COPLAY BOROUGH
I WILL EXPRESS MY CHOICES FOR
4 COUNCIL POSITIONS, MAYOR AND
FOR WHITEHALL/COPLAYSCHOOL
BOARD.
FIRST, I WISH TO SAY THANK YOU
TO ALL OF THE CANDIDATES FOR
TAKING THE TIME AND EFFORT TO
MAKE AN ATTEMPT TO BE ELECTED
AND BECOME PART OF THE PROCESS
TO GUIDE THE FUTURE OF OUR
COMMUNITY, COPLAY. WHICH, IN
MY OPINION, ALTHOUGH NOT
PERFECT, IS THE CLOSEST THING
TO UTOPIA.
MAYOR
JOE BUNDRA IS MY CHOICE. JOE HAS
SERVED ON COUNCIL PRIOR TO BEING
APPOINTED AS MAYOR WHEN THE
POSITION BECAME VACANT BECAUSE
OF A RESIGNATION. HIS PERSONAL
EFFORTS ON OUR BEHALF WITH THE
IRONTON RAIL/TRAIL ARE UNMATCHED.
I HAVE OBSERVED JOE AND BELIEVE HE
HAS GROWN AS MAYOR WHILE
REPRESENTING COPLAY IN THE LEHIGH
VALLEY. I ALSO WORKED WITH JOE WHEN
I SERVED ON COUNCIL FOR 15 1/2 MONTHS
AS PART OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPT. JOE
CHAIRED THE STREETS DEPARTMENT AND I
WAS CHAIRMAN OF SANITATION. I ALSO
SERVED WITH HIM ON THE CONTRACT
NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE.
THE OTHER CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR.
I HAVE NEVER HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF
MEETING OR SPEAKING WITH FRANK
REICHL. IF MR. REICHL IS NOT SUCCESS-
FUL IN THIS VENTURE, I AM SURE HE WILL
HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME
INVOLVED IN SOME OTHER CAPACITY
AND BE A VIABLE CONTRIBUTOR TO THE
FUTURE PROGRESS OF COPLAY.
COUNCIL - 4 VACANCIES.
IN ORDER OF MY SELECTION.
LOU BODISH - - INCUMBENT.
LIFELONG COPLAY RESIDENT,
TOTAL PARTICIPATION IN
COPLAY A.C., WHICH HIS FATHER
HAD FOUNDED. HE SERVED IN ALL
OFFICER POSITIONS. HIS RECORD
ON COUNCIL THE LAST 4 YEARS
SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.
CHARLIE SODL - INCUMBENT.
25 YEARS WORKING INVOLVE-
MENT WITH COPLAY SPORTS.
STRONG. FACTUAL VOICE WHEN
REPRESENTING COPLAY SPORTS
AT COUNCIL MEETING IN 2002.
APPOINTED BY COUNCIL TO FILL
VACANT SEAT IN SEPT. 2012.
EFFECTIVE IN RESEARCH OF
COPLAY FIRE DEPT. WITH MANY
CHANGES IMPLEMENTED TO
UPGRADE FIRE DEPT. RECENTLY
EFFECTIVE IN GATHERING FACT-
UAL STATS CONCERNING THE
COSTLY OPERATION OF THE
CONCESSION STAND AT THE
MUNICIPAL POOL. PRESENTED
PLAN FOR CONSIDERATION
BY COUNCIL, TO EFFECTIVELY
ELIMINATE WASTE OF TAX-
PAYERS MONEY. CHARLIE HAS
BROUGHT HIS BUSINESS ACUMEN
TO THE COUNCIL TABLE.
HE HAS EARNED THE TITLE OF
"MR. ACCOUNTABILITY."
STEVE BURKER - INCUMBENT.
MR. BURKER WAS APPOINTED
SEVERAL MONTHS AGO TO FILL
THE VACANCY BY THE RESIGN-
ATION OF MIKE MAZUR. STEVE
HAS BEEN A DJ DURING HIS YEARS
OF EMPLOYMENT. HE IS CURRENTLY
A CO-OWNER OF "MY ANGEL & CO."
HE STATES THAT HE WANTS TO
HAVE HIS EFFORTS ON COUNCIL
TO BE GUIDED BY GOOD BUSINESS
PRACTICES AND NOT POLITICS.
THIS IS EVIDENT BY THE SUCCESS
OF COPLAY COMMUNITY DAYS
OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, WITH
HIM AS CHAIRMAN. HIS OPEN-
MINDED LEADERSHIP CARRIED THE
EVENT TO A SLIGHT FINANCIAL
GAIN DESPITE A MOST DISASTROUS
VISIT BY A HURRICANE OVER THE
ENTIRE WEEKEND IN 2011. LAST YEAR,
THE 2012 FESTIVAL PROVED TO BE
THE MOST SUCCESSFUL FINANCIALLY.
IT RESULTED IN FUNDS TO MAKE A
$17,000.00 UPGRADE TO THE PAVILION.
AN EXTRA DAY WAS ADDED TO THE
EVENT AND THE ENTERTAINMENT AND
CONTESTS WERE TOP GRADE.
CARL LUCKENBACH
THIS IS MR. LUCKENBACH'S SECOND
ATTEMPT TO BE A MEMBER OF COUNCIL.
HE IS A WELL REGARDED, SELF-
EMPLOYED CONTRACTOR, WHOSE
WORK PRODUCT HAS BEEN WELL
RECEIVED BY THOSE WHO UTILIZED
HIS SERVICES.
