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Michael Donovan Ethics Board Whitewash

Watch WFMZ-TV 69 News's courageous coverage of the Allentown Ethics Board's shameful dismissal of our Ethics Complaint against Allentown City Council Vice President (for now) W. Michael Donovan.

Then contrast & compare it w/ The Morning Call "newspaper's" skillfully incomplete coverage (curiously, no online comments were allowed) and the deceit-laden (and again, comments-disabled) volunteer "offensive" by under-achieving Morning Call "columnist" Bill White.

It's like the "newspaper" is covering a totally different story.

In its 100% Integrity-Free reporting on the Ethics Board's ruling, The Morning Call actually quotes Chris Casey and [Redacted] as character witnesses for Donovan ... but somehow forgets on purpose to mention that these same two cretins, posting (and signing) vile comments at Donovan's blog, were responsible for Donovan getting hauled in front of the Ethics Board to begin with.

Michael Donovan Ethics Board Whitewash

Watch WFMZ-TV 69 News's courageous coverage of the Allentown Ethics Board's shameful dismissal of our Ethics Complaint against Allentown City Council Vice President (for now) W. Michael Donovan.

Then contrast & compare it w/ The Morning Call "newspaper's" skillfully incomplete coverage (curiously, no online comments were allowed) and the deceit-laden (and again, comments-disabled) volunteer "offensive" by under-achieving Morning Call "columnist" Bill White.

It's like the "newspaper" is covering a totally different story.

In its 100% Integrity-Free reporting on the Ethics Board's ruling, The Morning Call actually quotes Chris Casey and [Redacted] as character witnesses for Donovan ... but somehow forgets on purpose to mention that these same two cretins, posting (and signing) vile comments at Donovan's blog, were responsible for Donovan getting hauled in front of the Ethics Board to begin with.

Re-Loading ... and Re-Filing our Ethics Complaint against Michael Donovan

As an astute commenter at our previous post pointed out, the Allentown Ethics Board's ludicrous June 2nd ruling on Allentown City Council Vice President (for now) Michael Donovan being "Not Guilty of Anything" was a lot like umpire Jim Joyce's tragically blown call at first base this week that cost Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game.

It's a good analogy. Our case, our logic, our evidence, and especially our presentation against Cedar Crest College Ethics Professor (for now) Mike Donovan were all perfect. Quite simply (like umpire Jim Joyce), the Allentown Ethics Board just flat-out blew the call, and in plain sight of everyone. Ump Jim Joyce feels awful about his glaringly obvious screw-up. The Allentown Ethics Board (Big Difference) could not care less about theirs. But this is not a problem, because we'll be refiling our perfecto complaint against Donovan, and in those inevitably upcoming "extra innings," the Allentown Ethics Board will have no choice but to correct their glaring error and make the right call.

Here's how this is gonna work, easy as 1, 2, 3.

1. In post blown-call news reports on 69 News and in The Morning Call "newspaper," the Allentown Ethics Board is quoted as saying that Allentown's Ethics Code needs to be updated to acknowledge the cyber realities of Allentown elected officials like O'Hare-Duped Dunce Donovan using (and abusing) social media such as blogs, Facebook, etc. We couldn't agree more ... and so ... we're gonna assertively hold the Allentown Ethics Board accountable on this-- that is, we're gonna (politely yet persistently) insist that they write new "Cyber Ethics Codes" in 90 days or less. Yep. And hey, if they're really serious about updating the Ethics Code, 90 days seems perfectly do-able to us. And if they disagree, or try to avoid their own published advice to themselves, we'll want to know why, and we'll of course have ongoing reports for you exclusively (natch) here at LVS. In an email to the Allentown Ethics Board Board today, we've already asked them when the citizens of Allentown can expect to take delivery on their new & improved "Cyber Ethics Codes" and that we'll be checking back in w/ them regularly on their progress. So the selfless and civic-minded ball is already rolling on our end ... and please, no standing ovations, please take your seats again and remain on the sheepish Swiss sidelines until something like this is perpetrated on you.

