Goldsack's Democratic write-in campaign unsuccessful

Bob Goldsack received 133 write-in Democratic votes for the 4-year school board term.

The county judge removed Goldsack from the Democratic ballot for substantial errors on Goldsack’s Democratic ballot filing paperwork. Goldsack and his non-profit organization, Taxpayers United, ran a write-in campaign as a result.

Goldsack’s 133 votes still put him behind the lowest vote getter, fellow TU candidate Benny Marasa. Marasa received only 243 Democratic votes.

Whether or not the lack of Democratic support for Goldsack was due to his removal from the ballot will be tested in the general election this fall. In a general election, voters can select candidates from any party. Goldsack will appear as a Republican only, having received the third most Republican votes.

Some notable recipients of write in votes, just one or two each, were:

• Dingman Delaware Middle School teacher Ruth Schneck
  
• Former DV employee and disgruntled writer of letters to the editor Tony Splendora
  
• Pike Democratic Committee chairwoman Elizabeth Forrest (ironically, a Republican vote)
  
• DV class of 2007 graduate Robert Pike
  
• R. Holdsack, whose evil twin is the current school board president
  

In the race for sheriff, Goldsack and Chuck Pike each had a write-in. Jack Bauer, from the hit Fox TV show, “24,” had several write-ins for various races.

Goldsack the only TU member to appear on ballot in fall; Fisher and Silverstone tie for 4th spot on GOP ticket; Pike sweeps 2 year term

Bob Goldsack, current school board president, will be the only Taxpayers United member to appear on the general election ballot this fall, as a Republican. His running mates Benny Marasa and Patty Wright took major losses to their opponents, and will not appear on the general election ballot.

Jack Fisher, Bill Greenlaw, Pam Lutfy and Sue Schor swept the Democratic ticket for the 4 year term. Lutfy and Schor won on the Republican side, with Goldsack taking the third most Republican votes.

Fisher and Ed Silverstone are in a tie for the fourth spot of four on the Republican ticket. The Board of Elections will recount votes to certify the election later this week to determine if one of the candidates garnered more votes than the other, according to Elizabeth Forrest, Pike Democratic party committeewoman. Both candidates can also demand recounts.

Chuck Pike swept both parties over Wright for the 2 year term. His name will appear on the general election ballot unopposed this fall.

Stay tuned to RB for DV for the latest developments over the Fisher/Silverstone tie.

Additional coverage

• ELECTION RESULTS: Bad day for Taxpayers United (Pike County Courier)
• Primary election results (PoconoNews.Net)
• Race Continues for DV School Board (News Eagle)

Silverstone says he is not affiliated with TU despite his appearance in TU mailing

Incumbent school board candidate Ed Silverstone is one of "only four Taxpayers United candidates," according to a TU mailer sent out to residents of the school district.

Silverstone has publicized himself in the local newspapers as an independent candidate who was not affiliated with either Taxpayers United or Fisher, Greenlaw, Lutfy, Pike, Schor.

"I am an independent candidate," Silverstone said in an email. "I am not affiliated with either group."


⇒ KEEP READING

Residents of the school district began receiving the TU mailer on Thursday. It includes this letter posted on RB for DV Thursday afternoon. It also includes postcards titled "Take me to the polls" with a list of the Taxpayers United candidates and their places on the ballot.

Silverstone's name appears under the list with the heading "Vote for 'only' four Taxpayers United candidates." But Silverstone said in an email Friday morning that he is not affiliated with TU.

"I am pleased that TU decided to recommend me," Silverstone said in an email. "So I'm a candidate TU is supporting and they are saying I'm a TU candidate."

The following instructions to write-in Bob Goldsack also were mailed out to Democratic voters in the school district. Goldsack's name will not appear on the Democratic ballot as per a court order after his filing paperwork was challenged.

"Taxpayer United" sends out election mailer

Taxpayers United sent out a mailer to area residents about Tuesday's primary election.

