Baldwin Borough Democratic Committee Offers Clarification About Monday's Endorsements Meeting

The Baldwin Borough, Baldwin Township and Whitehall Borough Democratic committees did indeed schedule a joint meeting at the  at 8 p.m. on Monday and came away with official endorsements for Baldwin-Whitehall school board candidates.

There's one catch, though, as Baldwin Borough Democratic Committee Chair Gail Dobson Mikush points out: The Baldwin Borough democrats weren't there.

Dobson Mikush contacted the Baldwin-Whitehall Patch on Tuesday night to point that fact out. She said that only one member of her committee attended Monday's meeting and that that member still did not vote on any endorsement ballots.

Dobson Mikush said that the Baldwin Borough Democratic Committee has not, as a whole entity, officially endorsed any school-board candidates for almost 20 years.

Despite that, Dobson Mikush said that the joint school-board endorsements made on behalf of the Baldwin Borough, Baldwin Township and Whitehall Borough Democratic committees on Monday are still valid because the endorsements are of a nature encompassing all three municipalities within the .

Dobson Mikush said that she does not know why Martin Michael Schmotzer, chair of the Whitehall Borough Democratic Committee, would release  without clarifying the Baldwin Borough Democrats' involvement.

Dobson Mikush wished to clarify her committee's involvement with Monday's meeting despite the fact that she, personally, is chairing the campaign to elect the very six candidates that the meeting produced endorsements for: Sam DiNardo Jr. for a two-year school-board seat and Kevin J. Fischer, Diana Kazour, Larry Pantuso, Laurencine Romack and Ray Rosing for four-year school-board seats.

"Am I endorsing them (those candidates) personally?" Dobson Mikush asked. "Yes, I am. Am I endorsing them as the Baldwin Borough Democratic chairperson? No, I'm not ...

"(Not taking part in Monday's meeting) has nothing to do with any of those candidates that are running. It's no reflection on them, endorsed or not endorsed. The Baldwin Borough democratic organization just doesn't do it ...

"As time has gone by, endorsements are just not as important as most people, back in the day, used to think they were. It's evident when you have elections now.

"The endorsement process is not as strong as it used to be."

The Baldwin-Whitehall area will see races for school board and borough/township positions in May 17 primary elections.