2. O'Hare-Duped Dunce Donovan will of course refuse to delete any of the hundreds of vile, sadistically cruel, and libelous anti-Villas comments at his blog that were posted and signed by Chris Casey and Bernie O'Hare and that Donovan so "sincerely" (wink wink) expressed concern about on 69 News where Donovan (w/ a straight face) alleges these hundreds of comments maybe "accidentally" (wink wink) slipped past his faulty manual comment moderation system for several weeks, w/ out mentioning this un-civilly telling comment from Donovan hisself: "I am just going to let all comments run. They are fun to read." Whatever. We have hard copy if he does delete them.

3. We re-file our ethics complaint against Donovan citing the new Cyber Ethics Codes and Mike Donovan is called "out" at home. And at City Council. Parking Authority. AEDC. Arts Commission. And Cedar Crest College. Just sayin'. Heck, we'll even give "Trexlertown Chris & Nazareth Bernie" another chance to address the ALLENTOWN Ethics Board and B.O. can sit next to his pal Chuck Fonzone on the dais. Won't matter. Because under the City's new Cyber Ethics Codes, outrageous cyber transgressions by an Allentown elected official, like what Donovan did to us, will be actionable. For example, now a noteworthy "no no" will include ...

a) Blog-inflicting emotional distress upon grief-stricken Allentown families

b) sadistic cruelty, e.g., alleging necrophilia participation w/ deceased offspring

c) criminal harassment

d) libel

e) threatening to boycott/disrupt Allentown art performances

... and so forth, and so on, and herewith, and get on this for us ASAP, would ya JJ?

But wait just a second there Billy Boy, you might say, how about a statute of limitations? Or how about the Ethics Board just plain rigs it so that you CAN'T refile your complaint against Donovan?!

Well, I say, we'll find a way around that too, if and when we have to, and if the Allentown Ethics Board is brazen (and dumb) enough to even try blocking the reentry door on moi.

Bottom Line: The Villas always find a way to win and we'll win this one too, easily, and w/ typical Villas panache, so you keep watchin'.

Re-Loading ... and Re-Filing our Ethics Complaint against Michael Donovan

As an astute commenter at our previous post pointed out, the Allentown Ethics Board's ludicrous June 2nd ruling on Allentown City Council Vice President (for now) Michael Donovan being "Not Guilty of Anything" was a lot like umpire Jim Joyce's tragically blown call at first base this week that cost Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game.

It's a good analogy. Our case, our logic, our evidence, and especially our presentation against Cedar Crest College Ethics Professor (for now) Mike Donovan were all perfect. Quite simply (like umpire Jim Joyce), the Allentown Ethics Board just flat-out blew the call, and in plain sight of everyone. Ump Jim Joyce feels awful about his glaringly obvious screw-up. The Allentown Ethics Board (Big Difference) could not care less about theirs. But this is not a problem, because we'll be refiling our perfecto complaint against Donovan, and in those inevitably upcoming "extra innings," the Allentown Ethics Board will have no choice but to correct their glaring error and make the right call.

Here's how this is gonna work, easy as 1, 2, 3.

1. In post blown-call news reports on 69 News and in The Morning Call "newspaper," the Allentown Ethics Board is quoted as saying that Allentown's Ethics Code needs to be updated to acknowledge the cyber realities of Allentown elected officials like O'Hare-Duped Dunce Donovan using (and abusing) social media such as blogs, Facebook, etc. We couldn't agree more ... and so ... we're gonna assertively hold the Allentown Ethics Board accountable on this-- that is, we're gonna (politely yet persistently) insist that they write new "Cyber Ethics Codes" in 90 days or less. Yep. And hey, if they're really serious about updating the Ethics Code, 90 days seems perfectly do-able to us. And if they disagree, or try to avoid their own published advice to themselves, we'll want to know why, and we'll of course have ongoing reports for you exclusively (natch) here at LVS. In an email to the Allentown Ethics Board Board today, we've already asked them when the citizens of Allentown can expect to take delivery on their new & improved "Cyber Ethics Codes" and that we'll be checking back in w/ them regularly on their progress. So the selfless and civic-minded ball is already rolling on our end ... and please, no standing ovations, please take your seats again and remain on the sheepish Swiss sidelines until something like this is perpetrated on you.

