chance to win back control of the county from the spend-happy Democrats considering the Gale Brothers have strong support from not just rank-n-file Republicans, but Independent voters and old-school Democrats.
Winning control of the county should be the goal of the party leadership you would think, but we suspect that is not the case. One can make a lot of money in second place we are learning (i.e. – ‘go along to get along’ wink-wink).
What is drawing the ire of the political class from both parties is Joe’s willingness to call attention to the bald corruption sucking the blood of the county taxpayers.
In his very first budget he pointed out the burden an 11 percent tax hike would impose.
More recently, Commissioner Gale revealed the scandalous and unnecessary cost of new justice center.
What he did most recently — see below — is what really caused the vampire to shriek.
At this month’s meeting (Feb. 7), Joe courageously declared many ugly truths. He said just defeated State Sen. John Rafferty who had represented the 44th District since 2003 had received a half-million dollars in union contributions over the course of his career including from indicted IBEW boss John Dougherty.
He pointed out that Johnny Doc actively lobbied his fellow commissioners for the project labor agreement that is adding so much to the cost of justice center.
He said that Gov. Tom Wolf and Sen. Bob Casey also lobbied for the agreement. What’s up with that? Why is a U.S. senator getting involved in a local project? Joe, of course, gives the ugly answer. Again watch the video.
Then Joe got to the really really ugly truth.
“What I’ve come to learn as commissioner is that many times it’s not about conservatism ideology and liberalism ideology, it’s a business,” he said. “And the Republican Party bosses are the best friends of the Democrat Party bosses and they collude to have power.”
And then he went there. He pointed out the county’s commerce director — a high-paid, do nothing job — when Josh Shapiro was running things was the wife of now state Republican Chairman Val DiGiorgio. At the time Val was merely head of the Chesco GOP but he like Josh who is now the state attorney general and the rising star of the Democrat Party had eyes on bigger things.
He pointed out that the former Montco GOP head, Mike Vereb, now works for Shapiro. Vereb is his Director of Government Affairs. It’s a six-figure job.
“It’s establishment collusion,” Joe said.
And he’s right. Again check the video.
By the way, Johnny Doc has given $180,000 to Shapiro.
GOP Misogyny Is My Experience In Montco
By Susan Jane Goldner
So, let me get this straight . . .
The former MontCo Chair Vereb, who resigned to take a cushy position created for him under our very progressive liberal state Attorney General Josh Shapiro in ‘15 (year we lost every row office) is allowed to get away with slander and libel against a sitting incumbent Republican Joe Gale running for re-election for County Commissioner and I’m not allowed to critique candidates up for office as a Committeewoman? Got it. But I suppose I’m not allowed to screenshot THEIR posts…
See what’s going on, folks?
The “protection of women” statement by Vereb is remarkable considering I was physically assaulted by one top party leader at the last party convention in May ‘18, called derogatory names as well by the same sleazebag, then five months later told to “shut my stupid mouth” by my State Rep’s husband who also sat on my committee for questioning legislation. Both of these men are in their late years and are why we’re in the God-awful situation we’re in. There is no such thing as protection of women in PA politics that I’ve ever known of.
Vote Joe Gale is certainly not the problem.
The greasy old men in the GOP are the problem, along with the fact that the swamp can’t simply disagree and agree to let the people decide. They have to resort to blackmail, intimidation, and extortion to remove candidates and committeepeople they don’t want. And the women who do not stand up for other women when they witness verbal, sexual, physical assaults are right there beside them.