Note: this mailing once again states that since the last election, Taxpayers United "added 45 co-curricular activities (after school programs)." This number is incorrect, according to co-curricular chair Sue Schor, as previously reported on RB for DV.

Taxpayer United candidates chose not to answer the questions posed by the youth from "Future of Pike County" because the questions being asked were not the most compelling issues facing DV Taxpayers and students.

Taxpayers' United candidates and Board Members believe that in today's economic climate, the most important issue is FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY and EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE.

⇒ CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL LETTER

The youth have endorsed the Fisher Ticket because they are asking for a return to fiscal responsibility. Apparently they have neglected to do their homework. In the four years that the Fisher Ticket was in the majority, Pike County was experiencing a housing boom. Every home that was built in the district brought in new revenue, millions in transfer taxes, as well as state and federal funding; yet the Fisher Ticket raised our taxes over 20%. Why? Because they were in a spending frenzy. They spent over $800,000 on grass carpet, $60 million on bonds, $90,000 on land, on which they were ready to spend an additional $500,000 for bleachers. They attempted to buy additional land (Santos Farm) for $7 million dollars, and $2.8 million dollars on the Biondo property with the intentions of building $60 million dollar school. The Fisher Ticket over-funded the Capital Reserve by hundreds of thousand of dollars, making it Christmas in July by spending the excess on "unbudgeted items".

Even until today the Fisher "Tax and Spend Ticket" makes no apology for their spending frenzy and lays claim to being fiscally responsible. Fortunately, you the taxpayer voted them out of office. You replaced them with the Taxpayers United slate, giving us the majority. Therefore, an endorsement for the Fisher "Tax and Spend Ticket" is a step backwards, not forward.

Equally as important is the issue of our children's education. When the Fisher Ticket was in the majority, despite the massive spending our children's SAT scores were below the national average. This must change. If our children are going to compete in this global economy, they must be admitted to top universities and colleges. This will never happen if their SAT scores are not raised.

Taxpayers United board members are working with the teachers and administrators in revamping our curriculum from K to 12 in order to raise SAT scores within the next 2 years to the National average. Mr. Goldsack, Mr. Marasa and Ms. Wright are fully committed to this goal and will work with the current Taxpayers United members to make this a reality.

Unfortunately, the youth from "Future of Pike County" did not ask ONE question about our special needs students. While the Fisher Ticket was on their spending spree, special needs students were sorely over looked and under funded so much so that two of the children's parents had to sue the District in order to get what the federal and state government mandated all special needs children are entitled to.

Goldsack, Marasa and Wright are committed to improving our special needs program. DV's motto of "Educating for Life's Journey" MUST ALSO include our special needs children so their dreams and their parent's dreams of continuing on life's journey beyond DV may be realized.

This is our platform. We see these three issues as being the most important issues facing our taxpayers and our students.

In the last election cycle, Taxpayers United candidates promised taxpayers a zero tax increase, we kept our promise. We promised clean drinking water for the children of the Ding Del campus, we kept our promise. We added 45 co-curricular activities (after school programs). We hired armed school police for the safety of our children and teachers. ALL WITHOUT RAISING YOUR TAXES. We promise you continued fiscal responsibility, and as always we stand for "Higher Education Lower Taxes".

We respectfully ask for your vote on May 19,2009. VOTE FOR GOLDSACK, MARASA & WRIGHT.

View the original document (.PDF file)

Courier roundup: Meet the candidates

News

• Primary candidates’ positions Inside

• Primary candidates for Delaware Valley Schools (a meet the candidates feature with ALL of the school board candidates)
• HONOR ROLL: Delaware Valley High School Third marking period
• Jazz legend Bob Dorough to perform

Opinion

• Rebuttal to TU school board attacks (a slightly revised version of my letter posted earlier)

Opinion: Pam Lutfy supports the needs of our students best

To the editor:

In response to Diane French’s letter (click here), I would remind her of the fight Pam Lutfy has waged for 12 years while sitting on the DV School board to implement new reading and math programs, especially at the middle school and high school. How convenient that Diane French does not remember this. Perhaps Ms. French’s pathetic attempt at power has caused a memory lapse.