2. O'Hare-Duped Dunce Donovan will of course refuse to delete any of the hundreds of vile, sadistically cruel, and libelous anti-Villas comments at his blog that were posted and signed by Chris Casey and Bernie O'Hare and that Donovan so "sincerely" (wink wink) expressed concern about on 69 News where Donovan (w/ a straight face) alleges these hundreds of comments maybe "accidentally" (wink wink) slipped past his faulty manual comment moderation system for several weeks, w/ out mentioning this un-civilly telling comment from Donovan hisself: "I am just going to let all comments run. They are fun to read." Whatever. We have hard copy if he does delete them.

3. We re-file our ethics complaint against Donovan citing the new Cyber Ethics Codes and Mike Donovan is called "out" at home. And at City Council. Parking Authority. AEDC. Arts Commission. And Cedar Crest College. Just sayin'. Heck, we'll even give "Trexlertown Chris & Nazareth Bernie" another chance to address the ALLENTOWN Ethics Board and B.O. can sit next to his pal Chuck Fonzone on the dais. Won't matter. Because under the City's new Cyber Ethics Codes, outrageous cyber transgressions by an Allentown elected official, like what Donovan did to us, will be actionable. For example, now a noteworthy "no no" will include ...

a) Blog-inflicting emotional distress upon grief-stricken Allentown families

b) sadistic cruelty, e.g., alleging necrophilia participation w/ deceased offspring

c) criminal harassment

d) libel

e) threatening to boycott/disrupt Allentown art performances

... and so forth, and so on, and herewith, and get on this for us ASAP, would ya JJ?

But wait just a second there Billy Boy, you might say, how about a statute of limitations? Or how about the Ethics Board just plain rigs it so that you CAN'T refile your complaint against Donovan?!

Well, I say, we'll find a way around that too, if and when we have to, and if the Allentown Ethics Board is brazen (and dumb) enough to even try blocking the reentry door on moi.

Bottom Line: The Villas always find a way to win and we'll win this one too, easily, and w/ typical Villas panache, so you keep watchin'.

"Donovan Not Guilty of Anything," Ethics Board hisses, then slithers away ...

Whoa. And WOW.

It was way worse of a whitewash sham/scam than anything we had even expected. And we've seen some pretty crony/cozy case fix doozies in the past few years, and some nifty failed fix attempts at shutting us up. None have worked and this latest muzzle won't work either. We'll continue speaking truth to power around here and YELLING it, whenever appropriate.

The three "person" Allentown "Ethics" (wink wink) Board, Rev. Dr. Grant Harrity, Rev. Canon Maria Tjeltveit, Hugh J. Gallagher, actually commended Donovan for not using any City letterhead or stationery in the commission of his outrageous transgressions against my family, or some such, we haven't re-read their "findings" yet.

Here's my complaint again, which, in a nut shell, is that I, um, "take offense" at being falsely and sadistically and libelously portrayed at Donovan's blog (w/ the published approval of Donovan) as being a "convicted criminal" who has made "terroristic threats against DA Jim Martin," while also having "threatened to kill employees of The Morning Call," and that I engage in necrophilia with my deceased daughter.

Yep. Allentown City Council Vice President (for now) and Cedar Crest College Ethics Professor Mike Donovan giddily published those and hundreds of other equally vile comments at his blog against me and my family, at one point chiming in hisself w/ a comment that read, "I am just going to let all comments run. They are fun to read ..."

I guess the abbreviated Allentown Ethics Board thinks I'm just "oh too thin-skinned" or something, but in any case, they like Mike! AND, the two non-Allentonians they waived their own "Allentown Only" speakers rule on and allowed to address the Board. And these two were the same two cretins who had posted and signed all those vile comments at Donovan's blog that had put their political pally Donovan in the ethical hot seat to begin w/ ... vile comments (13 pages worth) that the "Ethics" Board had (presumably?) read in my submitted evidence.

"Ethics" Board Attorney Charles J. Fonzone actually greeted disgraced ex-lawyer O'Hare w/ a kiddingly warm, "Hi Bernie, looks like you've gained some weight." Only in Allentown. And Bethlehem. Wind Gap. Nazareth. Easton. And all of Lehigh & Northampton counties. O'Hare-Duped Dunces are everywhere.

BTW, other Team Donovan/Casey/O'Hare members in attendance cheering on Donovan included spooky GOP RightWingNut Dr. Bob Romancheck, Morning Call "columnist" and O'Hare shit-lover Bill White, and shameless blog publicity whore and community disorganizer Alfonso Todd.

