WE HAVE A RACE! Dennis Lieb Will Run As Write-In Candidate For West Ward Rep on City Council

Dennis Lieb, write-in candidate for West Ward representative on City Council on the steps of his home in the West Ward.

The election is Tuesday, November 3rd!

Posted by: Noel Jones


UPDATE: In addition to getting 46% of the vote in the Democratic primary, Dennis has just picked up the endorsement of the Easton Republican Committee as well:

"We decided Easton needs someone who is committed to the city, not just playing politics. Dennis has proven his commitment to all residents of the city, whether they be Democrat, Republican, Independent, or those who have become completely disenfranchised from our local political process in Easton over the years. Anybody who has seen him, or heard Dennis's ideas would be behind him. Dennis would provide a sound fiscal conservative voice for our community, which we need to navigate the tough decisions facing Easton."


~Bob Creighton, Easton Republican Committee

Until today, I had been really down about the prospect that our first-ever race for neighborhood rep on City Council would be no race at all, since Mike Fleck beat Dennis Lieb by just 41 votes in the primary, and no Republicans ran in the primary at all. Many held out hope that someone would sign up as a write-in candidate, but Dennis had decided against it and no one else stepped forward from other parties. It seemed that Fleck would waltz right into the seat without a challenge, with no debate, without our neighborhood having a real race to engage in. Then Mike Fleck disappeared to run a political campaign for the Allentown mayor, instead of engaging with our community for our election ever since. You would think that as a first-ever representative of the neighborhood, he would be doing his utmost to meet with as many residents as possible to find out what it is we want him to represent. This is disappointing as he met with me after the primary to find out what all our neighborhood meetings (that he had not attended) had been about, and then said he'd circle back around in August to reconnect. Well, it's late October, and I haven't heard a word. I have seen hide nor hair of him, with the exception of one meeting at the West Ward Neighborhood Partnership about the new newspaper coming out in December. This made me sad because our neighborhood is just beginning to shows signs of growing political will, and this is for our FIRST EVER WEST WARD REP ON COUNCIL, so it is a choice that should be made after much thought, research and debate, not out of default because there is no one else to vote for.


Well, this could be a tortoise-and-the-hare story, because Dennis Lieb decided he couldn't sit back any longer and watch it all happen in his neighborhood, and has put his name on the ballot as a write-in candidate! THE RACE IS ON.






I endorsed Dennis Lieb in the primary for many reasons:

• his progressive vision and extensive knowledge with regard to urban planning
• because I have seen him at more meetings in the last two years than I can even begin to count, from City Council, to resident meetings with the mayor, to our WW town hall meeting last year, to resident meetings with city officials with regard to street sweeping and code enforcement, to canton meetings, CACLV meetings on home loans for WW residents--he's everywhere, fighting to make the neighborhood a better place and speaking up for those who are less confident taking on the City
• his absolute passion for broader public input and grass-roots, bottom-up change in our community
• that he has the integrity and backbone of an independent thinker who is not afraid to challenge the mayor and council on our behalf and be the "no" vote on council if necessary
• his abiding love for and willingness to fight for the West Ward, and Easton, where he has lived his entire life and my confidence that he is running out of a desire to make the neighborhood better, rather than as a stepping stone to his own political aspirations
• his determination to bring passenger rail back to the Lehigh Valley
• his ability to discuss issues earnestly with people of all backgrounds and political parties, to listen and to engage with anyone truly interested in revitalizing the West Ward and Easton at large

Dennis took 46% percent of the Democratic vote in the primary, and has had both Republicans and Independents urging him to run as a write-in ever since the primary. So whereas a write-in candidate is usually a terrific underdog in any race, in this race, with Republicans and Independents able to vote this time, it may just be enough to win.

The write-in process is actually very easy, you just push a button for "write-in" and then type in the person's name on the keypad. And there will be someone outside the polls to explain the process as well.

I am repeating my prior endorsement here for Dennis Lieb, and hope that you will pass the word on and help get out the vote this Tuesday, November 3rd!

Now, since I only moved here two and a half years ago, I cannot attest to Mike Fleck's history prior to my arrival, but below is a blog article from Bernie O'Hare of Lehigh Valley Ramblings, who has been here for decades and following the political scene in the Lehigh Valley the entire time:

Lehigh Valley Ramblings Blog Article: Dennis Lieb Has A Fleckin' Surprise

Since neither the Express Times or the Morning Call has come out with an article on this late breaking news yet, I have nothing from them to post, but will follow up with their links when they do.

Whether you're for Lieb or for Fleck, please post your comments here to get the debate going--I would especially love to hear from some Republicans out there so that we can get a well-rounded discussion going!

Yours,

Noel Jones

Neighbors of Easton