⇒ KEEP READING

Pam Lutfy has worked to get DV to implement research based reading programs for far longer than it has been trendy under IDEA. Over the years she has attended learning disability conferences, reading conferences, special education conferences and model schools conferences bringing back her clear vision for change, mingled with her unique background in speech and language and early childhood education. She has met with legislators and education experts from all over PA and the country investigating and questioning.

Year after year administrators and other board members had turned a deaf ear to closing the reading gap at DV, so necessary for children to succeed in our modern society. Ms. French has probably just forgotten the long fought fight that Pam won to add special education teachers, reading specialists, smaller resource rooms, research based programs and a special education principal at the high school. Pam was responsible for DV’s implementation of Special Education Roundtables which allow parents to bring concerns and suggestions to administrators. Before this, parents were often shut out of the process with their special needs children.

Ms. French probably doesn’t even know of the hours Pam has spent with parents going over IEPs and counseling. She has not counted the more than 50 roundtables Pam attended or the hours and days she has spent fighting for our kids all at the expense of her own time, family, and business.

Just recently, Ms. French selected to forget that at the April 16 board meeting, Mrs. Lutfy was the ONLY board member to remind administrators of the fact that there still remains a “black hole” in the reading program at DV. She has forgotten that Pam Lutfy continues to fight for the programs that would have allowed the 142 seniors who didn’t pass the reading PSSA and the 182 who didn’t pass the math PSSA this year to graduate with a chance of succeeding in college and beyond.

I encourage all voters to cast their vote for Pam Lutfy on election day and eliminate Goldsack and Marasa who along with Diane French and the other Taxpayer United Candidates will continue to ignore the needs of our children.

Sincerely,

Mary G. Gordon
Milford, PA

Opinion: Let's restore integrity and vision to our school board

To the editor:

On May 19 our community has the chance to restore integrity to the Delaware Valley School Board with five caring and passionate candidates: Jack Fisher, Bill Greenlaw, Pam Lutfy, Chuck Pike and Sue Schor.

⇒ KEEP READING

These five independent thinkers stand strong after months of Taxpayers United bullying.

TU's Goldsack, Marasa, Wright refused to meet with you, the taxpayers, at two Meet the Candidates events, one hosted by the hardworking volunteers in our PTAs. They refused to answer questionnaires posed by our students and by the union employees who keep our schools running. We voters haven't been worthy of any introduction from Marasa or Wright, yet they expect our votes.

All of the candidates in this election favor fiscal responsibility. Everyone feels the pain of the economic crisis.

The difference from TU is that Fisher, Greenlaw, Lutfy, Pike, Schor show they are much more in touch with the needs of taxpayers, students, teachers, parents – everyone in our community. They've volunteered for decades in our schools and community, with our PTAs, with special needs children, with Odyssey of the Mind, with our Warrior athletics, with the Rotary Club. They all have children attending or graduated from DV. They've been endorsed by the Future of Pike County and the DV Education Support Professionals.

Fisher, Greenlaw, Lutfy, Pike, Schor will keep your taxes low, but unlike TU, they will do so responsibly, with integrity, with accountability, with transparency, with careful attention to the facts, and with sensitivity to the many stakeholders the school board represents.

Instead of educating voters, TU thought it was a better use of their time to launch personal attacks on their opponents and, more sadly, on graduates from the school district they supposedly lead.

Their attacks have ashamed and hurt me. I am embarrassed at the circus TU has made of the school district I attended for 13 years.

But more importantly, their attacks have encouraged me.

They've encouraged me to major in education policy at the Maxwell School of Public Affairs. They encouraged me to intern at a New York City public school as a Participation in Government teacher this spring. The eye-opening experience of teaching in a high school where per-pupil costs exceed DV’s by thousands yet whose graduation rate is 50 percent, reinforced my position to always support educational leaders with integrity and vision.