UpDate: Here's a relatively fair & balanced report from 69 News ... they're "getting" a lot of the story out there, although Donovan's "innocent" (wink wink) "maybe I should moderate my blog more closely" act is really pathetic theatre. Donovan passively/aggressively whipped up a blog frenzy against The Villa family for weeks and he let that necrophilia comment stand for 17 hours before deleting it only because we called him out on it here. Ask A-Town City Council President Mike D'Amore about all this, the Donovan Ethics Debacle developed over time, w/ Donovan fanning the flames. And if Donovan's really concerned about those hundreds of vile comments that somehow (wink wink) "slipped by him," any plans to delete them, Mike?

6/3 UpDate: There's a skillfully incomplete account in today's Morning Call "newspaper." Incredibly, they quote O'Hare as a Donovan "character" (wink wink) witness but conveniently forget to mention that it was O'Hare who posted and signed 50% of the vile comments on Donovan's blog that got Donovan hauled in front of the Ethics Board (Casey signed the other 50%). Then they link to O'Hare's blog ("Other Allentown Sources") where you can read Donovan's response to my Ethics Board complaint which Donovan has provided to his political Svengali pally O'Hare as an exclusive. Hey, that's what "Closed Loop Cronyism" friends are for, I guess. And guess what: the cozy cronies are now colluding in plain sight, because they know you don't care and you won't be doing anything about it. Excellent Question: How come The Morning Call doesn't link to 69 News as another "Allentown Source?"

"Donovan Not Guilty of Anything," Ethics Board hisses, then slithers away ...

Whoa. And WOW.

It was way worse of a whitewash sham/scam than anything we had even expected. And we've seen some pretty crony/cozy case fix doozies in the past few years, and some nifty failed fix attempts at shutting us up. None have worked and this latest muzzle won't work either. We'll continue speaking truth to power around here and YELLING it, whenever appropriate.

The three "person" Allentown "Ethics" (wink wink) Board, Rev. Dr. Grant Harrity, Rev. Canon Maria Tjeltveit, Hugh J. Gallagher, actually commended Donovan for not using any City letterhead or stationery in the commission of his outrageous transgressions against my family, or some such, we haven't re-read their "findings" yet.

Here's my complaint again, which, in a nut shell, is that I, um, "take offense" at being falsely and sadistically and libelously portrayed at Donovan's blog (w/ the published approval of Donovan) as being a "convicted criminal" who has made "terroristic threats against DA Jim Martin," while also having "threatened to kill employees of The Morning Call," and that I engage in necrophilia with my deceased daughter.

Yep. Allentown City Council Vice President (for now) and Cedar Crest College Ethics Professor Mike Donovan giddily published those and hundreds of other equally vile comments at his blog against me and my family, at one point chiming in hisself w/ a comment that read, "I am just going to let all comments run. They are fun to read ..."

I guess the abbreviated Allentown Ethics Board thinks I'm just "oh too thin-skinned" or something, but in any case, they like Mike! AND, the two non-Allentonians they waived their own "Allentown Only" speakers rule on and allowed to address the Board. And these two were the same two cretins who had posted and signed all those vile comments at Donovan's blog that had put their political pally Donovan in the ethical hot seat to begin w/ ... vile comments (13 pages worth) that the "Ethics" Board had (presumably?) read in my submitted evidence.

"Ethics" Board Attorney Charles J. Fonzone actually greeted disgraced ex-lawyer O'Hare w/ a kiddingly warm, "Hi Bernie, looks like you've gained some weight." Only in Allentown. And Bethlehem. Wind Gap. Nazareth. Easton. And all of Lehigh & Northampton counties. O'Hare-Duped Dunces are everywhere.

BTW, other Team Donovan/Casey/O'Hare members in attendance cheering on Donovan included spooky GOP RightWingNut Dr. Bob Romancheck, Morning Call "columnist" and O'Hare shit-lover Bill White, and shameless blog publicity whore and community disorganizer Alfonso Todd.