HE WILL BRING YET ANOTHER PERSON
WITH GOOD BUSINESS AND WORK ETHIC
TO THE COPLAY COUNCIL TABLE. HE HAS
STATED HE ALSO BELIEVES IN UTILIZING HIS
BUSINESS KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE,
TO GUIDE HIM IN PRUDENT ACCOUNTABILITY,
IN THE USE OF TAXPAYER MONIES WHILE
GUIDING THE BOROUGH OF COPLAY.
THE OTHER CANDIDATES.
SOPHIE KESSELRING
ALTHOUGH WE SPOKE WITH MS. KESSELRING
FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES LAST SEPTEMBER,
WE HAVE NO OTHER PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE
OF HER INVOLVEMENT IN THE COMMUNITY,
EXCEPT WHAT WAS PRINTED IN THE W/C PRESS.
SHE DID NOT RESPOND TO THE LEHIGH COUNTY
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS GUIDE. SHE IS
EMPLOYED AT KIDSPEACE AND VOLUNTEERS
AT ST. PETER'S CHURCH.
JOCELYN M. WEDGE
WE HAVE NEVER MET OR SPOKEN WITH
MS. WEDGE, WHO ALSO DID NOT RESPOND TO
THE LEHIGH COUNTY LEAGUE OF WOMEN
VOTERS GUIDE. SHE IS THE OWNER OF THE
FRIENDSHIP TREE IN BATH AND SHE WAS
THE COPLAY POOL MANAGER 2011 TO THE
PRESENT. HER STATEMENT INCLUDES
OTHER BOROUGH ACTIVITIES.
BEVERLY MILLER
MS. MILLER STATED SHE HAS SERVED
ON COUNCIL FOR 14 YEARS. ALSO A PAST
COUNCIL PRESIDENT. SHE ALSO PROVIDED
A LITANY OF ORGANIZATIONS AND
COMMITTEES SHE BELONGED TO INCLUDING
CHAIRING THE BIKE DERBY FOR 20 YEARS.
NOTE: THE INITIAL BIKE DERBY WAS HELD
BY COPLAY CRIME WATCH IN 1996 OR 1997
AND CHAIRED BY HER. I SUPPLIED HER WITH
THE RULES AND REGULATIONS BOOK FROM
THE TRAVELERS PROTECTIVE ASSN.
THERE WAS A TIME WHEN WE THOUGHT SHE
DID DECENT WORK, BUT IN OUR ESTIMATION,
THAT HAS NOT BEEN THE CASE FOR A NUMBER
OF YEARS.
CASE IN POINT: IN 2005, AS COPLAY COUNCIL
PRESIDENT, SHE CHALLENGED COPLAY FIRE CO,
NO. 1 OVER THE OWNERSHIP OF THE PROPERTY
AT 165 CHERRY ST., CLAIMING IT BELONGED TO
THE BOROUGH. SHE BLATANTLY BLOCKADED THE
PUBLIC PARKING LOT ADJACENT TO THE FIRE CO.
ON THE NORTH SIDE, NOT ALLOWING THE PUBLIC
USE OF THE LOT BY PEOPLE THAT WANTED TO
ATTEND A CRAFT SHOW BEING HELD BY COPLAY
FIRE CO. NO. 1. SHE LED COUNCIL IN ADOPTING AN
ORDINANCE IN DECEMBER 2005 WHICH SEPARATED
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FROM THE COPLAY FIRE
CO. NO. 1. THE ISSUE ENDED UP IN LEHIGH COUNTY
COURT, WHERE THE JUDGE FOUND IN FAVOR OF
COPLAY FIRE CO. NO. 1 BEING THE OWNER. THE
COST OF LITIGATION, BACK RENT AND BACK
UTILITY PAYMENTS CHARGED TO THE BOROUGH
WAS IN THE AMOUNT OF SLIGHTLY MORE THAN
$77,000.00 OF TAXPAYER MONEY.
SHE WAS ALSO INVOLVED IN AN ISSUE WITH THE
CWSA.
THE LAST TIME SHE RAN FOR RE-ELECTION,
SHE GARNERED A TOTAL OF "95 VOTES."
THE NEXT TIME SHE ATTEMPTED TO RUN FOR
OFFICE, SHE FAILED TO FILE THE PROPER
PAPERS WITH THE COPLAY BOROUGH OFFICE,
AND WAS DISQUALIFIED.
WHITEHALL/COPLAY SCHOOL DIRECTOR.
RON HELMAN
THIS IS RON'S SECOND ATTEMPT TO GAIN A
SEAT ON THE WHITEHALL/COPLAY SCHOOL
BOARD. OVER THE YEARS HE HAS SERVED IN
SEVERAL CAPACITIES FOR THE BOROUGH OF
COPLAY AND IS CURRENTLY THE "BOROUGH
CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER." COPLAY HAS
BEEN WITHOUT REPRESENTATION ON THE W/C
BOARD. COPLAY'S LAST RESIDENTS THAT
SERVED WERE MRS. JANET EISENHAUER AND
JOHN SCHREINER. WE BELIEVE THE VOTERS
IN COPLAY SHOULD RALLY ROUND RON AND
AFFORD HIM THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE THE
COMMUNITY.
GOD BLESS,
FRANK AND ANN DICKMAN
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