The TU smear club has tried silencing me because I do not personally pay school taxes. They don't mention that my family proudly pays our taxes, in gratitude, to the school district that raised my brother and me. Through the tough financial times our family is also experiencing with college tuition bills and costly unexpected medical expenses, we realize the importance of good leadership for the future of Delaware Valley.

May 19 is our day to come together as a community and stop the madness. Please, let's restore virtue and vision to our school board by voting Fisher, Greenlaw, Lutfy, Pike, Schor.

Respectfully,

Ryan Balton
Milford, PA

Courier roundup: TU's "platform"

News:
Bus Contractor Pays District as Fuel use issue is settled
DVMS Art Student of the Month

Opinion:
Endorsement for board seats
A challenge for students
Taxpayers United platform (see the response from Future of Pike County PAC)

"Future of Pike" endorses Fisher, Greenlaw, Lutfy, Pike, Schor

The Future of PIke County political action committee (PAC) announced its endorsements for the Delaware Valley school board race in a blog post on Saturday.

The PAC "highly recommends" Jack Fisher, Bill Greenlaw and Pam Lutfy and "recommends" Chuck Pike and Sue Schor. The Taxpayers United slate did not even respond to a survey that the PAC issued.

UPDATE:

Read the candidate surveys (.PDF files)
All endorsements

Highly recommended
Jack Fisher
Bill Greenlaw
Pam Lutfy

Recommended
Chuck Pike
Sue Schor

Ridiculous

This letter to the editor appears in this week's Pike County Dispatch.

Best Friends

To the Dispatch:
Soon voters will decide who they want on the Delaware Valley School Board. Incumbents will be judged by their accomplishments. First time candidates will be judged by what they will bring to the DVSB. All candidates will bring their experience and skills to serve the community.

It is troubling that two people are trying to be in the limelight, as self-proclaimed authorities of who is worthy to serving on the DVSB, Nineteen-year-old Ryan Balton and his good friend Nick Troiano have gone to great lengths to discredit members of Taxpayers United who are sitting members of the DVSB as well as TU members who are candidates. If they disagree with an editorial that is written you could be branded anti-teen. Ryan Bolton sent approximately 40 e-mails in 6 weeks and 7 phone calls in one weekend toseveral DVSB members' homes, mine included! I let Nick Troiano videotape an interview with me. I hoped that he would understand a view different from his own. All I got was negative feedback.

Their advice on district issues rings empty. Neither Ryan Balton nor Nick Troiano have ever paid a school tax, They cite their 13 years at the DV school system as "experience''. They also cite Jack Fisher as their financial guru. Jack Fisher's delinquency paying taxes speaks volumes of Ryan and Nick's experience.

At a recent school board meeting Ryan asked a question of the board. The superintendent attempted to give a response. The board president had to tell Ryan at least twice to stop interrupting. It seems like some growing up is in order. TU candidates bring a lifetime of experience from the real world, such as raising families, and putting bread on the table.

Lastly, I would like to pass on some advice to Ryan and Nick which was given to me when I was 19 years old by a US Army drill instructor screaming at the top of his lungs inches from my face, "don't let your alligator mouth overload your mosquito butt" (I substituted butt for the real word that begins with "A".)

On May 19 fellow taxpayers, please vote for Taxpayer United candidates Goldsack. Marasa. and Wright. We are for " Higher Education Lower Taxes". You can take that to the bank !!!

John Kupillas
Dingmans

Courier roundup: Fighting cancer, winning awards, paying taxes

• Fighting childhood cancer one cup at a time
  
• Ding-Del math team squares off
  
• DV competes at Computer Fair
  
• Shohola celebrates ‘Read across America’
  
• No disenfranchisement in ballot challenge
  
• Schools and taxes
  

TU letter from Goldsack makes broad, debatable claims

The following letter from Taxpayers United is circulating among residents of the Delaware Valley School District.

The letter is similar to Bob Goldsack's letter to the editor that recently appeared in local newspapers. It gives sole credit to the Taxpayers United board members for various accomplishments of the school district since the last election.