UpDate: Here's a relatively fair & balanced report from 69 News ... they're "getting" a lot of the story out there, although Donovan's "innocent" (wink wink) "maybe I should moderate my blog more closely" act is really pathetic theatre. Donovan passively/aggressively whipped up a blog frenzy against The Villa family for weeks and he let that necrophilia comment stand for 17 hours before deleting it only because we called him out on it here. Ask A-Town City Council President Mike D'Amore about all this, the Donovan Ethics Debacle developed over time, w/ Donovan fanning the flames. And if Donovan's really concerned about those hundreds of vile comments that somehow (wink wink) "slipped by him," any plans to delete them, Mike?

6/3 UpDate: There's a skillfully incomplete account in today's Morning Call "newspaper." Incredibly, they quote O'Hare as a Donovan "character" (wink wink) witness but conveniently forget to mention that it was O'Hare who posted and signed 50% of the vile comments on Donovan's blog that got Donovan hauled in front of the Ethics Board (Casey signed the other 50%). Then they link to O'Hare's blog ("Other Allentown Sources") where you can read Donovan's response to my Ethics Board complaint which Donovan has provided to his political Svengali pally O'Hare as an exclusive. Hey, that's what "Closed Loop Cronyism" friends are for, I guess. And guess what: the cozy cronies are now colluding in plain sight, because they know you don't care and you won't be doing anything about it. Excellent Question: How come The Morning Call doesn't link to 69 News as another "Allentown Source?"

Michael Donovan Ethics Debacle Attracts Local Media and Statewide Interest

[5/30 Update: "Donovan Ethics Debacle Attracts Local Media" has been honored as the #1 most influential per post blog in Pennsylvania this week by BlogNet News. "Merci," to our legions of loyal LVS readers, statewide.]

[5/27 Update: Donovan Ethics Investigation on Channel 69 News. Q. Can Donovan really request a hearing after an official Advisory Opinion (that he doesn't like) is issued by the Ethics Board, as he's quoted in 69's coverage? We have a clarification inquiry in to the Allentown Ethics Board, stay tuned ...]

[5/27 Updated Update: Readers, plugging in JJ Eaton III's numbers, it looks like Donovan's window of opportunity to request a hearing as I had challenged him to do has expired, either on May 21 (if counting by calendar days) or (oopsie) yesterday, if counting by business days. So ... on 69 News @ 5:00pm yesterday, when 69 reported that Donovan "will appeal and request a hearing if the Ethics Board rules against him," did Donovan totally dupe Rob Vaughn & Company? Or (and we don't wanna believe this) was 69 News attempting to dupe its viewers on behalf of Donovan? We have a request for a comment in to 69 News Director Brad Rinehart and on-air personality Rob Vaughn, stay tuned ... UpDate on Updated Update: Brad Rinehart responds (Merci, Brad), see "Comments" section]

[5/27 Updated Update on Update: If JJ Eaton III's "forward" of the Villa's complaint to Donovan on May 5 was electronic (email) and Donovan received it May 5, then yeah, looks like time's up for Donovan regarding requesting a hearing. However, if JJ's "forward" was via U.S. Mail (and we don't know; and JJ could say anything), Donovan would then indeed have more time (and maybe as much as a week more, U.S. Mail) to Accept The Bill Villa Challenge and Request a Hearing.]

Original Post Starts Here

There's a decent story in Wednesday's Morning Call on the ethics complaint we filed against A-Town City Councilperson Mike Donovan, by Jarrett Renshaw.

Not sure why Sheena's death and my "tanglings" w/ Jim Martin and The Morning Call are part of a story on an ethics investigation of Mike Donovan (wink wink) and [Corrections & Clarifications] there were two (2) courtroom "spats" w/ local bloggers, one in Northampton County, and another in Lehigh County, and I prevailed (easily) in both cases, w/ a third case in progress. Other than that, we thought Renshaw's article was kinda fair.

We are anticipating that this stunningly deceitful quote from Donovan in the article will back-fire on him like an exploding cigar. It should anyway ...

"... all of us who have been attacked wish Mr. Villa would see that we wish no harm to him or his family," Donovan said.

Really, Mike? No harm? FYI, the Ethics Board has 13 pages of offensive, sadistically cruel, false, and clearly libelous comments, enabled and encouraged by you, against me and my grief-stricken family at your blog. Including two by you that declare, "I am just going to let all comments run. They are fun to read," and "I would never apologize [to Villa]."

BTW, here's the "all of us" Donovan is referring to.

Will the Allentown Ethics Board do its duty and make Allentown proud?

Inquiring minds want to know.