One particular eye raiser is the claim that Taxpayers United has "added 45 co-curricular activities." According to an email from co-curricular chair Sue Schor, this number is not true.

"I have a recent list of all the co-curricular and clubs that we now have at the elementary, middle schools and high school," Schor said in the e-mail. "This list is from February 09. We do not have 45 new ones."

Schor said Goldsack may have mixed the numbers up.

"I am pretty sure Mr. Goldsack is referring to clubs that are held through the PTA, which I do not think the board should take credit for," Schor said. "This is hard working parents that volunteer their time for the students."

Taxpayers United
"Higher Education, Lower Taxes"
3237 Sunrise Lake
Milford, PA 18337

Dear friends of TUA,

Another election cycle is upon us for the DV School Board. We would like to thank you for your past support, but before we can ask you for your continued support, we need to review whether or not we kept our promise of "Higher Education, Lower Taxes".

1. We kept our promise of a 0% tax increase, and combined with the Homestead Act, resulted in a reduction in taxes of $379.00.

2. We promised you that we would resolve the issue of the contaminated drinking water at our Dingman's campus. By March 2009, our children will be drinking clean and safe water. We were able to do this without raising your taxes.

3. We added 4 AP courses (Advanced Placement Courses, for college prep). Without raising your taxes.

4. We added 45 co-curricular activities (after school programs). Without raising your taxes.

5. We are re-vamping our curriculum from K-12, to help our students think critically, which in turn will increase their SAT scores, that will result in higher $ in scholarships and entrance into better colleges. Without raising your taxes.

6. In today's unpredictable world, we hired armed school police for the safety of our children. Without raising your taxes.

7. We enforced a strong drug and gang prevention policy, which has proven to be effective. How do we know this? While many of our youth have protested this strong policy, the fact remains that there have been fewer drug related expulsions this year than the last school year Without raising your taxes.

We would not have been able to accomplish this without your support. We respectfully ask for your continued support in the upcoming Primary election. Our candidates this year are: Robert Goldsack, Benny Marasa and Patti Wright. Your donation is greatly appreciated and your check can be made payable to: The Committee to Elect Goldsack, Marasa, Wright. Thank you.

Respectfully,
Robert Goldsack
President, Taxpayers United
"Higher Education, Lower Taxes"

View an image of the original letter

Order of candidates on the primary ballots

According to an e-mail from candidate Jack Fisher, the school board candidates' names will be in the following order on the primary ballots:

Democrat
Two-Year Term
1) Wright
2) Pike

Four-Year Term
1) Silverstone
2) Schor
3) Fisher
4) Marasa
5) Lutfy
6) Greenlaw

Goldsack will not appear on the Democratic ballot.

Republican
Two-Year Term
1) Pike
2) Wright

Four-Year Term
1) Silverstone
2) Fisher
3) Schor
4) Greenlaw
5) Lutfy
6) Marasa
7) Goldsack

Opinion: We don't deserve the political games

Here's a letter I sent out to the local newspapers to be printed hopefully in the next week or two.

To the editor:

Petty politics and education should never mix. That is something five candidates for Delaware Valley School Board understand: Fisher, Greenlaw, Lutfy, Pike, Schor.

Sadly, Bob Goldsack’s Taxpayers United regime makes political games routine at DV.

Goldsack and TU take all the credit for the zero tax increase, when in reality, the finance committee is not even headed by a TU board member.

Goldsack fails to thank former finance chair Jack Fisher for putting the district in its secure position. Goldsack fails to discuss the state funding increase from gambling revenue. Goldsack fails to mention that the capital expenditure budget was cut drastically, meaning taxpayers will pay a ton later when a new school is needed.

Fisher, Greenlaw, Lutfy, Pike, Schor will not cut corners. They will budget and set policy in the best interest of taxpayers and students.

While taking credit for revamping curriculum, Goldsack fails to mention that last year only 84 percent of students sought higher education. This is the lowest percentage since 1999. Goldsack fails to mention that since the last election, DV High School has fallen to a “warning” status from the PA Dept. of Education.

Working to improve education is a battle fought by administrators and teachers, not by Bob Goldsack. The teachers deserve the credit, as they work in fear wondering how TU might mess up our schools.

Come see Goldsack’s “leadership” at a meeting. Be warned: he schedules some of the “public” meetings secretly – so secretly that not even the entire board always knows when they are happening. Prepare to see Goldsack and TU divulging private student information and ignoring questions from the public. See Goldsack degrade students and use profanity.

Fisher, Greenlaw, Lutfy, Pike, Schor respect all students, parents and community members. They have been active volunteers in our community for years. They stand for complete transparency.

Under Goldsack’s “leadership,” the board was brought before a judge for violating policy in October. When a TU board member resigned, the vacancy wasn’t filled within 30 days.

Goldsack was holding out for his friend Benny Marasa, who was MIA when the board was to appoint him. How many meetings has Marasa ever attended? How often does he volunteer at DV? Marasa has no public education experience and now he expects our vote, too.

We deserve better. We deserve leadership for economic and educational balance: Fisher, Greenlaw, Lutfy, Pike, Schor. We matter and they care.

Sincerely,

Ryan Balton
Delaware Valley ‘07
Milford

Official list of candidates

According to a forwarded e-mail from Pike County board of elections director, Yolanda Goldsack, these are the people who have filed for candidacy in the DV School Board race. There is one two-year seat up for election and four four-year seats. 

PATTY WRIGHT, DEM/REP ( 2 YR TERM)

CHARLES PIKE, DEM/REP, (2 YR TERM)

BILL GREENLAW, DEM/ REP ( 4 YR TERM)

ROBERT GOLDSACK, DEM/ REP (4 YR TERM)

BENNY MARASA, DEM/ REP (4 YR TERM)

ED SILVERSTONE, DEM/ REP (4 YR TERM)

PAM LUTFY, DEM/ REP (4 YEAR TERM)

SUSAN SCHOR, DEM/ REP (4 YEAR TERM)

JACK FISHER, DEM/ REP (4 YEAR TERM)

Courier roundup: Diane toots her horn and announces TU candidates

• NO NAME CALLING CONTEST
  
• Geographic tests best spellers
  
• Students get traffic safety training
  
• In regards to sports and education
  
• “It’s All About Character”
  

According to the "Character" letter by board member Diane French (stay tuned for more discussion), the three Taxpayers United candidates will be:

• Bob Goldsack
• Bernard Marasa
• Patricia Wright

Judge to appoint new board member by noon tomorrow

Judge Greg Chelak announced the court will appoint a new school board member by noon Thursday (tomorrow), after listening to candidates at today's 1 p.m. court hearing, according to multiple candidates and sources who attended the hearing. The hearing was ordered after the board failed to fill the Sept. 18 vacancy of John Wladar within 30 days and a petition was submitted by former board member and vacancy candidate Jack Fisher.

Board solicitor Mike Weinstein had earlier advised the board not to worry about appointing within 30 days.

Candidates present at the meeting were Denise Fey, Jack Fisher, Mary Gordon, Bill Greenlaw and Sue Schor. Not present were Taxpayers United favorite Bernard Marasa, who is in Florida, and I, who could not make travel accommodations on such short notice.

In Marasa's absence, current board members Deb DuCharme, Bob Goldsack and John Kupillas spoke on his behalf and presented his resume. Current board members Sue Casey and John Wroblewski endorsed Schor, and Pam Lutfy endorsed Gordon. In my absence, a letter and my resume, which I faxed to the court administrator's office early this morning, were examined at the hearing.

Current board members absent from the hearing were Diane French, who wrote a scathing letter to the editor in this week's Pike County Dispatch to be posted on the blog later this evening, and Ed Silverstone, who arrived at the end of the hearing.

Stay tuned to RB for DV - your only source for late-breaking news.